There are many things to consider when taking professional headshots; what you wear matters, even down to the most minor accessory details. With this in mind, many people wonder if they should wear glasses in their headshot sessions.
There’s no right or wrong answer here. It’s usually a more circumstantial situation, with a few pros and cons to consider. It’s an individual choice, but perhaps we can give you a little more information to help shed some light on the situation.
Pros and Cons of Wearing Glasses in Headshots
Whether using a professional photographer or our Portrait Pal AI headshot platform, there are pros and cons to consider when deciding to wear glasses in headshots. In the spirit of fun, let’s call the pros “glasses half-full” and the cons “glasses half-empty”.
Glasses Half-Full
There are several pros to wearing glasses in your headshot session. Let’s take a look at why you might want to wear your glasses in your photo shoot.
A Realistic Portrayal
First of all, you want your headshot to realistically portray the way you look in a professional setting. If you’re planning on wearing your glasses when you’re working professionally, it makes sense to wear them in your headshot.
While people will likely be able to recognize you with or without your glasses, it can help to maintain a seamless appearance between yourself and your photos. Those who are bad with faces or may struggle with eyesight problems themselves often prefer to see that your appearance closely resembles your photo.
A Little Personality
Additionally, your glasses can add a touch of “you” in a more strictly professional photograph. Glasses are also a way to express yourself, helping to add a personal flair to your headshots while remaining professional. The style, color, and even shape of your glasses can say a little more about who you are and what you like. In some ways, this can be endearing to clients and employers.
Confidence in Glasses
Glasses can often be a shield for insecurities for some. If wearing your glasses helps you feel more confident, then use that to your advantage in your headshots. You should be as comfortable as you can be in your photos for the best results, and if glasses help with that, consider wearing them.
A Look of Intelligence
For some, glasses can elevate their appearance. Some might even say wearing glasses makes you look intelligent. Of course, wearing glasses doesn’t automatically equal a higher IQ, but we can take that positive idea and run with it. Glasses are nothing to be ashamed of. They are a great daily necessity and accessory that can be used in professional headshots.
You Want to Be Able to See
And, of course, there’s the practicality of wearing glasses. If your eyesight is extremely poor without your glasses, you probably want to keep them on just for the sake of safety. You don’t need to be tripping around your photo shoot because you can’t see where you’re going.
Additionally, some people unknowingly squint without their glasses, too, which can affect your appearance in the photos.
Glasses Half-Empty
There are a few cons to consider regarding wearing glasses in headshots. Perhaps these disadvantages can help inform your decision about whether or not to don glasses in your photo.
Distracting Glare
First and foremost, glasses can create a distracting and annoying glare in photos. Depending on the type of frames you have and the direction of the lighting, they can also create shadows. You’ll want to ensure your photographer is confident in their ability to handle this complication.
No Transitions Glasses
You shouldn’t wear glasses in your headshot if they’re “transitions” glasses that switch from plain lenses to sunglasses when you’re in direct sunlight. These lenses can look particularly dark in photos, giving you an odd, shadowy look around your eyes. And if you’re outside, it will look like you’re wearing sunglasses, which isn’t a great look.
Too Distracting in Style
There’s also your personal appearance to consider. In some cases, glasses can distract from you as the main focal point. If you usually wear super bold, bright, or large frames, you might not want to wear them for your headshots. Of course, this will depend somewhat on your specific industry, so use your best judgment here.
If you’re in more of an artistic industry, then glasses with a little more flair might be an option, as long as they don’t become the main focus of the headshot. A more serious vocation will call for a more subtle and neutral set of optics.
Lack of Confidence
There’s also your personal comfort level with your glasses. If you don’t like the way you look when wearing glasses and are more confident when you’re not wearing them, it may be better to leave them off. You want to feel good when you take your photos and anything that prevents you from that, glasses included, should probably stay out of the photo.
Other Considerations
After weighing the pros and cons in your mind, you might find other things to consider. You might think about the following:
Apply Makeup if Needed
If you wear makeup, applying a conservative amount can help. Don’t be afraid to apply makeup to help your eyes pop, even from behind your glasses. If you wear glasses daily and need to have them in your headshot, applying makeup can be a way to boost your confidence and make your face stand out behind the frames. The focal point of the headshots should be you.
Just remember if you choose to apply makeup, it shouldn’t be over the top. A simple application will do to complement your face and the glasses you’re wearing. Choose neutrals that accentuate your cheekbones, eyes, and lips. Avoid bright colors, including bright red blush.
Think About How Often You Wear Glasses
If you don’t wear them daily, feel less comfortable in them, or don’t wear them at all, don’t don them in your headshots. If you’re a daily glasses wearer and feel you look totally different without them, put them on during the shoot.
Essentially, you want your headshots to be an accurate representation of how you look on a daily basis, but also include an additional professional edge like you would use in an important meeting or interview.
Consider Wearing Different Frames
This section is not for those who own conservative, business-friendly glasses on the daily. Rather, it’s for those who wear vibrant glasses daily. Depending on your vocation, it may be wise to go with something more neutral for your headshots.
Wearing a different frame can help you stay true to your daily look while toning it down for the professional air that’s expected of headshots. This can minimize distraction and improve the impression you give.
Frames can be costly, so it’s understandable if you’re hesitant to buy new ones just for a photo shoot. Even picking up some reader frames to use for your headshots could work if you want to wear something more neutral but don’t want to pay for a neutral set of prescription frames and lenses.
As for choosing to wear your bright frames in your daily profession, you’ll have to decide if the perception you give changes depending on how your glasses look. If you feel like you’ll be taken more seriously with a more conservative set, you might choose to purchase new frames just for work and keep your fun ones for the weekends.
Consider the Different Types of Portrait Photography
Typically, professional headshots have stricter guidelines to meet industry standards and make a lasting impression professionally. As such, your fun pair of glasses may not be ideal for this image of yourself. You can always showcase some fun glasses with other types of portrait photography for personal or more business-casual use.
Think about why you want or need to wear glasses in your headshots and how the frames of your glasses will impact your ability to be the leading professional focal point of the headshot. If your vibrant and fancy glasses are amazing but also a little over the top professionally, go with a more subtle frame for your headshots. Save those excellent glasses for a candid self-portrait or fun candid photos with your friends.
Know Your Options for Creating Professional Headshots
Nowadays, there are many different ways to get your professional headshots done. One of the three options below may work best when considering wearing your glasses in the headshots. Some options take more time to accomplish and see results, while others take more time and know-how on your part. Others offer a new level of convenience that’s rising in popularity.
Professional Photographers
Professional photographers are a go-to resource for getting your professional headshots done. They know what they’re doing, can discuss a photo style vision with you, and can edit the photos into the headshots you want. In our ever-improving technological age, though, they aren’t the only way to get headshots nowadays. They can also be very expensive to use and take a lot of time out of your busy schedule.
DIY
Another option is to take headshots yourself using your own iPhone and in the comfort of your home. Doing it yourself is an easy option, especially if you’re on a tight budget. It’s important to follow certain steps to ensure your headshots are suitable for professional use. You’ll need to edit them, since you don’t want them looking like plain old smartphone photos. If you don’t know how to edit photos, this may not be a great option for you.
AI Headshot Generators
An ideal option for creating professional headshots is to use our Portrait Pal AI headshot generator. We use artificial intelligence trained to create professional headshots that are up to industry standards.
Our AI generator is a huge time and money saver and produces realistic results. Plus, it also offers the convenience of creating your headshots from the comfort of your home, without the stress of figuring out how to do it yourself with your phone.
You don’t have to worry about your glasses causing a glare when you use AI to create your headshot. Plus, you can get some headshots with you wearing glasses and some without, so you can decide which is better.
The best part is you don’t have to change outfits or frames throughout the “virtual photo shoot” because the generator can do all that for you. Just tell it in a written prompt how you want your image to be, and it will produce it based on images of yourself you upload. It can’t be simpler.
Experience a Glasses-Full Situation by Using AI to Create Your Headshots
Let’s look in greater detail at how AI headshot generators can help counteract some of the “glasses half-full” cons listed earlier. With AI technology, you can create your headshots (glasses included or excluded) in a few simple, stress-free steps. Read on to see just how easy AI generators are to use.
Create a Vision for Your Headshots
Take some time before getting started to think about your headshots’ photo style vision. Consider the types of backgrounds you’d like. You might go with traditional gray, black or white, modern muted colors, or trendy outdoor backgrounds.
Think about whether your headshots need to be strictly business professional or if they can be business casual. With that in mind, decide what outfits go with the professional vibe of your industry. As you consider these things in your headshot vision, remember to think about glasses if you want to wear them, and which glasses style will best showcase you professionally.
Pick a Price Package
Once you’ve thought through your photo style vision, it’s time to pick a price package on an AI platform and start creating your headshots. Portrait Pal offers three different pricing packages:
- The $35 package has a three-hour processing time and gives you 20 high-quality completed headshots.
- The $45 package has a two-and-a-half-hour processing time and gives you 60 high-quality headshots.
- The $75 package has an impressive two-hour processing time and gives you 100 high-quality headshots.
These packages are a fraction of the cost of using a professional photographer. Additionally, you receive many more headshots ready to use than you would from a traditional photographer. AI headshot generators also offer the benefit of saving time, as your headshots can be completed in two to three hours with the ability to be used immediately.
In contrast, a traditional photography session can take that long alone, and then you’ll have to wait days, weeks, or months to see the results.
Upload Photos
After you’ve picked your time and money-saving price package, you’ll need to upload several photos of yourself. These can be selfies, candid photos, or portraits, as long as they’re clear and in good lighting. The background should be uncluttered with nothing distracting from your face.
If you don’t feel like scrolling through your camera roll to find these photos or you don’t find any good ones, just snap a few selfies at different angles. The AI generator will use your photos to understand your features and likeness and better be able to produce realistic results.
Write a Prompt
The next step you’ll take is to write a prompt explaining the previously mentioned photo-style vision you came up with for the AI generator. With the prompt, you can explain if you want to wear glasses and how bold or neutral you want to go. You can also write down your background, clothing, hairstyles, and makeup preferences.
If you’ve considered your headshot vision before this step, writing the prompt and letting the AI generator start creating should be a breeze.
Enjoy a Full Glass of Juice and a Good Book
The final step is to let the AI generator do the rest of the work. In two or three hours, you’ll have completed headshots! While you wait, you can enjoy a good book and a full glass of your favorite drink, do a household task, catch up on work emails, or even take a nice nap. There’s no need to worry about if your glasses are causing a glare or casting shadows, and there’s no stress in finding a photographer to fix the problem.
The Verdict: To Wear or Not to Wear Glasses
Wearing glasses in your headshot session is up to you. If you wear them daily anyway, it’s recommended to just wear them in your headshots. They’re a representation of you and your personality. Just make sure any glasses with a vibrant and fantastic flair won’t be too distracting from the professional tone of headshots. If they are, choose a different frame for the photos.
If you feel like your glasses aren’t absolutely necessary for your professional look, or you don’t feel confident wearing them, go ahead and leave them out. It can be easier to omit this aspect of your look depending on the way your headshots are taken, but it’s entirely up to you.
No matter how you choose to get your headshots done, wearing glasses is a perfectly acceptable thing to do. And when you use our AI headshots platform, it’s easier than ever to incorporate trendy, attractive optics without the distracting glare.