Your company has scheduled a professional headshot day, and you want to look your absolute best. Whether this is your first corporate headshot or you’re updating your existing photo, proper preparation ensures you’ll feel confident and get results that represent you professionally.
Quick Summary : Preparing for corporate headshot day? Start hydrating and sleeping well one week before. Wear solid colors with sleeves, skip heavy makeup, and arrive camera-ready. Your 5-10 minute session includes expression coaching and instant image review. Relax—blemishes and glare are fixed in retouching.
This guide covers everything employees need to know before, during, and after their on-site corporate headshot session.
One Week Before Your Session
Hydration Matters
Start drinking at least 64 ounces of water daily, beginning one week before your appointment. Proper hydration significantly impacts your complexion, reduces the appearance of fine lines, minimizes dark circles under the eyes, and improves your overall appearance on camera.
Prioritize Sleep
Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night during the week leading up to your session. Like hydration, adequate rest directly affects your skin’s appearance, the brightness of your eyes, and your energy levels during the shoot.
Schedule Your Haircut Early
If you need a trim or haircut, schedule it 1-2 weeks before picture day. This timing allows your hair to settle and look natural rather than freshly cut. Avoid getting a haircut the day before or day of your session.
Consider Teeth Whitening
While professional retouching can brighten teeth , starting with whiter teeth boosts your confidence during the session and reduces post-production needs. If whitening interests you, do it at least a week in advance.
Protect Your Skin
Avoid excessive sun exposure in the days leading up to picture day. Sunburned, dry, or irritated skin photographs poorly and limits retouching options. If you do get sun, apply moisturizer regularly.
Choosing the Right Clothing for Corporate Headshots
Your clothing choices significantly impact the final result of your corporate headshot. Professional attire that fits properly and follows corporate photography guidelines ensures your face remains the focal point.
Fit and Presentation
Clothing should fit well without being baggy or too tight. Ensure everything is freshly pressed and wrinkle-free before your session. Wrinkled clothing looks unprofessional and detracts from an otherwise polished image.
Colors That Photograph Best
Solid colors photograph most effectively for corporate headshots. Always check your company’s brand guidelines before making final clothing selections. Most companies recommend:
- Dark navy suits or dresses
- Black professional attire
- Gray suits or blazers
- Add tasteful splash of color in shirts, ties, or scarves for personality
What to Avoid
Busy Patterns: Herringbone, checks, and fine stripes create a visual distortion called moiré on camera. Wider stripes are not as susceptible to moiré, but bold contrasty stripes and patterns are distracting and should be avoided.
Plain White Tops: Unless layered under a darker jacket, plain white shirts draw the viewer’s eye away from your face toward the brightest element in the frame.
Sleeveless Clothing: Bare arms in headshots pull attention away from your face since the viewer’s eye naturally gravitates toward skin tones. Choose shirts, blouses, or dresses with sleeves.
Shiny Materials: Fabrics with sheen create distracting bright spots and hotspots under professional lighting.
Large or Distracting Jewelry: Minimize accessories around your face and neckline. Large earrings, bold necklaces, or statement jewelry compete with your face for attention. While these elements can be part of your overall style in 3/4/ or full length portraits, they are too distracting in headshots.
Busy Necklines: Since headshots typically frame from the chest up, complex necklines or embellishments create visual clutter. Simple necklines are best.
What Works Well
Texture: Fabrics with subtle texture add dimension and visual interest without creating distraction.
Layering: Blazers over shirts create depth and a polished, professional appearance.
Properly Tied Neckties: Ensure ties are snug and properly knotted. Double Windsor knots photograph particularly well and convey professionalism. Pull the knot up snugly into the collar to create a clean, symmetrical triangle that fills the space between the collar points. The knot should sit centered and tight against the collar with no gaps.
Learn to tie a Double Windsor knot: How to Tie a Tie | Windsor (aka Full Windsor or Double Windsor) | For Beginners
What about my glasses?
Wear your glasses if that’s how colleagues and clients recognize you. Professional lighting techniques combined with expert retouching ensure your glasses look natural without glare or reflections obscuring your eyes. Make sure they are cleaned before coming to your session.
Makeup Guidelines for Corporate Headshots
Professional headshots capture fine detail, so makeup should enhance your natural features rather than transform them.
Keep It Natural
Light, natural makeup works best for corporate photography. Heavy makeup, dramatic contouring, or runway-style glam makeup looks overdone in professional headshots. Match foundation as closely as possible to your natural skin tone.
What to Avoid
- Bold or dramatic eyeliner
- Lengthy lash extensions (they shade the eyes and prevent the “twinkle” that professional lighting creates)
- Heavy mascara or cat-eye styles
- Excessive contouring
- Glam or editorial makeup styles
Don’t Worry About Blemishes
If you have a blemish, don’t stress or apply excessive concealer. Minor skin imperfections are easily addressed during professional retouching. Heavy makeup to cover blemishes often looks worse on camera and creates more retouching challenges.
Lash Extensions
If you wear lash extensions, remember that less is more. Excessively long extensions act like a baseball cap for your eyes, casting shadows and preventing light from creating that engaging sparkle in your gaze.
What to Expect During Your Corporate Headshot Session
Understanding the process helps you feel more comfortable and confident on picture day.
Session Length and Timing
Your individual session will last approximately 5-10 minutes. Please arrive at your scheduled time and come camera-ready with hair, makeup, and clothing already prepared. Running late may require rescheduling, as corporate headshot days operate on tight schedules to accommodate all employees.
Expression Coaching
Every person who steps in front of the camera receives personalized expression coaching. We’ll photograph you from multiple angles to find your most flattering side and capture authentic, natural expressions that represent you professionally.
Instant Image Review
Sessions utilize tethered shooting, meaning photos appear instantly on a computer screen. We’ll review images during the session and select your favorite for professional retouching. Most packages include one retouched image, but additional selections may be available for an added fee.
The Process
- Brief consultation about your role and how you want to be perceived
- Positioning and lighting adjustments
- Expression coaching and angle testing
- Capture multiple images from your best angles
- Review and select your favorite photo
After Your Corporate Headshot Session
After selecting your preferred image, professional retouching begins. You’ll receive an email notification when your final headshot is ready to download. Save your image immediately to a secure location for future use.
Company Use
Your finished headshot will be sent directly to your company coordinator for use in:
- Company website profiles
- Marketing materials
- Internal directories
- Presentations
You’re typically welcome to use the image for your personal LinkedIn profile and other social media, unless your company specifies otherwise.
Portfolio Use
Your image may be featured in the photographer’s portfolio or on social media as an example of professional corporate headshot work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I smile in my corporate headshot?
The answer depends on your role, personality, and the message you want to convey. Two effective approaches work for corporate headshots:
Warm and engaging with a smile – Perfect for client-facing roles, sales, customer service, or positions emphasizing approachability
Confident and sincere with minimal smile – Ideal for executive positions, legal, finance, or roles projecting authority and expertise
We’ll coach you through both expressions during your session so you can decide which represents you best. The company may also what to project a certain vibe for all the headshots, which may also play a factor in which expression we choose.
What if I miss my scheduled appointment on picture day?
If you miss your company’s headshot day, you can schedule a makeup session at the studio near the Galleria. Schedule your individual appointment here.
How do I prepare if I’m feeling under the weather?
Consult with your company coordinator about makeup session options if you’re not feeling your best. If you are not feeling well, you may not photograph at your best, and you risk exposing other people.
Ready for Your Best Corporate Headshot?
Proper preparation makes all the difference in creating a professional headshot you’re proud to use. By following these guidelines for hydration, rest, clothing selection, and grooming, you’ll walk into your session feeling confident and ready.
Ready for Your Best Corporate Headshot?
Proper preparation makes all the difference in creating a professional headshot you’re proud to use. By following these guidelines for hydration, rest, clothing selection, and grooming, you’ll walk into your session feeling confident and ready.
More questions about your upcoming corporate headshot day? Learn more about the corporate headshot process or check out what previous clients say in our Google reviews.
Dee Zunker Photography specializes in professional corporate headshots in Houston, providing on-site photography services for companies of all sizes. Our streamlined process makes picture day effortless for HR coordinators while delivering exceptional results for every employee.
