Prepare for your Business Portrait

If you are going to have a professional business portrait taken, there are a number of things to consider in order to get the best portrait possible:

• Have your hair cut or styled a few days before the session. That will eliminate split ends, eliminate gray areas and allow the cut to relax for a bit before the session, creating better pictures.
• If you are into tanning, be sure not to over do it as overly red skin is difficult to fix. Avoid spray tanning as it tends to look fake, especially in pictures.
• Choose solid colors for your clothing. Patterned clothing distracts and draws attention from your face. Avoid very bright colors as they also pull attention from your face.
• Choose your clothing colors based on your skin tone and hair color. Pastels work well with light skin and light hair. Folks with dark hair and darker skin look good in strong blue, green or even red. Brown skin works well with earth tones ~~ browns, oranges, yellows.
• Avoid wearing clothing that shows any branding, unless it is your own business brand or a brand that you are actively promoting. The goal is to promote you (or your business), not a clothing manufacturer’s brand.
• Make sure your clothing fits well. For men, that means that the collar should button a little snug, but comfortably, around the neck. For women, the blouse should work well with your figure. If it is a button down blouse, make sure that there is no button gaping when the blouse is buttoned.
• We have always advised against short sleeves or sleeveless outfits, especially for professional portraits. Bare arms often make a person look heavier in a picture. And, because it is skin tone, it tends to compete with the face for the viewer’s attention. It is best for the viewer to be drawn directly to your face in a business portrait.
• Go easy on the accessories. Keep jewelry simple, elegant and low-key.
• Bring other outfits to your picture session. If your first choice isn’t working in pictures (and you will be able to see them as we take them) you can change outfits.
• Wear your regular glasses. Your portrait should represent how you normally look, so if you normally wear glasses, wear them for your portraits. Our production specialists can eliminate glasses glare if it occurs. However, “transitions” lenses can be problematic. Try to avoid them if possible.

Following these tips will go a long way toward creating a business portrait that boosts your professional image.