Get plenty of sleep the week before your shoot, especially the night before your shoot. It looks better in the pictures to actually be rested and full of energy than it does to fake it.

WOMEN
Makeup for the session is recommended for women. You'll do your own makeup and be sure to bring your makeup with you as well. Healthy skin is best, so make sure your face is clean and moisturized. The style of makeup should be a very natural look with a "less is more" approach, especially to start. By starting the makeup very light, you can subtly build on it as we go to slightly change the look. So we'll start with more casual looks with very little makeup and we'll get to dressier evening looks by the end. If at all possible, please use a base that is not powder. Also, please don't attempt to cover up acne or blemishes with makeup—we can retouch blemishes away on the computer and it will look better if there isn't a bunch of extra makeup in the area. If you pluck your eyebrows, please go easy. Eyebrows are an important ingredient in your expressions. Also, because the lighting shows a lot, you'll be able to tell if you're wearing colored contacts, so we recommend against wearing them.

Come with your hair already done as if you were going to an audition or just out for the day. Whatever your hairstyle is, it needs to be "you," and it needs to be something you can easily recreate for auditions. Please also bring any styling products and comb/brush/pick you may need. If your hair is longer, we'll shoot it down as well as put it up in order to create different looks—so please also bring a scrunchy or hair tie.

MEN
Makeup is not recommended for men. Healthy skin is best, so make sure your face is clean and moisturized. Dry skin will show in the pictures. You'll want to check for ear or nose hair that's visible and take care of that prior to your session. If you can grow a little facial hair and would like to shoot looks both scruffy and clean shaven, then grow it and bring your razor/shaving kit and you can shave once we're sure we've gotten the shots we want with the scruff.

Come with your hair already done as if you were going to an audition or just out for the day. Whatever your hairstyle is, it needs to be "you," and it needs to be something you can easily recreate for auditions. Please also bring any styling products and comb/brush/pick you may need.

We recommend that you bring 9 to 12 different looks for yourself (tops only). The most important thing is that everything you bring is something you love. You have to feel comfortable wearing it. If you don't, then you won't shoot well in it.

Don't bring clothes just because you think they will help you get a certain part. Be yourself and bring a wide range of clothes that reflect your own personal style. Bringing a variety of colors is also recommended with the only color we don't recommend bringing being one that is close to your own skin tone. Bright colors, muted colors, black, and even white all work great. Remember, your headshots will be something you'll use year-round, so don't just bring colors or clothes according to the season. Tank tops, t-shirts, v-necks, sweaters, button-down shirts, dress shirts, light jackets, sports coats, and even dresses can all work well. For dresses, remember that you'll only see the top part of the dress, so strapless dresses and tube tops may not work well since you may not see the clothing in the cropped headshot and you don’t want it to appear like you aren't wearing anything. Textures are great, but try your best to avoid busy patterns or clothing that could draw too much attention in the shot. We want people to notice you, not your clothes.

If you don't bring it, then we can't try it, so bring it if you are having a hard time deciding. Just remember the most important thing is that everything you bring be something you love and feel comfortable wearing. In case some of your items are badly wrinkled, we have an iron and a steamer that you may use while here.

Another thing you can do is go shopping for new clothes! If there's something you're missing, buy it, leave the tags on, we'll shoot it and then you can return it after we're done if it's not something you want to keep.

Wearing jewelry is not recommended for actor headshots. Corporate, social media, and portrait headshots are different and certainly allow for wearing jewelry.

Eat a sensible meal before you come. If you skip a meal before your shoot, then your energy won't be there. On the other hand, if you stuff yourself before coming, you may feel bogged down and just want to take a nap. Since your session is a few hours long, there will be some mixed fruit for you to snack on too. You're also welcome to bring your own snacks as well, although don’t bring anything that could leave a color on your teeth or lips or anything that could end up leaving crumbs in your teeth or facial hair (if applicable).