A professional headshot asks a lot of a single photograph. It has to look like you on a good day, read clearly at the size of a postage stamp, and hold up on a company website, a conference program, and a LinkedIn profile at the same time. The session itself is brief, often well under an hour. What separates the headshots people love from the ones they tolerate is mostly preparation: the two days before, the bag you bring, and knowing what will happen in the room.
Studios in Charlotte, including Bazemore Studios, shoot headshots by appointment for individuals and teams, in the studio and on location. The process below is the standard shape of a professional session, and preparing for it the same way, wherever you book, will get you a better photograph.
Two days before: sleep, water, and restraint
The camera is honest about fatigue. The most effective preparation costs nothing: sleep properly the two nights before your session, drink water, and go easy on alcohol, which shows up in skin and eyes the next day. Schedule any haircut about a week ahead, not the day before, so it settles into its natural shape. If you color your hair, touch up roots with enough time that the color looks lived-in rather than fresh from the chair.
Resist last-minute experiments. A new facial treatment, a first-ever spray tan, or a brand-new skincare product the night before can leave redness or reactions that retouching should never be asked to fix. If you want to try something new for your photo, try it a month earlier, when there is time to learn how your skin answers.
Wardrobe: bring options, favor solids
Bring two or three tops. Solid colors photograph cleanly and keep attention on your face. Mid-tone and darker colors tend to work against studio backgrounds, and a layer, a jacket or blazer over a simple top, gives the photographer two looks in one outfit. Avoid busy patterns, large logos, and neon colors, which pull the eye and can reflect odd color onto skin. Necklines matter more than people expect: a modest neckline keeps the crop comfortable at headshot proportions, where the frame cuts closer than a normal portrait.
Fit beats fashion. A jacket that pulls at the button or a collar that will not sit flat will do so in every frame. Try everything on the night before, sitting down, because headshots are usually shot seated or leaning. If you wear a tie, bring two. If you do not wear one normally, do not start for the photo; the point is to look like yourself at work, not like a costume of yourself.
Grooming and glasses on the day
Arrive with hair styled the way you normally wear it, and bring a brush or comb for touch-ups between frames. Makeup, if you wear it, should be your polished everyday version, slightly more deliberate than daily life, because studio lighting softens contrast. Heavy contouring reads as makeup in a headshot rather than as bone structure. For men, a shave or trim the morning of the session looks sharpest; five o'clock shadow is a fine choice only if it is your actual daily look.
Glasses deserve a decision. If you wear them all day, wear them in the photo, because people should recognize you. Clean them thoroughly, and know that a good photographer will manage reflections with light angle. If you have a spare pair without lenses, or an old frame with the lenses removed, mention it; glare is the one glasses problem that is hard to fix after the fact.
What happens in the session
A good headshot session is directed, not posed stiffly. The photographer adjusts light for your face, guides your angle and expression in small increments, and shoots in bursts, checking results with you as you go. Most people relax after the first few minutes, and the strongest frames usually come later in the session, once the camera stops feeling like an event. Sessions at Bazemore Studios are built around that idea: authentic capture with professional guidance, then retouching that keeps the result looking like a real person, with final selections prepared for the platforms where they will be used.
Speak up during the session. If you have a side you prefer, a scar you are fine with, or a look you need for a specific use, say so early. Photographers would rather hear it with time to act on it than in an email afterward.
Common questions
How long does a headshot session take?
Individual sessions commonly run thirty to sixty minutes, including time to review images together. Team sessions are scheduled per person in shorter blocks.
Should I smile with teeth or without?
Try both during the session. A genuine, relaxed smile usually wins, and a good photographer will capture a range so you can choose with fresh eyes.
When will I get my final images?
Turnaround varies by studio. Bazemore Studios lists delivery within a day for final selections, prepared for the platforms where you plan to use them.
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