The Headshot Process

​​Our headshot sessions are fun, relaxing, and easy!

To get you the perfect headshot, we've created a unique process that's broken into three stages:

1. Arrival, Consultation, and Set-Up
2. The Shoot
3. Post-Production​

  

Arrival, Consultation, and Set-Up: 

1. Do you like coffee? When you first get in, we'll give you a few minutes to relax with cold water, hot coffee, or tea. As you hang up your clothing on the rack, we'll chat with you about your needs. 
2. We'll ask you some questions like: What are you using the photos for? What industry are you in? What do you hope to achieve with the shoot? What level of comfort do you have in front of the camera? These will help us establish a baseline so we can make sure you get what you need and feel comfortable and relaxed during your shoot. 
3. Next, we'll discuss general details to figure out how we want to start the session. We’ll talk a bit about your clothing, skin tone, hair, and eye color so we can ensure the background and lighting style we use makes you look your best.
4. Once we’ve determined all that, we’ll then focus on specific things with your body. You won't have to worry about this, but as we set things up, we'll be taking into consideration things like your height, shoulder width, neck length, hairline/style, and how your clothing fits (among other things) to determine body positions and angles that will work best for you.
5. Finally, we’ll focus on the subtle (but just-as-important) details. These include whether your eyes are slightly different sizes or shapes (most people's are, so don't worry!), the angle of your nose, the prominence of your eyebrows, and what level of mouth tension you naturally have. These are just a few of the things that help us determine what types of expressions will work best for you, and from what angle the light should be hitting your face for it to be the most flattering.

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Note: If you’ve added make-up to your package, upon arrival at the studio you’ll also speak with our make-up artist and stylist about the looks that you're going for, and they will get started on makeup. 

​​The Shoot:

1. We'll let you see the preliminary test shot. After we've set everything up, we'll do a few quick test shots to ensure the lighting, background, and makeup looks good and works for your industry or Type (if you're an actor). When we're happy with the setup, we'll let you see the test shot. What we might see as beautiful might not necessarily be what you like best, and since we all see ourselves differently, we want to be sure you’re happy with the overall look of the photo before we begin.
   1. Almost anything you point out can be easily adjusted in-camera, while a few things might need to wait for digital retouching afterwards.
   2. No matter how ridiculous you might think your request is, we’re always happy to help. We'd rather you point out things during your shoot than after it's over.
2. After you approve the test shot, the actual session will begin. We'll begin shooting, making sure you're in the best poses and look confident, natural, and relaxed. For actors, you need a range of looks, so we'll be varying up your expression and aiming to capture your Types and Brand. For business professionals, the session goes by a bit quicker since you don't need as many different expressions. The key is to get you to look friendly, competent, and trustworthy.
3. Partway through the shoot, we'll do outfit changes. If you have chosen a session with multiple looks, we will switch up your outfit and backdrops and repeat the process for your second/third look. 
4. After the primary shots are done, we'll check in with you. Once we feel like we have a great selection of photographs, we'll check in to see if there is anything else you’d like to capture. At that point, the shoot will end and you'll be able to place any final remaining balance payment.

Our goal is to make your shoot super fun, easy, painless, and quick. Most shoots last about 30-40 minutes per look/outfit and the pre-shoot consultation process usually takes just 5-10 minutes.

​Even if you hate having photos taken of yourself, we promise to make it fun and enjoyable, and we guarantee that you'll walk away with a set of photos you love.

Here's an example of what your shoot WON'T be like:  😉

Don't be afraid. It's a lot easier than most people think!
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Post Production:

1. Your images will be sent to you the same day. If your shoot ends before 4pm, you will receive an email the same day with a link to the high-res image files from your shoot. If your shoot was after 4pm, you may receive your files the following day (unless you're in an urgent rush and let us know you need them right away, in which case it's no problem).
2. You'll then choose your favorite image(s) to be retouched. We'll help narrow your images down by making a folder of our top favorites (but still sending you all the others too), and then you can email your final selections to [email protected]. The finalized, retouched images will be sent back to you in 2-3 business days. If you need 24-hour turnaround, that can be arranged for a small additional fee, and we just ask that you let us know as soon as possible.

At that point, you're done! You'll have your finalized, high-res images and be ready to start using them to move your career forward.

If you have any questions or need anything from us at all, feel free to reach us at [email protected] or (212) 706-1902.