Gaining insight on clothing selections, body positioning, and backdrops for optimal professional headshots is essential.
What is Meant by Professional Headshots?
Portraits taken for professional purposes, such as websites, press releases, publications, and social-media profiles, are generally referred to as professional headshots.
A “headshot” or “head shot” is a portrait photo that has been cut off at the mid-torso, with the primary focus on the face.
Headshots that are intended for professional purposes, not specifically related to businesses, are used by a variety of individuals in distinct vocations. This includes academics, writers, non-profits, scientists, and medical practitioners.
Headshots taken by professionals are helpful in creating an image of trustworthiness, friendliness, and competency in the eyes of others.
Good photographers are experts in using the background, expression, poses and lighting to deliver a representation of someone’s character visually.
How Crucial is it to Have Professional Headshots?
Have you ever come across someone where your feelings towards them were either positive or negative from the start?
It is not always clear why one has a certain opinion of someone else, yet people often form opinions in the blink of an eye. These initial impressions can be profoundly influential in determining who they choose to work with, buy from, or pay attention to.
Nowadays, the majority of initial encounters begin on the internet.
Having a great, professional headshot can be an important factor in making a good first impression, which can have a significant effect on one’s job or business.
What Should I Put on for Professional Photos?
The type of photographs you take will depend on your individual character, the type of business you’re in, and where you’ll be displaying the images.
For more formal occasions such as in the legal or academic field, we suggest wearing a suit or its equivalent for women.
As another option, the most reliable way to determine how to dress for your industry is to observe what people on LinkedIn are wearing. Give more thought to those who are successful in the field, rather than just those in your immediate circle.
Appear as you desire to be seen in the job you aspire to acquire, not the one you currently have. If you’re uncertain, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re always delighted to give assistance.
What’s the Best Way to Pose for Professional Headshots?
It’s not necessary to go overboard with the postures when it comes to taking professional headshots. We generally prefer to stick with more basic poses rather than what other photographers may impose on their customers. We tend to steer clear of any strange or outlandish poses.
The display of your expertise is what matters most, not our photography skills.
To get your session started, it is recommended to begin with basic postures. All you need to do is stand and show a smile.
At a later time, we will aim to get a few headshots with arms crossed and maybe a few candid shots.
What are the Most Suitable Backgrounds for Professional Headshots?
In industries that are more traditional, like finance and law, white, gray, and black backdrops are suggested. These colors can be used to create visuals that express dependability and stability.
For those employed in the creative, nonprofit, and tech fields, adding a bit of vibrancy to your photos can be accomplished by selecting a colored studio backdrop or attempting an outdoor or on-site shooting session. These pictures tend to be endowed with more character.
For those in higher positions such as senior administrators, managers and the like, it is strongly recommended that they possess multiple images of themselves to be used across a variety of platforms. The ideal situation would be to have a mixture of both outdoor and indoor images in addition to the typical studio headshots.
Using the same headshot across LinkedIn, the company website, and press releases may come off as unprofessional.
With 11 studio backdrop options, St. Louis Photo Studio provides the perfect scenery for your professional headshot.
What are the Necessary Steps to Get Ready for Professional Headshots?
Prior to your headshot session, there are three steps to take for preparation.
Before your session, if it’s feasible, try to get some shut-eye, exercise and absorb some sunlight. To make sure your images look realistic, our editing team retouches the chosen photos before sending them off to you. Nevertheless, your preparation will help guarantee the best results.
It’s essential to try on the clothes you plan to wear for your session a couple days ahead of time. This allows you to confirm that the items fit properly and do not require dry cleaning.
You can examine some older pictures of yourself and identify any that you find especially attractive. When you show up to the studio, present those photos to the photographer and that will assist us in discovering a pose that you find attractive.













What If I’m Not Comfortable in Front of the Camera or Don’t Enjoy Having My Picture Taken?
No need to worry! Many portrait photographers fall short when it comes to providing the best experience for their clients. They often make their customers feel uncomfortable with unnatural poses and don’t take the time to understand what their clients want from the session. Additionally, they often rush through the session.
At St. Louis Photo Studio, our mission is to ensure that each customer enjoys their experience with us. We play cheerful music and continually ask for feedback from the customer in order to attain a headshot that they will be proud of and want to show off.
What Is the Price Tag for Professional Headshots?
The expense of a professional headshot may range from $200 up to $450, depending on what’s all involved and the location, the package chosen, and the photographer. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the cheaper options may not produce the desired quality of images.
When pricing is taken into account, it is important to bear in mind both a) who holds the rights to the photos and b) costs associated with any retouching.
When it comes to licensing, typically a photographer will only provide ownership of pictures that you purchase from them. This payment is distinct from the session fee, which is only meant to cover the hours spent in their studio. If you plan on using your photos for a press release, ad, publication or any other purpose, you may have to pay extra licensing fees. Not with us, all fees are included and of course, you own the rights to your own photos.
When it comes to retouching, it is common for photographers to charge within the range of $50 to $85 per image. Make sure to factor in these costs when estimating the total cost of the session.
When it comes to St. Louis Photo Studio our session fees for in studio are $200 for the shoot and come with full copyright usage rights and no need to license or credit photos back to them. You can download high-resolution photos directly to your device, and retouching is available for an additional cost of $55 per photo. Various packages provide different quantities of retouched photos.
Group Gatherings
Organizing team sessions can be a great way to bring ideas and perspectives together. Having an environment where people are able to openly discuss their thoughts can facilitate collaboration and encourage creativity. Group gatherings can be an effective way to generate new ideas and solutions to problems.
When you have a crowd of five or more, our hourly, half-day, and full-day packages can be arranged both at our premises and your office space.
Corporate Strategies
Organizations can use a variety of headshot plans to achieve their goals. These plans may involve setting and achieving objectives, developing strategies to reach those objectives, and effectively managing resources and personnel. Corporate plans are an integral part of a company’s overall strategy, helping to ensure the organization meets its goals and objectives.
Corporate plans that offer the ability to send members of staff to our studio for obtaining headshots or portraits that are an exact match.
Headshots Inc. offers corporate passes with varying prices.
Do you need to find our studio?
We are conveniently located in a private, spacious studio in a separate building behind my home in south St Louis County at 4501 Mattis Road 63128.
The Procedure for Taking Headshots
For the past half-decade, we have crafted a foolproof system for producing, taking, and refining first-rate professional headshots for entrepreneurs, managers, and actors from St. Louis.
Our approach to photography is distinguished from others in the following manner:
A Service for Professional Headshots
Achieve Mastery in the Basics
Although you may not be a professional model, there is no need for an eight hour photo session in order to achieve an impressive headshot. It is more important to take the time to deliver excellent results focused on the essential elements.
Concentrate on Client Objectives
As creative professionals, our main objective is not to showcase our art; our priority is to make sure that your headshot session is successful and meets your expectations. We strongly believe that the optimal headshot is one that you, the client, loves and is confident to share publicly.
Make it Enjoyable
We’ll create a fun atmosphere as we make sure you have amazing headshots. If you’re a veteran or a first-timer, our friendly guidance will help you get the exact look you want. When you come to the studio, you can expect us to play some great music to help you feel at ease.
The procedure for editing a headshot
What’s our other secret to success? Revising …
Have you ever come across a photo that has been overly-altered, where the person depicted is barely recognizable? We feel that the best modifications should not be apparent to the person viewing the image.
Whenever we edit a picture, we have the capacity to:
Achieving a bright and even smile can be done by whitening teeth.
Eliminate Unwanted Strands
One Way to Minimize the Appearance of Under-Eye Bags
Elimination of Acne
Upon request, we can furthermore provide:
Decrease/Lessen Facial Creases
One way to improve the appearance of one’s eyes is to brighten them. This can be accomplished through various techniques such as using makeup, whitening drops, or even eye masks. Makeup can be used to make the eyes appear brighter by applying a light-reflecting shadow and a white eyeliner. Whitening drops can be used to reduce the redness and dark circles around the eyes. Eye masks may also be used to reduce puffiness and dark circles. All of these methods can help to bring out the natural color and brightness of the eyes.
Methods for Reducing Creases in Fabric:
Taking the necessary steps to minimize wrinkles in clothing is essential for achieving a neat, put-together look. To keep garments looking their best, use the following techniques:
• Hang items up immediately when they come out of the dryer.
• Remove clothing from the dryer before they become too dry.
• Avoid tightly packing clothes in drawers
• Iron items while they are still slightly damp.
• Use fabric softener in the wash.
At St. Louis Photo Studio, we recognize that our customers may have different editing preferences. Therefore, for each group of HeadShots that we edit, we ask our clients to rate the amount of editing they want from one to five. (1= Unaltered, 5= Specific Retouching).
Mike Haller
314-913-5626
stlouisphotostudio@gmail.com
4501 Mattis Road St Louis, MO 63128