HEADSHOTS

WHY DO I NEED PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOTS?

If you want to be a professional author, you need to look professional. First impressions are important. That doesn’t mean you have to be dressed in a business suit, but it does mean you need professional quality headshots.

While cell phones do take great pictures these days, professional photographers can employ their knowledge of lighting, camera angles, aperture, shutter speed, and composition, in order to make you look your best.

You’ll need new professional headshots about every five years. If your current headshots are more than five years old, or if your appearance has changed drastically in recent years, you may want to consider new headshots. When people meet you in person, you don’t want them to be surprised by how different you look from the photos on your website or book.

WHERE CAN I USE MY HEADSHOTS?

Anywhere you want! You can use your author headshots on your website, on business cards, in a cover letter or one-sheet, and of course, in your book. You can even get custom mugs and tee-shirts.  🙂

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR FOR MY HEADSHOTS?

You want your clothing to coordinate with your brand. (And I’m not just talking about the colors on your website). Do you write books for business executives? Then maybe you want to wear a suit and tie, or a nice jacket. Do you write for young moms?  Maybe you want to wear something a little more casual, like nice jeans and a cute top. You want your headshots to be friendly and inviting.

Your headshots do not need to match the colors of your book cover, but they should complement the colors on your website, if you have one. (Don’t have a website? I can build one for you!)

Most of the pictures will be from the waist up, but you should still make sure your entire outfit is presentable, including shoes.

If you’re a woman, be sure to put makeup on, even if you don’t typically wear makeup. The extra makeup will help to accentuate your facial features.

WHAT SHOULD I AVOID?

• Don’t wear dirty or wrinkled clothing.
• Don’t wear clothing with words, pictures, or logos.
• Don’t wear neon colors.
• Don’t wear athletic attire (including shoes… although cute sneakers for women are okay, if that’s your style).
• Avoid clothing with small stripes… the stripes will be distorted in the final image.
• Avoid wearing green. Since your headshots will be taken outdoors, they will likely have a greenish background. That’s just a lot of green. 🙂

 IF YOU WEAR GLASSES… PLEASE READ!!! 

• Do NOT wear glasses with tinted lenses (the ones that turn dark outside).
• Do NOT wear glasses that have anti-reflection coating (the purplish or greenish tint). This will create a glare off your lenses in the photos and is nearly impossible to edit out.
• Best case scenario is to NOT wear glasses at all in the photo. I realize this isn’t ideal. But if you don’t wear glasses all the time, I recommend not wearing them in the photos.
• If you MUST wear glasses in the photos (I understand many of you don’t like how you look without glasses! I get it!) then MAKE SURE to follow the first two bullet points (no dark tint, no anti-reflection coating).
• If you DO want to wear glasses in the photos… consider bringing a pair of frames with NO LENSES in them! This will still give you that sophisticated “wearing glasses” look, but we won’t need to worry about any glare from the lenses!  🙂

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHEN IS MY PAYMENT DUE? 

Your payment is due at the time of booking.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN MY SESSION?

You will receive 5-7 professionally edited headshots (digital files) that you can use for your website, your business cards, or your book.

CAN YOU EDIT OUT BLEMISHES? 

I can edit out minor skin blemishes. But I cannot fix sunburn.

CAN YOU MAKE ME LOOK YOUNGER OR THINNER? 

I will use camera angles and poses that are flattering to your body type. However, I cannot make changes to your age or body type in post-editing.

HOW LONG IS MY SESSION? 

Your headshot session will take about 10-15 minutes.  Please arrive promptly.

CAN I ORDER PRINTS OF MY IMAGES? 

You are welcome to take your digital files and get them printed wherever you would like. Laurie Christine will not be fulfilling print orders.

CAN I GET A REFUND? 

If you are unable to attend the conference due to an illness or family emergency, I can give you a refund for your headshots. 

NO REFUNDS will be given once your session has taken place.

(You must contact Laurie Christine directly about refunds.)

SAMPLE HEADSHOTS BY LAURIE CHRISTINE