THINGS HAVE CHANGED. 

As the continued health and well being of client’s and our families take priority during this time, there will be updates on actions taken to safely operate the studio. 

Headshot photography by its nature makes it easy for us to be safe.  Especially in a private studio.  There’s not many “moving parts”, no assistants involved, nobody showing up unannounced etc.  You’ll receive the hair and makeup prep guide for those who choose not to use a hair and makeup artist.

The studio is disinfected between every client.  When photographing, I keep a safe distance and also wear a face mask.  It’s a private, appointment only studio with very minimal foot traffic, usually just a couple of people per day, and usually not at the same time; making social distancing easy.   

Any person who has felt unwell, or has been in contact with anybody who has felt unwell, must reschedule at a later date.  Sanitizing products are available for you to use at the studio.

I will always employ a long term outlook, my reputation and relationships with new and existing clients will always supersede any short term benefits of working in an unsafe environment. 

Getting you great headshots was always my #1 priority, now; the priority is our health and the health our families.  The good news is I can still get you some great headshots!

Unfortunately during this pandenmic, we limit people in the studio to a single other family member only. If others come, they must wait outside.

If you have any questions or concerns about any related information, please don’t hesitate to call or email me directly. 

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Don

PREPARATION FOR YOUR SESSION

 (To see this file, click here)

IMPORTANT VIDEOS TO WATCH

• Squinch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff7nltdBCHs
• Jaw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe3oJnFtA_k
• Links are also in the Preparation file above

Your Session

Your Premier Headshot Portrait is an important career investment, so it’s well worth making sure you’re fully prepared, and that you get all you can out of the opportunity presented. You and I both want the same thing: A HEADSHOT THAT IS GOING TO GET YOU MORE WORK/CLIENTS/OPPORTUNITIES. Together we can make this happen in an enjoyable process, and you will love the results.

Please read all the material below. It will answer many questions, and give you important information. The more informed you are, the more you will enjoy your headshot session, and the more you will be pleased with your images, both for now and your entire life. With what you learn with us, you will learn how to make yourself photogenic no matter what the photo op.

The Don Mann Photography in-studio standard headshot and portrait sessions are shot in our 3 Crossan Court, Landenberg, PA 19350 location. We generally shoot a handful of different looks for our clients during the session.

Typically we use white, black, or gray backgrounds for a more impactful look in your headshots. Our goal is to produce images that show you as confident and approachable, to provide the most connection, or "lookability", with those who view your images. We simplify the background for maxim connectivity with your image viewers.

It is critical that when you walk in the room for potential opportunities, you are recognizable from your headshot. If you don’t look like your headshot, you simply won’t get the opportunity or the job, or even worse, potential clients may simply run from you. Your headshot should look like you when you walk into a room, so it should represent how you look on a good average day, not necessarily your best day, even though we will work with you to make you look your best expressions in the session.

Shooting a range of looks allows us to get a variety of imagery for your use, allowing you to have a mix of imagery for your personal and professional branding purposes.

To book an appointment, go to the bottom of this page to schedule an appointment. * Click here to give us a call, or send an email.

The session fees listed here are only for the time and talent of the photographer to produce your image(s), all other services are extra.

We know the idea of having pictures taken isn’t very appealing to many. But you will take a better picture when you are not stressed and are well rested. Arrange a right outfit (s), book your session, and get a fresh haircut/hair done (good hair day) before the shoot. Relax and get plenty of sleep the night before. Trust that our collaborative process will produce awesome headshots and/or portraits for you. 

Process

We request you come to the session hair ready.

Part of our process is to discuss the pictures and edit the session with you as we go. Together, we will inspect each shot one by one with you to determine its viability for use in representing your personal brand. 

By shooting and editing in this manner we can adjust the focus of the shots during the session to account for anything we feel we may have missed along the way. You'll leave knowing exactly what we've captured, and you will walk away with only the images that have met your approval along the way.

We've streamlined the process of proofing for you. The approved shots will be made available on your own password protected proofing website, which we will email to you. The images are usually posted before you leave the studio or shortly thereafter. You will be able to give the password to anyone who might help you choose the final shots you decide to use. 

Once the session is over, then it's your responsibility to work with the images that were approved during the shoot for final selection per your package. Should you feel the need to return in order to cover anything you feel we may have missed, then you can take advantage of our returning client fee.  

Whatever package you choose for your session, typically you will have multiple great images for final selection. You can use the proofing website to allow others to also vote on which images they like. 

Per your package, you can then select you final image(s) for retouching and digital delivery. For professional high quality prints, you can deal directly with the retouching team. For actors and models the final product is the print you submit to get auditions. You want this of the highest quality. Our retouching process includes final prints and digital images through our retoucher. 

Retouching and Printing

For quality control purposes we prefer to have all our work handled by our retouching team. Automated retouching, such as FaceTune, cannot replace professional retouching, and will generally diminish the value of your professional headshots.

Professional retouching will make a significant difference for your selected image(s). Once you've chosen the shot(s) you'd like to work with, you can place an order for retouching through the proofing site. * Why retouching?

As retouching has so many personal elements, you will pay and work directly with the retouching and printing team through the proofing website. Many just get their selects professionally retouched, and then receive a low-resolution retouched digital image of each select for web or Internet posting, business cards, etc. Not all clients need high quality prints, for those who want them, the hi-resolution files are used for your final prints (i.e., 8 x 10's, etc.) through the retoucher.

We don't release high resolution images directly to our clients unless you elect to purchase a full buyout of the selects from your entire session for $350. Should you choose this option, you would still be able to work with our retouching and printing team if you like, or are free to take the images to your lab of choice.

What to wear for a professional business headshot.

Casual-informal and business looks can work, and are for different purposes and uses.

Clothing

Feel free to bring a range of different options for clothing. #1 rule for us is that you have to love it! If you don’t feel comfortable in it, you won’t shoot well while wearing it. Most impact headshots  are from the shoulders up. Others may be from the mid-chest or waist up.

We suggest you bring a range of different colors and necklines. 3 to 5.  Definitely some colors that pop on you, and others more subtle, but always that make you feel good. If you have any doubt about whether something will work or not, just bring it along. Don't be just seasonal; everything from t-shirts, tank tops to sweaters and light jackets can work. Avoid logos.

* Solid, vibrant, and middle tone colors.

* The clothing should be simple; no stripes or patterns.

*Dark long sleeves produce the best dramatic headshot.

* Textures can work but minimize patterns. Do not wear stripes or any other patterns (men's ties can have some pattern).

* If you have blue eyes a blue shirt will bring out the color of your eyes, green eyes a green shirt, etc.

* Women: avoid clothes with poofy shoulders as it make you look heavier and not your best.

For professional and business head shots, if you wear a uniform, apron or coat, like first responders, medical people and some real estate people do, bring that also. For compnay branding purposes, it is OK if these do have logos on them.

If you can, bring at least a coat and top/shirt for a more business look.

Have a look through your wardrobe and make sure you bring a minimum of five outfits with different-colored shirts, tops, dresses or suits with different necklines, formal and informal, and, oh yes, without any logos. 

Pick your best colors so they can make you look as brilliant as possible. Don’t leave it until the day of the shoot before you realize your go-to shirts/tops are dirty, worn, ripped, or stained.

We love textures and layers as well, and try to keep the jewelry to a minimum. Studs or small earrings work well and simple necklaces; anything hanging or chunky will usually draw too much attention away from you in a headshot. 

Have some fun with this, if you feel your wardrobe is missing something, then go shopping and we’ll keep the tags on it in case you’d like to return the items after the shoot. Bring your wardrobe on hangers, or well packed, with no wrinkles. We have an iron in the studio, so we'll be able to easily sort out any wrinkling for you.

Travel Tip: Wrinkles come from clothes rubbing on each other. Putting each garment on a hanger and in a dry cleaner bag works wonders.

Feel free to take some selfies with your wardrobe choices for our review a week before your shoot . That way we can review for your best looks and you will still have time to adjust if needed.

Look throuph our website and the women's and men's standard for ideas. Your professional headshot is highlighting you, nothing else. While we can work with most anything, keep it simple.

Glasses

If you normally or often wear prescription glasses, bring them. Best are true anti-glare. Not all anti-glare coatings are the same, no matter what you paid for them, so bring all you have to get the best one.

Skin (See Preparation link above)

Hair

We ask that everyone come-in with their hair ready the way you would like to present yourself for an interview, audition, client meeting, etc. We want your hair in your pictures to be as close as possible to the way you look on a good hair day. Come to the session hair ready. Bring your own hair tools, combs, brushes, products, etc. We won't shoot until you say your hair is ready.

You may want to try different hairstyles during the session, e.g. hair up, tied back or loose. If there is no stylist available during the shoot, make sure you practice beforehand. Pick hairstyles that you can do on your own for interviews, customer presentations or auditions. Your headshot should be what you can bring everyday, or any day. If you want, come in with straight hair and then curl if we have time (or vice versa).

Of course your makeup artist (MUA) should be there to make sure your hair is shoot-ready, and we will discuss what you’d like to do with it, and make a game plan at the beginning of the shoot.

We are not responsible for your hair, your make up, your clothing or your attitudes. These are your responsibility. We will do the best we can with what you bring to your session.

How to fix stringy or oily hair: https://www.toppik.com/hairtoppiksblog/how-to-fix-stringy-hair/#:~:text=Stringy%20hair%20is%20caused%20by,scalp)%20on%20the%20hair%20shaft.&text=Stringy%20hair%20is%20a%20common,travel%20down%20the%20hair%20shaft.

Make sure you discuss this with us prior to your session, so we are all on the same page.

Women's Makeup

While not required, makeup for the session is highly recommended for all women. This is not the time to go for a totally new look.

We recommend you bring your makeup artist with you. This will make it faster for any touch ups or hair adjustments during the shoot. Go for clean, natural, and professional. Natural makeup is best; you want to look like you’re not wearing makeup. Save the glamour shots for your website or your Instagram profile. Theater and TV often have heavy make up, but for the headshots that get those jobs, it is natural. 

We do not want your neck and ears to be a different color than your face. 

Another option so to go to a major department store prior to your session and have them do your makeup, light clear and natural. Often light and open airbrushing is great. Ask for those who do make-up for photo shoots. See our examples in the link below and show them to your make up artist. Plan on 1 hour makeup prior to your onsite photo session.

Our makeup artists typically charge $100-200 for in-studio makeup for headshot photography and light hair styling. Unless you are very experienced in applying makeup for photo shoots, professional makeup application is recommended for women, in particular actresses, models, etc., and those who are shooting publicity/media kit photos and beauty headshots.

Professional makeup is also recommended for personality/corporate/LinkedIn/Indeed/Glass Door/AngelList, etc. photos, especially when a polished professional look is desired. For online dating profile pictures, and general social media, professional makeup is less important, but this depends on your personal style and judgment.

If doing your own makeup, please be careful with powder in your makeup as this can cause problems with the lighting. If this happens you will need to wash your face and start again. Best is light, natural and clean. Start with a moisturizer, then a liquid foundation that leaves your skin dewy and refreshed looking works best. As the session progresses you may want to go slightly heavier in your makeup for a different look. 

If you are doing your own makeup, bring a helper who can do touch ups and hair adjustments, like our makeup artists do.

Eyes should be clear, clean and natural. Avoid mascara and fake eyelashes. Should you wish to apply your own make up, it should have a natural look with nothing heavy around the eyes (eye shadows, eyeliners). Don’t groom your eye brows by threading, waxing, or heavy plucking a couple of days or so before your session. Don’t apply heavy, long wearing mascara as it is difficult to get excess off. 

If we are to provide the makeup artist, the cost is $100-200 for a headshot session and includes hair help. Portrait sessions start at $300. (Hair/makeup artist prices subject to change without notice, please contact us to confirm.) Please let us know in advance if you have any make-up or other allergies.

The makeup is applied specifically for the lighting we use, is the opposite of thick theatrical or high fashion makeup, it appears clear under our lighting set up, and we usually start very naturally to give you a very clean, simple look. For example, we love freckles and like them to remain visible where possible. What you need is even coverage combined with a natural look finish.

We start with a moisturizer on a clean face and then add a light base. As the shoot progresses, you may need touch ups and will often add subtle changes to the makeup. If you’d like to start off a little heavier on the makeup we are happy to do that as well, just let us know.

Please advise us of any allergies so we can jointly develop good solutions. 

In any case, please bring your own make up bag with you, whether you use ours or your own make up artist.

Regardless of your profession, Caitlin Callahan, a Senior Makeup Artist at MAC Cosmetics offers the following * advice on how to do makeup for headshots, and * see this for * avoiding flashbacks, and * here:

    •Use natural shades, go for a soft, blurry look.

    •Avoid powder which can create a cakey look, instead opt for a liquid base.

    •Avoid ingredients that cause flashback (SPF, sunblock, silica, mica, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are suspects).

    •Prep your skin a week in advance. Exfoliate, get a facial, etc. Photographers do have a powerful tool in Photoshop, but you shouldn’t rely on it. Remember a headshot should show the real you at your best.

    •Leave your eyebrows full.

    •As a general rule, less is more. Skin should look like skin.

    •When you have done your makeup, * take a selfie with the flash turned on * to check for any problem areas.

* Women Headshot Samples (click here)

* Why professional photo makeup for women comparison: (click here)

Fix Hair (click hair)

* Women Headshot Samples (click here)

If you wear facial hair, be sure to trim before your session.  Be sure to use a fresh, sharp razor and good shaving lubricant.  Avoid electric razors. 

If your skin is easily irritated from shaving, you may want to consider shaving the night before.  If you really want to treat yourself, find a fantastic barber!  

Last but certainly not least, be sure to take care of any unwanted "wild" hair as well. Think about your eyebrows, nose, and ears.  Trim the wild ones. But no waxing guys!!

* Men Headshot Samples (click here)

We don't recommend makeup on men, but our makeup artist can provide light grooming for skin and hair on the shoot for $200 (subject to change) if you like. All our work is retouched afterwards for final, so any blemishes will be taken care of during that process.

Facial Hair:

For a clean shaven appearance, shave (or re-shave) at least an hour before your session, that way, if you cut yourself, it will give time for the cut to start healing. 

If you’d like to shoot with facial hair, we’d be happy for you to come in with whatever level of growth you’d like, and then you can shave or trim it down once we’ve gotten the scruff photos covered. 

Bring whatever grooming products and tools you’ll need with you to get it done.

Women’s Jewelry 

Heavy and large jewelry is very popular, but takes away from your image in a head shot. Instead we recommend no or very small ear studs, and no necklaces. Here simple is much better. See the Women Headshot Samples above for ideas.

If you feel you must have your jewelery, we will try it both ways for you to decide.

See. Click Here

Team Headshots FAQ

Where do the team headshots session take place?

For smaller teams(2-4 people at a time), we can provide team headshots for you in our main photography studio. This is a great option for small groups of new hires, partnerships, remote workers, and small teams of startups working from home. For medium to large sized businesses, it’s much easier for us to bring our portable headshot studio to them. 

How long does it take?

It depends on what you are going for. Some companies want one clean look per person with no outfit changes and others want two or more looks per person. If you are looking for one quality, straight-forward headshot per person, you can expect that each team member will spend about 3-5 minutes in front of the camera. We can typically turn around 20 people per hour of shooting. If you want a slower pace and more looks, we can design a schedule that will fit your needs exactly.

What’s the Best Way to Organize Everyone?

How well the team headshot session goes relies heavily on how well organized everything is. Luckily we are efficiency experts when it comes to headshots! First, we have an online scheduling system that allows you to send a customized link to your team and let everyone pick their own time slot. This makes less work for you and helps us to be as organized as possible. Next, during the session, we have a selection station that allows each person to view and select their favorite image right there on-site. This is going to cut down tremendously on any work you might get stuck doing after the fact. Finally, we deliver you a customized online gallery with all of the selected, retouched headshots organized alphabetically, last name first.

What should everyone wear?

This is an interesting question because there are a few factors to consider. First, are you trying to align with any particular brand? Many of our clients give their employees a particular dress code and color palette to work from for team headshots. For example, business attire with navy blue as the main color. The style of dress is up to you, but the basic guidelines are this:

All clothes should be clean and pressed. We do not remove wrinkles in retouching or offer reshoots if a team member doesn’t come prepared.

Solid colors are better for headshots than busy patterns

Very bright colors can often distract from a great expression in a headshot. Check out our guide to picking the right colors for you skin tone here.

Consider your brand. Are you more polished and formal? Are you a more laid back tech startup? Do you sell fun jewelry? Dress and accessorize in a way consistent with your brand message.

Encourage your team to wear clothes that they know they look and feel good in. Buying new clothes for the session can lead to uncertainty after the fact. It’s often best to wear those tried and true outfits.

What about hair and makeup?

We always recommend working with a professional hair and makeup artist. Depending on the volume of people being photographed, full hair and makeup isn’t always possible. For large team headshots, we can arrange for one to be there to offer a touch up for those who want to before they go on camera. It really does help everyone look their best. For smaller teams, we can help you connect with a hair and makeup artist who will arrive before of the shoot and get everyone looking great ahead of time. Here is our list of local professionals that we work with regularly:

MUA List - contact us

If you elect to work without a hair and makeup artist, that’s no problem, here are some tips that you can follow to make sure that everyone is camera-ready.

Stay away from any makeup with an SPF. These ingredients are designed to reflect certain kinds of light and can cause your skin to appear more shiny on camera instead of less.

Go easy on the blush. This is the one area that stands out the most in photos and can be very difficult to correct in post-processing.

Tell your team members to bring a portable makeup kit to the session in case they need to reapply before shooting.

We have a shine reducing powder and blots for those who don’t wear makeup that we can apply on-site.

Let us know what your needs are for hair and makeup and we will help you arrange the right service for you.

What else can my team do to be prepared?

The key to making sure that your team headshots go well is being prepared. We have put together some resources for your team as well as tips to make sure things go smoothly. 

 If you plan to get your hair cut or colored, make sure to do it 3-5 days before your session. Please don’t do anything drastic or different with your hair right before the shoot. Hair regret is very real and is probably the number one reason that people can be unsatisfied with their images.

Take care of your skin by drinking water, using a facial wash, and a lotion made for the unique skin of your face. It’s amazing the difference it can make in your complexion. We recommend getting a professional facial for those who really want to up their headshot game, but if you do, don’t do it the day before. About 3-5 days beforehand is ideal.

Stay away from alcohol and do your best to get a couple of solid nights of sleep leading up to the session. Alcohol and lack of sleep can make your face puffy, give you red eyes, and cause under eye darkness to be exaggerated.

We have some useful articles on our blog for you to check out including 5 Ways to Nail Your Headshot Hession and 5 Things to Check Before You Leave for Your Photo Shoot that will help you be prepared.

How long does it take to get the images delivered?

Please give us 2-4 business days to send your gallery. Please then download and save the images to your computer. We also recommend saving them in a second location as a backup. 

If you need your images turned around faster than that, rush delivery is available. Images will be available in high and low resolution versions for your convenience. If you have specific dimensions, sizes, or other requirements, just let us know.

READY TO BOOK YOUR TEAM HEADSHOTS?

You can use our online scheduling system to book your team headshot session. Just use the button below to check out our availability.

BOOK NOW

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by  Hughes-Fiiotetti Photography

Scheduling and Payments

We are normally available for shooting Monday through Friday, and we usually begin our sessions around 11 am.  We will try to  work with you for other times.

Pick your preferred date and time, and we will get back with you. Use the booking calendar at the bottom of this page or the * Contact Us page on this site. Then call or email to confirm.

We do tweak the times depending upon the schedule each particular day, so we ask people to be a bit flexible. Be aware that sometimes the sessions overlap for women getting makeup. Women are in makeup for approximately an hour, so we are usually finishing off our first session while the makeup artist is preparing our next client to shoot. 

We ask that you don't have anything else scheduled close to the end of your session in case we feel we need a little more time with you.

A non-refundable deposit of ½ the session fee is required to book a spot on our calendar. The fee is due at your convenience after you've chosen a shoot date and time. However, if we have not received it at least one week prior to your scheduled session, the session may be granted to someone on our waiting list, so please get it to us as soon as you can.

We accept cash, checks, as well as Visa, MasterCard, American Express and PayPal. The remaining balance is due the day of the session.

We work with freelance makeup artists and you will be paying them directly, they require cash on the day of the shoot.

All deposit and session day checks can be made payable to: Donald Mann and mailed to our studio address: 3 Crossan Court, Landenberg, PA 19350.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information. We like our clients to be fully informed. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us using the contact page.

Returning client discount

We do not offer discounts, but we do give gifts. Marketing experts recommend that your headshots should be updated every 2 years, or sooner if you make a significant change in appearance. I do offer a gift off my current rates to all of my returning clients off the total spent for their session. 

We give gifts: If you are enrolled in a modeling or acting class you will recieve  a gift of 20% off your first booking (proof of enrollment required). 

Repeat clients will recieve a gift of a 50% off - please mention at time of booking (does not apply to groups). 

Active Duty, and Veterans will recieve a gift of 20% off first time booking (Proof of service required). Please mention at time of booking.

We deliver initially by online gallery for your final selection. For the final images we deliver in your preferred file size, image size  and format (digital or print), per your desired format of file transfer, external drive, CD or DVD.

For example we deliver your images to fit profile image size for LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest, etc. We also size your images for posting on these sites and any others you prefer.

For print we also format your images for your desired usage.

To save you money we format your files for print and work with your printer to get what you want, rather than selling you final prints. Print sizes can range for any size up to bill board or larger.