Avoid these five common mistakes when having your headshot taken

A part of adulting is having your headshot taken at one point: for CV, LinkedIn profile, your website… You name it. Of course, you want to look professional in it, and the same goes for every person whose headshots you capture. Laurence Boswell shares five common mistakes people make when having their headshots taken. It’s something to have in mind no matter which side of the camera you’re on.

1. Wearing all white – while I don’t think it’s a mistake, wearing a plain white shirt is a little dull. So, Laurence suggests that you put a jacket over your white shirt to look more professional and create a more interesting style.
2. Showing your arms – unless you work at a gym, there’s no need to show off your arms in a professional headshot.
3. Wearing bold colors and crazy patterns – while bold, neon colors can look great in photos, you want to avoid them in headshots. The same goes for crazy patterns. They stand out in the photos too much and totally distract the viewer’s eyes from your face.
4. No makeup – even if you generally don’t wear makeup, you want to put some on for your headshots. Nothing spectacular, only some foundation to make your skin less shiny. Yes, that goes for guys, too.
5. Chewing gum and not brushing your teeth – I think it goes without saying that you should brush your teeth, especially if you plan to show off your smile in the photos.

I admit that I don’t know much about headshots (or makeup, for that matter). I’ve never had mine taken except for official documents, and they don’t care what you wear as long as you look darn serious and cover up your arms. But these tips do sound reasonable to me if you’re photographing headshots or having yours taken. What do you think?

[5 Common Mistakes People Make When Getting Their Headshot Taken – Avoid these pitfalls! via FStoppers]