FAQ

I'm not photogenic, how do I...?
Whoa Whoa Whoa, let me stop you right there! Seriously though, I'd say 98% of the people I shoot say that they're not photogenic. That's no exaggeration. A lot say they have never seen a good photograph taken of themselves. Let me take care of that.  Being photogenic is simply doing the right things in front of the camera. And that part isn't your responsibility, it's mine.  The aim of these photo sessions is to end up with a headshot that shows a confident, approachable person. Not many people are naturally confident in front of a camera. That's completely normal. It takes a little time, some coaching techniques, some team work, and some beauty lighting, to get that look for your headshot. I'll get you there. Don't worry, you can leave that part up to me. 

Is The Studio Sanitary? Absolutely. It always has been, but now more than ever. I limit my bookings to a maximum of two sessions per day. One morning session, one afternoon.  One of the benefits of this is that it means there’s not people coming and going constantly, it’s a private studio so there’s generally only a couple of people in there all day long, there’s no other photographers and nobody in there who hasn’t booked their session in advance, which makes it easy to disinfect the place between shooting.

What can I expect my finished headshot to look like?
Click here to see the Headshots  section for my style of headshots. My style is very consistent. I shoot on a solid background, usually gray and white, because as well as looking modern and clean, this helps make your eyes pop and skin tones look healthy. To accentuate your features, I set up beautiful custom lighting for each client. You'll also be given advanced coaching techniques to give your shot the impression of confidence and approachability. Did you know that confidence comes from the eyes, and approachability comes from the mouth? We want to incorporate both confidence and approachability into your headshots for maximum positive effect.

We'll accentuate your jawline, we can make your frame appear slimmer, or even bulkier if you'd like. A big one for me is that your headshot shows genuine expression. My aim is to make you look and feel like you, at your very best.

Do you offer on-location shoots?
Yes, I do. Some business and corporate headshot clients prefer me to come to them for convenience, some prefer to shoot in the headshot studio which is located in Old Town Scottsdale. I also travel country-wide for clients who require me to travel out of state to them, or to multiple locations. Contact me for more details. 

Do I need to book an appointment?
Yes. All headshot sessions whether for individuals or large groups are appointment-only. In order to get the very best out of my time and yours, pre-planning goes into every shoot. Whether that be in the Scottsdale Studio, or at your location, so you get the very best quality and value.

Do I need to leave a deposit to book a session?
I require a 50% non-refundable deposit upon booking the session. Shooting dates fill up fast so in order for me to keep an accurate studio calendar, the deposit is taken and applies to the final cost of your photoshoot. At the same time, I understand that sometimes life happens and things come up that mean you can't make it. If you can notify me within 48 hrs of the shoot and we can reschedule within 30 days, I'll happily apply that deposit to your next shoot. No shows on the day forfeit the deposit.

What should I wear to the shoot?  
Avoid busy patterns, textures, or distracting necklines. For Business or Corporate Headshot sessions, wear your favorite suit or business dress, your crispest shirt, your go-to tie. Have all clothes cleaned and pressed before the shoot if possible. Pay attention to older shirts which have collars that have become soft or floppy over time, or fit too loose around the neck.
If we're going for smart casual, wear your absolute favorite clothes. No matter what type of shoot we're doing, bring a selection of clothes to the shoot. There's no time limit on our session, we shoot until we get what we need out of the shoot, so make the most of that and bring all of your favorite outfits! In short, bring clothes that make you feel great. I want you to look and feel your very best and you'll be amazed the difference it makes in how people feel in front of the camera when they're wearing their favorite outfit.
If you're an actor, actress, or entertainer, we want the biggest range of 'looks' possible from our shoot. So let's chat more in detail on the telephone to decide on target age ranges, character ranges, and role targets that you may have.
 

Hair & Makeup
For men, 99% of the time I generally don't recommend using a makeup artist. If you feel that you want to work with one, we can arrange that but let's speak about your needs first. For women's makeup we just want to keep it simple. As much as we don't want distracting patterns or necklines in clothes, we don't want heavy makeup. I definitely encourage you to use my hair and makeup artist.  If you choose not to, the trick is to keep the makeup simple and clean. At least to start with,  this is especially important for headshots. When we've got a few shots in the bag, you can apply more liberally to suit your tastes. Come with your hair ready for how you'd like it for the shoot. Again, I'd recommend keeping it simple and clean looking. Whether you're using our makeup artist or doing your own makeup, it's a good idea to start a regime a few days before the shoot of drinking plenty of water and moisturizing your face more than usual. Hydrated skin looks amazing on camera.

Here's a link to a post I wrote that goes into more detail on Makeup For Headshots

What does the retoucher do?
In my top 3 tips for a great headshot, not over retouching would be one of them. Over retouching can make a great headshot look cheap, and a bad headshot look worse.

All of the final images you get from me will be professionally retouched. I work with a lot of editorial publications, and we're seeing the start of a new trend for magazines, both print and online, for more natural retouching. I'm a big advocate of this. The days of heavy retouching and fake looking features are, thankfully, coming to an end. Sure, we could all do with a little bit of help in retouching, but I still want you to look natural at the end of it, like a human being. I want you to look like you.  

I instruct the retoucher to remove any blemishes. Skin discoloration and skin tone is evened out for a really high quality, flattering, and natural look. Color correction, hair flyaways are tidied up, lint etc. removed from clothing. This minimal, but highly skilled process is really important to give your headshot a high end, polished overall feel.  

If you've got any questions for me, or would like to book your free consultation either on the telephone or at the Scottsdale studio, click the contact button at the bottom of the page for my details to call or email.

Cheers!
Tony