This question comes up all the time from women when doing their first headshot session.
One thing that many people do not realize about providing hair & makeup services is that this is a service that must be performed by a licensed cosmetologist in the state of Florida as well as most other states in the US. Unfortunately, the photographers at SRQ Headshots are not licensed cosmetologists, they are professional photographers. But this doesnât mean that we can not provide you with a list of recommendations who are. We have an area in the studio set up specifically for primping & getting ready for your shoot and you are always welcome to bring your hair & makeup artist with you.
âBut Iâve seen other photographers offering this as a service with their headshots?!â
Yes, this is something in the industry of photography that you will see from time to time, a great piece of advice is to ask said photographer if they or the staff member appointed in fact have their cosmetology license to perform these services and if it is up to date. If you do not see a certificate hanging in their studio, this is not a good sign. Only licensed professionals know the proper techniques and sanitary guidelines to performing these services. This is especially important in todayâs world. Imagine getting pink eye or a staff infection because the person applying your makeup was not trained how to properly disinfect their tools or apply makeup in a sanitary way. If your photographer is performing services illegally we would highly recommend looking somewhere else. Itâs much like this episode of VH1âs âBotchedâ that I once saw where a dentist said he knew how to perform a Brazilian butt lift on his client... and Iâm sure you can figure out how the rest of the story went.
âDo I need professional hair & makeup services for my headshot session?â
Short answer: Probably not.
Hereâs why- one of the biggest things you want to come through with your headshot is trustfulness. You want to look in your headshot how you look when meeting a client in person. If your photo shows a glammed-up version of you your clients will also be expecting to see this when meeting you in person and this could be the first sign of a façade.
Unless you are in a profession that is known for itâs glamour, your everyday makeup look is recommended for your professional headshot. Even talent like actors and models are encouraged to wear their everyday makeup look for their headshots as agents and casting directors want and need to see what they are really working with.
Professional Hair & Makeup
Profession/Need for Headshot: Judge for Miss Universe Pageant
NO Professional Hair & Makeup
Profession/Need for Headshot: Mortgage Specialist
âBut what about my acne, fine lines, or under eye bags?, How can that be handled without a professional makeup artist?â
We retouch each final image as if it were going into a major publication. We always say, your headshot is like another one of our business cards going out so it has to look perfect. We pay attention to these things when retouching your photos. Fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes, spots, and under eye circles/bags are reduced or removed and skin tones are evened out. We want to make sure you look like a naturally perfect version of yourself. About 99% of people on our website and in our portfolio did their own hair and makeup for their headshot or branding session, we encourage you to take a look at our before and after examples of editing here.
For tips on how to do your makeup for your headshot session, take a look at this.