SHOOT PREP
Headshot Session Prep
Headshot session prep does not need to become a second job, a panic errand, or a full personality redesign.
Here’s what to know before your session at Bradford Rogne Photography: what to bring, how the studio works, what to wear, what to do about hair and makeup, and how to avoid arriving with six shirts, no plan, and one suspiciously loud pattern.
Bring options.
More than one shirt, jacket, layer, or neckline gives us room to make better choices on camera.
Arrive camera-ready.
Unless you’ve booked hair and makeup, arrive ready to shoot. Minor touch-ups are easy. Total reinvention takes longer.
Do not overthink your face.
You do not need to practice poses in the mirror. I’ll direct posture, angles, and what to do once the camera is pointed at you.
THE STUDIO
DTLA studio, not a white-wall mystery room.
Sessions take place in my Downtown Los Angeles photo studio in the Arts District. The studio has a large makeup area, professional steamer, dressing room, restroom, a variety of backgrounds, posing chairs, beverages, snacks, and Sonos for music.
The setup is built for headshots and portraits, which means we are not trying to make a conference room behave like a photo studio. Lighting, backgrounds, wardrobe changes, image review, and touch-ups all happen in one place.
TIMING
How long to book.
Most sessions start at 30 minutes for the first look or outfit change, with additional time added for extra looks. If you are adding women’s hair and makeup, plan for about an additional hour and a half before shooting begins.
Shorter sessions are great when you need a clean, focused update. Longer sessions are better if you want variety for acting, LinkedIn, websites, branding, press, or several different uses that should not all look like the same photo in different shirts.
HAIR & MAKEUP
Available, useful, and not required for everyone.
I’m also a professional makeup artist with 20+ years of experience working with celebrity, beauty, fashion, and portrait clients. If you add hair and makeup to your studio session, I handle it myself.
Men’s light grooming is complimentary. For groups or location sessions, I can bring in trusted artists as needed. You are also welcome to bring your own hair and makeup artist; in that case, arrive camera-ready and bring your artist for any changes or touch-ups.
WARDROBE
Bring variety. The camera is picky.
Bring more options than you think you need. Actors should bring looks that suggest different casting types. Executives and professionals should bring a mix of business, smart casual, and anything that feels useful for LinkedIn, company bios, websites, or personal branding.
White and very pale pastels can work, but they are not always the most helpful worn alone. Deeper neutrals, rich colors, layers, jackets, texture, and clean necklines usually photograph well. Avoid busy patterns, tiny stripes, distracting logos, and anything that wrinkles if someone looks at it sternly.
- Bring layers: jackets, overshirts, sweaters, or structured pieces.
- Bring at least one darker option and one color option.
- Avoid visible logos unless the brand is the point.
- Make sure clothes fit well through the shoulders and neckline.
- Bring lint rollers, backup undershirts, and anything you know you’ll wish you had.
GLASSES
Glare is rude. We can plan around it.
If you’d like to wear glasses during your session, the cleanest option is to bring frames with the lenses removed. Glare can sometimes be reduced in retouching, but removing the lenses lowers the chance of needing extra post-production.
Your optometrist can remove lenses for you, or inexpensive readers can be a good backup because the lenses are often easier to remove. Bring a few frame options if glasses are part of your everyday look.
VIEWING & DELIVERY
You’ll see what we’re getting.
Sessions are tethered to a display, so we can review images as we shoot. This helps us make adjustments in real time instead of discovering later that a collar, angle, or facial choice was staging a quiet rebellion.
Images are typically delivered within 24–48 hours through an online gallery. You’ll receive the images from your session in high-resolution and web-ready formats, available for download through the gallery.
RETOUCHING
Natural retouching, not wax museum behavior.
Retouching is available starting at $40 per image through my preferred retoucher, Felipe Menezes. The goal is to reduce temporary distractions while keeping real skin texture, personality, and the tiny human details that make the photo believable.
For more detailed retouching information, visit the headshot retouching page.
QUICK QUESTIONS
Things people ask before the camera gets involved.
How many outfits should I bring?
Bring more than you think you’ll need. For a short session, 3–5 strong options is usually enough. For longer branding or multi-look sessions, bring a small wardrobe rack’s worth of possibilities and we’ll edit from there.
Should I get a haircut before my session?
Yes, but not the day before unless your hair behaves beautifully under pressure. A few days to a week before is usually safer so it has time to settle.
Can I bring someone with me?
Yes, as long as they are helpful and not someone who makes you suddenly forget how your face works. For minors or younger actors, a parent or guardian should attend.
Do I need to know how to pose?
No. That is part of the session. I’ll guide posture, shoulder angle, chin position, camera presence, and small adjustments as we go.
What should I avoid wearing?
Avoid busy patterns, tiny stripes, large logos, badly wrinkled fabrics, and anything that feels like a costume unless you are intentionally building a character look.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Bring the clothes. I’ll handle the camera part.
Schedule your Los Angeles headshot session, then use this page as your practical, non-panicked checklist.
SHOOT PREP
The Studio
Sessions take place in my DTLA photo studio, located in the heart of the arts district. Full of natural + studio light, the studio has everything you’ll need:
Large make-up area, pro steamer, dressing room & restroom.
A variety of backgrounds and posing chairs.
Beverages and snacks.
Sonos for streaming your favorite playlists.
Session Timing
Sessions start at 30 minutes for the first look/ outfit change + 30 minutes for each additional look. Make-up & hair styling for women is an additional hour and 30 minutes, if you’d like to add it to your session.
Make-up & Hair
I’m also a professional make-up artist, with a long list of celebrity clientele ranging 20+ years. I do all of the make-up & hair myself, if you decide to add the service to your studio session. Men’s make-up is complimentary. For groups or location sessions, I have a team of fantastic artists to assist as needed. You’re also welcome to bring your own make-up and hair artist to the session. In this case, you’ll arrive camera ready to the studio and may bring your artist with you for changes/ touch-up’s.
Wardrobe
It’s important to have options, so bring variety! If you’re an actor, prepare a mix of looks that reflect the various character types you’d like to be cast as. If you’re an executive, bring a mix of professional and casual attire. As a rule that’s sometimes meant to be broken, white and pastels typically don’t photograph well when worn alone. Incorporate a mix of bold vibrant colors, deep neutral tones and layers. Avoid busy patterns and legible logos.
Glasses
If you’d like to wear glasses during your session, it is recommended you remove the lenses from the frames you’d like to wear. Although glare can be removed in the retouching process, removing the lenses will reduce the likelihood of needing any post-production. Your optometrist can remove your lenses for you, if you don’t feel confident doing it yourself. Inexpensive readers also make for a good option for photo shoots, with lenses that are easier to remove.
Image Viewing & Delivery
The entire session will be tethered to a display and can be viewed as we shoot. Images are delivered within 24-48 hours, via online gallery/ download for 60 days. You’ll receive every image taken during your sessions in high resolution + web ready.
Retouching
Retouching is available starting at $40 per image via my preferred retoucher Felipe Menezes. Inquire directly for more information: LAretouching.com