PLANNING GUIDE
For Your Headshots & Personal Brand
Session
By Monica Dart Photography
Hi & welcome,
This guide will help you prepare for your upcoming headshot or personal brand session, from choosing what to wear and what to bring to thinking about the kinds of images we’ll create together. A little preparation beforehand means we can make the most of our time and create a varied collection of images for you to use across your business.
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Preparing For Your Session
A little preparation beforehand helps everything run smoothly on the day. Have your outfits, shoes, jewellery and accessories ready, along with any items you use in your business that you’d like included in your images. Try everything on beforehand, make sure your clothes are ironed or steamed, and bring a few options so we can create variety throughout your session.
What We'll Photograph
Every business is different, so the mix of images we create will be tailored to you, your brand, and how you need to use them.
Some sessions may call for a more relaxed, natural feel, while others may need something more professional or formal. We might photograph against a simple backdrop, within your workspace, or in an outdoor or lifestyle setting, depending on your brand and where the images will be used.
Your images may include, for example:
Working on your laptop or phone
Writing, planning or creating
Using tools or equipment connected to your work
With products or items related to your business
In your working environment
More relaxed, personality-led portraits
You don’t need to arrive with every image planned. I’ll guide you throughout the session and help create the right variety for your business.
What To Wear
Choose 2 to 3 outfit options that feel like you and suit the way you work.
Think about the clothes you naturally wear in your business. For some people that might be a blazer or dress, while for others it could be something more casual or creative.
Layers are useful because a jacket, cardigan or blazer can quickly give you another look without a full outfit change.
A few things to keep in mind:
Choose clothes you feel comfortable and confident in.
Bring a little variety.
Think about jewellery, shoes and accessories as part of each look
Try everything on beforehand and make sure you can move easily
Have everything ironed or steamed and ready before the session
You don’t need to buy anything new. Start with pieces you already own and feel good wearing.
Hair, Makeup & Finishing Touches
I recommend having your hair and makeup professionally done for your session.
It’s about helping you feel confident before stepping in front of the camera. I find that when clients have their hair and makeup done, they often carry themselves differently, and that confidence comes through in the images.
The look is always tailored to you, your personal style and your brand, whether that means something very natural and understated or a little more defined.
What To Bring
A few final details to think about:
Book your manicure the day before your session.
Bring any jewellery or accessories you’d love to wear.
If you wear glasses, please bring them along.
Make sure your shoes are clean and ready for each outfit.
Bring a hairbrush, lipstick, or any small touch-up items you may want during the session.
Choosing Your Location
The location we choose will help shape the overall feel of your images, so it should suit your business, your personality and the way you want to be seen.
Depending on your session, we may photograph at your home, office, studio, a beautiful rented property (like and AirBnb) café, co-working space, garden, street or outdoor location.
We’ll choose spaces that give us enough variety and work well with the type of images we’re creating.
If you already have a location in mind, we can work with that. If not, I can help guide you toward something that suits your brand and the feel you want for your session.
Finding Inspiration
Pinterest is one of your options, but inspiration can come from anywhere.
You may already have a clear idea of the feel you want for your images, or you may come across something that feels like you.
That could be a photograph, a brand, a website, an Instagram account, a location, an interior, a piece of clothing, a colour palette or even a page in a magazine.
If you find something you’re drawn to, feel free to send it through. You can tell me “I love how this feels,” “This feels like my brand,” or “I really like the light, clothing or location in this.”
If you enjoy Pinterest, you’re welcome to create a small board and share it with me. You can also save images from Instagram, screenshot websites, photograph magazine pages or send links to anything that inspires you.
These references are there to help me understand what you’re drawn to, so I can create images that feel right for you and your business. If you’d prefer to leave the creative direction to me, that’s absolutely fine too.
Ideas for Your Images
Every business is different, but here are a few ideas to help you think about the kinds of images that may be useful for your brand.
Headshots
A selection of portraits showing you from different angles, with a mix of expressions and framing.
Lifestyle
More relaxed images that show your personality. This might be laughing, smiling, sitting, standing, walking, reading, having coffee, or simply doing something that feels natural to you.
Workspace
Images that show where you work or where the day-to-day side of your business happens. This could be at your desk, in your office, at home, in a studio, or wherever feels relevant to your business.
Your Creative or Working Process
Images that show how you actually do what you do. This could be working on your laptop, writing notes, planning, creating, preparing materials, or working with a client.
Tools of Your Trade
The items you regularly use in your work, whether that’s a camera, planner, notebooks, art supplies, makeup brushes, equipment, or something specific to your industry.
Products
If you sell physical products, we can include those too. This could be products in use, held by you, or incorporated naturally into the session.
Props or Brand Details
Items connected to your business, such as books, packaging, welcome guides, notebooks, samples, or other details that help tell more of the story.
Personality
Think about the things that make you feel like you. Your interests, routines, favourite objects, or anything else that adds a more personal layer to your image library.
You don’t need to include all of these. They’re simply prompts to help you start thinking about what would be most useful for your business.
"Life tells the best stories.
Let me tell yours."
Monica
