Transform Your Look: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup and Hair Preparation for Your Professional Portrait Session
Whether you’re updating your LinkedIn profile, creating marketing materials for your business, or capturing memories with a professional portrait session, the way you prepare your makeup and hair can make the difference between good photos and truly stunning ones. For photographers, the right hair and makeup can elevate your portraits, and they can also save you valuable time in post-production. Understanding how to properly prepare yourself for a portrait session ensures you’ll look polished, professional, and authentically you in every shot.
Start Your Preparation Days Before the Session
Professional portrait preparation begins well before you step in front of the camera. Good makeup starts with a good canvas, so remind your model to exfoliate and use moisturizer the night before the shoot. The same goes for hair: for the best results, ask your model not to over-wash, over style, or heat their hair in the days leading up to the shoot. You may want to consider a light facial peel before your photo to lighten and brighten the skin giving you that youthful luminous glow. I would recommend having this a few days prior to any photographic work.
For optimal skin preparation, remove unwanted facial hair at least two days before and avoid tweezing the day of your session. If you wax, allow even more time. While hair grows at different rates for everyone, the further in advance, the better, especially for sensitive skin. This timeline allows your skin to recover and appear smooth and natural in your portraits.
The Morning of Your Session: Hair Preparation
Your hair preparation strategy depends on your hair type and desired look. Your hair should be clean – the biggest distinction being that you’re not getting a blow out, but hair styling with hot tools. So it’s best to wash and dry your hair the morning of your photoshoot (make sure to schedule the start time to allow you enough leeway to do that). Your hair should be completely dry, ideally, otherwise it will be difficult to set it into the hairstyle you want.
Blow drying the hair is the first step to good hair styling. Professional hair stylists who specialize in styling have mastered the skill to create volume and effortless texture. If you plan to style your hair yourself, try flipping your hair and drying it from the back with a bristle brush. This is the easiest DIY way to get the most height and volume when you do it at home yourself.
Product selection is crucial for camera-ready hair. Choosing the right hair product for your hair type is an important step to ensure long-lasting style. Understand the difference between working spray and setting spray. Never use the strong hold setting spray to style your hair because it will look stiff and curls will look hard and crunchy. Choose a working spray instead that works best for your hair type. Matte finished hair will look dull and lifeless in pictures. Instead, use hair products that enhance shine.
Makeup Application: The Art of Looking Natural on Camera
Portrait makeup requires a different approach than everyday makeup. Photoshoots are not the time to do subtle/natural makeup…even if that is the look you are going for. The reason we intensify the makeup, is because in photos, you just need more makeup for it to look like its actually there. However, this doesn’t mean going overboard – the goal is to enhance your natural features while ensuring they show up beautifully on camera.
Start with proper skin preparation. Always a good start is clean and healthy skin, well moisturized. Use primer where appropriate. Match the color of the foundation to the natural color of your skin in neck/chest area. On the day of, you’ll want to use primer before you apply foundation, as it’ll seal in that moisture and create a natural “blurring” effect. This step is especially important when minimizing the appearance of pores and creating an even surface; for close-ups, it’s essential.
Foundation choice is critical for photography. Make sure to use matte foundation and avoid anything that is “dewy” or has shimmery glow build into it. This is really important for portraits because while those products might look good in real life, they can create unwanted shine and reflections in photographs. Also, don’t be afraid to apply setting powder, more than when you are making up for in-person activities, say, going to a workplace or a party. What you need is even coverage combined with natural look finish.
Eye Makeup: Making Your Eyes Pop
Eyes are often the focal point of portrait photography, so they deserve special attention. False Lashes – They are a MUST for photography! Your natural lashes tend to disappear on camera, so a mascara is not enough (in my opinion)! If false lashes feel too dramatic, consider individual lashes or “natural” style strips for a more subtle enhancement.
For eyeshadow, This is the part of the makeup where you ask yourself, “What is the vibe/message I am trying to portray?” If the vibe of your shoot is natural, then stick to browns and neutrals. If the message is glam, do a cut crease, and some bold color options. Remember to avoid A THICK LINE OF EYELINER ON THE BOTTOM LASH LINE!!! This makes your eyes look smaller than they are!
Professional vs. DIY: Making the Right Choice
While these tips can help you achieve great results on your own, there’s significant value in working with professionals. As a photographer, I would always advise using professional services, if you can, because the details professionals are trained to see are what makes your images stand out from everyone else’s. When I started working with professional hair and makeup artists, I quickly realized that getting your hair and makeup done is worth every dime. It makes your professional portraits look even more PROFESSIONAL.
If you’re considering professional services for your Portrait Photography Harris County, TX session, book well in advance. If you plan to hire a professional HMUA, don’t wait to schedule your appointment! Book professional hair and makeup at least 1 month before your session if it’s on a weekday and at least 2 months if it’s on a weekend. Senior session overlaps with both wedding season and pageant season so most HMUA’s availability will be extremely limited if you try to book something at the last minute.
Final Tips for Portrait Success
Remember that the goal is to look like the best version of yourself. I am a firm believer that you have to feel good to look good, therefore, it’s important for my clients to feel like themselves when being photographed. Getting makeup done for family or couples photos is not about transformation in my opinion. Makeup is there to enhance the features to help my client to look the best version of themselves.
Stray hairs that would go unnoticed in everyday life can become obvious on camera, so consider using a serum to tame strands that look out of place. Of course, intentional, well-placed wisps of hair can add to a photo—just make sure it’s deliberate and works well with the lighting on set. Don’t forget to bring touch-up products to your session, as The styling process doesn’t end when you start shooting, and you might have to touch things up throughout the session. If you can, shoot tethered so you can see how everything looks and correct any issues in the moment. The longer the shoot, the more tweaks you’ll have to make to keep everything polished.
Proper makeup and hair preparation can transform your professional portrait session from good to exceptional. Whether you choose to work with professionals or take the DIY approach, understanding these fundamentals will help ensure you look confident, polished, and authentically yourself in every photograph. Remember, the time invested in preparation pays dividends in the final results – photos that you’ll be proud to use for years to come.