Booking corporate headshots in London is the easy part. Turning up camera-ready is where most people come unstuck. After photographing hundreds of professionals — from City analysts to senior executives — I’ve seen the same avoidable mistakes made again and again. Here’s how to avoid them.

What to Wear

Clothing is the single biggest factor in how your headshot looks, and most people overthink it.

Stick to solid colours. Navy, charcoal, mid-grey, forest green, and burgundy all photograph beautifully. Busy patterns — pinstripes, houndstooth, bold checks — create visual noise that distracts from your face. If in doubt, plain wins.

Dress for your industry. A structured blazer or suit works for finance, law, and corporate roles. Creative professionals can go smarter-casual — an open-collar shirt or structured knitwear often reads better than a full suit. The question to ask is: what would you wear to an important client meeting?

Avoid very bright whites and neons. Pure white shirts can blow out in lighting and draw the eye away from your face. Off-white, pale blue, or light grey all work better. Neon colours rarely photograph well under studio lighting.

Bring options. If you’re coming to a studio or having me come to your office, bring two or three tops and we’ll decide together. That five minutes of wardrobe consultation often saves the session.

Grooming and Prep

Book a haircut two to three days before your session — not the day before. Fresh haircuts often look slightly sharp or unfamiliar, and you want to feel relaxed and yourself.

For men with facial hair: tidy up the edges the night before. Studio lighting picks up every stray hair. If you’re clean-shaven, a close shave the morning of the shoot is ideal.

For women: if you wear make-up regularly, wear it as you normally would for a professional meeting. Studio lighting is bright and can wash out lighter make-up, so going slightly stronger than usual on foundation and definition often helps. If you want professional make-up applied on the day, let me know in advance and I can arrange it.

Skin: avoid trying new skincare products the night before. Moisturised skin photographs better than dry skin. Beyond that, don’t stress — good retouching is part of every session.

What to Expect on the Day

Most individual corporate headshot sessions run 20 to 30 minutes. For team bookings, I allow around 15 minutes per person.

We’ll start by talking through the brief — what the images are for, where they’ll be used, the tone you’re after. If you’re working from your office, I’ll have the studio set up before you arrive so there’s no waiting around.

Once we start shooting, I’ll give you direction throughout. You won’t need to know what to do with your hands, where to look, or how to stand — that’s my job. Most people are nervous when they sit down and relaxed within five minutes. The best headshots almost always come in the second half of the session.

Getting the Best Results

Get a good night’s sleep. It sounds obvious, but tiredness shows in eyes and skin in ways that are hard to retouch convincingly.

Arrive a few minutes early. Rushing to a shoot leaves you flustered. Give yourself time to settle.

Trust the process. The instinct is to try and control your face — to hold a particular expression or angle. It almost never works. The best results come from genuine conversation and natural moments. I’ll create the conditions for that; your job is to show up.

Your edited images will be delivered within 48 to 72 hours via a private online gallery, retouched and ready to use across LinkedIn, your company website, press, and anywhere else you need them.

If you’re looking for corporate headshots in London — at a studio or at your office — get in touch to discuss your brief.