How to Prepare
Superpower Headshots
You've got 45 minutes and we're making two images - one on a Light background, one on Dark. This guide takes about three minutes to read and it's the difference between a good session and a great one.
The good news: we shoot tabletop/ waist-up. Trousers, skirts, shoes, hems - none of it makes the frame. That simplifies this enormously.
What to bring
Three or four tops. Go wide: a block colour, something darker, something lighter, something with a bit of texture or pattern if that's you.
One or two layers. A jacket, a blazer, a cardigan - anything you can add or take off. This is how we get two genuinely distinct looks without spending precious session time changing clothes.
A few pieces of jewellery. The necklace matters most - alongside your hair and neckline, it's one of the things framing your face. Earrings come second, and count for more if your hair is short.
Bring your tops on hangers, not in a bag. Creases show up on camera far more than they do in a mirror. But photoshop is a wonderful thing, so don’t sweat it.
Arrive wearing the one you'd choose if you could only pick one. We'll test the others on screen in the first few minutes and decide from what we can actually see, not from what we imagine.
Choosing well
Simpler is better. The less your clothing competes, the more room there is for your face. A single block colour is hard to beat.
Two things happen in almost every session. Something you love lets you down - the fabric behaves differently under lights, or the texture falls apart on camera. And something you'd have overlooked turns out perfect: the plain shirt you've had for years, the one that's just you. You can't reliably pick which is which beforehand. That's why we test on camera.
Should you wear black? Maybe. Black isn't universally flattering, especially if you're fair. It can flatten you out and pull the life from your skin. Navy or charcoal give you a dark neutral without the drain. If black is your signature, wear it - just bring something else too. I can’t tell you how many times people were totally set on wearing their ‘signature’ black… only to completely abandon it 10 minutes in.
Wild patterns? If pattern is how you express yourself, bring one. Just don't let it be all you bring. What reads as alive in person can turn very busy and completely distracting once it's frozen in a frame.
Necklines and sleeves. Bring a range of necklines - it's one of the sneakiest variables in a shot. And if you mostly wear sleeveless, make sure to bring a sleeved option or a jacket; bare arms can read awkwardly in certain frames.
Fit is king, particularly for tailored pieces. An oversized jacket reads as out of your depth, whatever it cost. We can pinch and clip a little behind the scenes, but nothing beats something that actually fits.
Looking after yourself beforehand
There's no hair and makeup on the day, so this part is on you. It's straightforward.
Haircut: one to two weeks out. Not the day before. Fresh cuts need a few days to settle, and colour needs about a week to stop looking like it just happened.
No new anything in the week before. No first-time facials, no new skincare, no experimental treatments. This is not the week to find out you react to something.
Makeup: slightly more than your everyday. I use A LOT of light and it eats about twenty per cent of what you're wearing. Matte over dewy - what looks luminous in the mirror reads as shine under lights. Bring a powder compact or blotting papers and we'll touch up between setups.
If you shave, shave that morning, not the night before.
Glasses. Bring them if you wear them. If you can borrow an empty frame from your optometrist, do - anti-reflective coating helps, but nothing beats no lens at all. Otherwise we'll work the angles.
Sleep and water the night before do more for how you look on camera than anything you can apply in the morning.
On the day
Arrive 15 minutes before your session is scheduled to double check yourself in the mirror and make any last minute adjustments you may need. The days run to a fixed schedule, so a late arrival shortens your own session rather than the next person's.
You'll be directed the whole way through. You don't need to know what to do with your hands, how to stand, or where to look. That's my job. Come as you are and let me do the work.
You'll see everything as we go. We shoot to a screen, so nothing is a mystery until later.
Afterwards
You'll get a private gallery of 15–30 curated images within three business days. You choose two - one from each setup - and they're finished and delivered to you. Additional finished images are $120 each.
One last thing.
Bring the one audacious piece in your wardrobe that you bought in a brave moment and maybe have never quite worn. We'll test it like everything else, and if it doesn't work we set it aside and move on. No cost to trying - but if you don't bring it, we can't try it.
Questions before the day? Just email hello@superpowerportraits.com