When Elise showed up for her session, she was a bundle of nerves, and by the end of the session, we were setting up plans to hang out again. Somehow her previous experiences with photography had convinced her that she wasn’t beautiful or photogenic enough to get in front of the camera, but I’m so glad that I was able to change her mind. She is absolutely stunning!!

I thought it would be helpful for you to hear a little bit about what the headshot experience is like, so I’ll let Elise take it from here!

Why did you need new headshots, and what are you planning to use them for?

My last headshots were from 2010, and I used them while I was in school.  It was time for a change and time to put those school years behind me, so time for new photos!  I’ll be using them for my website, for publicity purposes when I work with other arts organizations, and as part of the materials I submit for auditions.

What were you nervous about before the session?

I get nervous for everything!  I think the biggest stressor for me was the weather.  August can be terribly unpredictable, but it ended up being the perfect day.

Was your session different than what you expected? How so?

I was surprised by how much fun I had in my session.  I’m terribly anxious around cameras – I’m that person always wandering away when someone starts taking pictures – so I was really surprised by how comfortable I felt and how much fun the whole thing was.

Who did your hair/makeup? Would you encourage other people to hire a hair/makeup artist before doing headshots?

My friend Annie did my makeup, and I had my hair done at DryBar.  It was challenging for my control issues to let someone else do it, but it was also really nice to not have to worry about it.

What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for your photos?

I spent time doing practice runs of everything – hair, makeup, outfits – and I think that was the single most helpful thing.

Did you bring anyone with you to your session? Was this helpful?

I brought my friend Annie and my husband Matthew, and I would do that again in a heartbeat.

How did you choose what to wear?

I went back through pictures of myself and picked out the ones that I liked and then looked for any patterns in what I was wearing (usually blue or green).  I did the same thing with friends’ headshots – looking for styles and fabrics that photographed well.

If someone was on the fence about getting professional headshots done, what advice would you give them?

Just do it!  The whole experience was such a confidence boost – just exactly what I needed to dive into this next chapter of life!

What was the funniest moment from your session?

I’m not really sure what the funniest moment was – I feel like we were just laughing the whole time!