FAQ's

BEFORE

What outfits should I bring? And how many?

In general, try to always bring a couple more outfits than you need for your chosen package - aim for the guideline number I've given below. You won't wear all of them, but this lets us work together to choose what colours and styles work best for you with your background colour(s). Within your outfit options, try to make sure you have some variation of different colours / necklines / styles, so we can choose together what works best on camera. However, make sure to avoid clothes with patterns, logos, neon colours, etc., as they can be way too visually distracting - the main star of the show is you! Not your clothes! Lastly, I have a clothes steamer at the studio which we can happily use to steam-iron any light wrinkles out of clothes - but this eats up precious shooting time, so please try to ensure your outfit options are as crease-free as possible! 

For the Essentials Package, bring 2–3 outfits that can be quickly changed - think jackets, jumpers, cardigans, etc. Feel free to bring different t-shirt options too, just as long as they're quickly changeble. In this package we won't be able to do more time-consuming changes like jewellery or facial hair, so try to make sure you arrive wearing these how you want them for the shoot!  

For the Signature Package, bring 5–6 outfits - here we have time for slower changes, so you can come with layered looks, tops that take a bit more fiddling, and styling tweaks like changing your hairstyle, facial hair, or jewellery. Try to still bring some quicker-change options as well, like jackets / jumpers etc., then we get the best of both worlds and can do lots of different variations! 

For more info on what's included with each package, see details here.

Should I get a haircut, shave, or change my appearance beforehand? 

Avoid last‑minute drastic changes to your appearance if you can, as they could feel unfamiliar to you infront of a camera. If you're planning a big aesthetic change, try doing it a little while before the shoot so you have time to get used to it and can adjust or refine it if needed. Also, avoid any drastic appearance changes that you don't plan on keeping for a bit, as it's important that your headshots accurately reflect your current look for casting directors!

If you’re planning a haircut, try to have it done a few days before the shoot so it has time to settle. For facial hair, any style is okay - as long as it is true to your current look as a performer and is how you want it to appear in your shots!

Can I bring someone with me?

If you can, I'd always recommend doing your session solo - it usually helps you relax more quickly, and it gives us the space to find a natural rhythm and get creatively into the zone together. Most people find they open up more and feel less self‑conscious when it’s just the two of us working through the shoot. That said, you’re absolutely welcome to bring someone with you if it helps you feel more comfortable. They’re welcome to sit in, have a drink, and hang out while we shoot. 

If you have any questions, concerns, accesibility needs, or anything at all - please feel free to get in touch and I am always happy to make any accomodations you need to get your lovely new shots :-)

How early should I arrive?

Please try to arrive around 5 minutes before your scheduled booking time, so we can get straight into the session as soon as it begins! No need to worry about arriving any earlier than this - a few minutes is perfect for you to be able to get straight into our shoot without waiting around.

Under 18's

Clients under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by a parent / guardian / chaperone of 18+ years-old for the entire duration of the session! This is non-negotiable and really important for protecting both of our safety - without it the session sadly can't go ahead. When you book a session, you'll be sent our headshots contract, which must be signed by your legal parent / guardian on your behalf. At the session, your chaperone is welcome to be as involved in the shoot as you'd like - offering creative input alongside you, or just chilling in the room whilst you and I work on the creative process together to achieve what you're aiming for as an individual! 

DURING

What happens during our shoot? ( / help me I'm nervous!)

My headshot sessions are a relaxed and collaborative experience with dedicated time for getting comfortable in the creative environment, so there's really nothing to worry about. When you arrive, we'll get settled, have a drink, chat about your personal style as a performer and your goals for the shoot. Most importantly, we'll also choose some background music from whatever you're loving listening to at the moment - I love shooting to anything and everything, so I enjoy hearing what inspires you! Next, we’ll choose outfits and backgrounds, then start with a few warm‑up shots so you can get comfortable in front of the camera. I'll tweak lighting, and you can apply some powder if needed (I'll supply this!). I’ll guide you through posing, angles, and expression the whole way, so don't worry about knowing how to pose or 'be photogenic' - that’s what I’m here for! We'll be talking throughout, and we'll review images and thoughts as we go so you can see what’s working, make any adjustments you want to, and feel confident about the final results. You'll smash it. I'll be guiding and working collaboratively with you the whole time, so it's impossible not to.

AFTER

How will I get my photos? 

After the shoot, I'll send you a gallery of all the shots we took (after removing any anomalies, like if lights didn't fire or focus was soft). You can look through this and choose which favourites you'd like me to retouch and send as your final edited shots. How many shots you can choose depends on the price package you selected, but don't worry if you realise you'd like more than your package includes - all my packages have an 'additional edits' price, so you can always add more if you want :-)  

Note: Your shoot gallery will consist of 'raw' photos, it's normal for these to look flat or dull! Don't worry, this doesn't reflect how your final photos will look at all. Raw files are high-resolution unprocessed images that hold loads of visual information but haven’t had any colour, contrast, or style settings applied yet. They’re designed to look this way so they can be edited with maximum quality and creative control, so once they're edited, the colours, lighting, and overall look really come to life! That’s why only the final images are a true reflection of the shoot. So, you should judge your favourites of your gallery shots based on the pose / expression / shot composition you like best, rather than an image's colour or contrast etc. 

Can I have the raw images as well as the final edits?

I don’t provide unedited raw images, sorry! Editing is a core part of the creative process, not an optional extra, so unedited photos are an unfinished product. Just like a chef wouldn't serve a dish without seasoning and still in the frying pan, as a photographer I only deliver fully finished edited photos to clients, as only these properly reflect the artistic style and high quality of work that you're paying for. This way you always get a polished, consistent final set that we can both be proud to put our names to.

Help me I can't chooooose

Don't worry, having too many great shots to choose from is a fun problem to have! If you're struggling, you can always send me a couple of extras that you can't decide between, and I'll happily give you my thoughts 😊 Remember, you can also get an unlimited number of additional edits regardless of what package you chose! These have an additional edit fee which you can get details of here. 

What retouching / editing do you do?

My retouching style is subtle, natural, and ultimately true to you. I’ll tidy up temporary things like blemishes, and gently refine skin and lighting tones - allowing your natural features to shine out whilst keeping you looking real and natural.  

Do you do Black & White edits too?

Absolutely! Final edits are delivered in colour as standard, because that’s what casting directors, agents, and Spotlight expect - colour is the industry norm for acting headshots, so I keep my core work aligned with that industry standard. However, if you’d like a black and white version of any final image, I’m really happy to create that - it’s simply counted as an additional edit since it’s an optional stylistic variation rather than part of the standard core edits.

Can you just include a B&W version of a Colour edit that you already did?

Sadly not, black and white edits require a totally separate creative process than colour edits - it's not as simple as just applying a B&W filter, I need to rebalance tones, contrasts, and light across all aspects of the image to make it stand out for this totally different visual style. So, B&W edits are treated as their own individual edit. 

Can I request changes to your edits?

Definitely - small tweaks are totally fine. If you spot anything in your final images that you'd like to tweak (a blemish, skin adjustment, slight colour change), just let me know and I’m happy to refine it. However, what isn’t included are full re-edits or major stylistic changes, like altering the overall look of the image, changing the lighting style, or reworking the edit to match a different style. My goal is always to keep your headshots looking natural, polished, true to what you really look like, and true to my own style as a photographer. If you’re unsure if something counts as a small tweak or not, don't worry, just ask!

How long does editing take?

I know it can be torturous having to wait to see your exciting shiny new headshots, but you can also trust that I'll never rush the process - I always give every image all the time it needs to reach the lovely high standard you can expect. So, I always aim to provide final edited images as soon as possible, but this will always be within 14 days of me receiving your chosen images from your gallery.

Who owns the copyright to my photos, and how can I use them?

In the UK, photographers automatically own the copyright to the images they take - so the copyright for your headshots stays with me. You don’t need to do anything special for this, and it doesn’t limit how you can use your photos day‑to‑day. Before your session, you’ll sign a simple form that covers how both of us can use the images, which includes your license to use your final edited images for absolutely all your personal, professional, and promotional needs - things like Spotlight, social media, websites, press features, and anything else you might need them for. Basically, you’re free to use your images wherever you want them, with no extra fees ever. The only two things you can't do without my prior permission are to re-edit the photos yourself (as that would create a false representation of my work) or re-sell / commercially licence them. 

Do you offer prints?

I'm more than happy to sort prints for you of any final edited image. I do all printing with a professional external lab to make sure you get the highest quality prints that you can happily use for agents or casting, or of course just for personal use as well! Just let me know the sizes you’d like of which images, and I’ll get a quote over to you 🙂