Session Info

Thank you for booking a session with me! Please read the following information. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email or call me at (206) 240 3536.

Changes to the service due to COVID-19

I am vaccinated and I will be following the WA State requirements for professional photography services.

  • I will limit the number of people at my studio space. One client at the time (family member is allowed, if client is a minor).
  • I will add buffer time between clients for cleaning and sanitizing.
  • I will wear a mask during the photo shoot. 
  • I will respect and maintain 6ft distance whenever possible.
  • I will have hand sanitizer and hand soap available at the studio.
  • I will allow no-contact payments.

Please reschedule your session, if you or people close to you are sick or have any symptoms.

Homework

Yes, there’s homework! Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.

Please watch these short videos and take a few minutes to practice squinching in front of the mirror. A baseline for a good headshot is the right amount of confidence and approachability. Confidence comes from the eyes and this is an easy way of appearing confident in front of the camera.

Old Headshots

If you can, please send me any previous headshots you have and:

Tell me what you like about these headshots.
Tell me what you dislike about these headshots (if anything).
How did the session(s) go?

The more insight I can get, the better. If you’ve never had a headshot before, no problem. We will discuss your needs when we meet.

Clothing

Keep it simple. Bring as much clothing as you want, you might not wear every item but it’s better to have options. Remember, when you’re picking out clothing options to bring, consider how they look from the chest up. Headshots will usually be cropped above the chest, so focus on the shoulders and the neck line of the outfit. You want clothes that give a clean, defined look.

Try to bring

  • clothes you love – you look great in – you feel great in
  • clothes that are form-fitting
  • clothes that are one solid colour (maybe something that brings out your eye colour)
  • clothes that are black, white or any shade of grey
  • layers; a jacket or sweater that works well with one of your tops

Try not to bring

  • overbearing patterns, (they distract and pull focus from your eyes)
  • baggy, loose clothing (they can add extra unwanted pounds)
  • too high collared shirts/jackets (they shorten the neck)
  • tops with a very low neckline
  • wrinkled clothing (the camera will see this)
  • clothes that don’t fit

Stay away from dressing up too much. Clothing should not distract from the ‘important stuff’, which are your face and eyes.

Trust yourself, even if it goes against what I said above. If you have an item that you think is perfect, then by all means bring it in!

Pro tip: Do you have a piece of clothing in mind that you love but you don’t own it? If you buy it and keep the receipts, you will be able to return it after the shoot.

Jewelry

I would like to keep the use of jewelry to a minimum. If you want to wear earrings, preferably use studs. Large earrings work distracting on the final results and sometimes get in the way with your hair. The same goes to necklaces. If you do want to try how it looks, bring them. Putting them on and taking them out isn’t that much work and we can compare the shots in the studio.

Makeup

If you’re planning on doing your makeup yourself, again, keep it simple. Less is more. You want your headshot to represent you. A natural look is always timeless. You can always make adjustments at the studio.

If you choose to get your makeup done by a professional, I recommend going with a specialist who can do great natural makeup. Makeup services at the studio have been put on hold for now per the new WA State rules for personal services.

The retouching can clean up blemishes, so don’t worry about any of that stuff.

Try to avoid:

  • Heavy eyeliner (on the top and the bottom), avoid sharp, hard lines. Keep eyes looking defined but natural.
  • Eyeshadow. If you use it, neutral color eyeshadow is usually best.
  • Pencilled in eyebrows with a harsh line, again, make it natural. 
  • Fake eyelashes. They weigh down the eyelids, and cause you to look drowsy.
  • Lipstick (bring in a clear/neutral gloss to keep your lips shiny and/or a hydrating lipstick in neutral colors, to even out chapped lips and unevenness)
  • Keep the lip color close to your natural lip color or 1 shade darker.
  • Powder foundation. Liquid concealer is much better on camera.
  • No visible hard-edge lip liner.
  • Go easy on the blush.

For hair, do it how you normally do it. If you need a haircut, I encourage you to get one before your session but not the day before. At least 2 or 3 days prior. If you color your hair and need to touch up your roots, I encourage you to do so as well.

If you have long hair, especially thick, heavy long hair, you might consider putting it up in a ponytail or bun for your headshot. Hair up usually draws even more emphasis to the face which is great for headshots. If you want to stop by your stylist and have your hair blown-out or styled on your way to the session that would be amazing but of course not required.

If we start with a natural look and you know you want to try out a different style of makeup, we can add a bit as we shoot. During the session, we will review the images on the computer, so you can see if the makeup is working for you or not.

Pricing information

The studio photography session fee is $250 (+sales tax). Images are priced at $95 per image including promotional usage license and professional retouching. Your final images are chosen at the end of the session. There is no hard sell. You only buy what you love. This way you control the total cost of your session depending on how many images you want to purchase.

Payment

Payment is due the same day of the session. If this isn’t possible, let me know, and we can discuss it. I’m flexible and understanding, so just reach out and let’s talk.

  • Cash – please bring exact change
  • Card – All major credit cards
  • Apple Pay – via Square reader
  • Check – made out to Tumelius Media LLC
  • Invoice – sent via email to you or your company (credit card and bank transfer options)
  • Paypal – sent to olli.tumelius@gmail.com (credit card option)

Location

Address: 1020 1st Avenue S, Seattle 98134

There is some street parking on the 1st Avenue (West side of the building). If you can’t find a spot, there is small parking lots next to the building (North & South side). Lumen Field garage is quite close as well and reasonably priced when there’s no events going on. Studio is right by the stadiums and parking can be a challenge on game days and it can get pricey, too. Taking a ride share or leaving your car a further away works best on game days.

My cellphone is 206 240 3536, text or call if there are any problems etc. Also, feel free to email me back with any questions at info@seattleheadshotpro.com.

ADA Compliance

Studio space is in a 100-year-old building and the building does not have a passenger elevator. If you are not able to go up two flights of stairs, please let me know. I am happy to do your session in another location or we can use the freight elevator. I would be happy to talk to you more about the different options. 

Rescheduling Your Session

If you need to reschedule your headshot session, contact me at least 24 hours before your scheduled time. The second time you reschedule, a $75 deposit is required to secure your session time. 

These tips and instructions were created by fellow headshot photographers Ryan Parker and Maurice Jager. They own the copyright for these instructions. I will keep modifying them to fit my clients’ needs. The Youtube videos embedded on this page have been made by Peter Hurley and he owns the copyright. I study under the associates and mentors of Peter Hurley’s Headshot Crew.