I took new headshots recently, and as advised by both my manager and my headshot photographer, I went out and bought some really expensive clothes that I had no intention of keeping, wore them for the shoot -- carefully keeping the label on them and being sure to protect them with my life from underarm stains, odors, makeup, tears, accidental drooling, and any other bodily function -- and promptly returned them once the photo shoot was over. (Actually, I strategically returned them on a Saturday, which was a few days later, since I didn't want to run into the stylist who had been so lovely in helping me pick out the TWO THOUSAND AND SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS worth of clothing. I figured she wouldn't be there on Saturday since she mentioned that she had a four year-old kid and she was so lovely she probably was also a good mom who would need to be home spending quality time with her young child. I was right - Saturday, there was no sign of her.) This worked out well, because the whole thing was extremely nerve-wracking. This was not something I'd ever done before.
And here's the thing: I don't ever want to do it again. In fact, the headshots came out great. Here's a sneak peak.
(The blouse... I could have fallen in love with that blouse. It would have been a very expensive relationship.) But I'm going to state this here and now: next year, the clothes do not get returned. That's my goal. I would like these headshots to work so well for me that I get to buy that gorgeous blouse and keep it in my closet permanently. Set goals. It's a good idea.
We'll return to this post again this time next year.
Happy 2019!