Aviva Sherman Photography

07/29/2026

A great headshot starts before you sit down, and most of the prep is simpler than people think.

Wash your hair the day of or the night before, and wear it the way you do at work. Your headshot should look like the person people will meet.

Getting a cut or color? Book it a few days out so it has time to settle.

High-res cameras catch the details. Stray hairs at the neckline, a smudge on your glasses, dry lips. I watch for all of it during the session.

Your skin doesn’t need to be perfect, and sleep does more than any product on the list.

But here’s what I tell everyone: you don’t have to be photogenic. Most of my clients are sure they aren’t, and it turns out that’s not a requirement. When you feel relaxed, it shows.

Full guide’s on the blog, link in bio

👍FOLLOW Aviva Sherman | Chicago Headshots & Personal Branding FOR STRAIGHT ANSWERS ON HEADSHOTS. WHAT TO WEAR, HOW TO PREP, AND WHY THE CAMERA ISN’T THE ENEMY. I GIVE ALL MY SECRETS AWAY HERE.

07/21/2026

Do you dread the camera?

This client did. He came in convinced he wasn’t the type who photographs well.

That’s the most common thing I hear before a session starts. It’s rarely about the camera. It’s about years of seeing photos of yourself that didn’t feel like you.

By the time we were done, he was looking through the images and pointing out the ones he wanted to send to people. Not tolerating them.
Choosing them.

If you’ve written yourself off as “not a camera person,” that’s not something I’ve found to be true about anyone I’ve photographed. It’s usually just that no one’s directed you through it yet.

Follow along, the next one might be you.

07/17/2026

Lori Dann, photographed twice in one sitting. One image with makeup by Jasmine Walker of CHICAGO HAIR & MAKEUP ARTIST, one without.

Showing your face twice, once fully done and once completely bare, takes nerve. Lori did both without hesitation, and she’s beautiful in each one.
This is part of my 60 Women Over 60 project.

I’m photographing 60 women over the age of 60, with makeup and without, to celebrate women at what might be the best chapter of their lives, embracing their beauty and exactly who they are right now.

Want to be photographed for the project? Send me a DM.

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07/13/2026

Half of every 60 Women Over 60 session happens before I pick up the camera. Jasmine CHICAGO HAIR & MAKEUP ARTIST getting my client Lori Dann ready this morning. She’ll be photographed bare-faced first, then like this. Both portraits are part of the project.

If you are a woman over 60 and you’d like to be part of the project, please PM me :)

07/10/2026

Range is what keeps an actor working. One expression, one energy, one "type" books you once. A headshot that shows you can play warm and sharp, vulnerable and in control, gets you called back for parts you haven't even auditioned for yet.

That's what we built in this session: not a pretty picture, a working tool for casting. Actor and model sessions in my Chicago studio, images reviewed and chosen the same day.



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07/09/2026

You get one shot at your one shot!
Make it count!

07/05/2026

07/01/2026

Actor headshots carry a lot of weight. A casting director scrolling submissions gives each one a second or two, and yours has to read the part before they ever click your reel.
Rose is a local actress I photographed recently. We worked through a range of expressions until we found the ones that felt like her, not a stiff version posing for a camera.

If your headshots are a few years old, or they were taken before you figured out the roles you actually book, it's worth an update. Sessions are fully directed, so you don't have to know what to do with your face or your hands. I'll guide you.

The studio is on the north side of Chicago. Message me to book.