I have a lot of laughing outtakes from this fun session creating professional headshots for Justin Saint’s new career in UX Design. Visit Justin’s LinkedIN profile HERE.
“I’ve hired Belle for both professional and personal family photos and she is always a delight to work with! She’s an absolute expert at putting you at ease and getting you to make small adjustments so you look your absolute best.”
Alessandra Maciel recently completed a 6 month empowerment program with Dress for Success Vancouver. One of her resolutions for 2025 was to invest in her personal growth, strengthen her leadership skills and build confidence in herself.
Alessandra won a headshot session with me at the Sophia Financial Wealth Academy event, and to celebrate completion of the Dress for Success program we updated her professional headshot. We spent a lovely evening walking around Mount Pleasant in Vancouver creating these new dynamic portraits together.
Selecting the ideal attire for your headshot session can be a challenging decision.
Here are some tips and visual suggestions to help you choose the outfit you will feel fabulous and confident in.
WEAR SOLID AND NEUTRAL COLOURS
Solid and neutral colours like black, grey or brown are a good choice for your headshot because they’re timeless. Your headshot won’t looked dated in a few years when styles change.
Avoid wearing all white as our eyes are attracted to the highest contrast in an image and the focus will be off your face. If you want to wear a white shirt, wear a suit jacket to break it up.
MIX IT UP
Bring a few outfits that are casual and professional or different colours and tones. This will give you variety when choosing an image to use for any occasion.
ACCESSORIZE
As always, keep it simple and timeless so you can use your headshot for a few years.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FUN
Have fun showcasing your wonderful personality with your outfit choices.
AVOID WEARING
Clothing with writing or logos.
Florals, polka dots, stripes or checkered patterns.
Low-cut neck lines and turtleneck sweaters.
Fluorescent colours such as pink as they cause a colour cast on skin.
OVERALL
Wear well-fitted freshly pressed clothing that you feel comfortable and confident in.
If playful and colourful is part of your brand then go for it!
I’ve photographed ALOT of political candidates. Recently I collaborated with Tammy Bentz, NDP Candidate for North Vancouver Capilano.
Our session was shortly after the snowfall in February and we had to don our snow boots to get into the park locations in North Van.
Tammy is a social justice and climate activist and an Instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
She is a proud member of the Vancouver 2SLGBTQ+1 community and hoping to bring her experience and passion to Ottawa in 2025.
Tis’ the season for doing business portraits. This January I held my first LinkedIn Business Portrait Day and sold mini session spots to some wonderful folks. Each session was 15 minutes long and was fun and challenging because I had to make a connection with each person in a short period of time. Here’s a few of my favourites from the day and a lovely quote from a new client.
“Working with Belle for this year’s LinkedIn photo was great. Our time together was casual, fun, light, and enjoyable - we laughed, we connected easily, and the gallery of proofs I received to pick my photo from was great - - the only challenge was picking just one photo! 😆 I can’t wait to go back next year and get an updated photo for the profiles! I’d definitely recommend Belle for your head photo (and more!) needs!”
Working with Trevor Loke to update his headshots was a lovely reunion.
We hadn’t seen each other since our last collaboration in 2019.
We enjoyed a relaxing walk around downtown Vancouver, catching up on the past few years and creating these fresh new headshots.
Trevor is the Executive Director of Transparency International Canada and co-founder of Orgmatch. It’s always a pleasure to work with someone so dedicated to making a positive impact.
You can see Trevor’s 2019 headshot session HERE.
“Belle is such a pleasure to work with.
Her eye and personal touch are unmatched in bringing out the best in clients. Anyone who is looking for the perfect professional photo should look no further than Belle. ”
My FAV portrait from an absolutely delightful session with Janice Duddy creating images for her consulting business WEBSITE.
“Belle was a super person to work with and a very talented photographer. My partner and I needed to update our professional headshots (to reflect our more mature selves :)) and she made the experience pleasant and even fun. She was responsive and we got our images in a very timely manner. We would highly recommend Belle! Thank you Belle the photos look great!”
Working with Dr. Elisabeth Baerg Hall again was a delightful experience.
As an expert in adult ADHD, an educator, and sought-after speaker, Elisabeth brings warmth and energy to everything she does. Her thoughtful outfit choices and collaborative spirit made capturing her vibrant personality a joy. She shows how a great headshot can be both approachable and professional.
I’m thrilled with the images we created together to support her work at The ADHD Centre for Education & Training and as a Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia.
Vancouver portrait photographer Belle Ancell specializes in creating heirloom fine art for families.
CONTACT
778-888-0313
belle@belleancellphotography.com
