Professional Headshot Appointment

How to schedule a headshot appointment

*Headshots are not available when school is not in session*

Students are to use Handshake to schedule their student headshot appointment.

• Go to your student profile on Handshake. Click on the Career Center tab in the upper right screen.
  • Choose the “Appointment” button.
  • Choose “Schedule a New Appointment”.
  • Choose “All Majors/Exploring Majors- Stuckert Career Center”.
  • Choose “Headshot Service-Stuckert Career Center”
• You will choose a date and time that works with your class schedule.

Headshot Service Information

*Our headshot appointments are designed to provide professional-quality photos for platforms such as Handshake and LinkedIn. Our photography does not meet the requirements for performing artist headshots.

Thank you for scheduling a headshot appointment with the Stuckert Career Center!

• Check out our “Tips for Headshots” for your headshot session

• Day of headshot session:
  • Check in at the front desk of the Stuckert Career Center.
  • There will be a bathroom near the shooting area. If you need to change clothes or touch up, then you will have that opportunity. 
  • The staff photographer will take around 6-12 shots.
• After the headshot session:
  • The staff photographer will share a Microsoft Teams folder with headshot photos.
  • Once you have received the email, please send a quick email back confirming you have received your photos and saved them to your personal device.
  •  After 5 business days of sending the email, we will automatically delete your photos from our storage space.

Tips for Headshots

As you prepare for your appointment, we have a few tips for you: 

• Practice in the mirror at home: 
  • All headshots are from mid-chest up.
  • We will rarely take a waist-up shot unless a special request by you.  
• Try on different outfits:
  • Choose what fits you best. Take into consideration the ability to cross your arms.
  • Think about the career field you will be going into. What types of clothing do individuals wear in their photos, such as polo, scrubs, white shirts, professional white coats, or suits?
  • Go to a couple of companies online and see if they have staff headshots or company photos. Look at what they are wearing. As the old saying goes “Dress for the position that you want to obtain.” You want employers to see how you will fit in their team.
  • Try to avoid patterns and thin stripes and do think about contrast and tones in the colors you wear with your skin tone, eyes, and with your clothing accessories.  
• Practice your facial muscles:
  • You have over 40 muscles in your face. See which angle you prefer, and how strong a smile you prefer. Watch how your eye shape changes from full to squinting. 
  • Practice chin awareness, we tend to lean our heads backward. Just tilting the head downward, a quarter inch can change an entire photo. 
• Try out different hairstyles:
  • You might choose the typical style that is you or you might want to try something new. Do not try something new on the day of your shoot…test it. 
  • Bring with you your own brush and hair accessories that could be used to touch up hair issues during the session.

UK Photo Release Form

If you would like your image to be used for the Stuckert Career Center marketing of headshot services, please fill out the UK Photo Release form.

• You will find the UK Photo Release form here to download.
• You can complete the form and email it to UKcareercenter@uky.edu .
  • Place in the email subject line “Stuckert Headshot Photo Release Permission.”
  • Provide your name, academic classification, and the headshot you would like Stuckert to use. 

Headshot Policy:

The Stuckert Career Center has a photo studio where business-professional headshots are taken for enrolled University of Kentucky students at no cost to the student. Students must schedule an appointment via Handshake, UK’s career management platform, and photos will be taken in one outfit.  Effective April 2023, due to equipment and logistics considerations, unless it is an event that is being organized by the Stuckert Career Center, mobile headshot studios will not be provided for student organizations or campus partners at off-site locations. In addition to individual student headshot services by appointment, headshot services will continue to be available to student organizations, UK classes, and UK student programs on-site in the Career Center building. If an approved UK organization or office wants to schedule a headshot event at the Stuckert Career Center, please email ukcareercenter@uky.edu.