Exceptional Individual Headshots

in the heart of Downtown Excelsior MN

Book a professional headshot session in our studio with easy online scheduling and payment. We create clean, modern LinkedIn headshots, executive portraits, and personal-brand images that are leagues ahead of your current selfie snap or over-processed AI dupe.

From the moment you step into our studio, you’ll experience a comfortable and stress-free photoshoot, ensuring that your headshots reflect the best version of the real you. With years of first-hand experience in how to light, pose, shoot and retouch everyday people like yourself; our expertly crafted headshots provide you with a powerful tool to stand out in today’s competitive business landscape.

WHY HIRE A PROFESSIONAL?

Great results come from a professional process

LIGHTING THAT FLATTERS

We use a variety of lighting styles to build a photograph that will compliment your skin tone and facial structure, portray the style of your brand and help define an overall look where you are authentic, confident and trustworthy.

COACHING THAT WORKS

Most people do not need to “try harder” to get a great photo – they need better direction. We coach your posture, head position and expression in real time to guide you into a position that brings out your best features.

RETOUCHING THAT REFINES

We do not use pre-fab overlays or stock presets. Every image is carefully retouched by hand to refine your individual features that make you unqiuely you while removing or softening those elements that you’d rather not see. 

Every Headshot Session with Us Includes

REAL TIME IMAGE REVIEWING

This is our secret superpower to achieving the results we get consistently with our clients – even those who are self-declared “Not Photogenic!” We tether the camera straight to the laptop and are constantly reviewing the images we take. This creates a collaborative process where you can let us know what you like, what you’d like to change, and what we can do to improve our next round of photos. This key element is why clients book the 60-Minute Session so often – it gives us time to create your best headshots.

WHAT TO WEAR GUIDANCE

Check out our “What to Wear” guides below for an initial education on what tends to look good “On Camera.” When you arrive for your headshot session we will take time to look over the outfits you bring and decide what might look best.

MADE-TO-ORDER RETOUCHING

An Individual headshot session gives us the time needed to really talk through your images as we select your finals so we know what you’d like adjusted. Most people are surprised when I tell them “oh that’s an easy photoshop fix.” Issues like thinning hair, invisalign nubs, neck wrinkles, under-eye darkness, skin cuts/scrapes/pimples and eye redness can all be addressed based on what you tell us to do.

BOOK YOUR IN-STUDIO HEADSHOT SESSION TODAY

We offer 3 standard session types for different needs, but can also put together a custom quote for your specific needs.

2.5 Hour Custom Branding Photos In-Studio Session

    $650 | 12 Images

How it Works

WHO IT’S FOR:

  • Entrepreneurs and Business Owners who would like a collection of headshot and other images to use in a website, social media content, ad campaign, etc.
  • Small teams of 2-10 people who need a variety of individual headshots, group or partnership photos, or other branding photos. 
  • Acting or Modeling Portfolio Images for Kids and Adults
  • Content Shoot for a small business who needs photography of their product, service, client interactions, etc. 

HOW IT WORKS:

A custom session is just that – completely customized to create a set of images for your business or professional development. During your session we will spend the first 10 minutes getting to know you and planning out our session together. The remainder of the time will be spend photographing, reviewing and choosing your final image(s) for retouching. Feel free to bring several outfit choices to photograph. Final retouched images will be delivered via online gallery within 5 business days (or sooner if you let us know!) 

PRICING:

$650 includes the Session Fee + 12 Fully Retouched Images delivered to you via an online gallery of High Resolution JPG images. Additional images can be purchased for $65/each or reach out to us for a custom quote.

Smiling person in a blue blazer and white shirt poses against a dark gray background.
60 min Premium In-Studio Headshot Session

$285 | 2 Images

How it Works

WHO IT’S FOR:

Our 60 Minute Full Headshot Session is our most popular option for giving you a great experience where we have enough time to dial in your best image. Please arrive on time and “camera ready” with hair and makeup done. We will spend the first 10 minutes getting to know you, looking over the outfits you’ve brought in and planning out our time together. The remainder of the time will be spend photographing, reviewing and choosing your final images. We have enough time to try out 2-3 outfits and can photograph a variety of poses if you are looking for more than just a “head and shoulders” style headshot. We will select your final images by the end of our time together. All final images will receive a full retouch and be delivered via online gallery within 3-4 days (or sooner if you let us know!)

DETAILS:

– For one person or a small group of up to 3 team members who need “express” style images – Includes 2 Fully Retouched Images (please note, this is 2 images in total and not 2 images per person)

PRICING:

$285 Includes the Session Fee and 2 Fully Retouched Images. Additional Images can be purchased for an additional $65/each or 3 for $150. You can decide that at the end of your session.

PLEASE NOTE:

To make sure you get the best experience, please know that a Full Headshot Session best serves an individual person who needs a couple images for LinkedIn, website or job hunting. If you are an Entrepreneur or company in need of a larger set of images for Content Marketing, Branding, Teams, or Product photos we do have a 2.5 Hour Custom Branding session that might be a better fit or you can contact us directly and we can put together a custom quote for you!

A person with shoulder-length brown hair is smiling, wearing a white shirt and a gold necklace with a circular pendant. The background is a plain, light gray color.
20 min Express In-Studio Headshot Session

$185 | 1 Image

How it Works

HOW IT WORKS:

This session is our most economical fit for one person who just needs a single professionally posed, lighted, and retouched headshot. During this short session we will photograph you against a solid colored backdrop (your choice) in a “Head-and-Shoulders” style crop. Plan to arrive 5-10 minutes early and be “camera ready.” In the first 10 minutes we take a series of 15-20 images from slightly different angles to create a good selection of images for you to choose from. In the last 10 minutes we sit down and look through all images taken to select your favorite. Your final image will receive a full retouch to enhance your natural beauty and remove any unwanted blemishes, and your final JPG file will be emailed to you within 3 business days.

DETAILS:

– For 1 Person, 1 outfit, 1 backdrop color of your choice

– 20 Minutes of Studio time with Emily spent photographing and selecting your best image

– Includes 1 Fully Retouched Image, emailed as a High-Resolution JPG File

– Additional Images Available for purchase at $65/each or 3 for $150

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PLEASE NOTE: To make sure you get the best experience, please know that Express Headshots are intentionally quick and streamlined: one person, one outfit, a limited variety of poses, and quick decision-making when selecting your final image. If you’d like extra time to feel fully camera-ready or to try different outfits, hair or jewelry on different backgrounds we suggest booking the 60-Minute Full Headshot Session.

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“Professional, Personable, and Organized"

Loved working with Emily on my profile pictures. She was professional, personable, and organized the photo shoot to capture the best me! Studio is comfortable, has great lighting, and is a great location in downtown Excelsior. I would recommend Emily to everyone interested in family, personal, or professional pictures. -Ann A, Retail Partner Solutions

“I rely on Emily John Photography for all my profefessional needs"

I have relied on Emily John Photography for all my professional photography needs. Emily took headshot photos and some additional promotional photos for my website, and I was very pleased with the results. She has also taken architectural photos of design projects for my portfolio, and she truly knows how to capture the essence of each space and highlight its beauty. -DEB G, First Impressions Design

“AMAZING job!"

I had Emily take photos for my business when it was featured in a article in a local magazine. She did an AMAZING job and really showcased the best aspects my both my business as well as myself. I would use Emily for both professional photos as well as personal / family photos as well! -STEPHANIE Y, Balance Acupuncture

IMAGE REFINEMENT

Retouching that Elevates

All headshots go through a rigerous review and hand-refinement process before getting delivered to your inbox. Here are just a few of the elements we include in our retouching process to ensure you look your absolute best in every image.

EYES & UNDEREYE AREA

The eye and surrounding area is one of our clients’ main concerns when talking about retouching. In our standard retouching process, we can brighten and add dimension to the iris and pupil, take out redness, reduce those fine lines in the skin surrounding the eye, and remove dark circles or “bags” that are too pronounced.

HAIR

Whether your hair is curly, straight, or not as full as it once was, we have an arsonal of techniques for bringing out the natural beauty of your hair! Often it’s just removing a few stray hairs, but sometimes we are filling in part lines or gaps, taking out grey or white hairs, and even adding color where hair dye has grown out. 

SKIN

We all have them – scratches, pimples, redness, scars, or cuts. They always seem to pop up the day of a headshot session. Most skin blemishes and cuts very easily removed. We can completely remove whiteheads or pimples, soften rough textures, unify the color in red or blotchy areas, and still retain the natural skin texture and color of the area.

CLOTHING WRINKLES OR BULKY FABRIC

One subtle super-power of retouching is the ability to soften out or pull in the small wrinkles and bunches that occur in our shirts or pants when we stand, sit or lean. Especially around the outer edge of the body, sometimes a shirt can lay in a way that makes us look a little extra chubby around the waistline or shoulder area. This is remedied by our hand-retouching process that takes the time to review and refine every image individually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are our top most-asked questions and some general guidance on how to approach your thinking around it. 

What should I wear for my headshot session?

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HAVE QUESTIONS?

FINE TUNE YOUR PHOTO SESSION WITH OUR HELP

WHAT SHOULD I CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING MY HEADSHOT SESSION?

There’s a saying “you don’t know ’till you know”… well we are here to let you know!

WHAT DO I WEAR FOR PHOTOS?

Our best tips and tricks for looking polished, professional, and appealing to your target audience.

WHERE SHOULD I BE USING MY HEADSHOT IMAGES?

The obvious and not-so-obvious places you can use your headshots to get the most bang from your session with us.