The Toppel Career Center now offers free professional headshots! With our fully self-service professional headshot photo booth, you can stop by any time Monday – Friday from 10 AM – 4 PM to take a free headshot with no appointment needed. The headshot photo booth is offered to all UM students (undergraduate and graduate), as well as to UM faculty, staff, and alumni.
Instructions
When you arrive at Toppel, head toward the career coaching area (which is through the hallway next to the big TV screen) and you will see the booth. It’s easy to operate! When you enter, just scan the QR code, type in your UM email (@miami.edu), follow the instructions, and you’ll be able to control the photo booth right on your phone. The photo booth offers you a tutorial on how to operate it as well. You can take up to three photos in one session, plus one retake, and choose one to edit & send to your email.
You are welcome to take as many pictures as you like, but please be mindful of those who are waiting behind you. If there is a line for the photo booth, you’re allowed 8 minutes to take your headshot before one of our staff members may come and kindly ask you to let someone else have their turn. While taking photos, you can choose either a 3-second or 6-second timer (the 6-second timer is highly recommended). In between photos, the photo booth also offers tips on how to take the best professional headshot possible!
Preparation
The key to taking a good headshot in the photo booth is the same as taking any headshot for your Handshake and LinkedIn profile photos, student organization portraits, professional portraits, or anything else that requires you to take a professional headshot. You should dress professionally and come well presentable – just as if you were going to a job interview, career fair, or to the office (for your job, internship, work-study, etc).
When it comes to what you should wear, business professional or business casual attire is highly recommended, but always remember to dress for the position that you’re seeking; for instance, dress codes vary between the advertising industry versus the business industry. Below are some tips on how you may want to dress for your professional headshot photo.
What should you wear?
- Solid colors are best and mid-range to darker/deeper shades are encouraged.
- Avoid large amounts of white and other light colors because they may draw attention away from your face.
- Solid black should also be avoided as the detail does not capture well in photos (light and dark colors are both fine if you wear a jacket or sweater).
- Avoid wearing distracting patterns or accessories.
- Business casual or business professional is strongly encouraged.
Check out our Dress for Success page for more info on how to enhance your style!
Appropriate Use
The photo booth is being provided to users for the purpose of professional headshots. Photos must not contain inappropriate gestures, props, or nudity. Please note that the Toppel Career Center has administrative access to all photos and reviews them periodically to ensure appropriate use and content. Inappropriate use will result in suspension of future access to the booth, as well as referral to the Dean of Students Office for potential disciplinary action.
Accommodations
If you require wheelchair or other accommodations, please email us at toppel@miami.edu to make an appointment to have your professional headshot taken for you.
Iris Booth is the evolution of portrait photography. Created by a veteran studio photographer to deliver clean, crisp images in a new, reimagined way. Iris condenses a full-size photo studio into a fun, modern 20-square-foot space. They’ve undeniably changed the way people think about headshots.
Iris Booth strives to reach, serve, and engage a diverse community of students by providing professional quality headshots offered through university career center offices.
While making the biggest possible impact in the photography space, they aim to make the smallest possible impact on the environment. They have thoughtfully engineered their products to be highly energy efficient, are moving toward recyclable or reusable packaging whenever possible, continue to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint, and have fully embraced a work-from-home company culture.
