Harvest Photo

What is a professional headshot?

A professional headshot (aka business, corporate or brand headshot) is a portrait taken for a specific professional purpose. The headshots are normally used on social media, websites, marketing/promotional materials, branding, business cards, IDs and organization bios.

One of my core offerings is a thirty-minute headshot session. This is a great service for refreshing your online image or updating profile pics or even doing a test run on a new branding idea.

I see people!

In this age of cell phones and selfies, it can be hard to imagine camera-shy people, but they do exist! However, their shyness, or awkwardness, may have nothing to do with their confidence or the lens focused on them. They may be more concerned with being well-represented or fully seen.

My photography style is candid in nature. I enjoy and engage in conversation throughout the shoot which usually relaxes me and the client. I don’t like posed or superficial-styled images in general. However, I will suggest position, angle and posture adjustments to improve a shot.

How to get the most from company headshot sessions

Below are tips to get the best results in front of the camera. These suggestions are geared towards bookings by organizations for their team members. Being part of a large group headshot session means you only have a couple of minutes in front of the camera. Come prepared to work it from the beginning to get your best shot!

1. Relax. Be present. Be natural. Be you.

Professional headshot sessions can be reminiscent of school picture days when students were told to line up, sit down, say cheese and have a good day. Luckily, this isn’t my style. I’m more likely to encourage you to shimmy or roll your shoulders, toss your head back and let your light shine. Be big. Take up space. Fill the frame of with your personality!

2. Prepare. Plan for comfort. If you are uncomfortable in your skin or clothes, you will look uncomfortable in the photos.

You know you best. For you to be relaxed and present in the moment in front of the camera, what do you have to do? Does your outfit have to look a certain way? Do you want your hair and skin to glow, or have no shine at all? Do you want to be perfectly styled? Note: wrinkled fabric shows in images. However you want to present yourself, make sure you give yourself the time to prepare in advance and to touch-up on site. If you wear make-up, bring it. Bring a lint-free towel to pat away perspiration and shine, if needed. Do you need to have coffee before you can relax your face muscles? If you eat beforehand, check your teeth.

3. Know your inspiration.

Think about how you want to present yourself. Who is your audience? How do you want to use the headshot? It’s best to have an idea of how you want the images to turn out. Reference images are helpful, but don’t get stuck on those. Allow the inspiration without trying to replicate it.

4. Hold your space and measure your movements.

If you’re efficient, an organization headshot session can accommodate several angles and positions. The primary goal is to capture an image for the org’s specified use. Beyond that, you can create your own magic. For headshots, slight controlled movements are more impactful than complete readjustments between shots. Practice in the mirror slowly moving your head side to side, up and down while keeping eye contact.