When you start out in business, the ‘to do list’ is endlessly long. Among the many things you need to get right; selling your business to your ideal client.
Every photo you put online is telling your audience something about your business. Therefore, it's critical to ensure it's the message you want to send!
When you start investigating having your headshot or branding photos taken, I appreciate it seems like a big investment. While, I think investing in great images for your business is a savvy move; a picture really is worth a thousand words, I know that budgets are stretched. Audiences love photos and videos for ease of understanding your message and Google rewards your site for keeping your audience’s engagement.
So here are so steps to follow to DIY your headshots if you choose to go down this route.
Preparation is key
1. Grab your gear
You can use any camera you’re comfortable as long as it’s good enough quality to get a great photo.
You’ll need a tripod (or camera holder of some description) or a friend to hold the camera for you because selfies absolutely DO NOT make good headshots!
2. Pick a location inside with good natural light, or an outside location without too many hard light sources.
If you’re indoors you want a place away from direct sunlight.
A lot of people opt for plain coloured backgrounds but that will depend on your branding.
If shooting outside, you just need to look for the right light, so avoid dappled light coming through trees or bright sunshine that will give you unflattering hard shadows on your face. Look for a cloudy, overcast day or find some shade and face the light (this is called open shade).
3. Block off at least two hours for your shoot from start to finish – DIY headshots take some time to get right…
It will definitely take more time doing it yourself than outsourcing it to a pro, so leave yourself sufficient time to practice, make mistakes and try again!
4. Pre-plan your shoot so you have an end result in mind
It’s best to make sure you know what you’re wearing so you won’t clash with any background you’ve picked, so you’ll feel confident in your clothes and look great. Also think about what works well with your brand, website colours and the space on your website. Nothing worse than taking a landscape photo to realise the space for your headshot is a portrait one!
The shoot
1. Position your camera
If you’re using a camera phone, make sure you’re using the back camera not the selfie lens (see why you need more time now?!) because the selfie screen has a far lower resolution camera in it.
Position your camera of choice to where you’re going to pose and stand or sit at least a metre away from the camera. You’ll need to focus the camera on you which is why it’s often easier to have a friend. If you’re alone you need to put an item in the frame to focus on then switch yourself in.
Set your timer and take a test shot. Remember, make sure you’re in good light to begin with, don’t ever use the camera’s flash because that light will not be flattering.
2. Relax
The benefit of a photographer is that they’ll help you feel natural and comfortable in front of the camera. The downside of DIY is that you’re going to have to do this for yourself. And believe me you’re probably going to feel silly, but now is when you’re going to have to do whatever you can to relax; fake laugh, think happy thoughts, loud music, do a little dance to relax yourself – whatever it takes!
3. Take more than you need
You’re going to need to take a bunch of photos here and look through them. See what is working, what isn’t. Is it the angles, how you’re standing, are you connecting with the camera? Be brutal on yourself and adjust for the next set you take. You want a great headshot after all and you can delete the duff ones later.
4. Edit
Download a free app like Lightroom and edit your favourite handful after your DIY shoot. You just want to give your photos a tiny bump so try the auto edit option or give them a tweak yourself manually. You can also crop them here for square use etc.
And that’s it! It’s time consuming but if you want to try to take your own headshots then I hope this has been helpful.
If you think this sounds like too much hard work then I can happily help you out and have incredible headshots for your new business in a stress-free 30-minute session at your home or place or business.
Lastly, always remember the basics of what your headshot needs to do:
- Look like you so people can recognise you!
- Show the personality of your brand – do you want to look serious, friendly, quirky? Or do you want to knock it up a gear and show a bit of your business in what you do too? This is often know as a branding headshot or lifestyle headshot.
- Be framed nicely – don’t have so much space that you’re tiny in the frame or be so close that it’s uncomfortable to look at!
- Be you looking at the camera without a selfie arm / sunglasses / glass of wine (unless you’re a sommelier!) not on a beach etc – this is your chance to be professional which you can still do while letting your personality shine through.
I’m a Hertfordshire based photographer, happy to travel for amazing businesses, families and weddings. Find me at www.torideslauriers.com or on social media @torideslauriersphotography
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