How to take a business headshot yourself - part 1
Create your own business headshot.
Perhaps you have a new member of staff and need a quick photo for the website for now, before getting a professional photographer later when you have more staff that need an updated business headshot. Or you’re just starting a business and can’t justify the cost of a professional right now.
This is the first of a series of instructions showing you how to get a better business headshot using your phone or compact camera, and doing it in your office. Here I’ll talk about the basics. Future posts will cover a little bit about lighting, how best to get someone to stand for a photo, and quickly editing the photo afterwards.
The cameras in phones are getting very good, but generally they have a wide-angle view. Great for getting everyone in sat round the table, but not so good for a headshot of just one person. Get too close with the phone and then you get a very distorted picture – a bit like one of those curvy mirrors that used to be at a fun fair. That’s why for a selfie everyone holds the phone at arms length or uses a selfie-stick. You can see the distortion I mean in the photo of me (yikes!) above on the left. My already large nose seems to be even bigger and my head is an odd shape. Not very flattering. That’s all from having the camera too close. So you’re going to need a friend or colleague to help. A selfie isn’t going to cut it.
If you have a compact camera with a zoom option, set the zoom somewhere in the middle of its range and use that instead of the phone. You’ll be able to stand further away and get a much more flattering picture! The photo of me on the right was taken from about 8 feet way, and I hope you agree I look better in that one.
If you need to use a phone, then stand about 4 feet away (twice as far as the length of your arm is a good way to remember!). The picture will have a lot more in it than just the head & shoulders that we need, but we can crop it later – I’ll tell you how in a future post.
Now, the other aspect I’ll talk about here is the background. We need to avoid a cluttered background like in the above left photo. You are going to have to move away from a desk with calendars & coffee pots behind it ! If you can find a plain white wall that would be great. You can always temporarily move a picture that’s hanging on the wall if necessary. Have the person stand a little way in front of the wall if possible, not right next to it. The further they are from the wall, the more blurry the wall will be, while keeping the person themselves sharp in the photo.
In the second post of this series I’ll talk about the best light to use and how to get someone to stand. If you signed up to the series, you’ll get that straight to your inbox soon.
You can see my headshots on my business portraits and headshots website.
A mother and son business
A mother and son business
Tricia Mack and her son Bradley run Shopper Anonymous in the Oxford and South Wariwckshire area. They provide extremely useful insights into the customer experience in any business. They needed updated headshots to freshen up their website and social media, and came to my Studley studio one morning.
Here’s what Tricia said : “They are fab ! Thank you so much for doing the pics and being so engaging with Brad, he was not looking forward to it but you put us both at ease so thank you. I’ve had some lovely comments on the photos. “
and she added:
“Laurence was very friendly and helpful. The whole experience was great fun as we both felt very relaxed. He did what he said he would do and the quality of the photos was excellent. It was also fantastic value for money – thank you. We are using several of the photos, I now have different ones for twitter, LinkedIn, email etc which is great !”
Photography for a personal brand
WHAT IS PERSONAL BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY?
Photography for a personal brand is so much more than a headshot; it captures the character and heart of the person behind the brand and gives some answers to why they do what they do. Entrepreneurs, influencers, business owners and others who want magazine-quality, personalized imagery to project themselves will choose to have a personal branding session.
You need to build your brand to stand out in the crowd. To connect with potential clients, you need to be seen as authentic, approachable and professional. This needs to be done on a regular basis. They need to know your story. Photography tells a story and sells your brand.
The images might be taken at your home and on location, perhaps including the things that reflect on you. It might emphasise your work, as in the examples here, where the vet is a specialist in treatment of animal eyes. It might also include something of your home life, perhaps showing other aspects of your life and character.
You can see more of my personal brand photography
Why do we need headshots ?
Professional business headshot photography is vital to project the right image of you and your staff.
Faceless and soulless brands are becoming a thing of the past. The trend of automation and computer-answered phones is not popular, and personal, authentic customer service is in demand. Giving the human touch is important!
When your clients see the people behind the business, they start to make a connection and that all-important trust starts building immediately. Some of this is subconscious, but it all adds to our “gut” feeling of who we should choose to hire.
The first impression needs to be a good one. An image that makes you look approachable, friendly and professional. A photo that shows you have invested in your business , yourself and your staff – all this adds to someone’s confidence in working with you.
That’s where a professional photographer comes in. You may feel you are not very photogenic, but a good photographer will make you feel relaxed, and create images that portray confidence and professionalism. The right image for you might be something slightly more formal, against a plain background, wearing a suit, or perhaps you would prefer a contemporary and fresh feel given by an image outdoors, with a hint of the location in the out of focus background. That is a more magazine-style image, and would match a more informal choice of clothes.
Remember, your headshot photo will probably appear in many places – your website, on social media profiles, LinkedIn, and perhaps on your business card and marketing pieces. It’s useful to be able to change your photos occasionally, to show more of your character. The best photos do generate lots of compliments – making you feel even more confident !
So there are several reasons for having professional headshot photography of the people at your business. It’s about presenting a professional and approachable image, reflecting your brand.
You can see more of my work as a headshot photographer or contact me.