Head Shots
What makes a great head shot?
The goal of a great headshot is to showcase you. Plain and simple. It’s your calling card. Here are a few tips to ensure that your head shots stand out over the competition.
First, the headshot has to look professional and refined. It takes skill and talent to get the proper soft lighting, sharp focus, and expert composition that a talented headshot photographer provides. Expertise in color correction and subtle retouching also serve to make a headshot stand out.
Achieving all this is difficult with amateur equipment and techniques, but even some professional headshot photographers will fall short. It is very important to choose a headshot photographer who demonstrates in their portfolio the skills and talent to deliver a great headshot.
Next, the headshot has to look natural. People are very attuned to the sincerity of a photograph. If the pose, expression, lighting or composition of the shot looks forced or unnatural, it will undermine the purpose of having a headshot in the first place.
To look natural, it is important that you feel comfortable with the photographer and the photography process. On location or in the studio, a peaceful, relaxed environment will help, but the photographer's manner will play the most important role. Their attitude in setting up and photographing you will have a huge impact on how natural you feel in front of the camera. Whether you're a professional model or a camera-shy business person, a great headshot photographer will help you to feel and look natural on film.
Looking natural doesn't end with the shoot, however. It's also important that the photographer knows how to make natural looking adjustments to the image afterwards. The camera sees differently than our eyes, and therefore adjustments need to be made in post-processing to give the most natural result. There is both an art and a science to perfecting the image without making it look processed.
Lastly, but just as importantly, the headshot must reflect your personality. Only you can bring your personality to the shoot, but a great headshot photographer can help spot it, capture it, and be sure it comes through in the final result.
You're the star, so make sure you find a photographer that understands this. Find someone who demonstrates in their portfolio a range of personalities that seem true to the subject. Take some time looking at different photographer's headshot examples; see if you can get a feel for each subject. Try to sense whether you think the photographer will accurately capture your unique personality.
To help with capturing your personality, talk a bit with your photographer about what you want to convey in your headshot. Think about which facets you would ideally like to represent about yourself. Is it sharp intellect? Good humor? Trustworthy business skills? Style? Warmth? Sensuality? The lighting and composition techniques will be different for each.
The goal of a great headshot is to showcase you. Plain and simple. It’s your calling card. Here are a few tips to ensure that your head shots stand out over the competition.
First, the headshot has to look professional and refined. It takes skill and talent to get the proper soft lighting, sharp focus, and expert composition that a talented headshot photographer provides. Expertise in color correction and subtle retouching also serve to make a headshot stand out.
Achieving all this is difficult with amateur equipment and techniques, but even some professional headshot photographers will fall short. It is very important to choose a headshot photographer who demonstrates in their portfolio the skills and talent to deliver a great headshot.
Next, the headshot has to look natural. People are very attuned to the sincerity of a photograph. If the pose, expression, lighting or composition of the shot looks forced or unnatural, it will undermine the purpose of having a headshot in the first place.
To look natural, it is important that you feel comfortable with the photographer and the photography process. On location or in the studio, a peaceful, relaxed environment will help, but the photographer's manner will play the most important role. Their attitude in setting up and photographing you will have a huge impact on how natural you feel in front of the camera. Whether you're a professional model or a camera-shy business person, a great headshot photographer will help you to feel and look natural on film.
Looking natural doesn't end with the shoot, however. It's also important that the photographer knows how to make natural looking adjustments to the image afterwards. The camera sees differently than our eyes, and therefore adjustments need to be made in post-processing to give the most natural result. There is both an art and a science to perfecting the image without making it look processed.
Lastly, but just as importantly, the headshot must reflect your personality. Only you can bring your personality to the shoot, but a great headshot photographer can help spot it, capture it, and be sure it comes through in the final result.
You're the star, so make sure you find a photographer that understands this. Find someone who demonstrates in their portfolio a range of personalities that seem true to the subject. Take some time looking at different photographer's headshot examples; see if you can get a feel for each subject. Try to sense whether you think the photographer will accurately capture your unique personality.
To help with capturing your personality, talk a bit with your photographer about what you want to convey in your headshot. Think about which facets you would ideally like to represent about yourself. Is it sharp intellect? Good humor? Trustworthy business skills? Style? Warmth? Sensuality? The lighting and composition techniques will be different for each.