Why I Love Shooting Headshots
Does the thought of getting a new headshot make you cringe? You’re not alone. Most professionals I meet walk into my studio with a mix of nerves and curiosity, wondering if they’ll like the end result.
I gained my photography skills from the photojournalism world. For photographers in the documentary world, moments are the focus. It's all about capturing the decisive moment where everything in a frame comes together to evoke an emotional response.
When I left the daily newspaper world, I carried over that moment-based photography into weddings and portrait work. It's served me well as clients embraced authenticity and real life to the cliché posed portraits. But as a photography business owner in the Inland Northwest, jobs are seasonal. Most of the work came between Memorial Day and mid-October. Outside of those times, sessions were few and far between. To ensure my creative energy kept flowing, and for revenue to stay consistent throughout the year, my business coach and I decided to lean into the studio more and put an additional emphasis on commercial work; more specifically headshots and branding sessions. I liked the idea as it gave me an opportunity to collaborate with clients on images that are brand-specific, but also authentic. Images with great messaging and storytelling that also helped them with their own revenue goals
I just didn't realize how much I would enjoy all aspects of it.
Great Headshots And The Fear That Comes With It
A great headshot isn’t just about looking good, it’s about feeling confident and approachable. Whether you’re updating your LinkedIn, launching a new business, or refreshing your company website, your headshot is often your first impression.
If you’re like most people, being in front of the camera can feel intimidating. With weddings and portraits, it's a different world. Those are all about moments and the candid approach to storytelling.
With headshots, it's just you, the camera, the photographer, and looking at your face as you evaluate the images. I often tell people it's the visual equivalent of recording your voice and listening to it. We notice all the little things. Gray hairs, wrinkles, blemishes, one eye bigger than the other, one side of your smile higher ... we break ourselves down focusing on the things most people wouldn't notice or care about. Let's blame Hollywood, magazines and social media for making people feel like they need to be perfect. Overcoming the fear of being imperfect is where my favorite part comes in.
The Studio Process
When people come into the studio, I can tell pretty quickly their level of apprehension. If it's at a high level, we sit down and chat for a bit. Go over the process and talk about these things they see in themselves. Most of the time, it something that nobody else would notice. But because it's them, they see more of their faults than their qualities. We talk about how to look at the personality and character in the image more than the faults. We'll aim on showing qualities and minimizing what they see as faults. But more importantly, we talk about how 99.9 percent of the people wouldn't even notice these faults unless they were pointed out.
This part of the profession is 50-50 counselor and photographer. While this helps, it's not until we get in front of the camera and do a one or two rounds that the pressure they've put on themselves starts to lift. They're smiling a bit easier, laughing, we're getting natural expressions instead of forced smiles, and even poking fun out of those crazy-faced outtakes. Reviewing of images together immediately after they are taken is a big part of my success with headshots because the people I work with feel more like a collaborator in their own image rather than a target for my camera. They are in control of what they like and dislike, and can guide the session while I give input on what the image conveys and how it could connect with their clients. By the time they leave, a very large majority of them say to the affect, 'That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I actually had a good time.'
As I said, this is my favorite part, and the reason why I keep honing my counselor-photographer skills. I want to flip this notion that the headshot process is some scary experience. It doesn't have to be.
Let's Collaborate
If you’ve been putting off that headshot because it feels daunting, let’s change that. Give me a call, email me, or drop by the studio. We’ll chat, share a few laughs, and create images that truly represent who you are. You might just find the process is easier (and more fun) than you ever expected.