Take your own Headshot – top tips

Can’t afford a professional to take your headshot?

Top tips for shooting your own headshot .

If you want to get a headshot but can’t afford a professional yet, here are some tips

I am often asked about guidelines for headshots; people are not always as informed as you would think, since there are so many tips and hacks flying around on social media that it is hard to get a real idea of the best way to get a headshot that works.

Ok, a professional photographer should have all the answers, but if you are getting a friend to take a headshot or even doing a selfie, here are a few points to help you get a decent headshot with any digital camera, or even a smartphone.

1  Keep it simple

Make sure you don’t have a distracting background; plain white or grey is ideal. Keep a few feet away from the backgound if possible as that reduces shadows and distracting texture and keeps the head as the most important element in the photo.

2 What should I wear for my headshot?

The Wardrobe

Ladies

Classic clothes work better than high fashion, as they date much slower. This season’s look will not be around long, ideally. wear something smart that you would wear at a meeting or an interview. Unless you are a professional athelete, avoid sports wear.

Avoid checks and strong patterns, and try to get feedback from honest close friends. Ladies of all ages usualy benefit from a V-neck rather than a round top, but you know what suits you, try to keep it classic and non-seasonal. Avoid white as detail can be lost and you can end up with a head without a body.

Gentlemen

I recommend a classic, open-collar shirt in a neutral tone; avoid white, as it can create a floating-head effect. A stripe may be ok, but try to avoid checks and complex patterns.If you need a more formal look, a jacket, tie and shirt is the way to go, but try to avoid strong colours and remember fashion changes, so keep it simple.

Certain jobs require a formal look, so condiser what you are aiming for, is this to impress a potential partner of a new manager? You can update it later, but play safe to begin with.

T-shirts suit some people but can be unflattering. If you have a V-neck or a quality T-shirt, the collar may be structured and look fine, but the shirt you wear should be clean, ironed, and presentable, so you’re comfortable in a social situation, not like you have just run a marathon.

3 Hair

This maybe obvious, but ensure you dont need a haircut or your last hair colour needs a refresh?

Hair styles are important, so ensure you have at least brushed what you have and check in the mirror.

4 Lighting-

Ladies

Avoid strong lights; a soft diffuse light that comes from a large window is perfect. If you have a beauty ring light, that is very forgiving, but it can be too slick. Certainly, try to have natural light, maybe in a room with daylight or under a sun canopy, as long as it is neutral in colour a room painted green can make you look like the Hulk. Find a shaded spot in a light building complex; typical Mediterranean-style houses have white exteriors, so if you can get into a shaded area, this could work well.

Men, A light from a window is also the best, but you can have it to the side of your face to give more character. Avoid strong lights such as a sunny day as you may squint and loose your ‘eyes’ in the shadows. It is fine to get in the shade of a building; in fact, that can work very well.

4 Camera/phone – what lens?

It is always best to be a distance from the subject, its physics, as the nearer you are to someones face the more distorted they become, phones now have a portrait mode or long lens and any camera should have the option of a long zoom setting or portrait lens, this on a DSLR FX camera that would be 85mm to  200mm. Or the equivalent on a crop sensor.

If you only have a single lens it is better to be at least a couple of meters away from the subject and crop the image.

5 Expression – Put a camera in front of someone and a smile is often immediate. However, if you want a smiling headshot, great; make sure it’s sincere and not forced. Get a number of shots and consider a serious but happy face. Just think of something that makes you happy, and it will change your look.

6 Eye Level?

If you see someone, it is at a natural level for you and who you see you may be shorter or taller than the subject, but when taking a headshot, try to be on the level with their eyes, if you are much lower, they look taler but you see under the chin which is not always flattering, if you look down on them they appear short but it can make them look powerless.

If you dont have a tripod , a few books ,mags and even a item oclothing can be used to cradkle the camera, phone, on top of a dresser, cupboard or shelf.

7. The importance of eyes.

Possibly the most important element in a headshot is the eyes. Make sure they are looking into the lens and are well lit. A white towel or white tabletop can help if the subject is placed below the light, as the reflection from the white surface will help. Soft light from a window in front of you with the camera / phone in the centre of the light is a good way to get an even light. The background may be dark, but you will look good.

8 Posture

An upright back and straight shoulders can help show a good positive look; there are lots of exceptions to this, but if someone is looking dejected or has poor posture, it shows even in a headshot. If you are a rockstar with attitude, a slouch will not be a good look.

Consider turning the body to the side and looking back to the camera, especially for ladies; a strong square-on pose from a guy is good, but a similar pose from a lady can be too masculine, but it can be powerful if that is what you want to portray.

9 How many shots?

Take more than a few shots; even on a phone, it is well worth taking many frames. A slight change of expression can make the difference between a good shot and a great one! Try to delete all the squints, blinks and scowls, they can come back to haunt you at some time.

10 Should I use filters?

We have access to many filters on phones and across a variety of platforms. When producing a headshot, you want to look your best, but you want to look like you. Blemishes can be removed but your headshot should look like you, not a plastic Ai version that fools you and others till the real you is seen.

11 DIY headshot

If you have to take your own headshot and only have a phone, use a few books to prop your phone on a surface unless you have a tripod or phone stand. Put it on timer and use the front lens, they work the best. Try to have it at eye level and as I suggest a good few feet away. Like in a Photobooth you can sit to get the angle right, The light from a window behind a mirror where you do your makeup can be a great solution, especilly if the window is large and has diffused light from a soft white curtain, just ensure the camera, phone is stable and can be reset easily, iPhone watches have a remote that could work well in this case .

If you have followed these tips, a decent headshot can be achieved, and remember. You are never going to be as young as you are today ever again, so get the headshot done; it’s going to be the image you look back at and appreciate how you looked now!

Have fun getting your headshot. I hope these tips are helpful, and when you are ready, get a portrait session with someone who is a professional headshot photographer that you can trust, check reviews, how good is their folio and have a chat. If they are professional they should have time to find out about you and what you want without the hard sell.