When people come into our Glasgow studio for a headshot session, one of the most common things I hear people say is that they are nervous about having their headshots taken.
They’ve also often put it off for sometime until it’s become a necessity, often due to some looming deadline such as their company website or an actors’ Spotlight profile.
Having produced professional headshots for some time I was often surprised by this, until I had to go through the experience myself when a colleague took my own headshots. I had this preconceived idea of how I should look and trying to relate that to the images on the screen was difficult as I wasn’t that used to seeing myself. Now I knew exactly how my clients felt.
As a photographer, the most important thing when taking someone’s headshots is to help them relax and break down that barrier between photographer and subject. I like to start by having a chat first, often over a tea or coffee just to break the ice a bit and put people at ease.
People often come in expecting to be directed all the time but I generally find that leads to stiff, unnatural portraits. My role is more to guide people, so I will suggest poses as a starting point but then let things evolve in a natural way. My style is to chat to people as I take pictures and before long they’ve forgotten that they are being photographed. Often they naturally fall into their own relaxed pose and before too long you have the winning shot they are looking for.
I also like to make sure that people are happy with their shots, so even with the basic profile shoots there’s time to view the images and check them afterwards. The most rewarding thing for me is seeing a happy client delighted with their headshots.
If you would like to find out more, or to make a booking then please drop us an email or call us on 0141 363 0013.