7 Tips to Make the Best Out of Your Home Office Headshots
Sometimes a brand refresh and new headshots are just what you need to jumpstart your career. A professionally photographed headshot can give your business, your website, and your social media a face and a personal touch to an otherwise faceless organization.
Most of us are now working from home or remotely until it's all clear to return to work at other places. The home office is a vital part of our workspace now more than ever. Isn't it time you gave yourself a place to be proud of working in? Whenever you decide to get them done, here are seven tips to make the most and the best out of your home office headshots.
1. Dress Appropriately
By appropriately I'm referring to your brand. You know your business and its values the best, so you have to dress according to its pillars. For example, do you work in finance or a more authoritative position that requires you to wear a uniform? Maybe you sell homemade clothing articles you made personally and want to show them off? Perhaps you'd look best wearing similar or complementary colours as your business's logo?
The better you know your brand, the more confident you will be representing it. That confidence will help make you shine in your headshots, whatever your wardrobe ends up being.
2. Balance Out White
Most headshots are taken with a white or neutral coloured background for good reason: to enhance your face and presence while ensuring it's clean, professional, and presentable for marketing purposes. For that reason it's best to prepare your home office's lighting for these kinds of photo opportunities.
The last thing you'll want is to look washed out, or have a bright shiny face, or be virtually unseeable in your photographs thanks to the lighting.
3. Consider Lifestyle Headshots
Some of our jobs take place in the great outdoors, so why not apply that sense of your lifestyle to your headshots? Lifestyle photography can bring an element of newness and uniqueness to your headshots. It can make you appear approachable and even make you stand out compared to your competitors. It's worth noting that the environment and its impact will depend on your company's brand and personal preference, so this is an option more than a requirement.
I often offer this style of headshots first to my clients, and if they still prefer the studio, that's fine too. There is no right or wrong choice of headshots. For any business owner or entrepreneur who wants to stand out over the crowd while also appearing approachable, you may benefit from lifestyle headshots more.
For more information about lifestyle photos vs. traditional headshots, you may refer to my previous blog post "Lifestyle Sessions vs. Headshots: What’s the Difference?"
4. Be Open to Being Coached
The most successful headshots I've taken have been a result of coaching and direction on my part. If you're not open or receptive to taking directions or you insist on refusing to smile (for example), the sessions are more likely going to be miserable as opposed to my intention, which is to ensure you're comfortable at all times. The more open and at ease you are to receiving directions on posing, facial expressions, and prop ideas, the smoother your session will go and the better your headshots will turn out to be.
5. Simple is Best
Whether it's your haircut, makeup, or the props you want to use (or lack thereof), keep things as simple as possible for best results. Even if you're dying to try the latest trends in terms of hair styles, you may not be happy with the end result when it's time for your home office's headshots. Don't look back on these photos with regret! Your discomfort will definitely reflect in those kinds of photos. So, keep things as simple and straightforward as possible, and save the ideas to try something new for later.
6. Ask for Moments When You're in Your Element
Sometimes the best shot of you is not when you're forced to sit in a chair and look in the camera, but rather when you're busy doing what you love to do for a job. Even if you do remote work, there are lots of ways I can photograph people when they're doing this sort of thing during their session.
Don't hesitate to ask me to get these kinds of shots; the more we show you loving what you do for a living, the better you will look and the better your brand will appear in photographic form. People resonate better with a brand when the people behind them are happy and authentically passionate about what they do.
7. Get to Know Me Beforehand
I love meeting new people and getting to know what they do for a living. This is the best way to give you the headshots you're looking for. The greater I understand who you are and what you want to show to the world, the better your headshots will turn out and the more comfortable you'll be while you're being photographed. The key to a successful headshot is a solid working relationship between the subject (you, the business owner) and the photographer. It really is that simple.
Ready for a home office photoshoot? When you're feeling ready to get the home office headshots you want for your company, contact me and let's get started. I look forward to meeting you.
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Photos by Cheryl and a clickable link back to this page.
