Few days ago, I was in a need of a headshot for a project I was working on but since my blog is mostly outfits and full body shots and selfies I did not have one that would work for the occasion. So who do you call at 3PM when you need your heads shots submitted the next morning?
The answer is no-one, you do it yourself.
Here is few steps and tips on how to achieve that perfect DIY headshot. I took these with a black backdrop, an extra warm light and they are not edited. The reason I left them unedited is as that is what the company requested. If I were to edit, I would use light room and just adjust shine and color but not much more than that.
You will need a tripod and a camera or your iphone.
If you are shooting with your phone make sure you are using the back camera. Set up your camera bout 1.5 meters from your face. I used a chair and sat during the shoot, that also helped me set up my camera (so I know exactly where I will be shooting) to only take a photo of shoulders up and on a timer. You can use your camera on a self-timer or a clicker if you have one.
Do your hair and make up.
It depends of what you needs your headshot for but simple, natural looking make up is the way to go. While you can edit your photos you wanna apply your make up a little heavier than normal as it photographs better.
Practice in the mirror.
My smile is weird, one of my eyebrows is always raised so I stared at myself in the mirror for a while till I can figure out how to pose in from of the camera.
Chose a simple, since color black drop.
You can use a wall, a sheet, two pieces of poster paper taped to the wall.
Light is everything.
You wanna set up in a place where your home/office gets the most light - by the window preferably. The natural light is the most flattering and not as harsh a flash. Use additional light instead of a flash to get the best results.
Change it up.
Change your pose (try shooting straight on, slightly to the side etc), try a different smile and try different clothing options.
Edit.
These shots wont need a lot of edits but take a look at basics edits to make sure it’s bright enough, that the contrast is right, and the sharpness makes your headshot look crisp on a digital screen.
