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7 tips for a better headshot
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Brenda M.G. Patterson
Last week I had a new headshot taken. I’ve never had a company photo that I’ve liked, so this time around I wasn’t expecting much. Most of us aren’t very comfortable in front of a camera, and even fewer of us are ever happy with a photo of ourselves. We all know kids give mom a few extra pounds and a new crop of wrinkles. My only request to the photographer was that I not look “old or fat.”
When I saw the photos, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t look too old. I also didn’t look too fat. It was actually a decent picture of me. Success.
I wondered what had helped this time around. Then it occurred to me -- this time the photographer, Joe Tate, gave constant guidance on little details. At one point, he said “Don’t squish your arm to your body,” and quickly added “It happens to everyone, see?” He then squished his own arm in so I could be assured my arms weren’t abnormally enormous.
So I asked him to send along some formal tips on surviving a head shot:
- Arms against the body pushes out the muscle and makes it look bloated. Keep your chin close to level with the camera so that you don't create a double chin, but not so high that it makes your jaw and neck look out of proportion.
- Turn the shoulders about 45 degrees to the camera so that it thins out your frame and then turn your head toward the camera looking over a shoulder. Make sure shoulders are back to prevent slouching and to create better curves.
- Try to smile without clenching your teeth as this will usually create a forced smile - leave a small gap between your teeth to create a more convincing smile.
- If not looking at the camera you usually want to look slightly up as this will open your eyes whereas looking down makes it look like you are blinking if not done right.
- A slight tilt to the head left or right makes it look more natural and relaxed. You usually tilt your head in the direction that will create an 'S' curve with the rest of your body. So for example if your right arm is on your hip creating a '>' shape there, then you would tilt your head to the right also, thus creating an S shape.
- You want to make sure that the hair is not doing anything too crazy - one of the hardest things to fix and still make realistic looking is the hair when post-processing/editing.
- Placing one or both of your feet on a box and then leaning on that leg (right arm to right knee or left to left) will help make you look more relaxed and create nice natural curves.
The nice thing is that these tips don’t have to be just for formal shots, keep these in mind the next time someone points a digital camera in your direction.
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