Getting Professional Headshots
By a photographer, not a sniper, just to clarify...
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a single author, in possession of a publishing deal, must be in want of a good set of headshots for marketing and publicity purposes.
At least, I think that’s what they say in the publishing industry.
What isn’t always acknowledged is that many people absolutely hate having their photo taken and I’m one of them. There are plenty of resources1 online telling you how to take good quality headshots using a mobile phone, let alone an actual camera, or the assistance of your partner or a trusted friend. The trick appears to be to pose naturally, in a nice location, and to prioritise good lighting.
But for those of us who take mediocre-at-best selfies, you might be better off hiring a professional to take those pesky pictures for you. That’s what I did last month and this is how the photos turned out…
Preparing for the Shoot
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll likely know that a) I’m a bit of a control freak, and b) I worry about everything. This is the list of things I was thinking about before I even booked the photographer:
How do I find a good photographer?
What images do I want?
How many images do I want and what will that cost?
What do I wear?
What about hair and make-up?
After spending a lot of time considering these questions, this is what I did and what I’d advise other authors to do:
I started with a google search looking for headshot photographers in my area, specifically those who had already taken photos for authors. I also asked around for recommendations. Then I checked the photographers’ galleries as good photos speak for themselves. A quick chat with my photographer, to see if I’d like working with them, sealed the deal.
I looked at other authors’ websites and social media to find photos that I would like to have of myself. I found some beautiful shots of Ruth Ware and Sarah Hilary (both writing in my genre) plus the Instagram profile pic for Rosie Ramsay, which I sent to my photographer as examples of shots I’d like to replicate, if possible.
I wanted 3 to 5 photos, in portrait and landscape formats, to use on websites, social media and in print. But I didn’t want ordinary, plain background shots. My photographer offered me a ‘mini branding’ package that included 5 hi-res digital images at a very reasonable price, with photos taken on location so that we could vary the backgrounds.
My photographer recommended I wear block colours (stripes can strobe on camera, and busy patterns are often distracting) that aligned with my personal brand. Since I’d recently completed my branding exercise, I opted for a navy top, plus black jeans and black boots. I also took a coloured scarf and a pale grey cardigan for ‘quick change’ alternative shots.
Since I work from home, I rarely wear make-up these days, and I’m not particularly confident putting it on when I do. My photographer offered to arrange a hair and make-up artist (HMUA) as an add-on to the package, which would take the stress out of doing it myself. As with my photographer, I shared my likes (natural) and dislikes (eyeliner) with her in advance.
The only thing that I didn’t consider in advance was how to prepare myself mentally. Since I’ve only ever had professional photos taken at school and at my wedding, I knew I was going to feel uncomfortable but I did nothing to ease those worries. What I should have done is taken some photos myself — or asked my husband to take some — so that I could try some poses while wearing my chosen outfit. But I didn’t, and this is what happened…
On The Day
I woke up with a belly full of nerves, unable to decide whether I was excited, terrified, or a little bit of both.
The feeling didn’t last long before my nerves won out. Having not had my make-up done professionally in 12 years, I so was shocked at how heavy it looked (compared to me hardly wearing any most days) that my HMUA offered to re-do the make-up to be much lighter, especially around the eyes. This made me look a lot more like the me I see in the mirror, which did help me relax a bit, although it also meant that, after over an hour of hair and make-up, we were running late…
When we began the shoot, I found it a little awkward. My photographer was great at distracting me so that I wouldn’t think about what I was doing, but I found posing difficult as the positions didn’t feel natural, so I began worrying that they wouldn’t look natural either. We took a range of shots, in different locations, emulating those I’d sent to her as examples (where it was possible), with the actual shoot taking about half an hour, including a quick costume change towards the end. All in all, I think she must have taken fifty (or maybe more) shots.
By the end of the shoot, I felt utterly exhausted. It didn’t help that my eyes — irritable in make-up at the best of times — had been watering quite badly for the last fifteen minutes, to the point where my vision was actually foundation-blurred by the time we took the last shot. And despite how beautiful my make-up and outfit looked, I couldn’t wait to get home and take it all off. Indeed, within an hour of leaving the shoot, I was sitting in my own kitchen, in a t-shirt (that has definitely seen better days) and leggings, with a bare face and my glasses on.
And, I’ll admit, I felt a whole lot better.
Choosing my Photographs
On the same evening as my photoshoot, I received a gallery of thirty low-res images from which to choose the five images included in my package.
At first, I didn’t like any of them. That’s no slight against my photographer, because the pictures were beautifully composed with good lighting. It’s also no shade against my HMUA, because my makeup was flawless.
The problem was me.
I hated how I looked in every photo. I couldn’t see past my weight, my height (short, so I always look heavier and more squat than I am), or the fact that I’m now past forty and have more wrinkles than I did twenty years ago. I admit, I cried my heart out that night, trying to work out how to tell my photographer that I couldn’t choose five photos because I didn’t like a single one.
Twenty-four hours later, I had a little more perspective.
Slowly, by looking at the photos more objectively, I started to see things that I did like. I used my hands to mimic how shots could be cropped to be more flattering (i.e. more pleasing to my vanity), as well as noting things that, if they could be changed, might take a photo from “it’s okay except…” to “actually, that looks great”. Following my dad’s advice, I also flipped the images so that I could see myself as I look in the mirror. And honestly, this is probably the best thing I did, because as soon as I recognised my reflection, I started to like the photos a whole load more, even when they were flipped back.
After a couple of days, I chose my final five from a short list of six, and sent those to my photographer with some editing requests. Most were completely run of the mill, but one photo I knew might be problematic. But I needn’t have worried, within a few hours, my photographer had worked some serious magic and that photo — which had once been fifth choice — ended up being my favourite.
Note: After initially hating all 30 shots, I ended up liking 8 and seriously considered paying extra for a sixth shot when I struggled to pick my final five. That was quite a turn around from where I started!
Using my Photographs
Five days after I chose my selection, the edited shots landed in my inbox. They looked absolutely great, and I was blown away by how sharp they were. After a final polish to slightly remove a couple of wrinkles around my eyes, blur a chicken pox scar above my lip (that everyone always thinks is a piercing), and crop one of the images down, I had my final photographs.
While I still don’t love how I look in them, I am very happy with how the photos turned out. I will be proud to use them on my website (coming 2026) and socials, as well as on my agent’s and publisher’s websites, plus various other things.
But, of course, I only have the right to use the photographs; the copyright remains with my photographer as the creator of the image. This is standard practice and — in light of how authors’ copyright is being abused by various AI companies — I intend to ensure that her copyright is respected.
So, without further ado, here are my new photographs…
Overall, I’m very glad that I had my photos done professionally, but I’ve also learned a lot from the process.
I now have a better idea of what I should wear in photos, how I should pose and how I definitely shouldn’t, which will hopefully make me more confident having my photos taken in future, whether that’s by a professional or a willing amateur.
I also know that good photographers can do a lot(!) in editing. Had I known just how much in advance, I might have risked doing my hair and make-up myself, thus reducing my stress (especially when my eyes starting watering) and the cost of the whole process. Of course, I could always start doing my own hair and make-up more often if I actually want to be proficient.
But most of all, I know what to expect when when I inevitably need new photos in couple of years time. Until then, I’ll be very happy with the ones I have and hopefully my agent and publisher will like them too!
That’s it for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed this glance behind the scenes to see how professional headshots are done.
Here’s what’s coming soon on Arsenic & Cold Case:
1st Dec — Path to Publication 10: Signing the Contract
15th Dec — Celebrating Six Years of Writing (with Short Fiction)
See you next time!