Headshots Photographer
Headshot Photographer for professionals across all business sectors, in Warwickshire, Coventry, North Cotswolds and London.
Professional Headshots for Business & Linkedin
A simple headshot or a portrait for website,social media or print. Pop-up studio at your business or even at your home. I deliver images that represent you and your business, providing a cost effective system that shows you and your associates in an appropriate manner for your sector.
Headshot Photographer based in Warwickshire and working across the West Midlands, North Cotswolds, Coventry & beyond.
Headshot photographer for websites, Linkedin and business communications in Warwickshire,North Cotswolds, Coventry and beyond.
Professional headshots are required for a number of reasons and the images need to be kept up to date. Business communication requires images of many staff and the results can certainly affect the way your business is perceived, the headshots are an extension of your brand communication.
In certain sectors,it is expected that the person is dressed appropriately, a Jacket & tie or business suit. The background is appropriately neutral and the look is serious or the subject has a slight smile. Accountants, Solicitors, and members of the financial industry.
In other industries especially the design and creative industry the headshots or portraits should reflect the casual and friendly environment that they work in and the background colours of environment is another visual statement about them.
Monochrome or colour?
Some serious professions may wish to have monochrome images, eliminating colour to avoid the audiences visual associations with certain colours and acquire a certain gravitas with black and white photography.
Brand Photography Headshots.
With good visual communication the headshots that you have on your website can help communicate your Brand, a recent example is with a client Marsh & Parsons estate agents, the brand campaign is based on the visual metaphor of portraits representing certain types of property or puns relating to London addresses, Marsh & Parsons extended this to members of the staff , and featured them on social media and in the offices, adding appropriate copy related to their personality and job, in order to differentiate the images of staff to the Brand campaign the staff were photographed in black and white, the style and Brand looked connected but had sufficient difference to work.
How are the headshots executed?
I set up a background or find a suitable wall or location with minimum distortion and photographed the subjects , if there is a budget, hair and makeup-artist may help 'groom' the person, this is rare but certainly a consideration with key staff or an image that shall be used across media.
It is usual to take enough frames to ensure there is a good choice, it often takes at least 6 frames, to have a decent result, it can be the first frame, but I shoot till I am confident I have a good image, blinks and obviously poor poses are deleted and the results are sent to the client in low res so they may choose the selection, I recommend that the subjects are involved, so they cannot then feel resentful that the image is not one they are happy with, once the selection is made, I then process the final image, retouch, usually removing blemishes and loose hair, taking care to remove specs on clothes and generally enhancing the image, I do not advocate strong or overuse of photoshop, as an obviously over retouched image can be seen as 'false' and reflect on the company. However there are exceptions to this and so retouching maybe increased when a client requires it, but this may incur additional costs as it can be very time consuming.
I then deliver the final images as high res tiffs and jpegs, often resizing to the customers specification according to the final use such as website or brochure print.
What Equipment is required for a headshot?
A professional shoot maybe done with available light and a prime portrait lens on a DSLR, however I would recommend for consistent results a background with stand, a minimum of three lights and suitable light modifiers such as brollies and softboxes will ensure results are delivered, I would always advocate a good choice of lens, and a spare camera body, it takes a lot of organising to get people in one place for a photoshoot and a break in a shoot because of a malfunction is unacceptable and very unprofessional.
How long should a headshot take?
An image can be captured in a fraction of a second, a flash of the lights, however , the photographer should take a while to set up the lights and background and test the lighting an result before a subject gets onto the set, then it maybe a few minutes, and if necessary longer, but for a simple headshot 10 minutes is usually sufficient, but with a portrait it can take much longer if a great image is to be captured, however there are no rules, and some of the greatest portraits of all time have been captured in just a one frame in seconds. (see Karsh portrait of Winston Churchill)
What to wear for a Headshot photo?
It depends on what you want to communicate, a bright red top will certainly gain attention but will it compliment you?
Gender was a deciding factor in what would be recommended, however in these times of equality and complex identity what you wear is what you feel is right, however I would like to give some guidance, the subject of the headshot is the person, the clothes are just seen as a frame for the face, therefore, I suggest that you keep it simple, in a professional environment what you would normally wear is what you would expect to be seen in, I do recommend that a darker top or jacket will work in colour or in monochrome, but a white shirt or blouse may be too clinical and it may lack detail when a shirt or blouse with just s hint of a tone, will retain detail, but not 'POP' a term that describes how a highlight can dominate a space.
To conclude, ensure you are well presented and have had a recent haircut / styling, wear simple tops that are appropriate to the industry and avoid bright colours unless they are an essential dress.
