Are you a business person or owner? Or do you have an online presence?
DO YOU HAVE A GOOD HEAD SHOT???
If you have an online profile, whether it be for your business or for social reasons, it is so important that you have a great picture of yourself so that people can connect with you in a positive way.
I would always recommend having a professional take the pictures for you as they know how to get the best results, but you can do a pretty good job yourself at home or at work – using natural light.
You can get a great head shot by simply using natural, available light.
Natural, “available” light is great to work with because you can see exactly where the light is falling and how strong it is, as opposed to using flash or studio lighting. There are some key things to remember about using available light though:
– Make sure that it is INDIRECT sunlight. What that means is that you don’t want to be positioned in the sun. Find a shady place that has plenty of light flowing in, but not shining in. Work out which way your room or window faces and then what time of day you want to take your head shots. For this picture of Lynda, she was standing at my front door, which is east facing, and it was late afternoon. There was plenty of light around but nothing shining directly on Lynda, so the result is lovely and soft and flattering.
– Check that the sunlight is not reflecting off any coloured walls or grass or flooring. Colour bounces around in the light and you can end up with a weird colour cast to your head shot. If this happens you can colour correct using a photo editing tool or you can change the image to Black & White which will eliminate any problems that you have.
– Remember that what your eye sees is not how the camera will see it. Our brains are very advanced and can balance light instantly. Your camera will not do that. This is significant because the area behind you may come out quite a bit darker, if you are shooting from outside looking in as I did here. In most cases this is perfect, unless you want to feature something in the background. In Lynda’s head shot, the light falls away nicely behind her, making a nice clean background. The wall inside is actually just off-white but the way that the camera measures light makes it appear much darker.
Lynda is a Hypnotherapist and Success Coach and will help you quit smoking too if you want to! www.lyndapetterwood.com.au
–