Posing for business photography and website photography is not as difficult as it seems. You do not have to be a model to pull off a flattering corporate headshot. Everyone knows this and yet most people feel incredibly stressed about what they are supposed so they look good in front of the camera.

“Where do I look?”

“How should I stand?”

“What should I do with my hands?”

“Should I smile?”

These are all totally great questions that people get pretty darn stressed about when thinking about how their headshot shoot will go. A good photographer will take charge and put you at ease from the moment you begin. Hopefully this article will help you feel comfortable as well.

The Role Of A Good Corporate Headshot Photographer

A good photographer does more than just take a good photo. They are skilled at putting people at ease and helping them understand how the shoot will go. Our photographers are all trained to greet each subject and then let them know what is happening and how the session will go. As photographers who have taken thousands upon thousands of corporate and business headshots, we can tell you this. There is no one who walks into our pop-up photo studio that knows what to do. Everyone needs a little direction.

After initial niceties, we will tell you where to stand and brief you on what the plan is for the shoot. Right away the photographer should help you relax. A relaxed subject makes for good photos!

Expectations and Posing

We never expect that a subject comes to us knowing how to pose. Here are some ideas that might help demystify the corporate headshot process and get you feeling more comfortable.

The first thing we think about is, 'how will the subject be using this corporate headshot photo?' You should think about this also. What industry are you in? What are some industry standards for headshots? Does your business have a more creative or professional services/corporate vibe? Does your company have any technical requirements for size or cropping?

Think about frame, or what will be included in the photo. How much of you should be in the photo. Is the photo of you from the shoulders up? Or do we zoom out and get everything from the knees and up?to match your overall corporate branding. The vast majority use shoulders up, but sometimes a website headshots or a company's branding guidelines require something different.

All About The Angles

Portrait and headshot photography is all about working your angles. When we take our first look at you, we think about how we can position you to work those angles. A straight on, squarely facing the camera is not such an interesting look but turn the subject a bit and now you have something that feels a little more dynamic. Hands down by your side can feel boring or too much straight up and down. Put a hand on a hip and now we have some flattering angles.

A very typical pose to start with is with the subject\angled ¾ towards the camera. This means that your feet will be pointing 45 degrees away from the camera. From there, we will might have you rotate your shoulders towards the camera a bit, and then rotate your head even further.

Are you started to see the angles? Expect additional small position changes with direction like, 'turn your shoulders more towards the camera' or 'tilt your head a tiny bit'. Making these subtle movements can create a big change and make a 'just fine' website headshot into a 'wow' of one.

How about my arms? And hands?

Again, it's about the angles and how to position your body so it looks best. We always have some kind of platform or table in front of you where you can rest your hands. Sometimes we will ask you to put your right hand up and drop your left by your side. Then we could say, bring your left hand on top of your right. We might tell you to cross your arms. Again, we are working the angles and figuring out how you look best by making these changes. Not all of them will work, but at some point we will run into one that does and then you will sparkle!

Posing for the light.

Another factor we add into the mix is to look for the light and how it is hitting your face. How does light affect how you pose? The light is always coming from some direction (above, from the right or left, etc.). We will move you around in the light to see how it hits you best. We will likely position you facing the light and facing away from the light with adjustments of your arms, face, shoulders and such along the way. Everyone is different, so we are looking for those lighting tweaks that will make our subjects look awesome.

In the example below, the light is coming from the subjects right. While we like both of these options but it is easy to see some differences. The shot on the left has a more dramatic shadow on the subjects face, as he is subtly looking away from the light. On the right the subject is facing the light so it is spreading across his face more evenly.

In Conclusion…

So there you have it. You don't have to be Gisele to pose and look great in photos. Simply knowing how a shoot will go and that a good photographer will be your best guide will be a great start in getting yourself some fabulous new business heaadshots!