Top tips for taking your own author headshot
I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a good author headshot! So many authors I work with absolutely hate having their photos taken but you will need a decent picture of yourself to use on your author website, social media platforms and probably on your book jacket too.
I totally get it – I’m an introvert and I hate having my photograph taken too. Last year, I paid an amazing photographer Hannah Macgregor to do a whole afternoon shooting me in various different outfits and by the end of it – despite the fact that Hannah was amazing and lovely - I was absolutely exhausted.
One of my professional headshots, taken by Hannah Macgregor
Plus my face had kind of frozen into this bizarre rictus grin. LOL.
(It did make me wonder why on earth celebrities like getting dressed up and posing but hey, there’s a reason I’m a writer and it’s because I like the fact I can work in my pyjamas, from my bed, with my hair scraped up and my face make-up free…
Sidenote: I do not recommend working from bed! Fast-track to back problems…)
Still, Hannah did an amazing job (you can see some of the pics here →) and if you can afford a professional photographer then it’s absolutely well worth the money.
I feel this way about anyone who offers a professional service – website designers included. However, when you’re starting out as a writer it’s perfectly possible that you don’t have the budget for these things, but luckily with a bit of time and research, you can do a pretty good DIY job.
Why your headshot matters
Having a really professional looking headshot will make such a huge difference to your author website.
So many authors try to get away with wonky selfies or pictures of them at weddings with the other people cropped out. But please don’t do this - it just makes you look really amateur.
I’m a huge believer that little things like this make a massive difference to your mindset as an author. Being an author is a job, just as valid as any other, and treating it with the respect it deserves is so important.
But what if you’re just starting out in your author career and don’t have the budget for a professional headshot photographer?
Don’t despair! Smartphones may be one of the biggest evils of the world but they are also very handy when it comes to photography.
My own author headshot
Excuse the narcissism, but here are a few headshots my partner took of me last year using my iPhone.
I needed a headshot urgently, as my publishers wanted to announce my book deal, and I hadn’t done my shoot with Hannah yet.
I had some old pictures from when I got my debut deal, but not only had I aged a LOT since then (parenting a toddler will do that to you), my hair was completely different.
In a panic, I asked my other half if he would mind taking some quick photos of me using my phone, to see if they might do.
And the results were actually some of my favourite pics of me I’d ever seen!
Not bad right?
This is the one we went with
Certainly good enough to pass the discerning eyes at my publishing house, as they have been used on their websites and on my book covers.
(Cue amusing moment when my editor asked me who to credit the photograph to – I said, not to worry, my other half took them, but she said they had a field they had to fill in online with any image they used, so lo and behold, Oliver Darley is now a credited photographer 😂).
OK, so assuming you have a smartphone or at least access to one, and a willing relation, friend or neighbour, here’s how to get a professional author headshot without spending a penny.
“smartphones may be one of the biggest evils of the world but they are also very handy when it comes to photography”
Make the most of the tech
As every camera phone is different, it’s tricky to go into detail here about which settings to use to take the best photo, but do make sure you check out what features your phone offers before you start snapping away.
We used the iPhone’s Portrait Mode to take the ones above, as this subtly blurs the background.
Before you start, take a few minutes to Google the phone you’re using and make sure you are making the most of the technology available - many of the latest phones have specific modes and clever features for taking headshots that can give really professional results.
Don’t be tempted to do a selfie
Save the selfies for social media
I know it’s a time-saver, and I have posted many a selfie on my social media, but honestly, for your headshots, you want to either use a tripod or have someone else on the other side of the camera/phone.
One reason is that the forward-facing camera on your iPhone or Android won’t be as good quality as the one on the back, but also it’s really tricky to take a selfie without at least some part of your arm showing or your body being at an angle to the camera.
A headshot should be taken straight-on, with your upper chest, neck and shoulders in the frame too. Your shoulders need to be relaxed and set back.
It’s much easier to get this angle right if you have someone behind the camera. If it’s someone you love and trust, it’s also much more enjoyable.
Weirdly, I always seem to prefer photos of me that either my daughter or my other half have taken, and my sister (who’s also a professional photographer) told me this is because you’re the most natural around the people you love.
So, try to get a loved one to help you with this.
But if not, a tripod set up at the right height will work too. Make sure the lens is at your eye-level and that the phone isn’t tilted up or down.
Practice makes perfect
I know it’s super cringey, but before you start taking pictures, spend a little time practicing your poses in the mirror.
We all look at our faces all the time, but they’re generally moving about as we do so. It can be quite a surprise when we see what we look like when our face is in a neutral expression (OK, yes, I confess to being the Queen of the Resting Bitch Face – fellow sufferers, I sympathise!)
Think about what kind of atmosphere you want to achieve in the photograph. A lot of this will depend on the genre you write, and your ideal readers.
If you write thrillers, you might want to look a little bit more serious and thoughtful. If you write uplifting women’s fiction, perhaps you want to look more friendly and approachable.
This will really depend on the kind of books you write, and if you’re not at all sure, then take a look at the headshots for other authors in your genre, and see which styles appeal to you the most.
Then, spend some time getting comfortable with your own face, by practising different poses in the mirror.
This will make you less nervous when you come to take the pictures.
One tip that works for me when my smile starts to look too fixed is to look away from the camera briefly and then turn my head back quickly and smile as the photo is taken.
I find it opens up my face somehow and always looks a lot more natural than standing there frozen like a statue.
Get the lighting right
So, my sister Sophie Duckworth is a photographer, as I mentioned, and one thing she’s always banging on about (at every family event when someone pulls out a phone to take a pic!) is the lighting.
Great lighting is SO important.
It’s also a little bit technical, so I asked her for her tips on this, and here’s what she said:
‘You want to aim for natural diffused light. Natural light is so much more flattering than artificial light. Aim to stand a little bit back – perhaps one foot away – from a window or open door. You don’t want to be front of it as if it’s very sunny or bright outside you will naturally squint. So step back from it. You want the light to hit your face without being too bright or strong,’ she says.
‘Make sure you avoid shadows and turn off any spotlights or overhead lighting that can create even subtle shadows across your face. Unless you’re really young with perfect skin, side-on lighting tends not to be hugely flattering as it accentuates every wrinkle, so make sure the light source is directly facing you.’
‘Look ‘past’ the camera, look up slightly and make sure you have good eye contact with the lens. Keep the background neutral and uncluttered.’
Consider how you present yourself
Obviously the way you choose to present yourself in your pictures is entirely personal. But I actually think that putting on loads of make up when you don’t usually wear it, or curling your hair when it’s usually straight, is a bad idea.
Your headshot needs to look like you, so that when people see you in real life, they don’t gasp in shock at how different you look.
You basically want to look like yourself on your Best Day. So clean, brushed hair, neatly styled so that it doesn’t obscure your face is important, but don’t feel you have to pay someone to come in and do an expensive updo or make up for you beforehand.
From my own experience, I tend to wear slightly more make-up than on a normal day in photos and videos, but I try to keep it as natural looking as possible, so that it’s my face people notice, and not the lipstick!
If you wear glasses, then take some pics with them on and some without them, and see which you prefer.
Change outfits if you can
Clothing wise, again, I think it’s so important to wear something you feel comfortable in.
There’s a general rule that wearing a plain white or black top doesn’t work too well on camera, and that you should avoid busy patterns too as they can be distracting.
I think a nice solid block of colour that complements your skin tone and eyes is always a good bet.
But it’s also a good idea to try multiple outfits as again, you can never quite tell what will look best until the picture has been taken.
Take loads of pictures
Again, speaking from experience, take tons of pictures! Take as many pictures as your poor long-suffering friend/partner will let you, or as many as your poor aching face can bear.
The weirdest thing is that when you take multiple photos, even if they’re all technically of you in the same position, there will be microscopic subtle differences in each picture which can completely alter the overall impression of the photograph.
Take as many as you can! The more options the better!
I’ve had photoshoots in the past where I’ve ended up with 200 images and only liked two or three.
I remember having a shoot when I was working in magazines and the photographer took at least 60 pictures of me, and I only liked one! One!
My first ever professional headshot!
You can see it here – look at my young innocent face!
So yes, the more choice you have, the better chance you will land on that perfect author headshot (and the good news is, you really only need one).
Pick the photo YOU like the best
This is my biggest tip! Your author headshot is going to follow you around the internet and so you want to choose the one that you are happiest with.
Of course, it’s good to solicit opinions from friends or people at your publisher, but at the end of the day, it’s much more important that YOU are happy with the photo, that you feel completely comfortable with it and that you feel it represents you best.
After all, you are going to be seeing it a lot!
And if you’d like someone to walk you step-by-step through building your author website, then the DIY Author Website Course is just for you →
