Six Poses for Headshots

A headshot is a portrait, typically taken from shoulders up. It’s a clean, simple photo, meant to show you and your personality for business and casting calls. Since I started working with Mauricio, I’ve been doing a lot more glamour headshots and close ups, though we’ve been submitting our work to magazines. Headshots give you the opportunity to work more with facial expressions, since a lot of your body language is lost in the shot. Although it’s always good to get a few “plain” headshots, my hands often feel restless and want to be a part of the shot. Often times people don’t know what to do with their hands, so below I’ve given 6 of my go-to poses for headshots. Some of these images aren’t technically headshots, but the posing is still applicable.

Play with your hair.  This is one

of my favorite things to do when

I shoot. Cover one eye with your hair

or get your fingers into your hair

and push up. This gives either a

moody look or rock n roll vibes.

 Make sure you have a hairbrush to

 fix your hair after mussing it up!

Over the shoulder. Stand to

show off your profile, and look

over your shoulder. Lifting your

shoulder tilting your head back

will give a dreamy look. You can

add a hand to your shoulder, but

make sure your nails look good!

Hands under the chin. Use your finger tips to "lift" your chin. I think this gives a really sophisticated, thoughtful look. Tilt your face, and use the back of one hand to rest your cheek/chin.  

Arm(s) up. Bring one or both of

your arms up, either behind or

above your head. This will create

another set of lines, which is

visually stimulating.

Fingers by eyes.  If you have an

elaborate makeup look, this a

good pose for drawing

attention to your eyes. This

hand placement is also great

for glasses 😎

Damsel in Distress.  This is a fun

 one. Rest the back of your hand on your the temple and tilt your head back slight. I really like this pose for natural lighting, as it is dramatic and also helps mitigate the sun in your eyes 😅 

A few more tips for headshot work!

1. When placing your hands on your face, try to have a very light touch or even just hover your fingers above the skin so you don’t smush your face or smear your makeup. Unless that’s the look you’re going for! Totally a time and place for it

2. Really use the light to your advantage. Turning your cheek towards the light will really highlight your cheek bone. Looking up to the light source will really light up and brighten your eyes. Avoid blocking the light with your arm.

3. Most of us aren’t makeup artists, but try to give your foundation a flawless finish to make your photographer’s life easier in post!

4. Make sure you are energized! Close up shots reveal your exhaustion.

5. With any of these poses, start with one position and make small changes with each click -- where you look, bringing a second hand up, subtle changes in hand placement.