What Actually Happens Before, During, and After Your Headshot Session

Most people show up to a headshot session not really knowing what to expect. They've maybe done one before, or they haven't, and either way there's a version of this in their head that involves standing awkwardly in front of a camera while someone tells them to smile. I want to change that expectation, because that's not how I work, and, it's not how good headshots get made.

Here's what I'm actually doing, from the moment I scout a location to the moment you pick your favorite frame.

It Starts Before You Arrive

Before anyone steps in front of my camera, I've already been at the location. For an outdoor session, which is where I prefer to work, I want to know exactly what the light is doing at the time of day we're shooting. I'm not guessing. I'm looking at where the sun sits, how the shadows fall, what the background does, and where the best ten square feet of usable space are.

For my upcoming evening headshot session at Peninsula Coffee House in Peninsula, Ohio, I scouted the patio in advance. I found a position along the edge of the patio where the tree line sits behind the subject, natural, layered, without competing for attention. The session runs from 5 to 9pm, which means the light changes significantly across that window. That's fine. I'm shooting with off-camera strobes, so I'm constantly adjusting power and position to match what the ambient light is doing. The location doesn't change, but my approach has to.

Lighting Is a Decision, Not a Default

I don't have one lighting setup I use for every person, but it does shape how someone reads in a photograph. From their mood, their authority, their warmth, I match lighting to what the person actually needs.

Most people want to come off as approachable. Open, warm, someone you'd want to work with. For that, I use soft, less aggressive, large, diffused, wrapping around the face rather than cutting across it light. It flatters and it invites.

For someone who needs to project authority, an attorney, an executive, someone whose work calls for that, I'll shift toward something slightly harder. More directional. It reads differently and that's the point.

I'm also deliberate about backgrounds. Outdoors when possible, because natural environments are honest. They don't feel like a studio, and for most of the people I work with, that's exactly right, because that’s their working environment anyhow.

The First Few Minutes Matter Most

When someone arrives, I'm observing before I'm directing. How do they carry themselves? Where do they hold tension? Are they the kind of person who walks in loose and confident, or are they in their head already?

Some people step in front of the camera and we're off immediately. They've done this before, or they're naturally at ease, and my job becomes mostly technical, refining, adjusting, catching the right moment. That's fun in its own way.

Other people need a few minutes. We talk. I ask about their work, what they're using these images for, what they want people to feel when they see them. That conversation isn't filler, it's how I figure out who I'm photographing. And more often than not, it's what puts them at ease enough to actually relax in front of the camera. If we're not having a good time, it shows, and you can see it in the frame on their face.

Direction Without Diminishment

Once we're shooting, I'm acting as your mirror. I'm watching your collar, your hair, the angle of your shoulders. I'm making small adjustments constantly, and I'm communicating what I'm seeing as we go. Hands in pockets, behind your back, folded arms - I’m bringing out the right shape of your torso and shoulders, and everyone is different, so we’ll often dance.

The language I use matters to me. I won't say "you're grimacing", instead I'll say "let's catch you between expressions." I won't say "that laugh is too much", I'll say "you have a great laugh, and for this portrait we might want something a little more contained." (All while we’re laughing anyway) The goal is to help you look like your best self, not to make you feel like you're doing something wrong.

I'll ask you to move your chin up, down, forward, turn slightly. Sometimes I'm wrong. I try it anyway, because occasionally the thing that shouldn't work is exactly what reveals the image I was looking for.

You Pick the Image

After we shoot, we review together. Ideally, you're not waiting on a gallery link wondering if I captured something you'll actually like. We look at what we made, and I walk you through what I'm seeing, how a slight turn changes the read on your confidence, how one expression comes off differently than another, why a particular frame works.

You make the call. My job is to give you the context to make it well, and as long as we have time, we can always get back in front of the camera.

Everyone photographs differently. That's one of the things I genuinely enjoy about this work, there's no formula that applies to every person, and figuring out what works for someone is part of the process, not a problem to solve. My goal is simple: help you look like yourself, at your best.

If you're interested in booking a session, you can find availability and details at joshreuck.com/headshots.