In the era of WFH and remote learning, services that are normally in-person, like our Headshot Studio will be out of commission for some time. No worries, though! Taking your own professional headshot at home is surprisingly easy, once you have the tools and know-how.
Make sure you have a decent camera.
You'll want to have a decent camera, so your photo doesn't look blurry or pixelated. If you have a smartphone, that camera will work well. Take a few test photos of anything to make sure you like the settings and image quality before you take your headshot.
If you have access to a laptop with a webcam, you can also use that as your camera. Ask a friend to help you take your headshot via video call. This is a good option if you are having trouble positioning yourself or if the lighting is off in your practice photos. If you are using Apple products, Facetime has the option for your friend to capture the screen, basically acting as a virtual photographer. Google Hangouts also allows for this capability for Android users.
Check lighting and your background.
Double-check your lighting. Take a few test shots to see how your lighting looks. Ideally, you'll want some soft lighting behind your camera. If you don't have professional photography lighting, no worries. We've found that using a softly-lit lamp works well, too, especially if you are fairly close to your laptop/camera.
Now, decide what you want your background to look like. Maybe, you want some indoor and outdoor shots. Find an area with a more neutral background. When we say this, we don't mean a solid color necessarily. Simply choose your background as something aesthetically pleasing that does not have any other people in it. This could be a brick wall, a garden, a meadow, a blanket hung on your wall, or anything similar.
Decide what to wear.
Having a good professional headshot is always a must! To do this, dress in business professional (at least from the waist up). Wear a nice dress, blouse, or button up with a jacket. Click here to see our professional dress guide. Depending on your background, we recommend going for neutral, darker colors for your professional headshot. If you are taking these from home, have a few changes of clothes to see which ones you like best.
Get a good angle for the photo.
Having a friend who will take your photos with you via Facetime or Google Hangouts can really help with this, but if you would prefer to take them on your own, we have a few tricks for this, too! Taking your own headshots on a smartphone is super easy; you'll just need a few tools to get the right angle. Using a small mug can help you keep your phone upright at the right angle you need. We recommend placing your smartphone in a mug and use something small, like cotton balls at the bottom to help keep the phone in place. Then, use a remote camera shutter (as low as $4.99 on Amazon) to take your photos while standing away from the camera. If you use your smartphone, remember to refer to the lighting rules we mentioned above!
If you have any questions about professional headshots, or would like us to review yours, simply email us at unoacdc@umomaha.edu.
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