get the professional headshot you'll love

This short video is also on my FAQ page, but I thought I would just put it on this post too. Apparently a lot of visitors start here on my blog, which is nice.
Getting the best professional  headshot is not about luck or price. I’ve seen some expensive headshots and some equally bad cheap ones. You wouldn’t choose a dentist or attorney because their price was low (or high). Price should not be the deciding factor for your professional headshot either; quality should be. Compare the quality of the headshots on different photographers websites. Make sure they have a studio, not some converted creepy spare room in their house. Ask about the process during the headshot session and what is included in the final product. For example, is retouching included? This is really important if you want the best headshots. What’s the delivery time and in what format? If you need your headshots super quickly (don’t feel bad, it happens all the time), make sure your photographer can deliver via dropbox or some other type of digital delivery method.

Quality matters for the client experience as well as the final headshots. I believe the more relaxed and happy a client is during the headshot session the better the final headshots will be. If clients arrive stressed having had to fight for parking and then plonked in front of the camera and told to smile, it’s not the best approach. Empathy goes a long way. Many photographers forget how stressful clients find the whole headshot process to be. Connecting with each other is very important. Be nice. Remember how it feels when you’re in parallel situation.

Here’s how we work in our portrait studio (it’s on Capitol Hill). It’s a collaborative process. First we determine the feel and design for your headshots. This may vary based on your profession, what you’re wearing and what the professional headshot may be used for. Then we shoot some headshots. I shoot  directly tethered to my nice shiny big computer. This allows us to review them with you. We decide together what’s working and what’s not – adjust as needed. We shoot some more and then together edit down to the best choices (the number depends on your package).  You leave our studio completely happy knowing that you have the best headshots. I send them to my retoucher and they are delivered electronically either the same day or first thing the next business day.