If you’re thinking about investing in some fab photography for your business you may be feeling a little nervous about how to pose. Well, I’m here to help you prepare for your shoot with my top tips on how to pose for professional headshots.

Firstly let's get laid back and relax. We’re not aiming for Britain's Next Top Model, you don’t have to go all Madonna and strike a pose! My aim is to capture a beautiful professional headshot of you in a way that will engage your audience. So this may be a very formal image of you at your desk working, or something more informal showing how you love to relax. Whatever your area of expertise it’s important to bring that to your headshot image.

Tilting your shoulders towards the camera gives a much more relaxed pose.

Let’s get into my top tips for how to pose for professional headshots…

Posture is key:

It’s worth taking some time in front of a mirror and practising a little. Subtle changes in posture can make all the difference. We often tend to overemphasize a pose when we have our picture taken, which tends to look awkward and unflattering. Keep your back straight, shoulders down and tummy in! I don’t mean stand to attention, just a subtle alignment of your body to avoid looking tense. When I’m nervous I always hunch up my shoulders, so I take a breath and relax them down. Straight away this softens my facial expression too!

I will of course be directing you throughout the shoot to get the best possible pose. You’ll be surprised how often I make a very small but important change to how you’re standing. It may feel like a game of Twister, to begin with. But once you’ve followed my cues you’ll soon get into the swing of it.

Chin (or in my case chins!):

Let’s be honest most of us have a chin phobia when it comes to having our picture taken. One of the main things you’ll hear me say is ‘chin, chinny chin’!! It’s just a little prompt to remind you to lift your chin up and out very very slightly. Lifting your chin too much can overextend your neck and look way too weird. But if you make it quite a small action and remember to put your chin out just a little you’ll get a much more natural and flattering look.

Lean in:

I do like a good lean on something. It helps me to relax for one, hides my tummy (ahh I can breath out at last) and stops my hands from dangling around. Leaning in the pose is one of my favourites. It really helps hide all those little extras we try to ignore. And it solves the chin(s) issue.

Sit down:

Sitting down opens up a lot of great poses. Do remember your posture rules! Keep your back straight and use your tummy muscles. We don’t want any slouching around here. Keep your knees and feet at an angle to your body, visualise a zigzag! It’s really easy to place your hands on your lap for a relaxed feel. Or try leaning forwards with your elbows on your knees and then you can use your hands to… you guessed it… hide that chin!

Face:

This may sound daft, but the whole point of having professional headshots is to show off your lovely face and communicate with your audience. So practice smiling, think about something you love, keep it soft and natural. The great thing about having a photographer take your headshot, rather than a selfie, is you have someone to react to. The hardest thing about a self-portrait is not over posing. I will chat with you throughout our shoot so you won’t even think about what your face is doing. This way you will get headshots that really capture your personality. After all, we don’t want to look stuffy or nervous to our potential clients.

how to pose for professional headshots bournemouth leaning in

Background:

Maybe this isn’t a pose, but it is really important to have a background that's uncluttered and brings the right vibe for your personal brand. If you’re a holistic healer, a natural environment looks great. But if you’re needing a headshot to convey your professionalism then a smart office setting or urban background may be more suitable. So make sure you give this as much thought as your wardrobe choices for the shoot.

Round up:

That’s my top tips for how to pose for professional headshots. I hope they help you to feel a little more confident and see the benefits of working with me. My aim is always to help you to feel at ease in front of the camera. So don’t worry about having those selfie trout pouts, just relax, smile and keep it real with natural shots you will be proud to use. Most of all we'll have fun.

So now you’ve got my top tips on how to pose for professional headshots in Bournemouth. Ready to do this? Then drop me an email or fill in the contact form below and we’ll set up a discovery call to make your professional headshots shoot with me absolutely perfect.