Referrals from friends and colleagues are some of the best ways to find a professional you can trust and know will do a great job for you.
Poll your connections and see who they’ve recently worked with. Ask them how they liked their experience, as well as their finished product.
Once you have that handful of names of professional photographers from your connections, take a look at their websites.
Do they offer the specific headshot style you want/need? Do you like what you see? Narrow down your list to the professional photographers whose work really speaks to you. Then reach out to them!
Most professional photographers will schedule a phone call or Zoom call with you to go over their process, their costs, and their schedule.
Note that some high-demand photographers may have a wait list, or may book out months in advance. In that case, they may have all the info you need on their website or might direct you to a studio manager to help answer your questions and secure your photo session.
They may also schedule an in-person consult for a small fee, which you can then apply to your future photo session. If this is the case, make sure you get something in writing (even if digitally) to make sure that the fee you pay will be used towards a future session, including any black-out dates and expiration dates.
When you talk or meet, do your personalities match well?
It’s important that you feel comfortable with this person. You’ll be working closely together, and having your photo taken is a vulnerable experience.
Be sure you feel like the photographer hears your concerns, understands your needs, and is ready to collaborate with you.
Do they have positive online reviews?
I think we all use reviews to decide if we are going to purchase something, whether that be a meal, an item or a service.
Read through some of their reviews. You don’t have to aim for the 5 star only person. Especially if they’ve worked with hundreds of people, that law of averages will kick in.
I always take a business’ reviews with a teeny grain of salt. Definitely pay attention to the way people write about them over the star amounts. Were they happy with their experience? Comfortable with the process? Happy with their end results?
Reviews can give you another little window into their business beyond what your referrals have offered.
Will they work where you’ll feel most comfortable?
Having a dedicated studio is amazing. But a studio is not necessary to get amazing headshots!
I personally use both a studio space as well as shoot on location. I’ve photographed professionals outdoors, in the city, in their offices, outside their offices, in their own studios, and at planned events. A true photo professional can make any space their studio. It’s all about light control and control of your environment.
Having a studio may mean you get access to some extra perks, like on-set hair and make-up pros. A dressing room and full length mirrors. Places to hang your clothing so it’s easier to edit and choose your looks.
**Safety Tip: always be cautious if going to someone’s home. I used to work out of my home (and still do from time to time) – some photographers will use a room in their home or even their garage. This is where tapping into your gut matters. It’s always A-OK to bring a friend along with you. I encourage it and will always allow someone to bring a friend or trusted family member with them.
If the photographer balks at that and asks for you to only come alone, that’s a warning bell to me. I’d avoid that person at all costs. Having extra people on set will never fluster me enough to not allow me to get great photos of you. I’m a professional, I can work surrounded by hundreds of people. Again, if a photographer says they can’t work with others and it’s best to work alone, especially if you are going to their home or a studio alone, late st night – that’s a big fat NO from me. Be wary, stay safe. Bring a buddy. Stay hydrated. **
Are they willing to help you with clothing tips and styling prior to and during your shoot?
Having some guidance prior to your session is key to making sure you are fully prepared for your session. Clothing choices really will make or break your headshot session. And having help during your session is key too.
I always go over all the items a client brings with them to a photoshoot. I love helping to pick out the best combination of colors and layers that will help create a solid look for their headshots.
Do they offer hair and make-up professionals?
Or, are they willing to help source some amazing talent to being on for your session? Some hair and make-up people prefer to work in their own spaces while others are more than happy to work on-set. Find out if the cost of these professionals is included in your session (usually not), what the cost is to add them to your session and what the cost may be to have them on-set during your full session.
I always recommend having these professionals stay on set during your full session, they will notice when your hair needs a little extra attention, help tackling shine, or when it’s best to change lipstick shades to better go with an outfit you’ve chosen.
How quick are they to respond to your requests and questions?
Most professional photographers will respond to requests and simple questions within a 48 hour period. Sometimes less.
If you’re waiting a week or more for a response and you know you need your headshot to be turned around pretty quickly, you may want to find someone who has the ability to better meet your timing needs.
Everyone runs their business in their own way. And I never expect responses from people after 5pm or over the weekend/holidays. But if a week goes by and I’ve heard nothing from a pro, or I have to reach out multiple times in order to get an answer to a simple question? I’ll probably take my business elsewhere.
Retouching – professionals use other professionals to fine-tune their images, not filters or facetune (just say no!).
Some photographers like to retouch their own and that’s cool too! With my work load I have chosen to outsource retouching to professionals I have worked with many times over, and trust to create the looks my clients need.
Professional retouchers customize the retouching to you, just as your professional photographer should customize the lighting, backdrops and your whole session to make certain they are capturing the real you.
If you look at someone’s portfolio and the images have more retouching than you might want, that may not be the professional for you.
Be careful of the person that slaps a filter on all of their images so that their Insta feed looks the same shade. Sorry not sorry (at all) maybe white skin might look okay with a pink hued filter wash and faux skin softening, but my Black and Brown friends will look washed out and unnatural.
A one size fits all approach to retouching does not work!
I would never use that approach. All of my images are custom retouched by professionals based on the individual in the image, and every file gets approval by the client before it’s released.
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In conclusion, connecting with someone who customizes the experience, images and retouching to you is going to garner the best results for YOU.
I hope this has been helpful 🙂
And if you have any other questions or would like to talk more, feel free to connect with me anytime! You can email me stacey@staceydoyle.com or find me on Insta @staceydoylephotography
