Take a headshot at home with just your phone
Here are my adventures taking a headshot, at home, with no fancy photography equipment. No camera or flash or tripod or backdrop. It was just me, my phone and an ikea stool in the bathroom! (cos yeah – it turns out the only room in my house with a window on a wall adjacent to a plain wall, is in my bathroom :P)
As we pass the halfway point of lockdown 2.0 I’ve seen some questions on how to take a headshot of yourself in lockdown. I’ve been contemplating the main scenarios for why you’d need to refresh your headshot whilst in lockdown and I’ve narrowed it down to either:
- You’ve been working on growing your business and your personal brand and so have had to provide a headshot for that collaboration podcast or facebook live interview so the canva event image can be created OR
- You’ve radically changed your hair do with some self iso cut and color! 😛
For whatever reason it might be – here are my adventures taking a headshot, at home, with no fancy photography equipment. No camera or flash or tripod or backdrop. It was just me, my phone and an ikea stool in the bathroom! (cos yeah – it turns out the only room in my house with a window on a wall adjacent to a plain wall, is in my bathroom :P)
To take a natural light photo in your home:
- find a plainish wall near a window (and by plainish I kinda mean flat – a really loud funky wallpaper will totally work if that’s your vibe.)
- leave a gap between you and the wall (at least 50cm)
- turn your body 45ish degrees to the light and your face back towards the camera (if feel more comfortable sitting – use a bench stool)
- setup the camera at around your eye level
If the light coming through the window is too bright, soften it with a sheer curtain
If the side of your face away from the window is too dark, bounce some more light back onto it using a white sheet or white piece of cardboard, even a mirror potentially or move you’re camera so you’re angled a little more towards the window.
If you want to see this setup in my bathroom (with zero hair and makeup prep) which produced the photo below and the photo in the header- checkout the quick video I made.
If you’ve any other DIY photography questions, message me as I’m happy to help.
And may the second half of lockdown seem shorter than the first!
oh! and…
If you’re after headshots that do involve a fancy camera, flash, a non-bathroom backdrop and someone else taking the shot, I’m currently taking bookings now for late September and beyond, and am flexible with these dates if lockdown continues beyond that (it better not!). I am also still taking product-related photos which don’t require personal contact, so you can update your website, social media and other marketing during this time. Message me and let me know what you need.