How To Take A Great Headshot With An Iphone

A professional photo for your social media and web presence is key. It is an important part of your personal brand. But a professional photo does not mean it needs to be taken by a pro. It just has to be professional looking - that means no selfies, vacation snaps, or wedding pics.

While it's nice to have a headshot taken by a pro, it can be expensive and cost prohibitive - especially if you are a recent graduate or just starting your career.

But at your fingertips (literally) is the tool you need to get you on your way: a camera phone! With a few simple tricks of the trade, you can take a decent, professional looking headshot with your iPhone, Droid, Samsung, or digital camera if you have one.

What you will need:

A smartphone or digital camera

A willing friend to take the photos (maybe ask a pal who wants a new photo too and you can help each other)

Tips:

Adjust your camera phone settings

If you are using a camera phone, set the camera to shoot in high resolution mode. This will make for a better quality picture. Here are Droid and iPhone instructions.

Take advantage of natural light

Unless you are in a professional studio with special lighting, it can be tough to get the right light. Overhead lights, fluorescent bulbs, dark corners are a camera's worst enemy and unflattering in the best of circumstances. Avoid them. Instead, use natural light when you can. Go outside or look for a spot that is naturally lit.

Watch out for too much sun.

Too sunny of a day can wash you out, make you squint, and create shadows - all things that can get in the way of a good photo. Early morning or late afternoon are good times to go outside to take photos.

Look for a simple background

Remember, the focus of the shot needs to be on you. Make sure there are no people or objects in the background. Look for a concrete or brick wall, metal, or something with a simple texture works best. Watch out for things like trees, lampposts, parking signs, telephone poles, or any other structure that could easily look like it could be growing out of ear!

Warm up

If you are not used to getting your picture taken or are camera shy, the first few shots will be awkward. You might feel embarrassed about getting your photo taken. This will show in your shots. Allow time to warm up, move around, and get used to someone taking your picture. It will feel more natural after a few shots.

Take lots of pictures

Make sure you take lots of pictures - even if though it's just one image you need. Try different backgrounds, experiment with different poses. You never know which one is going to turn out best.

This is just a small screenshot from my iPhone camera roll when I experimented taking my colleague Rachel's picture:

Allow enough time

When you take your headshots with your buddy, don't rush it. Plan on at least half hour to an hour to experiment with poses and test different backdrops.

Try different smile and expressions

Teeth? No teeth? Try a few different smiles and expressions to get a variety of shots to select from.

Here is Rachel smiling with and without teeth. This image was taken with my iPhone:

Create an angle with your body

When I used to work in fashion, I assisted on a few photo shoots. One model told me one of the best tricks ever: you need to create angles with your body! Even if it's just the head you are going for. A hand on the waist, crossed arms, make a difference. Don't just stand with your arms hanging, do something!

Here is a photo I took of Eric. Note how his torso is angled slightly away from the camera and has his arms folded.

Wear something simple

Dark solids work best. Avoid wearing anything with stripes or patterns - even a basic gingham and checkered print can look distracting. Iron your shirt, and make sure it's clean. This may sound obvious but you'd be surprised!

Also, consider the industry you are in. Business casual might work for someone in sales, but a finance executive might need be suited and booted. Similarly, a suit might look too formal for a field like graphic design or architecture. Research what your industry peers wear in their photos to get an idea.

Edit your image

There are free web-based services like PicMonkey and Pixlr that mirror many of Photoshop functions where you can crop, brighten, sharpen, and straighten the photo. Doing these simple things will make your photo pop. There are even apps for your phone - I am a fan of Afterlight to edit images on the go.

This is a photo I took of Rachel on my iPhone and edited with PicMonkey. I straightened the bookshelf behind her, brightened the image, and cropped it:

Create different photo sizes

When you edit your image, create a few different crop sizes, a standard portrait and a square as many social media sites (such as LinkedIn and Twitter) use a square thumbnail as your profile image - so this is important to consider when you adjust the photo.

What are your photo tips? Comment below.

Thanks to my colleague Rachel for modeling specifically for this post. The photos of Rachel were taken with my iPhone 5c. Many thanks to Eric for letting me use one of the photos I took of him for his website. Note that the photo of Eric was taken with a Nikon D3200. The reason I included the shot was to simply show how Eric positioned his body - a key consideration for a good headshot.