How to DIY a great headshot for your website
How to DIY a great headshot for your website
A great headshot is a great first step to building a professional presence online. Your headshot can be used for flyers promoting your talks, in articles about your work, and on your lab and departmental websites. It can be your social media profile. Heck, it can be the holiday card that you send out to colleagues!
The goal is to create a headshot that is recent, flattering, and high-resolution. You should have a great smile and good color in your skin. Your personality should radiate from the image.
So how can you get a great headshot?
Great question! The easiest option is to hire a professional, who will have the equipment and training to ensure you get amazing photos that meet all of the criteria listed above. If you’re interested, we can help you make it happen.
But you don’t need a professional to achieve a professional-looking headshot.
Here we present some easy steps you can take to DIY a great headshot. All you need is a camera (or smart phone) and a friend to join the adventure. Even better, find a friend who also needs a new headshot, and you two can help each other out.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
5 steps to diy a great headshot
A great headshot is a great start to a professional (and compelling) presence online. There are a million ways to use your headshot online and, honestly, they’re really fun to create!
So grab your phone, and a friend, and head out this evening (or tomorrow morning) for a photo shoot. As a reminder, here are our tips:
1) Find a neutral background
2) Stand far away from your background
3) Use natural light (and light your face!)
4) Wear simple, comfortable clothing, and
5) Allow plenty of time for play
Now go forth and experiment, and let us know how you do! Send us your favorite image for a FREE headshot review! Just send your photo in an email to kika@impactmedialab.com, and I’ll get back to you within a day or two.
About the author
Impact Media Lab is a small-but-mighty creative team that helps scientists develop strategies for impact. We believe science can lead to seismic shifts in how we understand the world, but it takes great media (and rigorous strategy) to make it happen.