Someone once told me that if you have an expressive face then you don’t photograph well. Until recently I didn’t think having an expressive face was a bad thing, and then I needed a headshot. Then comes the agonies, and extremely rare ecstasies of taking up close, in focus photographs of my face. A face that I didn’t think was that bad. I didn’t mind it being attached to my head for the last twenty years, but now I kinda hate it.
Picture one: Bad lighting- take it again
Picture two: Right lighting, wrong pose- take it again
Picture three: Right lighting, right pose, I blinked- take it again
Picture four: ‘Sorry that one was out of focus’ – take it again
By this point I’m kinda getting the hang of it….
Picture five: Right lighting, right pose, but I look awful- take it again
Picture six: Right lighting, right pose, but I look awful- take it again
Picture seven: Right lighting, right pose, but I look awful- take it again
Picture eight: Right lighting, right pose, but I look awful- take it again
Picture nine: well this is plain horrible- take it again
Pictures ten onwards: melt down and give up trying to get the perfect photo……
Ironically when I was not trying, rather laughing or in the case of the photograph above hiding, these photographs proved to be the best ones. Capturing rather nicely my hatred of being photographed, and my personality in one image. Thus the photo that I eventually decided was good enough was the second photo we took. It was definitely a ‘this will do’ photograph, but then when I think about it, does it really matter? The primary purpose of this photograph is to identify Charlotte Arnold, and it certainly does that. So, ultimately I’ve come to the decision that headshots are overrated. They are photos of your face and nothing more, so what’s the big deal?
P.s. the photo above is not my final headshot don’t worry, but it was my favourite.
Charlotte Arnold 