Heading into the New Year

It's been a steady start to the year with my workload slowly increasing after the Christmas and New Year break. A two-day shoot for manufacturers Dyer Engineering has proved to be my most intensive 2026 job to date and re-afirmed to me the value of good headshots.

In a digital world, good visual online content is vital for attracting potential customers from far and wide. Showing images of those who work for a company adds a human element and increases approachability.

The set up for such a shoot may seem fairly straightforward but it's important that, as the photographer, you're well organised, familiar with your camera and have the necessary equipment to ensure all runs smoothly. The images should suit the relevant industry or intended use, and be clear and well lit to create a better connection with the viewer.

For lighting, I opted for a two softbox set up with one positioned at either side, slightly in front of and a bit higher than each subject. I used a plain white background and a focal length of around 135mm. For this particular shoot, I asked each individual if they wanted to smile or not - sometimes a grin can look forced and false if the person isn't comfortable doing it. I do like a three quarter angle stance however, and find that capturing a shot with the subject stood in this way, with one shoulder slightly nearer to the camera, provides good all-round positioning. I'll do this on alternating sides - left shoulder forward, then right - along with a straight on angle to give three shots of sufficient variety.

My thanks to the team at Dyer Engineering for being such good models - with plenty of chatter and laughter in between shots - and for giving me a great head start to what I hope will be a fruitful and fulfillling year ahead.

#photography #headshotphotography #portraitphotography #canon #profoto #godox @CanonUKandIE @profoto @GodoxUK @dyer_eng