Lights, Posing, and Capturing Modern Headshots for Branding

Unlock the secrets to creating powerful, modern headshots that stand out! This hands-on workshop teaches lighting, posing, and composition techniques to help you shoot professional headshots aligned with personal or business branding. Perfect for beginners to intermediate photographers seeking to master clean, striking portraits with minimal gear.

Focus: Teaching participants how to create modern, professional headshots that align with personal or business branding using lighting, posing, and composition techniques.
Key Skills: Mastering studio and natural lighting setups, guiding poses that reflect brand identity, using lens choice and camera settings for flattering headshots.

Workshop Overview
“Lights, Posing, and Capturing Modern Headshots for Branding” is a 2-hour photography workshop designed to elevate your skills in creating professional-quality headshots that speak to personal and business brand identities. With 45 minutes of theory followed by 75 minutes of hands-on practice, you’ll gain real-world techniques using 1 to 3-light setups. This session blends technical knowledge with creative strategy, so you leave with headshots that are crisp, impactful, and brand-driven.

Who Is This Workshop For?
This workshop is designed for beginner photographers who want to deliver polished results without needing a full studio. Whether you’re starting your freelance journey, updating a portfolio, or supporting a company’s visual identity, you’ll gain practical skills you can apply instantly, using natural light or affordable studio gear.

What You’ll Learn + Requirements
You’ll learn to analyze brand identity, pose clients confidently, and work with different light sources to produce flattering results. We’ll explore how to choose the right lens, camera settings, and background for professional headshots.

Cameras and set-up will be provided. We just ask that participants come with an open mind and a genuine curiosity to learn.
We’ll also be using Pinterest boards to help plan the mood and styling ahead of the hands-on session.

Module 1

This workshop begins with a foundational module on photography essentials, designed to ensure all participants regardless of experience understand the core elements that influence a successful headshot. The session revisits key camera settings including aperture, ISO, shutter speed, and white balance, along with the impact of lens selection on facial proportions and background blur. This technical grounding sets the stage for more advanced exploration.

Next, the workshop delves into the strategic value of a good headshot in personal and professional branding. Participants learn how impactful portraits can elevate a brand’s credibility, create consistency across platforms, and enhance first impressions. This segment frames the headshot not just as a photo, but as a brand tool that must align visually and emotionally with the subject’s identity or message.

Participants are then guided through the preparation phase of a headshot shoot. This includes understanding how to build visual moodboards using platforms like Pinterest, selecting appropriate wardrobe and grooming styles for different brand personalities, and identifying optimal indoor or outdoor locations that support the subject’s look and brand tone. Preparation is treated as a critical creative and technical step that shapes the final output.

The workshop then transitions to posing techniques that evoke authenticity and confidence. Through demonstration and practice, learners explore how body angles, posture, expressions, and hand placement contribute to storytelling within a frame. Emphasis is placed on how to direct subjects effectively, ensuring comfort and natural presence in front of the camera.

Lighting follows as the core practical module of the session, covering both natural and studio lighting setups. Participants are introduced to one-, two-, and three-light configurations using minimal equipment. They learn how to use softboxes, reflectors, and diffusion tools to shape light for flattering results. A live demo breaks down how to manipulate light position and quality to enhance facial features and maintain brand coherence.

Finally, the session concludes with a guided shooting exercise. Participants have the opportunity to apply everything they’ve learned in a live setup using either peers or present participants. Real-time feedback is offered throughout, with adjustments made on posing, lighting, and composition to reinforce key concepts.