The Definitive Guide to Author Photos, Part 1: Before the Shoot

It must be done, people.

If you are a published author or are about to be published and you want readers to be able to connect with you on a personal basis, you must have author headshots/photographs taken. It’s even more critical if you plan to venture into the world of teaching, coaching, or other “non-fiction” pursuits.

And you must plan for it just as you would any other marketing effort. Because make no mistake, author photos are a form of marketing.

Over the course of this series of articles, we’ll talk about what you need to do before, the day of, and after your photoshoot. It may seem like a lot of work, but the effort is worth it!

Today, we’ll tackle what to do before the photoshoot because this is something you don’t want to wing or half-ass.

Know what you are trying to accomplish

Why are you having new author photos taken? Do you simply need new headshots for your website and your book bio? Do you need additional photos to promote your work in some other way like presentations, courses, or podcasts?

For example, because I also coach creatives and teach courses, I run another website www.kicksasscreations.com, in addition to my author site. So I wanted new authors shots and photos that are more in line with self-help type businesses and professionals.

Understand your brand

What are you known for as an author? Do you write dark erotic or paranormal stories? Or do you write light and sassy contemporary romances? Or perhaps nail-biting thrillers?

Your author photos need to reflect the theme and tone of your work. So a paranormal or urban fantasy author probably wouldn’t wear a cutesy pink skirt to her author photo shoot. In the same vein, an author of contemporary romances most likely won’t dress goth for her shoot.

Set a budget

Understand that author photos are a qualified business expense. You will need to set aside a certain amount of money. If you’re thinking that you don’t have a cent to spend, I encourage you to reconsider. We’ll talk below about some lower cost options.

To make it more manageable, plan how often you will have author photos taken so you can budget appropriately. For example, my author photos were seven years old when they were replaced and I paid somewhere around $500 for the original shoot and the images (a great deal!). Amortizing that over seven years, I paid less than $75 per year. (Wanna get really granular? My fabulous shots were less than 20¢ a day!)

Find a photographer

Obviously, you can look in your local community for photographers, but realize many of them may be wedding photographers. They may not have much experience with professional photos. Look closely at their galleries online to see if they have taken any photos along the lines of those you are looking for. If not, you may want to move on and search for someone else.

One recommendation from author and photographer Toni McGee Causey is to look closely at how the photographer uses lighting. “Bad lighting will absolutely ruin a good shot, so look at the photos your photographer has already done and pay a lot of attention to the lighting and the sharpness of the eyes. If the lighting is flattering and all of the color toning in the photo looks spot on, and the eyes are sharp, you’ve got a great photographer who knows what they’re doing. If the photos are sort of hit and miss–the lighting is too bright in one, a little too dark in another, the eyes aren’t sharp–that photographer isn’t at the top of his/her game.”

Also, don’t assume you must stay close to home for your author photos. It’s worth traveling in order to get the right photographer and the right shots. For example, author Nancy Naigle traveled from her home in North Carolina to a photographer and location in Tennessee in order to get the shots that work well with her brand.

Can’t afford a pro? Then look around for other options like high-quality amateur photographers or photography students. Do you have a nearby college or continuing education program that teaches photography? Those amateur photographers are usually a much better choice than using a selfie or an untrained family member.

Or maybe you have a family member who does take great photos. These photos of author Adrienne Giordano below were taken by her sister-in-law, who is an excellent amateur photographer.

Make a list of shots you want/need and communicate those to your photographer

Don’t rely on your photographer to come up with all the shots you need. You know your business best, so make a list of mandatory shots and communicate those to your photographer well before the day of your photo shoot.

When I had my latest photo shoot, I sent a list of required shots–like headshots and horizontal shots with free space for use on my website. I also forwarded images that appealed to me, both ones taken by my photographer and by other photographers.

Schedule plenty of time for the shoot, a full day if traveling

Please don’t try to cram in your photo shoot in between tasks on a busy day. Give it the time and space you would for any important marketing effort. If you will be living with these author photos for three to seven years, then it’s worth setting aside time to do it right. If you are traveling outside your own town, it may mean a one or two day commitment.

Prep your “looks” including clothes, makeup, surroundings, and colors.

Based on your brand, you must plan how you want to represent yourself when it comes to colors, appropriate clothing, and the types of surroundings and backgrounds.

Clothing

My readers associate me with cowboy boots because I am a native Texan. Therefore, having my boots as part of at least one of my outfits was a non-negotiable.

However, as you can see, they were not represented in an overly traditional way. I had no plans to wear the gray chambray shirt in these photos and the skirt was one of my photographer had in her wardrobe. When she shoved it at me and told me what we were going to do, I just went with it. And these were probably some of the best shots in the session.

Hair and Makeup

For my initial author photos (taken in 2012), I did my own hair and makeup–so the look is super natural, but honestly probably a little too washed out.

To glam or not to glam?

For my latest shoot, my photographer included hair and makeup in the session price. I was a little freaked out initially when I saw what she’d done, but I took a deep breath and went with it. Am I more made up than normal? Yep, but that was part of what I wanted for these images.

Some people will naturally gravitate toward the more natural images, and some will love the fun fantasy of the more glam photos.

Colors

My brand colors are primarily red and turquoise. You’ll notice at least some red in each outfit I wore, which means these images–although quite different–can be used together as needed.

Surroundings/Backgrounds

I knew I wanted outside shots and some that were more rustic in nature. Utilizing the photographer’s sets like the white truck was critical to the types of shots I wanted. This is one reason I chose the photographer I did.

Photographer and Author Toni McGee Causey says, “As a photographer, I think the biggest mistake is a busy background.”

Her advice for authors:

“You want monochromatic backgrounds, simple, no line, and no abrupt color changes, because it distracts the eye from the subject, which is the author. And some of you may think, ‘Oh, good, I hate being photographed, so they won’t notice me! Yay!’ But unfortunately, they’ll notice that it’s a bad photo, and it doesn’t give as positive a reaction as you would have gotten with a simpler background. If the background is busy, the photographer can take the photo with a shallow depth of field which will put you, the author in focus, and create a natural blur of the background.”

Here’s a great example of this technique in photos of author Cathey Graham Nickell.

Causey goes on to say: “Other good background choices are textures, but keep these monochromatic where possible. Textures make a good contrast to the smooth skin/hair/clothing of the subject. I’d be careful to pair the right kind of texture with the type of branding, though, if an author wanted to go this direction. For example, a western author would look good photographed in front of an old worn barn (but close in, just enough to get the sense of texture behind them). A thriller writer would look good in a moody photo with steel beams, hot riveted metal. A romance writer would look great in front of a gauzy curtain. You don’t want the texture of the background to communicate something opposite of what you write.”

I love this photo of author Kimberly Kincaid. She and her photographer chose a setting that works well with Kimberly’s style and fabulous dress and heels (a look she’s known for).

What’s Next

So now you should have some ideas of how to prep for your next author photoshoot. Everything I’ve outlined here will take some time to set up, so be sure to plan well in advance of your shoot. For example, I knew a year before that I planned to do new photos. That gave me months to find the right photographer, assemble ideas, and prep my looks.

Join me soon when I’ll outline some critical author photo dos and don’ts!

Photo by Laura Boccola on Unsplash