How to Produce Consistent Images for Headshot Photography

When they see me work in post, one of the questions I’m frequently asked by other photographers is how I produce such consistent images.😉

They’d like to know what to do in post to get the same results.

They’d like to know how to make that process go faster or how they can make it easier on themselves to fix their images in post.

“Fix” being the operative word here.

💁🏼‍♀️See, the problem is, post isn’t the problem.

The problem is that they captured inconsistent images to begin with.

Post processing is NOT for “fixing” inconsistent images.

Post processing is for processing (hopefully RAW) images to your liking, AFTER and only after they’re properly exposed.

If you find yourself using Lightroom for “fixing” instead of processing and enhancing your images, you’re going to spend hours in post my friend.

See, I come from the days of film so I had NO CHOICE but to learn how to be consistent with my exposure.

The photo lab would give me a proof-sheet with all 36 frames from my film, printed on that one sheet, with ONE exposure in the darkroom.

Don’t know what a proof shseet is? Oh you youngun, DM me here on Instagram and I’ll show you.

But I digress… If I wasn’t consistent with my in-camera exposure, because all the images were printed on one proof-sheet, some images would be darker and others would be lighter. There was no fixing that.

If I didn’t want to be embarrassed when clients reviewed their proofsheet, I had to make sure I took the time to expose my images properly.

When I teach my photography students how to light, I make it a point to spend the ✨most✨ time on the setup process.

I may take five minutes or even ten minutes JUST SETTING UP LIGHTING and metering my subject until everything is perfect.

When I change my setup or background, I make sure that my exposure is exactly the same from one to the next.

How do I do that?

By using either an in-camera light meter (when using natural light) or a hand held one (when using strobes).

Side note, If you struggle with light meters, here’s my version of a  “how to use a light meter for dummies” explanation.👇

This is *the* number one most critical step to consistency.

This means that before I even click the shutter, if my subject has moved their position, even the slightest, I’m re-metering to make sure my settings have not changed.

If I can help it, my exposure can never change from one frame to the next or I’d be spending hours in post “fixing” the difference from frame to frame or from one setup to the next.

When my exposure is consistent from one frame to the next or from one background to the next, there is no “fixing” in post, only an efficient workflow processing my images with my favorite Lightroom presets.

Got questions? DM me on Instagram and yours truly will answer!