[Photography] Real Estate Photography: The Complete Guide

The post Real Estate Photography: The Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Borland.

The best thing about trying your hand at real estate photography? You can practice in your own home – over and over until you’re happy with the results. Have you ever thought about it? Tried it? Share a photo in the comments or on our social media #dPSRealEstatePhotography — Updated 2025

Do you want to capture beautiful, eye-catching real estate photos?

You’ve come to the right place.

Real estate photography might seem difficult and even high pressure, but with a little know-how, you can start creating outstanding images right away.

I’ve spent plenty of time learning the ins and outs of real estate and house photography, and today, I’d like to pass that knowledge on to you. So if you’re ready to learn how to photograph houses like a pro, then let’s dive in, starting with:

Real estate photography: key camera equipment

To get started with real estate photography, you’ll need a few basic items:

• A camera
• A wide-angle lens
• A tripod

Your camera should allow you to add a cable release, a flash, different lenses, and wireless triggers. For cropped-sensor cameras, a lens around 10-22mm or 12-24mm is perfect, and for full frame sensor cameras, a lens around 16-35mm will do the job.

Tilt-shift lenses help avoid converging vertical lines such as wall edges and door frames. There are a handful of tilt-shift lenses available, but while these lenses are wonderful to use, they are fixed focal length. So if you need more flexibility, a 16-35mm zoom lens is a great alternative (or companion) to a tilt-shift lens.

This image shows diverging vertical lines from using a 16-35mm lens tilted down to add foreground and minimize ceiling.

Now, real estate shooting techniques can get pretty complex, from exposure blending and HDR to wireless flash and light painting with multiple exposures. No matter your shooting style, the camera should not be moved (to guarantee image alignment of multiple exposures), and the self-timer, a cable release, or a wireless trigger helps ensure zero camera movement. Certain apps will also trigger the camera and provide a preview of the photo on your smartphone or tablet.

The best lighting for exterior real estate photos

The first image a potential buyer (usually) sees when reviewing properties online is an exterior photo, so you must capture a beautiful outdoor shot. A big part of this is lighting, so you’ll need to carefully choose your time of day and lighting quality.

But what type of lighting is best for real estate photography?

Most exterior house photography benefits from lighting early and late in the day, when the light is soft and golden. The sun direction is also important, so you’ll want to use an app such as PhotoPills to determine the sun’s position prior to the photo shoot. In general, aim to photograph with light hitting the front of the home, like this:

In winter, some south-facing homes never have the sun hitting the front of the house. In such situations, I highly recommend keeping the sun at your back, even if it means shooting the home from an angle.

If you don’t like the result you get with morning or afternoon light, you might consider shooting on an overcast day. Cloudy skies can eliminate problems with the sun’s position, but discuss it with your client first, because white skies can lessen the impact of an otherwise great exterior image.

Also, if you’re struggling to find a good time to shoot during the day, you have one more option:

The dusk/dark technique, which gets you photos like this:

Simply head to the house around sunset and choose the best angle to showcase the home, ignoring the ambient light. Turn on all the lights or even add lights to the rooms; then wait until after sunset, when the sky’s exposure balances the room lights’ exposure. That’s when you can create a beautiful, pro-level image!

Getting started with interior photography: composition

After you’ve shot some stunning exterior shots, you’ll need to get on with the interior real estate photos. This can be tedious, but it’s essential you approach the task with care.

Homes come in all shapes, sizes, styles, and conditions. You want the house to look as good as possible, so I recommend you send your clients a task list for prepping the home prior to the photo session.

Once you’ve arrived, photograph the main rooms: the living room, kitchen, dining area, master bedroom, and master bath, all of which are “must-shoot” rooms. There could also be a library, office, large walk-in closet, and more. The client can often tell you what they deem important; don’t be afraid to ask.

The master bathroom!

Once you’ve entered a room and are preparing to take a photo, seek out the best perspective. I like to use indoor elements – furniture, windows, and room layout – to create visual flow. I generally try to avoid including a large element in the foreground that prevents the eye from flowing through the room.

This is the first test shot I took of this room. The foreground chair blocked the flow!

By rotating the chair and lowering the camera height slightly, the eye flows through the room more easily. (This image also has its vertical lines corrected.)

Key composition tip: get the verticals right

In interior house photography, there is broad agreement among clients and photographers: Verticals must be correct! Most interiors feature plenty of verticals, including edges and corners of walls, door frames, and windows, and these edges need to truly be vertical. Wide-angle lenses that are not level (e.g., they’re tilted slightly upward toward the ceiling or downward toward the floor) will make vertical edges converge or diverge and no longer appear straight.

If you use a tilt-shift lens, the problem is solved right off the bat, but not everyone likes TS lenses. So what do you do? How do you prevent converging and diverging verticals from ruining your photos?

One common approach is to level the camera – that is, ensure it’s not tilting up or down – because a perfectly level camera will record straight verticals. While this is a simple solution, it doesn’t always make for the best compositions; a level camera at chest height can cut off foreground subjects like furniture at the bottom and leave too much ceiling at the top. Lowering the camera height will improve this problem, but how low can you go and still have an effective photo?

This image by one of my online course students, Simone Brogini, illustrates this point. His camera is chest high and is leveled to avoid diverging verticals. But the foreground furniture is cut off and there is too much ceiling that lacks interest.

Simone also shot this bedroom image the same way. It looks pretty good, but I advised him again that the camera height might be just a little too high, as the bed and furniture get only about 1/3 of the frame and the wall and windows use 2/3 of the frame.

So what is the perfect camera height? There are many opinions. Some suggest chest height while others suggest door-knob height or even lower. I prefer chest height or close, and I also correct vertical lines using other methods, like a tilt-shift lens or the Lens Correction tool in Photoshop (or Lightroom).

This image shows the power of the Lens Correction tool. The bed and furniture cover 2/3 of the frame and provide a fuller view of the room, plus the verticals are straight!

Real estate photography settings: how to get the perfect exposure

Exposing for interior elements can be challenging, because you’re balancing bright window light with darker interiors.

You can deal with this contrast in many ways; one is to shoot when outdoor light levels are lower, such as during or after sunset, or on a cloudy day. Turning on every light inside increases the interior brightness, and if the outdoor brightness is lower, a RAW file can often capture the scene in one frame. Alternatively, you can shoot a series of bracketed images, then blend them together in post-processing.

On a bright, sunny day, the room has a dark ceiling, a dark floor, window flare, and hot spots with too much contrast for one capture.

On an overcast day, the interior exposure is quite good, as is the window exposure.

Even in low-contrast lighting situations, I’d recommend you take a few extra shots to ensure you have all the necessary exposures for a great image. First, determine your base exposure, the image that has most of the data centered in the histogram. Then bracket in one-stop increments of varied exposures. You may not need these extra images, but if the dynamic range of the scene turns out to be too much, they can really save the day (i.e., you can blend them into a great final image!).

Real estate photography: interior lighting

While some real estate photographers stick to ambient lighting, just like a finely lit portrait, interiors can benefit greatly from carefully styled external lighting. Bracketing and blending can manage scene contrast but cannot create highlights and shadows in areas that have no directional light – and if you have a dark cabinet against a dark wall, for instance, adding supplemental light can bring out the much-needed detail.

Most interiors have two light sources: window light and interior lights. You can add continuous lights or use strobes/flashes. Personally, I recommend flashes or strobes, which provide flexibility when lighting interiors.

Before I dive into the basics of interior lighting, I’d like to emphasize its purpose: to bring out detail, balance the overall lighting effect, prevent distracting dark spots, and emphasize the key parts of the scene. Always think in terms of what the ambient lighting conceals and what your studio lighting will reveal.

Now, photographers shooting for architects or magazines often have plenty of time to photograph a property with finely crafted lighting techniques, but a real estate photographer’s time is usually limited, making flash the perfect tool. You can master the balancing act of using direct on-camera flash to fill in a scene, or you can bounce on-camera flash for great results.

Feel free to take a test shot without flash, then review the image on your LCD and determine the areas that require fill light. That’s what I did for the scene below:

Here, the only light was coming from a window on the left and the ceiling fixtures, leaving dark areas in front.

Adding bounce flash, handheld just to the right of the camera, filled in those darker areas effectively.

Also popular are multi-flash wireless set ups allowing the flash to be placed around a room for styled lighting. Oh, and you might try the light-painting approach, where areas are selectively lit across several exposures, then all exposures are blended in post-processing.

This image uses light painting for a balanced, detailed result.

By the way, you’ll need to be aware of lighting color temperatures and color balance, which can become a problem when indoor lighting (studio or otherwise) is combined with ambient outdoor lighting.

When you have mixed light, such as daylight-colored window light alongside tungsten-colored ceiling lights, and you then throw in a fluorescent kitchen light, you’ll end up with a palette of different light colors in your image. Walls closest to windows will be blue while the walls closest to the tungsten ceiling lights will be amber and the ceiling in the kitchen will have a green tint.

Here’s an image with mixed lighting:

There is a blue color cast around the window and on the floor to the left.

So what do you do about mixed lighting? Two things:

1. Work as much as you can to minimize mixed lighting by color-matching your studio lights to the lights in the scene.
2. Use selective color adjustments in Lightroom, Photoshop, or another post-processing problem to neutralize the unwanted color casts after the fact.

Here’s a corrected version of the previous image:

The final image shows color correction, as well as corrected verticals and the removal of window flare.

Providing the client with the final images

Once you have photographed the house and done the necessary post-processing, you will need to deliver the image files. Clients usually request low-resolution files for the web and high-resolution files for print publication.

Be sure to save your files in the proper file format and size for the intended use. Most online listing services specify their accepted formats and acceptable sizes. I use low-resolution JPEGs and high-resolution TIFF files, then I make a final delivery of the images via Dropbox or a comparable online service.

Real estate photography: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you’re ready to rock some real estate photos! Here are a few items to remember before heading out to your first house:

• You are not photographing for yourself; you are photographing for clients who will expect professional-quality work.
• Don’t get all the best gear; only buy what is required to do the job well.
• Master the creative side of photography, such as angles, perspectives, and composition.
• Master the technical side of photography, such as exposure, HDR, supplemental lighting, color matching, and exposure blending.
• Be careful when processing real estate images; don’t misrepresent the property.

 And above all, have fun!

The post Real Estate Photography: The Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Borland.

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[Photography] Patience and Photography

The post Patience and Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

“Good things come to those who wait”

This old proverb was one that I heard a lot of growing up – it was a favorite saying around our house and one that I think has had a fairly significant impact upon me in numerous aspects of my life – not the least of which is my photography.

While digital photography is sometimes known for it’s spontaneity I’ve found that most successful photographers also have the ability to sit with a scene or subject for a considerable amount of time until the situation is right to get things just as they should be to get the picture perfect.

Patience comes into play in many forms of photography:

• Landscape – there are many aspects of landscape photography that takes patience ranging from scoping out the perfect place to shoot from to waiting to get the light just right before shooting.
• Sports – last year when I was at the Australian Open (tennis) I went along expecting that the skill I would need the most was to be spontaneous as a photographer but I came away realizing that the only reason I came away with any decent shots was that I’d really persisted and taken my time in thinking through my shots. It was only because I continued to shoot over a longer period of time that I honed my framing and exposure to get things just right.
• Portraits – studio portraits can be a little more predictable than candid portrait shots but in both cases people are unpredictable beings and getting a pose just right or capturing an interaction between two subjects can take considerable time to get right.
• Wildlife – taking photos of animals is even more unpredictable than photographing people and as a result there can be long waits to both find them in the wild but also to get capture them in a the right position, light and framing.
• Macro – similarly taking macro shots is generally not an overly spontaneous thing to do, especially when your subject is a moving one (insects for example) and when you’re shooting in a natural environment when the light changes and wind blows.

The list could go on….

I find that the actual moment that you take an image is often a very spontaneous one but that to get to those moments you often need real patience.

Of course patience is not something you can really teach in an article like this – except to say that it’s a skill to work on and that great photographers generally set aside time to hone their craft.

These thoughts generally ring true today! Looking back through our earlier articles, this one from Darren stood out to me – It’s good to slow down in this fast, mostly digital, Ai filled world and have a little patience in everything we do, and in this case – photography. 30 frames a second is great – when it’s needed – but so is a single, well thought out scene and resultant image.

Good things come to those who wait!

Updated 2025 – Simon ??

The post Patience and Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

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[Photography] How the iPhone Saved Photography (Not Killed It)

The post How the iPhone Saved Photography (Not Killed It) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Maybe this is a controversial take, but here goes… I’d be keen to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment.

Remember when people were saying the iPhone would be the death of the photography industry?

When the first few generations of smartphones started adding cameras, there was a genuine wave of panic among professionals. The logic was simple: if everyone had a camera in their pocket, who would pay for a photographer?

Fast-forward to today, and we can see that while the industry has changed, photography is far from dead. In fact, I’d argue the iPhone has actually helped photography thrive in ways we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago.

Hand holding an iPhone, no… really… it is!

Everyone’s a Photographer Now (And That’s Not a Bad Thing)

The barrier to entry used to be high. You needed a proper camera, some technical know-how, and access to darkrooms or editing software. Now? Just unlock your phone. Granted, a top of the line phone is no cheap ask, but it IS a phone first, not a camera, or is it? More on that in another article maybe…

Millions of people who might never have picked up a Mirrorless / DSLR are now thinking about light, composition, storytelling. They’re documenting everyday life, playing with perspective, and sharing it all with the world.

The result? A global explosion of visual creativity.

The Rise of the Visual Language

Thanks to smartphone cameras, visual communication is now as common as texting. We send photos to say “look at this,” “I was here,” or even “I love you.” In doing so, we’ve all become more visually literate. That helps the whole industry, because the more people care about photos, the more they appreciate what makes a good one.

More Demand for Quality

Ironically, the proliferation of photos has increased demand for high-quality work. Brands, publications, and creators need images that cut through the noise. So while smartphones flooded the world with snapshots, they also raised the profile of skilled professionals who know how to craft an image with impact.

The iPhone as a Gateway Drug

Ask any photographer today how they got started, and chances are good they’ll say it began with their phone. The iPhone has become a gateway into more serious photography. Once someone realises they enjoy shooting with their phone, it’s a short step to learning about lenses, aperture, manual controls—and suddenly, they’re hooked.

Professional Tools in Your Pocket

Let’s not forget that the iPhone itself has evolved into a serious tool. Computational photography, RAW shooting, multi-lens systems—all built into a device that fits in your back pocket. It’s no longer just a casual snapper; it’s a Swiss Army knife for image-making.

My Final Thoughts

The iPhone didn’t destroy photography. It brought it to the masses. It made the medium more accessible, more social, and arguably, more valued than ever. The industry looks different now, yes—but it’s alive and kicking. Maybe even stronger.

What are your thoughts? Share them here in the comments or over on our Facebook or Insta

The post How the iPhone Saved Photography (Not Killed It) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

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[Photography] Drone Photography: Tips for Stunning Aerial Images

The post Drone Photography: Tips for Stunning Aerial Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Andrew Thomas.

With the latest and greatest from DJI arriving in the form of the Mavic 4 Pro, we’re seeing some amazing drone work, both stills and video, are you flying? Where do you share your work? Drop a link in the comments – we’d love to see it!

Updated 27 May 2025, now, on with our story…

One of the most exciting developments in photography in the last handful of years is the drone camera, which allows you to capture unique viewpoints of common subjects. And while drones were once prohibitively expensive, the cost of getting a camera into the air has dropped dramatically – which means that nearly everyone can capture stunning drone shots!

If you decide to venture down this road, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed; aside from the amazing images you can produce, aerial shooting is just tremendous fun.

That said, creating top-notch drone photography is about more than flying a quality product and pressing the shutter button. Like all forms of image-making, it requires careful attention to light, composition, settings, and more. In this article, I share tips to improve your drone shots, and I also include lots of examples to get you inspired.

Let’s dive right in, starting with my number one tip:

1. Always be careful when flying

One of the big advertising features of most drones these days is their ease of operation. Manufacturers love to talk about their drones’ ability to fly straight out of the box, and it is very true. You can often just charge the battery, download the relevant smartphone app, fire up the drone, and get flying.

However, while it’s easy to get drone cameras off the ground, common sense and great care are a huge part of aerial flying. Otherwise, you risk damaging your drone, damaging the environment, and/or breaking the law, all of which can be devastating.

I suggest you start by adding some limitations to your drone’s operation; these are easily set up on your smartphone app. For instance, it’s a good idea to set a reasonable maximum height and distance. Make sure you also put serious time and effort into understanding your drone’s settings so that you understand each and every button and option before your drone takes off.

Additionally, when you’re flying a drone camera for the first time, start somewhere wide open, such as a local oval or park. Spend some time getting a feel of the controls before you think about pressing the shutter button; practice taking off and landing the drone, and make sure you can effectively turn and move the drone in the air.

Always be aware of your surroundings and the position of the drone in the sky; drone cameras usually have a wide-angle lens, so it’s easy to misjudge your proximity to objects such as trees and buildings, especially if you’re viewing the feed through a smartphone screen. If you’re not sure that you can successfully navigate a certain area, it’s best to stay away until you’ve built up your skills and confidence.

Photo courtesy of DJI.

2. Learn (and follow!) the rules and regulations

Most countries have rules regarding drone flight. Needless to say, it’s important that you carefully research all relevant regulations, then follow them carefully when out flying. Failure to do so will stop your drone photo hobby or career before it ever starts.

I can’t mention all the regulations here, but they often include:

• The drone must always be in Line of Sight (LOS), which basically means you should always be able to see the drone when you fly it
• A maximum height of 400 ft (133 m)
• Never fly over groups of people
• Respect others’ privacy
• Don’t fly anywhere near airports and other no-fly zones as specified in each country

Some countries also require drone pilot licenses, though the requirements here may change depending on whether you plan to use the drone as a hobbyist or a professional. Again, be sure that you educate yourself before getting your drone in the air!

One relevant story: A few months ago I was flying above my local railway station and looking for the perfect image at dusk. After happily flying for five minutes or so, I looked down to see two local policemen coming over to me. My first move was to gauge their reaction to drone flying; if there were any concerns, I would have brought the machine down immediately. Luckily, these two policemen were very interested in what I was doing. By showing them exactly what I was seeing, and by explaining the whole procedure and the care I was taking not to fly directly above any people, they left with a very positive attitude.

I think it’s very important to fly with this mindset. Authorities may confront you about your drone use, and you have to be prepared to pack up if needed. One other thing about flying in public places: You will need to be prepared to become the center of attention. In my experience, people are generally quite intrigued by what you doing!

3. Rely on your drone’s technology when possible

Drone photography is a complex endeavor. Not only do you have to fly the drone carefully, but you also have to capture great photos! Therefore, rely on your drone’s technology when you can (and plan ahead when you can’t).

Today, drones offer all sorts of cool features, many of which can dramatically improve your image-making. For instance:

• By connecting your smartphone to your handheld remote control unit, you can see exactly what the drone is viewing. This makes for perfect compositional adjustments, and I encourage you to take some time carefully framing up the shot so as to best capture your subject before firing the shutter.
• Drones can generally hover in one spot with incredible stability, almost like an aerial tripod. Once you’ve determined the proper composition, feel free to take your hands off the controls and evaluate the shot carefully on your monitor. You can also use this feature to capture panoramas and bracketed shots.
• Drone camera controls are extensive and generally include RAW capture, full manual control, and even time-lapse options. Learn what your drone can do, and take advantage of the various controls.
• Understand your battery limitations and be aware of any fail safes. Drone batteries can vary in flight time per charge, but 20-40 minutes is pretty common. This may seem scary – what if your drone dies in midair? – but drones can generally detect when the battery is getting low and will go into RTH (return-to-home) mode, which ensures the drone comes back to you! If for some reason the connection between the remote control and the machine is lost (which can happen when flying behind buildings or trees), the RTH function should be activated. You can also activate the RTH feature manually; for instance, if you lose sight of the drone, you can press the RTH button and your drone will happily return to you.

4. Think about light and weather

When you first start doing drone photography, you may take hundreds of photos, load up your images on the computer, and marvel at the amazing scenes you’ve captured. In my first few weeks of flying, everything I took was thrilling. However, it’s important to realize that, while the world looks cool from above, not every shot is a truly great image.

Remember: Aerial photography is no different from other forms of image-making. The photographic fundamentals – light, composition, and settings – still matter, and it’s important that you do your best to consider each of these elements as you capture photos. In particular, I’d encourage you to pay careful attention to lighting, which will dramatically alter the landscapes you encounter.

First of all, rather than just heading out randomly, aim to shoot when the light is most flattering: during golden hour and blue hour. If you’re after more subdued photos, working on cloudy days can be helpful, whereas you can achieve high-contrast landscapes (which can look great in black and white) by shooting around midday under bright sun.

Additionally, pay attention to the weather conditions and what they might offer. Fog can look amazing in drone shots, and a mix of clouds and sun at sunrise and sunset can also provide lots of potential. Make sure you also check the wind forecasts; drones are not easily handled in high winds, so I’d encourage you to shoot in calm weather whenever possible.

5. Aim to maximize image quality

Drone cameras are generally inferior to the quality you can get with a ground-level full-frame model, but the images you can capture are surprisingly good. While the drone I’m using only offers 12 MP of resolution, I’ve managed to print up to A3 size (roughly 12×16 in), and you’d be hard-pressed to tell they were taken with a 12 MP camera.

But because drone cameras don’t contain top-level sensors, it’s important to take steps to maximize image quality. First, make sure your camera is set to RAW as opposed to JPEG; this will give you a lot more flexibility when editing, and it can ensure that you maintain detail in both the highlights and the shadows even when photographing high dynamic range scenes.

Second, set your shutter speed and ISO carefully. Boosting the shutter speed will lead to sharper shots (up to a point), but you also need to keep your ISO as low as possible to avoid noise. Therefore, it’s essential to strike a careful balance between these two settings.

I should also mention that most drones these days shoot high-quality video, which produces stunning aerial footage. So while drone photography is great, don’t neglect the video side of things!

6. Look for patterns and rhythms in the landscape

Aerial views are often rather stunning on their own, but you can take your images to the next level by seeking out and carefully capturing shots of patterns and rhythms. Some patterns are obvious – such as those created by rows of wheat and farm fields – but others are more organic and can require a good eye and some patience.

A little advice:

First, don’t be afraid to simply fly back and forth over a landscape as you look for different patterns. The world looks very different from above, and you may be surprised by what you find.

Second, it can be a great idea to identify the area you plan to photograph in advance, then spend some time perusing the overhead view in Google Maps or Google Earth. These programs, while not always up to date, can make it very easy to determine potential compositions – and that way, you can maximize the use you get from your drone’s limited battery life (and from the often fleeting light).

Drone photography tips: final words

I’ve been doing landscape photography for a number of years, and I love aerial imaging. It’s a great way to give your portfolio an extra edge, and it’s a ton of fun, too.

So if you don’t already own a drone, I encourage you to go out and grab one. And if you do, wait for the light, find a good location, and enjoy some photography!

Now over to you:

Have you tried drone photography? Do you have any tips of your own? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Drone Photography: Tips for Stunning Aerial Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Andrew Thomas.

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[Photography] 10 Tips for Beautiful Black and White Headshots

The post 10 Tips for Beautiful Black and White Headshots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

Have you tried B&W headshots? Is it something you aspire to? What tips below do you think you could add to your ‘bag of tools’ when it comes to your photography?

Black and white has long been a popular way to capture headshots with impact and visual interest. The lack of color helps to emphasize the subject while discarding information that isn’t relevant. 

And in this article, I’m going to share 10 black and white headshot tips to help you get the best results.

Let’s get started.

Headshots vs. portraits

A headshot is always a portrait, but a portrait (including a closely cropped portrait) is not always a headshot. Remember, headshots (no matter the type) come with a specific goal.

If you’re new to portrait photography, it might help to clear up what a headshot actually is before you try to create one.

Portraits: In general terms, a portrait photograph is a representation of a person. Portrait photography is a broad genre that encompasses nearly every subgenre that involves photographing people. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking studio portraits, street candids, or fashion photography. If it has a person in the frame, it’s probably a portrait.

Headshots: Headshots are a subgenre of portrait photography. The difference is that headshots serve a very specific purpose. Whether it’s actors’ headshots or corporate headshots, the purpose is to sell something. That something could be an actor’s ability to fit a role’s physical requirements, or it could be your business professionalism.

Headshots are limited to close-up images of the subject’s head. They can also include head and shoulders as well as half-length shots. Before capturing a headshot, it’s important you understand where and how the photo will be used so you can get the right shot for the right purpose.

Tips for black and white headshots

Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro | 50mm | 1/80s | f/5.6 | ISO 100

There are no hard and fast rules for creating headshots. However, following these tips will hopefully help!

And as always with photography, remember: There is no one way to do anything.

In other words, nothing listed here is a rule of any sort. If a tip fails to help you get the results you want or need, then discard or revamp it.  

1. Remember that a headshot is different from a portrait

Yes, we’ve already discussed this – but when you’re in the middle of a session, it’s easy to get caught up and start changing your approach. This may not be a problem in a normal portrait session, but with headshots, you need to make sure you’re focused on the specific end result. If you change tack and the results aren’t showing your subject in the desired manner, you’ll have wasted time and effort on images that are unsuitable for the subject’s uses.

One way to help keep you on track is to ask your subject to share the purpose of their headshot. Allow them to be as specific and detailed as possible. Once you have an answer to that question, you should find it much easier to stay on track. 

If you are photographing an actor with representation, ask them for their agency’s headshot guidelines (or ask the agency yourself). This will give you a strict set of limitations and help to ensure you get the required result. 

2. Getting it right in-camera is just as important as ever

By shooting with black and white in mind and getting it right in-camera, you can help make the conversion process much easier.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro | 50mm | 1/125s | f/5.6 | ISO 100

Depending on where your headshots are going to wind up, you might find that you can’t do any edits beyond basic retouching. You should be allowed a black and white conversion and some basic blemish removal, but much more than that might not be acceptable. 

Therefore, do whatever you can to get your images right in the camera. Light your images well with good exposure and good contrast. Learn your lighting patterns and use a meter if you have to. 

Get this step right, and you might find that you have little more editing to do beyond the actual black and white conversion.

3. Start in color

It might be tempting to set your camera to a black and white mode at the point of shooting. You can do this – but if you shoot JPEGs, I would advise against it.

By choosing this route, you will be discarding a huge amount of color information at the very beginning. For the best conversions, you’ll want to later manipulate your color information to get the very best black and white results.

(However, note that RAW shooters can use a black and white mode while still retaining color information.) 

4. Avoid shooting to crop

By cropping down to a head-and-shoulders composition, you discard most of the information in the frame. Instead, try to get your compositions right at the shooting stage.

This might be controversial, but I’ll stand by it. When you are creating black and white headshots, try to get your composition as close as possible to how you want it to end up.

Doing this will ensure that your images are as big as possible and have as much detail as possible when you pass them on to your client. If you shoot before cropping out significant parts of your image, you will lose out on a large chunk of resolution.

5. Control contrast with light, not post-production

Using a medium-sized octabox up close allows for extremely soft light, thus controlling the contrast. Also, at camera right, you see a background light that reduces the overall contrast in the image.

This point goes back to getting it right in-camera, but specifically for lighting.

One of the quickest ways to ruin a portrait is to add a lot of unnatural contrast in the post-production phase.

Avoid this by setting up your lights to get the contrast you want from the very start. 

You can do this through modifier selection and lighting ratios. 

6. Use fill to control your contrast

Left: Without fill. Right: With fill. Here you can see how a fill light might help you lift the shadows and control the contrast in your images.

If you want to decrease contrast, make sure to do it in-camera.

You can do this with fill light. Whether you work with a dedicated second light source or a reflector, introducing fill into your images is a great way to control exactly how your black and white headshots turn out.

7. Think in values rather than color

In this image, you can see four distinct areas of value: The highlights of the skin, the midtones of the sweater, and two shadow areas for the hair and the background. Being able to see these at the time of shooting will help you design your black and white headshots better.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro | 50mm | 1/160 sec | f/4 | ISO 100

Because you are starting in color, it can help to think of things in terms of values.

At its most basic, value simply describes where colors fall on a spectrum between pure white and pure black.

Now, once converted to black and white, almost everything in your images will appear as a shade of gray. If you can visualize how the colors you see with your eyes will be represented in a black and white conversion, you will be better able to design your lighting before your subject even arrives. 

How do you learn to do this?

Practice. A lot of it.

Get out there and photograph anything and everything you can, then convert to black and white so you can build this skill.

Remember, different conversion techniques affect color and value in different ways, so be sure to practice with as many conversion methods as possible. 

8. Minimize details in the frame

Because we are talking about headshots, you’ll need to remember that the entire point of the photograph is the person. Any extra details will only serve to detract from your subject.

So do what you can to minimize the impact of the background, the subject’s clothing, and other elements in the photo.

For backgrounds, you can focus your efforts on finding the cleanest, most non-distracting backdrop. For clothing, ask your subjects to dress without distracting elements that would take the focus off of them. Patterns can be fine, but it might be best if you avoided particularly bold choices like leopard-print and zebra-stripe tops.

9. Focus on form

When you are lighting your subject, take the time to ensure that you’re using the light to shape their features in the best way possible.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro | 50mm | 1/100s | f/9 | ISO 100

This goes back to basic lighting skills.

You need to shape your subject’s face in a flattering way that also helps it stand out in the frame.

You are trying to minimize other details, so it is the subject’s features you must focus on. Make as much use of them as you can. 

10. Eyes and expressions are more important than ever

With headshots, expressions and eye contact are more important than ever. Do what you can to develop a rapport with your subjects.

As the goal of a headshot is to make your subject look as good as possible, and as you have already reduced the impact of distracting elements, your subject’s eyes and expression become more important than ever. 

Lighting for the eyes will keep them bright and prominent in the frame. Doing this also means you won’t have to spend time processing the eyes, which might work well for your client’s requirements. 

Also, to get the best expressions, ensure that your subject is comfortable and that you have a good rapport with them.

Black and white headshots: (not) the end

On their own, headshot photography and black and white photography are broad topics that are truly impossible to distill into a short list of tips. However, I do hope that these ten tips for black and white headshots will help you get started on your journey.

As always, none of these tips are rules, just guidance. If you feel that something I said doesn’t suit you or your photography, that’s perfectly fine.

Now over to you:

Which of these black and white headshot tips did you like the most? Do you have any tips for black and white headshot photography? Share your thoughts (and photos) in the comments below!

Should I shoot headshots in black and white mode?

If you’re shooting in JPEG, no. But if you’re shooting in RAW, you can decide whether to shoot in black and white or color (you won’t lose any image information in either mode).

Is black and white a good option for headshots?

Yes. Black and white allows you to strip down the information in the photo to its key elements (in this case, the person whose headshot it is).

What kind of light should I use for headshots?

Any soft light that flatters your subject is a good choice.

How should I do black and white conversions for my headshot photography?

Use whatever method suits you and your workflow best. Photoshop and Lightroom both offer great options for black and white conversions.

Updated 2025!

The post 10 Tips for Beautiful Black and White Headshots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

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