Come As You Are: Why Comfort Makes the Best Headshot

You know you need a headshot.
LinkedIn’s giving you side-eye.
Your website still features a photo from a wedding, a cropped group shot, or—I shudder to think—a selfie.

And yet, the idea of standing in front of a camera makes your shoulders creep toward your ears.

You’re not vain.
You’re not trying to be a model.
You just want a photo that looks like you—on a good day, in good light, with your dignity intact.

I get it. Completely.

I’ve photographed loads of people who start our shoot by saying, “I hate having my picture taken.”
They’re builders, designers, consultants, founders, parents, humans with real lives and real nerves.
And almost without fail, the moment things click is not about lighting or lenses.

It’s about comfort.

Take a look at these photos, the difference is unmistakable.
Same person. Same backdrop. Same lighting.
In one image, he’s polite, composed, but it’s not him.
In the other, he decided to put on his favorite hat—and suddenly his smile blooms. His eyes soften. He looks present.  He looks like the person his friends know.  

Relaxed.

That hat isn’t an accessory.
It’s armor. Familiarity. Permission to be himself.

When you wear something that fits—physically and emotionally—you stop performing.
You stop wondering what to do with your hands.
You stop thinking about your face.

And that’s when the real work begins.

Honest.

A good headshot session isn’t about forcing confidence, it’s about creating a space where you can be yourself. 

My job is to notice what puts you at ease, to guide without pushing, to create a space where you don’t have to pretend. I’m very good at this. Not because I have the right camera or strobes, but because I’m paying attention—to posture, micro-expressions, breath, and that fleeting moment when you forget there’s a camera at all.

That’s the photograph your future collaborators are responding to.
That’s the YOU that clients trust.

If you’ve been putting this off because you’re nervous, awkward, or convinced you’re “bad at photos,” I hear you. You’re not the problem. You just haven’t been photographed well yet.

Curious?

If you want to talk—no pressure, no hard sell—send me a message. I’d love to help you show up as yourself, comfortably and confidently.