Writing craft is the core of an author’s skill set. And yet, once published, an author has so many other things to juggle. There’s all the mechanics of revisions and edits, the need to promote and market, and manage social media. Heck, getting out there and meeting readers, new and established, is high on the list too.
When I’m doing any sort of guest post or interview, planning to attend a con or otherwise get out there, I want to help my readers find me. That means they probably want to know what I look like. Names on badges helps for cons, but at a book signing event or similar situation, a reader might not know they’ve bumped into me at all.
Thus, the author photo.
In fact, I’m preparing for a photoshoot with the talented and awesome J.R. Blackwell tomorrow. She’s a great photographer as well as a fellow author, so she knows what I need when it comes to photos for an author media kit. And after having discussed with her about our plans for the shoot, I thought it might be handy to share some of the considerations I keep in mind when preparing for one of these.
PJ Tips to Prepare for the Shoot:
- Professional polish is key. Go with a professional photographer if at all possible. Shop around, get recommendations and find a photographer who understands your needs and how much writers (don’t always) make. It’s okay to interview before you make a choice.
- Prepare weeks in advance by being healthy. No drop diets, no stressful beauty makeovers. Just drink lots of water, maybe start eating a bit healthier leading up to the shoot and get plenty of rest. No amount of makeup can take the place of a healthy you.
- Try on all your outfits a week in advance. Try everything on to be sure it fits exactly the way you want it to and if it doesn’t, you have time to rectify the situation.
- Plan to wear make up. Even if you don’t usually wear make up, realize that a camera lens does not see the same detail as the human eye and a camera flash can wash out your face. That said, don’t over do it – minimal, natural make up is best.
- Stop off at your hair dresser the week before and get a fresh trim. Your hair should look healthy and fall nicely – and if you feel good about your hair, you’re likely to be more relaxed in your pictures.
- Do your nails. A nice, clean French manicure goes with every outfit and will look super nice if your hands end up in the photo.
PJ Tips for the Big Day:
- Relax. If you’re nervous, let the photographer know and they should be able to help you. Otherwise, look around you, deep breaths, think happy thoughts.
- It’s okay to smile. No fake smiles though. Real you smiles. Be you. If you isn’t happy shiny smiley, then it’s also okay not to smile.
- Keep your hands Down. Don’t touch your face at all. Hands distract from your face and it’s too easy to cover without realizing how much of your face you’re hiding. If you want to rest your chin on your hands, don’t actually rest it – hover so it looks like it without squishing your chin.
- Posture is key. Every couple of pics, roll your shoulders and sit up straight. Lift your rib cage and suck your belly in just a bit. It will make you hold your head higher, lengthen your neck and get the kinks out.
And a note here: your photos should look like you so your readers can recognize you. But they should also reflect your author brand. I write romance. Some of it is sweet, some has an edgier sci-fi or paranormal theme to it. All of it is saucy. I also write steampunk, which has a completely different clothing aesthetic and wow but wait till you see the photos we’ll have for that. I have photos for each of these depending on the con, event or blog it will be posted for.
PJ confessions:
- I make funny faces in between poses. I squish up my face or puff out my cheeks and I cross my eyes. Anything to make the stiff, ahmahgawd I’ve been smiling till I ache feeling go away.
- I’m really clumsy. Sometimes I pose and immediately fall off whatever I was sitting or standing on.
- The PJ mommy asked me to model in high school for fear I was becoming too much of a tomboy with all the sports. Thus, I have a modeling background to draw from when I take my author media photos. It didn’t come naturally for me, folks.
PJ, can I add that authors should think carefully about their pose, and the image they project? You talked about it but it’s worth repeating. Your photo should not look like it’s from your senior prom, or you just weeded the garden. And, yes, I have received both from authors as part of their media kit. Additionally, a photo on the author website and/or Blog is good. It makes the author more real to the reader.
Thanks for the post PJ!
Thank you for the added thoughts, Bea.
Thanks for the advice here. I agree investing in author photos of yourself is a great idea. As Bea said, it’s an easy way to help readers connect to an author.
I’m glad you agree, Marianne. Thanks for stopping by!
Hey PJ,
To be honest you’d be surprised at the number of authors who hate thier professional shot. Another thing that I would add to this is perhaps get someone with a digi cam to take photo’s of you in your various outfits from differing angles before you go for your photo shoot. Its a great way to check that it all looks good on film, a solid way to also check your make up and of course, most importantly, check which angles work for you.
That way if you’re paying for a session you know that you’ll have the maximum amount of shots to choose from and thus don’t run the risk of it all being for naught.
Awesome suggestion, Gareth.
My goal with this post was to help authors (or anyone) go into a photoshoot and come out with photos they actually like.
What more to say? Some good advice for those wanting to project an image – and that’s all I can think of to add – dressing up for your genre could potentially be taken too far and be interpreted by readers as gimmicky. Keeping it professional is probably a good idea to give your writing credibility (BTW, I’m not saying the shots of you here do that). An interesting post.
Keeping it professional is always good advice, T. Thanks for stopping by.
Your author photos are always excellent, but you’re clearly very photogenic. It’s something I need to do myself at some point, although I don’t think the same word can be applied to me.
Thanks, Steve. I’ve had the opportunity to work with awesome photographers. And I think you should take note of JR’s comment as well.
Find the right photographer, the one who sees how incredible you are, and your photos should reflect the awesome you.
P.J., this is a great post. I think that many authors would benefit from having good author photos of themselves. I’m not saying everyone needs a million of them in a hundred different styles, but for many authors, it would be helpful to have something that would help their readers recognize and connect with them. It’s amazing how a photo can help a reader to connect. Writers who use social media often can benefit even more from a good photo.
A good photographer, a pro who is on their game, should be able to make you look like your fabulous, authentic self regardless of how you usually look in photographs. If they can’t make you look amazing, then it’s their fault, not yours. People who make up worlds in their minds and put in the work to share those stories with the world are always fabulous. If a photographer can’t capture that then it’s the fault of the photographer, not the writer.
*glomp* This, so much this. Thank you!
You always look amazing in your photos! Too bad we don’t live closer or I’d just let you take my picture. I’m incredibly camera shy, but one day will have to brave it. For now, Monster took the photo on my blog and Misty touched up the color. I think the big thing is to remain yourself and do something you are comfortable with.
I’d love to take your photos for you.
And the right photographer will work with you to help you relax and get comfortable so the real you shines through.
Can I just say that the corset shot of you above is *AMAZING*? Totally drool-worthy. (Said in a non-stalkery, non-creepy kind of way)
The advice is good, too, although men will have to make some adjustments in their way of approaching the pictures. For instance, unless you want the unshaven look, men should shave for a couple days before the shoot (to get the skin used to the razor), and then on the day of the shoot (to have everything as neat as possible). That would even go for bearded gents such as myself who need to trim some of the wild edges of our beards.
Doc
Thank you, Doc.
And thank you for the excellent note for men. Personally, I very much appreciate a well-groomed gentleman.
Excellent post, PJ. You always look so amaxzing in your shots!
Great advice. Might I also suggest if you’re camera-shy, fashion-fatigued, and have spent too many years pounding away at the keyboard to have a clue what you look like now, that you drag a great savy friend along as a consultant.
This is a great suggestion, but I would always check with the photographer first. They should be fine with it, really. However, if the photographer plans to go to multiple locations then they’ll need to plan for an extra person aside from you in terms of transportation. Everybody plus camera equipment and outfits must fit in one car, for example.