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Associate field guide

Headshot style guide

For Orange Photography associates shooting headshots and headshot activations. Setup, camera settings, coaching, tether shooting, and our Capture One + Headshot Tools setup for emailing headshots to subjects onsite.

Professional corporate headshot example

Each headshot shoot may have different creative expectations, but most are simple to execute. Your demeanor and professionalism are what make the project successful.

The current project brief, client examples, and producer direction take precedence over anything on this page.

Required for every headshot session

  • Be set up 15 minutes before the first subject arrives.
  • Use a long lens: 100mm minimum, ideally a 70–200mm.
  • Shoot every subject from both sides of the face, at eye level.
  • Ask permission before you touch anyone.
  • Don’t promise retouching or delivery turnaround onsite.
  • Emailing headshots onsite? Use Capture One + Headshot Tools and run every setup step for each job.

01 · Before the session

Arrive early and come prepared

Arrive early

We typically build one hour of setup into the appointment’s start time delay, but we recommend being set up 15 minutes before the first subject arrives. Arriving early means less stress for you and our client.

Route questions to the producer

Don’t promise anything onsite about retouching or delivery turnaround. If you don’t know the specs, say: “I’ll check with the producer on the shoot and they’ll pass those details to your company contact.”

Pack the right kit

A long lens (ideally a 70–200mm), an apple box for very tall subjects, and for tethered sessions, gaffer tape and a mouse for the laptop.

02 · Camera settings and the look

Default settings when the brief is silent

Use these defaults unless the client has requested a shallow depth of field, which you can tell from the examples we send.

Item Default recommendation
Lens 100mm minimum; 70–200mm ideal
Shutter 1/125 or 1/160 sec
Aperture f/8–f/16
ISO 100–400
Camera height Eye level; use an apple box for very tall subjects

Headshot examples

0 min
Set up before the first subject arrives
0 mm
Minimum focal length; 70–200mm ideal
0–12
Photos per subject, from both sides
0 px
Long edge for Headshot Tools exports

03 · On-set coaching

Once the lights are set, it’s about the person

  • The headshot is more about coaching the subject than the lighting. Guide them through poses and make it a fun, relaxed experience. Have a few jokes or stories ready to keep the energy up through the whole shoot.
  • Shoot everyone from both sides of their face, in a variety of appropriate poses.
  • Shoot at eye level. Bring an apple box for very tall subjects so you’re never too high or too low.
  • Be vigilant about anything out of place: hair caught on shoulders, visible straps, a necklace askew, a suit buttoned incorrectly, a crooked tie, or an untucked shirt.
  • Ask if you can “adjust” someone’s hair. “Fixing” implies a problem; “adjusting” sounds fine.
  • Always ask permission before you touch anyone.
  • Watch for glare on glasses throughout the session.
  • Adjust the subject’s angle or the light position to remove reflections.

04 · Tether shooting and email sharing

Keep the line moving and the connection solid

Which software you tether into depends on whether subjects receive their photos onsite.

No onsite sharing
Lightroom is fine
When subjects only review or select their favorites onsite, tether into Lightroom (or Capture One) as you normally would.
Emailing headshots onsite
Capture One + Headshot Tools
When subjects receive their headshots by email at the session, you must use Capture One with Headshot Tools. Setup steps in section 05 →

Tape it down

Gaffer-tape the cable at the camera and near the laptop port so sudden movements don’t break the connection or damage either port. Bring a mouse for the laptop; it makes everything smoother.

Manage the line

Before scheduled breaks, tell guests who the last person is for that session. Communicate this at least 15–20 minutes before the break.

Personal email works best

Have the assistant recommend personal email addresses; corporate firewalls sometimes block attached images. If someone didn’t receive their photos, ask them to check their spam folder.

8–12 shots, pre-selected

Take about 8–12 photos of each subject from both angles. The assistant selects the good shots as they come in, so the subject only needs to give their email address.

05 · Onsite email sharing: Capture One + Headshot Tools

Required when headshots are emailed onsite

Step 1 · Create a new session

  • Open Capture One, close any open windows, then choose File → New Session. Only sessions work with Headshot Tools (not catalogs).
  • Name the session anything you like; matching the job name in Headshot Tools helps.
  • Note the session “Location.” You’ll need it later for uploading.

  • Open the Tether tab and expand Next Capture Naming. Click the “…” button and clear everything from the Format box.
  • Add the tokens shown in the naming card, in that exact order: Clipboard Contents must come first. Click OK.
  • Expand Next Capture Adjustments and set the “Other” drop-down to Defaults.

  • Open the Export tab. If it’s missing, click the three-dot icon at the right of the main menu → Add Tool Tab → Export.
  • Expand Export Recipes and uncheck every recipe, scrolling the full list to be sure.
  • Click + → New Recipe, name it “Headshot Tools,” and press Enter.
  • Fill in Export Location, Export Naming, and Export Format & Size exactly as shown in the settings table.

Once you’re set up, follow the “Setting Up A Test Job” video in the Headshot Tools Capture One setup help to confirm Capture One and Headshot Tools are working together before the first subject.
Next Capture Naming · Format

1. Clipboard Contents 2. 4 Digit Counter

Only see “1 Digit Counter”? It’s a drop-down. Click the arrow beside it to switch to 4 Digit Counter.
Export recipe setting Value
Folder Session Default (Output)
Subfolder Headshot Tools (created on first export)
Existing files Overwrite (if your version has it)
Naming format Image Name
Format JPEG
Quality 80
ICC profile sRGB (e.g., sRGB Color Space Profile or sRGB IEC61966-2.1)
Resolution 300 px/in
Scale Long Edge, 2048 px

Troubleshooting

Capture One creates it when you export your first image. Export one image and check again. If it’s still missing, confirm you created a Session, not a Catalog.

More than one export recipe is checked. Open Export Recipes and scroll the entire list; extra checked boxes are often just out of view. Only the “Headshot Tools” recipe should be checked.

You’re likely uploading from the Capture folder. In the Auto Upload Utility, select Output/Headshot Tools/, where your exported images are saved.

Turn off Universal Clipboard / Handoff on your Mac. Another device sharing your clipboard can overwrite it mid-session and break file naming.

Check your cable is taped down at both ends (section 04), then see the tethering best practices in the Headshot Tools help pages. For anything else, contact your producer or Headshot Tools support at Support@HeadshotTools.com.

06 · Headshot session checklist

Before the first subject

  • Set up 15 minutes early, shooting at eye level with a 70–200mm.
  • Camera at 1/125–1/160, f/8–f/16, ISO 100–400 (unless examples call for shallow depth of field).
  • Cables gaffer-taped at the camera and laptop; mouse connected.
  • Tethering for selection only? Lightroom is fine. The items below apply only when emailing headshots onsite.
  • Email sharing: new Capture One session created, with its location noted.
  • Email sharing: Next Capture Naming set to Clipboard Contents + 4 Digit Counter; adjustments set to Defaults.
  • Email sharing: only the “Headshot Tools” export recipe checked, with JPEG 80, sRGB, 300 px/in, 2048 px long edge.
  • Email sharing: Universal Clipboard / Handoff turned off.
  • Email sharing: test job run through Headshot Tools, uploading from Output/Headshot Tools/.