Headshots, stories, and a very well-travelled mouse
I love headshot sessions. Properly love them. Not because they’re straightforward (they rarely are when you want them to feel real), but because they feel like the purest form of portraiture. It’s just me, a camera, some good light, and a couple of hours to chat, laugh, and get to know the person in front of me. And that’s when the best portraits happen, when someone stops thinking about “having their photo taken” and starts being themselves.
So when author James Hywel came to the studio for a headshot session, I knew it was going to be a good one. James arrived with ideas, a clear sense of what he needed the photographs to do, and a bag of props to match. And yes, he also brought Albert Mouse. Albert, for the record, is not a real mouse. He’s a cuddly toy, and the star of James’s series of children’s books, ‘Albert Mouse, The Mouse Who Wanted To See The World’. Which immediately made the session more fun, and also more useful.
Because that’s the thing about professional headshots – they’re not just “a nice picture”. They’re a tool. If you’re an author, speaker, business owner, or anyone who needs to be visible, your portrait is often the first handshake you give someone. It sits on websites, book jackets, press pages, event listings, LinkedIn profiles, and social media. And if it’s out of date, awkward, or just not really you, it quietly works against you.
James understood that. He didn’t want one safe headshot and hope for the best. He wanted a set of professional headshots with options – confident, approachable, thoughtful, friendly. That way he can choose the right image for the right place.
The session itself was relaxed. We worked through different looks and backgrounds, adjusted the lighting, and kept the conversation flowing. That’s always my aim. If you feel comfortable, it shows. Your expression softens, your posture settles, and suddenly the portrait has life in it. Most people arrive saying they’re “not photogenic” or they “hate having their picture taken”. Nearly always, what they really mean is they’ve never had a photographer guide them properly and make it easy. You don’t need to know how to pose. That’s my job.
One of my favourite moments was seeing how quickly the headshot images started being used. That’s a lovely thing to see as a photographer, because it’s proof the pictures are doing what they’re meant to do – representing the person well, and making their work look professional and trustworthy.
Professional headshots don’t have to be stressful. They can be calm, enjoyable, and even a bit of a laugh. And you’ll leave with a small collection of portraits you can actually use, not just one image you tolerate.
If you’re due an update – for work, a new project, a business refresh, or simply because you’d like a portrait that feels like you – we’d love to help.
