I met April at the Pink Petro launch party in May. As part of the event, I provided headshots for all members and guests attending. It was a whirlwind – folks lined up outside the door to get a headshot! Mayor Anise Parker was in that line too. After the event, April decided to come in...
You might remember the Pink Petro launch party where I took headshots of attendees. One of those attendees (a Shell employee) contacted me about taking headshots for the Shell Women’s Event the following week. Of course! I arrived at the United Way building for the event. I set up background and lights and the women...
Ashley contacted me about a corporate shoot for Lead Construction (http://leadconstructionllc.com). Great! More updates to websites, LinkedIn, marketing material, etc. I brought lighting equipment and backdrop to their office in Tomball. We did some headshots and thankfully it stopped raining long enough to take some shots outside – headshots and a couple of group shots....
Katie Mehnert. CEO and Founder of Pink Petro. We went to high school together. We’re friends on Facebook so I keep up with her life. She left her corporate job and after some time and a conversation with a stranger on a plane, decided to start Pink Petro. Within 6 weeks, with the help of...
Taylor contacted me and said he needed a headshot for his company. “Just something quick,” he said. I told him that we could definitely do that. So we took the standard white background and studio lights shot for his company, complete with jacket and tie. Then I said, let’s try something. We then used natural...
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If headshot lighting feels confusing, I put together a guide with 3 simple setups that will get you consistent results—link in bio.
If your headshots feel a little “off”… it’s usually not your camera—it’s your lighting.
Here are 5 mistakes I see all the time:
1️⃣ Lighting from below
Creates unflattering shadows. Keep your light slightly above eye level.
2️⃣ Too much (or too harsh) light
Softer, controlled light will always look more professional.
3️⃣ No direction to your light
Flat lighting = flat images. You need some angle to create depth.
4️⃣ Mixing multiple light sources
This is how you end up with weird color and inconsistent tones.
5️⃣ Ignoring catchlights
Small detail, big impact—this is what brings life to your subject’s eyes.
Lighting doesn’t need to be complicated… it just needs to be intentional.
Curious—what’s been the hardest part about lighting for you?
I put together a Guide to Photography Gear for those of you who need some help deciding what is actually worth investing in (and what`s not). The link is in my bio!
Lighting is one of those things that feels complicated when you’re starting out… but it doesn’t have to be.
At the end of the day—light is light.
You don’t need the most expensive setup to get good results. What matters more is having something reliable that you understand how to use.
Especially if you’re shooting outside… the last thing you want is a $2,000 light going down in the wind.
Start simple.
Focus on gear you can trust.
And build from there.
Curious—what lighting setup are you using right now?
My Photographer Gear Guide is linked in my bio if you want the full breakdown of what’s actually worth investing in (and what’s not).
If I was starting photography all over again, I wouldn’t buy everything.
I’d buy intentionally.
It’s easy to feel like you need all the gear to be “legit”… but most of the time, it just leads to spending money on things you don’t fully understand yet.
A solid camera, a really strong lens, and a reliable lighting setup will take you a lot further than a full bag of random equipment.
The goal isn’t to have more—it’s to have what you actually know how to use.
Start simple. Learn your gear. Build from there.
🤔 Curious—what was the first piece of gear you invested in?
My Photographer Gear Guide is linked in my bio if you’re trying to figure out what’s actually worth investing in when you’re first starting out.
Because the truth is—you don’t need everything right away.
When you’re new, it’s easy to feel like you need all the gear… but really, it comes down to a few key pieces.
A solid camera body and a really good lens will take you further than a full bag of equipment you don’t know how to use yet.
If you’re deciding where to spend your money, start there.
A 24–70mm or 70–200mm lens will cover more than you think—and give you the flexibility to shoot a wide range of sessions without overcomplicating things.
Curious—what was the first piece of gear you invested in?
One of my favorite things about this session 👇🏻
Every single person showed up in outfits that coordinated with their brand colors—without overdoing it.
Nothing felt forced. Nothing felt too “on brand.” It just worked.
And that’s the difference.
When you’re in a business like coaching, your brand isn’t separate from you… it IS you.
So the way you show up—your colors, your styling, your overall presence—matters more than you think.
When everything feels aligned, the end result is naturally more polished, more cohesive, and honestly… just better.
Not because it’s perfect—but because it feels intentional.
If you’re planning a branding session, start with clarity first—
🌟 What do you want your brand to feel like?
🌟 How do you want to show up?
That’s exactly why I created my Brand Personality Workbook—to help you define that before you ever step in front of the camera.
📥 Grab it through the link in my bio. And while you’re there, go ahead and schedule a FREE consultation with me for a branding session!
‼️ No clients (or videographers) were harmed in the making of this video 🤣
(For the record—this is very much a joke.)
But if you are a photographer, you know the real challenge isn’t getting someone in front of the camera… it’s knowing how to guide them once they’re there.
Small adjustments = big difference in how confident and natural someone looks.
And having a go-to posing flow makes everything feel easier—for you and your client. (so you don`t resort to violence 😉)
➡️ I put together a Headshot Posing Flow Cheat Sheet to help with exactly that—link in bio.
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Serving the Greater Houston, Texas Area
tara@taraflannery.com
713-412-5437
