Friday 27th March was Brain Tumour Research’s “Wear A Hat Day”, a nationwide charity event raising funds and awareness for Brain Tumour Research. It’s a charity that means a lot to me, and I’d been wanting to do something to support the cause for a long time.

What I came up with was Headshots & Hatshots - my first-ever charity photography event, held in Leamington Spa. As a headshot photographer, I’ve always felt that portraits would fit particularly well with the Wear A Hat Day theme. So that was the idea: a professional headshot in return for a donation to the charity, and an optional, hat-themed portrait to tie in with Wear A Hat Day, hopefully adding a bit of fun to the end of each session.

This post is a look behind the scenes: how the event came together, what the day was like, and some of my favourite images from the sessions.

Does the idea of a headshot session fill you with dread? You’re not alone - I’d estimate about 80% of clients tell me they hate having their photo taken the moment they get in front of my camera. So what’s going on, and what can we do about it?

When I’m working as a headshot photographer, my aim is always to create portraits that not only bring out a client’s best side, but also suit their business or career plans perfectly. I recently updated the photograph of myself I use for the About Me section on my homepage. Going through this process myself highlighted how some of the aspects of having a portrait taken might not be obvious if it isn’t something you do regularly. With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of questions that somebody looking for a headshot (or maybe a business portrait) might ask…