Workflows For High Volume vs. Individual Session Headshots

Posted by: on Mar 24, 2023

Workflows For High Volume vs. Individual Session Headshots

The specifics of your headshot booking will put different requirements on your workflow. If your client is booking an individual session, your workflow will be different from a high-volume headshot scenario with a corporate client or at an event.  

Yaneck Wasio’s Gear List

Individual Headshot Sessions 

Shooting individual headshot sessions in the studio allows much more management over your lighting and time. To control the direction of the lighting and see results immediately, Yaneck always uses the three Flex Cine 1’ x 2’ Daylight Kits, White 5’ x 7’ X-Drop Kit, FJ400, FJ-X2m Trigger and Canon EOS R6 and Canon RF 85mm f1.2L with a Tether Tools TetherPro Cable. His individual headshot sessions do not exceed an hour and a half by following a very precise workflow from the time the client books online to the moment the client receives the final images. His workflow includes scheduling the session with the client, tethering the images so the client can select the photos they want retouched, retouching the photos, and then providing the final images to the client. By allowing the client to preview and select photographs immediately, Yaneck is able to provide a professional workflow environment where the client and photographer benefit. This ultimately provides a better experience for the client and cuts down on post-production work for the photographer. 

To be time efficient, Yaneck prepares the studio prior to the client’s arrival and always uses a triangle set-up with the Flex Cine Kit and two FJ400 strobes directed at the backdrop to light behind the subject. He utilizes three Flex Cine 1’ x 2’ LED mats, placing the main light at an angle above the subject, the second positioned vertically in relation to the subject, and the third horizontally on the bottom, creating an offset triangle lighting set up. 

High-Volume Sessions 

When it comes to understanding high-volume headshot photography, Yaneck explains that it is not based on the number of people that are being photographed, instead based on how many people you’re photographing per hour. For instance, if you shoot 100 subjects in three, eight-hour days, this would be considered lower volume engagement. If you instead photograph 60 people within two hours, this is very high-volume engagement. Defining high-volume headshots comes down to how many people you capture per hour, or in other terms, how many minutes you have to photograph each person. A general rule is five minutes or less per person is considered high volume. 

Photographing multiple people in a short time frame is typically meant for business events and conferences. In situations like this, you’ll need to make sure that you are extremely efficient and delicate with lighting, posing, and processing to funnel through subjects quickly. Yaneck adjusts his workflow for large group sessions to make sure that his time is appropriately managed. Immediately after shooting the images, he creates small or medium-size RAW files of the photographs to ensure the transfer of files is fast. Yaneck then captures between 6-10 photos per person and exports them to a tablet so each client can send the photos they choose to their email on the spot. 

Learn more from Tether Tools Top Pro Yaneck Wasio about how to adjust your approach in these different scenarios to create an optimal outcome for your client and your business. 

Learn more about Professional Headshots from Yaneck and gain more great tips from Yaneck and other experts in volume photography in our free guide: The Ultimate Sports, School, and Headshot Portrait Photography Guide.

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