Allowing Ourselves to Be Visible: How Women Tackle the Awkward Author Headshot by Tara Lynn Masih

Allowing Ourselves to Be Visible: How Women Tackle the Awkward Author Headshot Session Tara Lynn Masih

Getting that first (and even second) author headshot is both exhilarating and terrifying for many women. There are often personal psychological barriers and cultural barriers. Besides the obvious pressures women have in American culture to look beautiful and alluring (as you will see this is echoed in many of the following writers’ words), some women have suffered abuse, which makes the process traumatic (a percentage have even been abused through photography itself). In addition, BIPOC women in some cultures (I fall into this category) have been taught to be modest and not look at a camera or pose seductively, so this is also a hurdle to overcome.

But a headshot is a must to fulfill our writerly obligations and have a presence on social media.

My main tip to women authors who are wary? Hire a woman who identifies as a female photographer. I’m not saying don’t hire a male photographer (perhaps they are a friend and you feel comfortable with them or you love their work, as is the case with some of our tipsters). But women for the most part understand how you want to appear, and not having a male behind the camera makes many camera-shy women feel more at ease. It allows them to feel safe and to discard the pressure to look good for a man.

Author and photographer Ashley Inguanta, who has photographed many female authors, offers this wisdom from someone behind the camera: “The media has said a lot about how our bodies 'should' be, but in reality, we go gray, we get sick, we become exhausted; in reality we shine bright, too, glowing and radiant. But my wish for you is that—before your photoshoot—you take one action to show love for your body, and promise to take more loving actions at your own pace. That's it! Wear what your heart feels inspired to wear, talk to yourself with care and camaraderie.”

Writing in a variety of genres, here are additional author experiences and tips. I hope they help.

Tara Lynn Masih is a National Jewish Book Award Finalist and winner of a Julia Ward Howe Award, a Florida Book Award, a Benjamin Franklin Award, and multiple Foreword Book of the Year Awards. She is of East Indian and European descent. Tara is the author of the acclaimed novel My Real Name Is Hanna and editor of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction. How We Disappear, a MILLIONS Most Anticipated 2022 book, is her second story collection.

Photo credit: Stephanie Clements Photography

Emma Bolden

After decades of dealing with chronic pain, my relationship with my body is complicated, to say the least — so much so that it feels strange to say “my body.” It seems separate from me, a force acting beyond and against my will. It’s difficult, if not impossible, for me to find my body — myself — beautiful, a feeling doubled when I see myself as seen through someone else’s lens. I could never find the confidence — until I reframed the way I thought about author pics. I didn’t necessarily want to look beautiful in an artificial way, but real. Authentic. I was first drawn to my photographer when I looked at her portfolio and saw the personalities of the people coming through so clearly and beautifully. I was sold when I saw a note about how she wouldn't do cosmetic edits (slimming, etc.). She wasn’t interested in surface perfection but in the people themselves.

When it came time to have my photos taken, I made sure to wear things that grounded me and reminded me to be — well, me: earrings and a ring from my parents, a necklace from a dear friend inscribed with a line by Gertrude Stein in honor of my beloved cat with the same name. Whenever I got too nervous, I looked at one of those things and took deep breaths. Because I trusted my photographer, I also trusted her enough to tell her when things felt physically uncomfortable or impossible, and she reacted with complete understanding. Having the strength and confidence to speak up in this way also gave me more confidence when it came to the photos, and my photographer's calm reaction helped me to be more comfortable, too.

Emma Bolden is the author of a memoir, The Tiger and the Cage (Soft Skull), and the poetry collections House Is an Enigma, medi(t)ations, and Maleficae. The recipient of an NEA Fellowship, she is Associate Editor-in-Chief for Tupelo Quarterly and an editor at Screen Door Review.

Photo credit: Jennifer Alsabrook-Turner of Bang Images

Jen Knox

Despite my past (which goes far deeper trauma-wise than my memoir did), I love photoshoots. I don't look like the cartoon women we see online, but I enjoy having the camera on me because it's been off of me most of my life. I dream of a day when women can all step in front of any camera as raw and self-satisfied as the men I see behind the lens. I always think of news reporters in this way—the man with wrinkles and weathered skin happy as a clam next to the woman Botoxed and made up to the point she barely looks human.

My tips: Wear something comfortable. Choose a photographer you feel comfortable with and whose work depicts more than a myopic standard of beauty (the portfolio doesn't lie). Accept that you'll never look like the cartoon images you're sold, but that's exactly what makes you beautiful. Then again, if you want to be a cartoon in your photos, there's a filter for that. No judgment. Have fun. Take the limelight. Demand it. Make it your own.

Jen Knox is an award-winning author and speaker who teaches writing and leadership. Her collections include The Glass City (Prize Americana winner) and After the Gazebo (Pen/Faulkner nominee). Her debut novel, We Arrive Uninvited (2023), is a Prose Award winner from Steel Toe Books and a top-rated manuscript on Coverfly's Red List. jenknox.com

Photo credit: Robb Shirey

M.J. Rose

For me, getting photographed used to be so hard because I used my writer's mind the wrong way—I'd imagine all the what if's. What if I looked too stern and readers took offense? What if I came across as too aloof and readers couldn't connect? Finally during one session I turned my imaginings to my advantage and everything changed. I came up with a scenario to keep in my head. I dressed like myself, but pretended to be my 1890's character in her Parisian salon entertaining a gentleman caller. Sandrine (from The Witch of Painted Sorrows) would be a little flirty and self-assured. She'd enjoy preening a bit. It worked—I was so much more relaxed. I've done it with each session since, bringing my most recent heroine with me to be my ballast. It's not that we shouldn't be ourselves—it's that we don't have to be our most critical selves. We can call on our talents to make the shoot more enjoyable and successful.

Additional tip: Never wear something new you are putting on for the first time. Always wear something you're already comfortable in.

M.J. Rose is a New York Times, Wall St. Journal, and USAToday bestselling author. She has published more than 19 novels and 3 books on marketing, published in more than 30 countries, and sold over 1.5 million books; her most recent novel, The Last Tiara (2021) has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as: “Engrossing . . . A wonderfully twisty plot that keeps the reader wanting to know more . . . [a] winning story.”

Photo credit: Mario Morgoado

Mary McLaughlin Slechta

It took me two tries to find the right photographer and to take myself (as subject) seriously. I knew a photographer who snapped fantastic pictures of water birds. I figured he was an enormous step-up from a selfie or asking my spouse. Because he'd already taken a decent photo of me, I figured an hour, including makeup and a change of clothes, would provide enough choices. At least one would be okay, right? And unlike water birds, I would be sitting in one place. He sent 7 shots, in most of which I look like I'm sitting on sharp rocks. His favorite, and sadly the best, showed my boney collarbone at its boniest. When I asked him to soften the area, he wrote, “I can try...but [as] for the clavicle...I think it is one of the prettiest parts of the female bod.”

Needless to say, I looked for another photographer. This time I asked for help. First was an author friend who advised me to find a female photographer, someone less likely to have a collarbone fetish and more likely to mention if I had flyaway hair or a prominent thin spot. Next, a family member put me in touch with a woman who did really fine headshots out of her actual business and was more businesslike. The difference was transformational. Before we began, I ginned up some courage and asked her to tell me if anything about my hair or clothes was out of place. She smiled and I smiled back and we were off to a successful session. I had a few dozen pictures to comb through and, by the end, some very nice choices.

My tip: Use networking to find the right photographer, get all the details ahead of time, and express what you need in clear language before the session begins. And have fun.

Mary McLaughlin Slechta is the 2021 winner of the Kimbilio National Fiction Prize for Mulberry Street: Stories, which will be published in Fall 2023 by Four Way Books. Also the author of the poetry collection Wreckage on a Watery Moon (FootHills), she received the Charlotte and Isidor Paiewonsky Prize from the Caribbean Writer. She is a Kimbilio Fellow and serves as an editor for great weather for MEDIA.

Photo credit: Rachel Callaghan

Karen Dionne

Step One: Book a professional photographer. Your offspring/significant other can snap a decent picture with a cell phone. My early author photos were taken this way. But I realized later that these amateurish photos never go away. Because they’re online, occasionally someone will use these early shots. So control which author photos are available.

Step Two: Skip outdoor shots. My novels are wilderness thrillers, so it seemed logical to shoot headshots outside. But over the years, I’ve learned that a photo with an undistracting background is much more useful than one in which the background sets a mood.

Step Three: Keep your clothing simple. Understated clothing and minimal jewelry go a long way toward producing an author photo that’s classy, clean, and undistracting.

Step Four: Schedule your photo shoot to follow immediately after you’ve had your hair done. Enough said.

Step Five: Enjoy yourself. I’ve saved this tip for last, but it’s the most important. If you’re the kind of person who hates getting your picture taken, I sympathize. I used to feel the same. But after I became a published author, readers and fans wanted to have their picture taken with me. A lot. To my surprise, these candid shots turned out great. I looked happy and relaxed because I was.

Your photographer will tell you how to tilt your head and where to put your hands. The only thing he or she can’t do is conjure up a relaxed, confident smile. Lean into the experience, tell yourself that you’re having a great time even if inside, you’re a bundle of nerves, and I promise, you’ll love the results!

Karen Dionne is the USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of the award-winning psychological suspense novel The Marsh King’s Daughter, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in the US and in 26 other languages (and soon to be a major motion picture starring Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn), and The Wicked Sister, also from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Learn more at karendionne.com.

Photo credit: Robert Bruce