Moody and Cool: My Experience Getting Professional Author Photos

Self-Identity as an Artist

Oct 02, 2024

In June,

wrote a post on her Substack

about author photos. At the time, I had just begun to query my novel, which meant I was taking a break from writing and consuming a lot to distract myself from my inbox. The way Chelsea talks about the writing life always speaks to my soul (seriously, this woman has a gift), and so it’s always an automatic click when I see her newsletters come through.

In her post, Hot and Haunted: A Guide to Your Perfect Author Photo, she did something that no else seems to do—talk about getting your picture taken!

As an author, the writer of this newsletter, and the founder of Write or Die, I’m very online. As such, I should have already had some kind of headshot taken by now. The one I have been using on my social media profiles and on the masthead of Write or Die Magazine is old. I took it myself like five years ago and I haven’t bothered to take another one. One, because I feel like I don’t know enough about photography and I end up taking the most unphotogenic pictures ever. And two, I honestly felt funny. Like my business and this newsletter and my social media presence didn’t justify a reason to get professional photos done. I’ll wait until I actually “become” something was my thought. Or when the business is more profitable. Or when I finally publish a damn short story. I felt like I needed more of an external reason to invest the time and the money.

But also, I’m shy. I had professional photos taken exactly once before, but I was just a kid. One who didn’t have the insecurities that adult Kailey grew up to have, and as such, she could frolic in front of the camera with ease. Especially when wearing her favorite hat.

But as an adult, even as a professional, I had a lot of concerns about how I would present myself in a photo.

In Chelsea’s post, she reminded me of the importance of the author photo.

“I’m here to recommend that in our very visual age, you shouldn’t wait until you have a book deal and your publisher is asking for your author photo in order to have some image of yourself you like on deck.”

She says she likes to talk to her students about presentation early on, whether that be your author website or your bio. It’s more than just the practical reason for people being about to find you.

“It’s actually part of your self identity as an artist,” she writes.

Chelsea walks her readers through the various photos she has used from when she was first published up until the release of her third book. It seems like she is a person who knows how to have fun, and her enthusiasm for the multiple shoots she has done over the years and what she has used the photos for inspired me so much that I promptly began looking for photographers in my area.

As I mentioned, I had just started querying and had no idea what was in store for my writing career. But I liked the idea of being optimistic enough to book a photo shoot with the intention of getting a picture I could use for my future book jacket.

I asked my Instagram followers for recommendations in the Massachusetts/Rhode Island area. A friend sent me Daniela Marchione’s Instagram page (thank you, Caitlin!), and I knew instantly I would contact her.

As Chelsea mentioned in her post, I needed to formulate a vision. Daniela’s aesthetic and use of film immediately appealed to me, and I just had a feeling I would be able to talk to her about what I really wanted out of this session.

During our phone call, I was completely honest with her.

I told her I didn’t know how to pose. I don’t know what to wear. I don’t consider myself “glam” by any means and so I won’t be coming to her studio with a contoured face. I don’t know if I’m comfortable in front of the lens. I told her I wanted “moody,”(lol- I think I actually said moody about four different times) artsy photos but something I can use on my future author website, on the masthead of my magazine, on the cover of my novel, which hopefully someday will be published.

I was also thinking about my novel. Chelsea mentioned bringing your book and your work into the equation when thinking about your shoot. This what really propelled me to make the commitment. I loved the idea of engaging with my work in this way, off the page and fully immersing myself into the vision I have for it. I dind’t know if I could actually pull it off, but might as well try.

Daniela was so easy to talk to and reassured me that she would help me every step of the way. That is what really sold me. I needed guidance to feel confident enough to do this.

We booked the shoot for early September. In the meantime, she asked me to create a Pinterest board of headshots that I liked and any other vibes that we could try to match. I had so much fun doing that, and I sent it to her promptly.

“As you can see, I really like Lana Del Rey,” I said.

In late August, we touched base again. First, because I panic texted her about what the hell I was going to wear. I was completely overthinking it, like to the point where I was like, “Do I even wear clothes?! What is my style? Do I even have a style? Who am I really??”

Daniela sent me some examples and suggestions and reminded me that Abercombie is always a good place to start.

Later, she sent me our shot list for the day, which included a mood board showing what we aimed to capture. I was obsessed. Here is what we were going for:

Created by Daniela Marchione. Photos from Pinterest

And then, a week before the shoot, I got my literary agent. The timing felt divine. It felt like I was about to do this photoshoot because I was now an agented author, and my book was just a little closer to being out in the world.

But I was still nervous. I was afraid I would feel uncomfortable in front of the camera and mess up the photos. That I would ruin this experience for myself. That I couldn’t look the way I wanted to be presented— as the artist that I was becoming and wanted to be.

I think I was putting too much pressure on yourself, but when you have never done a professional photoshoot as an adult and plan to post the pictures on very public platforms, how else can one remain totally calm?

The studio was in Boston, which is typically a 45-minute drive, but we booked the shoot for the morning, so I planned to leave enough time to sit in traffic. But being the little Plymouth girl that I am, I didn’t realize I should have left TWO HOURS early to make the drive instead of the hour and a half I had allotted.

So yeah, I was close to 45 minutes late. I was panicking. I was afraid Daniela would hate me, and I was also stressed about the parking situation and finding the damn studio and there I was at an all out STOP in Quincy.

Eventually, I made it, and thanks to Jesus, there was a parking spot right out front that I was able to fling my Chrysler into and book it up the stairs. Daniela was super chill, though and didn’t seem bothered at all by my lateness, which was a relief. I took in the beauty of the space before changing into my first outfit.

And then I just did it.

The moment I was dressed and ready to go, I felt a calm come over me and I stopped feeling nervous. Maybe it was Daniela’s energy. Maybe it was the sereneness of the space. Maybe it was because I decided to pose for these pictures to the best of my ability and try to look the woman I am. The writer I am.

That was the vibe.

We shot for an hour and a half, and I loved every minute of it. We played around with different poses and outfits. Daniela shot some pictures on film, which I was particularly excited about. We used pretty much every inch of the studio.

And now I have this amazing collection of more pictures than I could ever use, to commemorate this time in my life.

I feel like I’ve always been a late bloomer with pretty much every aspect of life. My younger self would have thought I would be further along in my writing career by now. And yes, there have been many times I’ve worried about that or maybe even cried a little. Maybe it’s just because I’m 34 now, older and wiser (ish), but I feel really comfortable with where I am right now. Of course, I want things to move faster. Of course, I haven’t achieved all the things I want— not even close. But I think I understand myself more than ever. I think these photos really do capture me and who I am.

And I know that one of them will appear on the jacket of my book someday.

I’ve just got a feeling.