Behind the lens: A day in the life of a Manchester headshots photographer

Being a portrait and headshots photographer in Manchester is an exciting and rewarding profession. As a photographer, you get to meet people from all walks of life, work in different settings, and capture beautiful moments that people cherish. In this blog post, I’ll take you through a day in the life of a headshots photographer in a city like Manchester.

Morning:

As a photographer, it’s likely that you won’t have a set schedule like in a 9-5 job. I often find myself working evenings and weekends during busy periods, and working shorter days when things are quiet. Your schedule depends on your clients' schedules. However, most days for me begin early, usually around 7. After waking up, the first thing I do is check my schedule and emails to confirm any appointments for the day. I also use this quiet time first thing in the morning to reflect, journal, and schedule my social media posts.

If I’m shooting on that day, I head over to my lovely studio in Stockport, just south of Manchester. I’ll spend about an hour or so setting up the space, which means checking equipment, battery levels, and choosing and arranging my lighting setup for the day. In a typical shooting day I’ll have two clients; one in the morning and then one in the afternoon. Each session lasts about 2 hours.

During each session, I work closely with my clients to ensure they feel comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera. A portion of the morning will be spent providing guidance on how to pose, where to look, and how to dress for the shoot. What we’ll be doing will be dependent on the reason for the shoot, a musician may want something highly creative, using props and interesting lighting techniques, and a professional headshot might be a simpler set up. 

If it’s an edit or admin day - I‘ll be up at the same time, and will usually take the time to do a home workout, then have my breakfast, and then set myself up in my home office for 9am.

Lunch:

I usually eat something super quick and easy on my lunch, like a sandwich or a smoothie. If it’s sunny I’ll have this outside. I’ll take a bit of time on my lunch break to check in with social media. And then it’s back to either the studio or office for the afternoon session. 

After work:

At the studio I’ll spend time taking down all the lights, and generally packing away. If it’s a busy time, I might need to go straight home to work on an edit, or catching up on shoot prep for another session. Most importantly - I’ll be backing up the shoot from the day and checking to see what's on my schedule for tomorrow. 

I’ll also take some time to reflect on the day’s shoots, thinking about what went well and what I can improve on in future.

Conclusion: Being a headshots photographer in Manchester is a challenging and fulfilling profession. Each day presents new opportunities to meet new people, work in different settings, and produce beautiful images that clients will cherish. While each day may differ, the steps involved in a day in the life of a Manchester headshot photographer remain roughly the same: preparation, shooting, editing, and reflection. If you’re passionate about photography, enjoy working with people, and love producing high-quality images, then headshot photography may be the perfect profession for you.