Calgary Headshot Photographer

Professional Headshot Photography in Calgary

Your professional headshot is IMPORTANT!!! It is the first chance a potential employer or client gets to make their first impression about you. It may not be what gets you the job or seals the contract, but a bad headshot puts you even further behind than having none at all. Patton Photography is here to offer amazing Calgary headshot Photographer services.

What Makes a Great Headshot?

A headshot is typically a photograph, taken from the chest up, with even lighting across the face and without strong shadows. A great headshot though is much more. While it is still typically taken from the chest up, it is about how the image makes the person viewing it feel. Does it create a sense of trust and calm within them, a sense that you are a true professional that they can ensure their business or project to.

Calgary Headshot
YYC professional headshot photographer

A great headshot is about exposing your personality. It is a combination of poses, backgrounds, facial expressions, and a thousand other things that create the perfect look for the message you want to convey.

As a Calgary headshot photographer, we are able to offer a variety of options to our clients. We offer professional headshots that are customized to your business. Many of our business clients love our grey backdrop with graduated lighting, while others prefer a black and white image on white backgrounds. Others, prefer to do photos in the environment that the person works in. The options are endless and we can offer you exceptional service in any environment.

We explain to all our clients the basics of posing so that you can incorporate the techniques into all your photos. We will explain why we position body parts in certain ways, and then allow you to make the pose comfortable to you. This technique creates a sense of confidence while allowing you to be relaxed as you understand everything that is happening.

Calgary Headshot Photographer 2
Calgary Headshot Photographer 2

Can You Come to our Workplace?

If it is okay with your employer, we are happy to travel to your worksite to create a great headshot for you. In many cases, you will find that several colleagues will also want professional headshots to update what they have, or to get them done for the first time. In this case, we can create a special pricing package for you that will work for everyone. We refer to ourselves as Calgary headshot photographers, however, we are able to virtually travel anywhere to do professional headshots for you and your team.

How Long Does It Take To Get The Images Back?

We will have the images back to you within three days typically. Need them faster? Let us know and we will do our best to work within your timeframe. In some cases, we have images back to clients within a matter of hours. For larger groups, we will often shoot ‘tethered’ which immediately imports photos into our computer and applies basic adjusts to them. This allows our clients to get a basic sneak peek of the image ahead of time and saves time in post processing as some of the work is already done for us.

How Much Editing Do You Do?

Your professional headshot needs to be an accurate representation of you. For this reason, we only do enough editing to make your already great headshot look just a tad bit better. We will clean up any flyaway hairs, lint specks, or blemishes to ensure that there is nothing distracting that takes away from you. Our editing workflow is designed to maintain your look while simply cleaning up the image slightly.

How Do I Select The Images That I Want?

Good News….you don’t!!! You get all the edited images that are in your gallery!! We do not limit how many photos you get to keep, do you like 8 photos? Awesome, download all of them. You like 12 of your great headshots? Even better…download them all!!

How Do We Receive Our Headshots?

All the edited images will go into a private online gallery that you have access to. From this gallery, you can download the images anytime you want. All our galleries are active for a period of six months, giving you lots of time to download the images.

Pricing and Booking Your Headshot

Check out our webpage here to book your professional headshot. Alternatively, look for Calgary Headshot Photographer under our Photography Services tab in the top menu.

Calgary Headshot Photographer


Patton Photography is a professional photography studio based out of Calgary, Alberta. Our signature style offers a clean and modern look to your photographs while maintaining a professional headshot. Contact us anytime to sit down over coffee for a stress-free conversation.

Follow along with our social media pages here on Facebook and Instagram to see our latest projects.

Calgary Wedding Photography

2020 Calgary Photographer – An Interesting Year in Review

For Calgary photographers and photographers worldwide, 2020 proved to be a challenging year as much of the world shut down. Like many other wedding photographers, we were suddenly facing cancellations and postponements on a scale we never could have imagined.

With the exception of only one full wedding and one small intimate ceremony, all of our wedding photography bookings were postponed or canceled!! These two weddings also were different in ways we never would have imagined. Guests all sitting a minimum of six feet apart, faces covered in masks, hand sanitizer where signing books used to be…it was surreal.

Amazing Calgary Weddings

What did remain the same though, was the love that our couples had for each other. Large gatherings became small intimate weddings, mothers of the bride still shed a tear, and the look of pride in the eye of the fathers was still obvious. In some ways, the weddings became more special as they became more about the love of the couple than it was about the pizazz of the wedding day. As a wedding photographer and a Calgary photographer in general, it was beautiful to see.

We were still able to do some engagement sessions, and these were made extra special by the new locations we found.

As with any business, adapting to change is critical in keeping a business alive. We certainly were not going to be able to maintain a business photographing one wedding a year. So, we took this opportunity to branch out in some directions we had been thinking about for some time.

Calgary wedding photographer 100
Calgary wedding photographer bride
Calgary Wedding Photographer 101
Calgary Wedding Photographer bride and groom

Calgary Sports Photography

First, we opened our composite sports photography division. This was a niche we had been considering for some time. We begin by photographing the client on a green screen in several poses and from various angles. Utilizing special software we extract the photo of the client from the green background.

This is where the post-processing magic begins. We utilize several different pieces of software to begin layering in all the various elements to create our photo. Stadium seating, smoke, lightning, and smoke are only some of the elements we can add in. From there we begin adjusting the lighting, colors, and shadows on every element so that they fit together seamlessly.

These composite photographs however are not just for student athletes. Imagine being transported into your favorite book or video game. If you have an idea, let us know and we can see what we can do to make it happen for you. While we refer to it as Calgary Sports Photography, we will take any interest you may have and turn it into an eye-catching photograph specially created just for you

Calgary sports photographer soccer
Calgary sports photographer soccer
Calgary sports photographer baseball
Calgary sports photographer baseball

Calgary Product Photographer

Another field we had been thinking about is Product Photography. This specialized photography field is extremely broad, to say the least. From photographing small intricate pieces of jewelry to large industrial equipment. As a Calgary photographer, it is an interesting field as you get to deal with a wide variety of products and industries.

We have started offering photography services that include photographing products specifically for Amazon products. These are photographed in a specialized light box to provide a pure white background. They are then touched up to remove any dust spots and to ensure that every detail is perfect. Infographics and text can also be overlaid onto the photograph to highlight any special features that the product may have.

We also began offering composite advertising product photography where several images are layered together to create a specific image. We will photography the product itself and then layer in various elements to create a specific look. Layering in paint splashes, light smoke, or other other elements help create the look that our clients are after. We then adjust colors, lighting, and shadows on all the elements so that they all come together into one seamless image.

Calgary Product Photographer
Calgary product photography

Kindergarten Graduation Photographer

Finally, we began doing preschool and kindergarten graduation photography. These short sessions were an absolute hit as we gifted each ‘graduate’ with a proper graduation cap and customized diploma. The 15-minute outdoor sessions included poses standing, sitting, with signage, and even throwing the graduation hat into the air.

We have expanded our sessions this year to include online bookings through our website, full cap, and gown purchase, and indoor and outdoor options. These sessions were a ton of fun and we got to meet so many amazing families as they celebrated their child’s graduation.

All New Website and Hosting Service

We moved to an all new hosting service which resulted in us creating an all new website. While the initial reason to move was a drastic escalation in costs, our new service is full of great new features we are sure you will love.

Whether it is working as a wedding photographer, doing product photography, or delivering one-of-a-kind sports photography, we have to be able to get our photos to our clients. Our new website allows us to fully customize any page or section that we like. We are now able to create a customized online booking, online quote requests and provide tons of information about us and our photography services.

Our client galleries have also been moved to a new vendor which allow us to create far more beautiful galleries as well as provide all our clients with complimentary mobile apps. These mobile apps install on your mobile device, such as phone or tablet, and allowing viewing of your gallery. The benefit of these is that you can send the app to your friends and family to allow them to view your photos with the the protection of them not being able to download the photos from the app.

Best of all, these new galleries and apps are available to all our family photography, wedding photography, product photography, and sports photography clients at no extra cost.

New Lighting Equipment

As we use a significant number of lights and lighting modifiers to achieve our style, we are constantly upgrading equipment. This past year was no exception as said good-bye to some old equipment and replaced it with newer and more modern lighting equipment. Although many Calgary wedding photographers pride themselves on being natural light photographers, meaning they don’t use any flash, we are the opposite.

The using of flash equipment opens up many doors on opportunities you can not achieve otherwise. You have ability to adjust your lighting to simply fill in shadows, or to literally turn daytime into nighttime.

With our sports photography and product photography divisions, quality professional lighting is an absolute must. Without it, we could not even begin to offer quality services in these specialized niches.

New Wedding Vendors

We were also introduced to three new wedding vendors this past year. All three are truly amazing and we feel so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to work with them.

Ethereal Events – Calgary wedding and event planning

In This Moment – Calgary wedding and event planning

Willow Flower Co. – Canmore Florist

As you can see, even though 2020 brought some new challenges with it, we also made some incredible advancements. The long awaited opening of our sports photography and product photography divisions, new equipment, new vendors, and new clients helped bring joy to this year.

We wish everyone love and happiness as spring starts here in Calgary. We hope that we get to meet many more new people on one of our many adventures. As a Calgary photographer, we want to be able to provide professional service to all our clients regardless of their photographic requirements. Call us anytime to discuss any project you may need photographic assistance with.


Calgary Photographer

Calgary Wedding Photographer

Calgary Product Photographer

Calgary Sports Photographer


Patton Photography is a professional photography studio based out of Calgary, Alberta. Our signature style offers a clean and modern look to your photographs while maintaining a look that is romantic and whimsical. Contact us anytime to sit down over coffee for a stress-free conversation.

Photography toolbox and hiking equipment

Our Fantastic Photography Toolbox

Photo via Good Free Photos

Ever wondered what equipment a photographer carries with them? Our photography toolbox list hopefully offers some insight into what it takes to be a professional photographer. As with anything, it takes a lot more than expensive equipment to produce beautiful wedding photographs.  However, having that professional equipment offers a level of performance and capabilities that lower-level gear does not.  Here is our list of professional equipment.  Besides the equipment listed, we have a full set of backdrop stands, backdrops, and miscellaneous equipment.

OUR CAMERA SYSTEMS

Our list starts with camera bodies. We only use high-performing camera bodies that are ideally suited for top of the line photographs.  The Canon R5 Mirrorless is the workhorse of photographers across the world.  Recording to two separate cards, the R5 ensures that no matter what happens on one card, all your images are safe as they also exist on the backup card. The new system features intelligent eye tracking so that as you walk, the camera maintains perfect focus on you. At an incredible 45 Megapixel, the R5 offers some of the highest resolution in any camera. Our backup camera, the Canon 5D Mark III is still used by many of the best photographers in the world. It is an incredible camera that was our primary body for several years. With this camera line-up, you can be sure that your images are of the highest quality.

  • Primary camera body:  Canon R5
  • Backup camera body: Canon 5D Mark III
  • Photobooth camera body: Canon Rebel XSi

OUR LENSES

Our lens collection consists of high-end lens all designed for working in low light conditions, perfect for a wedding ceremony or corporate speaking session.  The use of telephoto lenses also means that we can stay stationary and zoom in or out for the ideal shot.  This is one of the ways we ensure that we are not disruptive during your event. 

  • Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Telephoto Lens
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Telephoto Lens
  • Canon 50mm f/1.8 ‘Prime’ Portrait Lens

OUR LIGHTING

We are equipped with a full array of lighting equipment and remote triggering systems.  The majority of our systems are battery powered to eliminate power cords running across your floor. They are also remote-controlled…to keep us from running across your floor. 

  • Godox AD200 Pro
  • Godox TT685C Speedlight
  • Godox XPRO-C Multi-Channel Radio Trigger
  • Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II Speedlight
  • Yongnuo YN-E3-RT Multi-Channel Radio Trigger
  • An assortment of studio lights as well as handheld lights

OUR PHOTOGRAPHY ACCESSORIES

We have a wide variety of gear designed to help bring out the best of our camera and lighting systems.  From light meters, which help ensure lights are calibrated perfectly for your space, to specially designed filters that control how much light enters the camera.

  • Sekonic L-358 Flash Light Meter
  • Evecase extra-large gear backpack
  • Macro-tubes of varying lengths
  • Tiffen Neutral Density 0.9 Filters
  • Tiffen Ultra-Violet Filters
  • Geekoto Professional 77” ball-head Tripod
  • Multiple light-stands ranging from 7 feet to 10 feet
  • 5 in 1 portable reflector
  • Rapid Pro Parabolic Softbox
  • Rapid Speedlight Softbox
  • MagMod Light Modifier System

OUR WORKSTATIONS

Once your images have been captured, we ensure that they are treated with the utmost respect and protection.  Our dual-drive laptop ensures that we can work quickly as we edit each photo.  Likewise, our 18 button mouse ensures that the common keyboard shortcuts are accessed even quicker with the press of a button.  Finally, our NAS storage system ensures that there is always a backup of your images. 

  • ASUS Vivobook Pro 17 Dual Drive Laptop
  • Red Dragon M908 – 18 Button Mouse
  • DataColor Spyder Screen Calibration System
  • Synology 2 Bay Network Attached Storage System

OUR PHOTOGRAPHY SOFTWARE

We utilize business subscriptions to the world’s leading photo management and editing software programs.  Having the subscription ensures that we always have the latest versions of the software.

  • Adobe Lightroom (Business Subscription)
  • Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud (Business Subscription)
  • ShootProof Gallery Hosting and Protection

As you can see, it takes more than just having a nice camera to offer a professional level of service. Our photography toolbox section is a rough list of the equipment each of our photographers has. While the list will differ as to the brands and quantities, our photographers all utilize professional equipment to ensure the best of service.

So, which vendors do we use when we are in need of equipment? If you are in need of camera gear, we highly recommend these great vendors


Patton Photography is a professional photography studio based out of Calgary, Alberta. Our signature style offers a clean and modern look to your photographs while maintaining a look that is romantic and whimsical. Contact us anytime to sit down over coffee for a stress-free conversation.