HDHeadshotDesk

For headshot photographers

Team headshots, from signup to delivery, in one clear flow.

HeadshotDesk is a web app for photographers who shoot headshots for teams, offices, and events. It takes over the admin around the camera: who's coming, who's been shot, which photo belongs to whom, and getting every person their own photos. A thirty-person shoot ends up feeling like a one-person shoot.

Free during beta · No credit card

A 30-person shoot is one hour of photography and a week of admin

If you've shot team headshots, you know the photography is the easy part. It's everything around it that eats the week:

WITHOUT A TOOLChase namesdays 1–5Shoot1 hourRename + sorteveningsRetouchdaysZip + uploadeveningEmail 30 linksday 10Chase replies and resendsdays 11–16WITH HeadshotDeskSignup link does the adminruns itselfShoot from the queue1 hourPhotos sort themselvesliveRetouch your picksyour toolsOne click deliversminutesNo admin

Retouching stays yours, whether that's an hour in Evoto or a few evenings by hand. What disappears is everything around it: chasing names, renaming, sorting, zipping, emailing, and answering “can you resend mine?” Participants even star the shots they want, so you retouch a decided list. AI retouching is on the roadmap, not shipped.

Without a tool

  • Collecting names and emails across reply-all threads and a spreadsheet someone keeps “improving”.
  • Shoot day off a printed list, guessing who's in front of the camera and scribbling frame numbers next to names.
  • An evening (or three) renaming hundreds of files and sorting them into folders per person.
  • Zipping folders, uploading to WeTransfer, emailing thirty links one by one.
  • Then the follow-ups: “which photo was me?”, “the link expired”, “can you resend mine?”

With HeadshotDesk

  • People add themselves through one signup link.
  • Shoot day runs off a live queue: tap a name, shoot, mark done.
  • Photos upload and file themselves under the right person while you're still shooting.
  • Participants star the shots they want, so your retouch list is decided before you open an editor.
  • When the edits are done, one click emails every person a private gallery of just their photos.
  • Links don't expire, re-downloads are free, and you can see who's picked up their photos.

Works with the software you already shoot on

You keep tethering the way you do today. HeadshotDesk sits after your capture software, not in front of it: nothing to install, no plugin, no new export habit. Two settings and photos file themselves under the right person while you keep shooting.

Capture OneAdobe LightroomSmart ShooterAny tool that exports to a folder
CameratetheredCapture One / Lightroomnames files from the queueExport folderon your laptopHeadshotDeskuploads + matchesPrivate galleriesone per personYou set this up once per shoot. Everything right of the folder happens on its own.

Setting 1 · in your capture software

Name files from the clipboard

In Capture One, build the Next Capture Naming format from the clipboard (or name) token plus a counter. In Lightroom, use a Shot Name template and press Cmd+Shift+T per person. Either way, frames come out as Jane Doe_0001.jpg.

Setting 2 · in HeadshotDesk

Point us at your export folder

Map the folder your software exports to. New frames upload on their own and match to the right person by that filename. No plugin, no cloud sync service, no dragging files at midnight. Prefer to work offline? Drop the folder in afterwards instead.

Numbered setup steps for Capture One, Lightroom, and everything else live in the help center, including what to do when a photo lands in Unassigned.

Capture One, Adobe Lightroom, and Smart Shooter are trademarks of their respective owners. HeadshotDesk is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.

How a shoot runs on HeadshotDesk

The whole workflow, start to finish. If this looks like your shoot day, you already know how to use the product.

  1. 1

    Create a job

    Name, shoot date, location, and how many headshots each person may keep. Takes about two minutes, and everything can be changed later.

  2. 2

    Share one link

    Every job gets its own signup page. Send the link to your contact person or the whole team, and participants add themselves. Have a list already? Import the CSV.

  3. 3

    Shoot with the queue

    On shoot day, tap the next name and it's on your clipboard for your tethering tool. Files named like “Jane Doe_001.jpg” match themselves to Jane. No renaming session afterwards.

  4. 4

    Photos sort themselves

    Point HeadshotDesk at your export folder once. Every new frame uploads in the background, skips duplicates, and files itself under the right person while you keep shooting.

  5. 5

    Click Deliver

    Everyone gets an email with a private gallery. Each person sees only their own photos, picks within the limit you set, and downloads. You see who's been delivered and who's downloaded, at a glance.

  6. That's the whole job

    No export sessions, no renaming evenings, no zip files over WeTransfer, no “which photo was Jane again?” The admin happens while you shoot. Your retouching time stays your own.

What's included today

Everything below is live today, not a teaser for a future release.

Public signup pages

A shareable signup link per job, with consent handling built in.

CSV import

Bring an HR list straight in. Delimiter quirks are handled.

Shoot-day queue

Click-to-copy names for tethered shooting, mark-shot tracking.

Time-slot booking

Participants book appointments at signup; shoot day runs on a schedule.

Flexible schedule editing

Preview changes live, remove or add individual slots, custom lengths. Existing bookings stay protected.

Client status dashboard

Share a live progress link with your contact: signups, bookings, deliveries. No more status-check emails.

Client-branded delivery

Upload a client's logo once. Their signup page, every gallery, and delivery emails carry their branding.

Participant favourites

Let people star the shots they want kept. Your retouch list builds itself, no email thread required.

Works with Capture One and Lightroom

No plugin, no new habits. Name files from the queue, point us at your export folder, and photos file themselves.

Watch folder

Map your export folder; new frames upload and sort automatically.

Filename auto-match

Shots match to participants by name, including partial matches.

Private galleries

Each participant sees only their own photos. Link-only access.

Download limits

Set how many headshots each person keeps. Re-downloads are free.

One-click delivery

Email every finished participant their gallery at once. Resend anytime.

Live gallery updates

Upload more photos later; open galleries refresh on their own.

Privacy your clients can sign off on

Consent collected at signup, galleries private and link-only. When a client's HR team asks about data handling, the answer is yes.

Built in the open

What just shipped, what we're building right now, and what's next. Steered by our beta photographers.

  1. Shipped

    Walk-ins that handle themselves

    Print a QR card for the booth. People scan it, add themselves, and watch their live place in the queue from their desk.

  2. Shipped

    No-show tracking

    Flag anyone who didn't turn up and hand your client an attendance report, the first thing they ask for after a shoot.

  3. Shipped

    Multi-day shoots

    Run a job across several days, each with its own hours, slot length, and breaks.

  4. Shipped

    Client logos everywhere it counts

    Upload a logo once per client; signup pages, galleries, and delivery emails carry their branding.

  5. Shipped

    Client status dashboard

    A live link for your client contact: signups, bookings, and delivery progress without asking you.

  6. Shipped

    Full schedule control

    Edit the slot grid with a live preview: remove single slots, add custom-length ones, bookings protected.

  7. Shipped

    Time-slot self-booking

    Participants book their appointment while signing up; shoot day runs as a schedule.

  8. Shipped

    Searchable help center

    Every screen and setting explained, with instant search.

  9. Shipped

    Email gallery delivery

    One click emails every participant their private gallery.

  10. Shipped

    Participant retouch picks

    Participants star the shots they want; you see exactly what to retouch.

  11. Building now

    Subscriptions and billing

    Solo, Pro, and Studio plans with a one-month trial, no card needed to start.

  12. Up next

    Paid extra downloads

    Participants can buy photos beyond the included allowance.

  13. Up next

    AI retouching and background swap

    Consistent, on-brand headshots without the editing evenings.

Missing something?

The list above is largely built from photographer requests. Tell us what would make your shoots easier.

Free while in beta. Help shape it

HeadshotDesk is in active beta. Everything on this page works today and costs nothing while we polish. Beta photographers get a direct line to the roadmap. The feature list above is largely their requests. Pricing comes later; your jobs and photos stay yours either way.