Use Your Car's Sunroof for a Free, Flattering Headshot Light

Find the Right Time and Parking Spot

Forget high noon. That sun is a harsh, squint-making enemy. You want the golden hours: the 60 minutes after sunrise or, more practically, the 90 minutes before sunset. That light is soft, warm, and forgiving. Cloudy days work too, turning your sunroof into a giant softbox. The goal is open shade with a bright sky overhead.

Parking is everything. You need a clear, unobstructed view of the sky. I once had a client get perfect light ruined by the vibrant green reflection from a tree canopy. Find a quiet corner of a large, open parking lot, or an empty field access road. Your car’s orientation matters. Point the windshield north or south if you can; this gives you clean, side-illuminating light instead of a direct beam down your nose.

Position Yourself Under the Sunroof

Recline the driver's seat back about 45 degrees. This isn't for lounging; it angles your face toward the light source. Scoot your body down until the top of your head is nearly touching the sunroof's edge. You’re not trying to stick your head outside. You want that rectangle of sky to fill your entire field of view above you.

Use your phone’s front-facing camera to check the frame. What do you see? It should be mostly your face, with that beautiful, bright sky as a backdrop. If you see the headliner or the sunroof’s metal frame, you’re too low. Adjust. I watched a CEO client do this perfectly, then ruin it by holding her phone at her chest. Hold the camera at your nose level, aiming slightly down. This prevents a unflattering, up-the-nostrils angle.

Angle Your Face to Shape the Light

This is where you sculpt. That soft overhead light is great, but flat if you look straight up. Turn your face about 30 degrees to one side. See how the light now hits one side of your nose, creating a subtle shadow that defines your cheekbone? That’s Rembrandt lighting, and it’s free.

Try this sequence. Face left, chin slightly down. Click. Face left, chin lifted toward the light. Click. Repeat right. The chin-down pose feels more confident and direct; the chin-up feels more open and approachable. Which is better for your industry? A lawyer might want the former, a therapist the latter. Do both.

Avoid the Glasses Glare and Shadow Trap

Wear glasses? This is your biggest hurdle. The sky will reflect in your lenses as two giant white squares. How do you fix it? Tilt your head forward just a fraction, so the lenses angle slightly away from the sky. Often, a 5-degree tilt is enough to kill the glare while keeping your eyes visible.

The shadow trap is under your eyes and chin. With light coming straight down, deep-set eyes can look like dark sockets, and your neck can disappear. The fix is simple: introduce a filler. A white notebook, a tablet with a blank screen, even a sunshade pulled from your visor—hold it in your lap. It will bounce that gorgeous light back up, gently filling those shadows. I keep a tri-fold piece of white foam core in my trunk for this exact reason.

Take 20 Varied Shots for Portraze

Don’t take two shots and call it done. Variation is your safety net. Set a goal: 20 distinct frames. Change one thing between each. Smile with teeth. Smile with just eyes. Neutral, professional expression. Look off to the distance, then back at the lens. Shift your shoulders. Put on a jacket, take it off.

Why 20? It forces you to move, and in that movement, you’ll relax. The first five are usually stiff; shots 15 through 20 capture the real you. Use a 3-second timer to steady your hand. Blur from camera shake is the only thing you can’t fix later.

I remember a grad student who took 50 frames in her Jeep. She sent me the one she almost deleted—a laughing shot where she’d just gotten the angle right. “It was the 43rd one,” she said. The early ones were technically fine. The later one had life.

So, use what you have. That rectangle of sky above your head is a better, more flattering light source than most ring lights you can buy. It’s diffuse, it’s directional, and it’s already paid for. Your next professional headshot might be waiting for you in a parking lot, 20 clicks away.

Related, and worth reading next: Find Perfect Headshot Light in Any Library.