Headshot Tips | Denver Portrait Photographer

I’ve been having so much FUN lately working with people to give them a great experience while we create their headshots! And since I communicate this information quite a bit in emails and over the phone, I thought I’d compile a sort of “Top 10” list of ways to prepare for an awesome session. 

And so... here they are all in one place. 

Top Ten Tips for a GREAT Headshot:

1. When selecting your photographer consider, FIRST: that you resonate with the work you see on his or her website/portfolio. Are the eyes the main focus of the shots? Do you feel personality and connection in the subjects? Is the lighting good? SECOND: do you feel comfortable communicating with your photographer? Is he or she willing to talk with you on the phone? Your comfort level the day of your session is critical to getting great connection in your photos.


2. Wardrobe: You should bring 4-5 different looks to your session. We may not shoot them all, but it’s always great to have options. Think in shades of casual to dressy, but keeping all options in line with your brand. Think about necklines. Think about colors that compliment your skin tones. Nothing flashy or busy that will distract from YOU (so no logos or busy patterns). Jewelry in most cases will distract from you, so unless it’s part of your brand (and you are confident it will stay that way until your next headshot session) leave it at home. NOTE: definitely talk with your agent if you think he/she will have input!!


3. At least a week prior to your session: gather and TRY ON your wardrobe items. If you’re only doing a headshot, no need to worry about pants (I mean, you’ll need to WEAR pants to the session, of course... ). Consider colors that complement your eyes/skintones. Think about different necklines and texture (not pattern -- this can be distracting, but a fabric with texture is often quite lovely). And think about tops that flatter your body and colors that complement your skin tones, and don't forget to include any undergarments needed (i.e. no striped undershirts/black bras under light shirts!!) and... please launder / press as needed.


4. If step number three has left you uninspired, perhaps it’s time for a new shirt or two? (which is why step 3 is NOT the night before your session). No need for anything fancy unless that’s your brand. Your headshot should be a direct reflection of you, as you are. For actors, you want to arrive at your audition looking essentially like your headshot for it to be the most effective tool.


5. A few days prior, make sure you stay hydrated and get plenty of rest. Think of this as you would preparing for an audition. This will help keep your skin clear and eyes bright! But don’t stress if you wake up with blemishes the day of your session (don’t mess with them as it will generally make them worse -- let photoshop do the magic there!) 


6. Exercise the week prior so you feel great (especially if that’s your thing), but there’s no need to put off a headshot or portrait session just so you can “loose a few pounds.” You’d be amazed what good posing can do to flatter every and any body!


7. Day of session: make sure you’ve familiarized yourself with directions to our meeting place and leave yourself time to negotiate traffic and parking. Nothing worse than arriving frazzled, except perhaps arriving late when there might be a session scheduled after yours. Loosing out on session time stinks!


8. If you’re getting professional makeup and/or hair, arrive with your face and hair clean. If you wear makeup normally, feel free to bring a snapshot of how you’d like your makeup to look so your professional makeup artist can compliment your normal look, making it "camera ready" (this is especially important for actors).


9. Trust that you’ve hired a photographer who has experience and will be able to direct you into your most flattering poses (this is critically important since you can’t see yourself, after all!)


10. If you have done your homework on 1-9, the only thing left for you to do is to relax into the session, HAVE FUN and allow your photographer to direct you to project your very best!!

To learn more about my personal approach to studio and/or on location actor, model and professional headshots (for men, women and kids), and to explore investment options, please check out my PORTFOLIO... 

CHEERS!! 

 

Headshots | Denver { Head Shot Photographer }

I'm cranking on a major update to my website (as we photographers know, this is ALWAYS a work in progress!) But I'm realizing how behind I am in posting recent work!

So, in the spirit of playing catch up (I can still call it a year end review post, right?) here are a few favorite headshot pictures from the last few months. I just love these actors, models and professionals of all ages -- they are profoundly inspirational to me!

Environmental Portraits, Kids! | Portrait & Head Shot Photographer, Denver CO

I swear, every time I do this lately I end up with this feeling that these are my new FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHS EVER! I'm thinking that's a good thing, right? 

But seriously, finding a spot in an alley (new favorite locations here!), using natural light to my advantage, and most of all, being entrusted by such amazing people to capture their portraits and head shots... and those of their incredibly talented children! 

I seriously LOVE my job. 

Actor Head Shots | Portrait Photographer, Denver Colorado

There's nothing so satisfying to a photographer as combining an expressive and devilishly handsome face with an evocative spot of natural light in the city. I love my job!

Environmental Portraiture | Denver Colorado

Sometimes it still catches me off guard how much I love photographing people.

I mean, I'm a photographer. And I genuinely love people. So I'm not sure why this should surprise me, but it does.  I think it's my background: architecture doesn't move, or feel self-conscious. Or blink.

But seriously, even with the unpredictability inherent in photographing a person, I can hardly explain how much of a thrill I find in making a person FEEL how beautiful they are. Maybe there is some thrill in not knowing what I'll discover in that session. Finding a gorgeous spot of light, setting a person at ease, making someone smile from their eyes ... it gives me butterflies just thinking about it.

And when the result is a set of photos like this? Crazy love. Seriously.

Capture Philosophy | Photo Tip 04: Finding Portrait Light on Location

A week or so ago, I had the opportunity to work with talented Denver studio portrait photographer, Mark Pells, on an ambitious headshot project for the theatre department at my son's school.  

As a completely self-taught photographer and a HUGE fan of natural light, it was fascinating to watch Mark create magic with his studio lights.  I found it most interesting to learn that I am often drawn to or actively seeking out  the very conditions in the field, which he sought to create in the studio.

Thought I'd share a few of my personal favorite conditions through examples, in case you're curious to experiment the next time you're out photographing your family and friends.  

These are all photos I took on a single walk with my son on a bright, sunny afternoon in Denver (as you can see in the first photo below).  These photos were all taken with a 100mm macro lens with a Canon 5D, set on aperture priority (all shots are between apertures of 2.8 and 4.5).

Often, it is instinct for us to want to place our subjects in the sun.  But beware!  Direct sunlight can be a great dramatic tool when used intentionally, or with reflectors, fill light, etc., but if you are out with your camera and don't have such accessories (which I did not use for the shot above), not only will your subject likely be squinting, direct sunlight will create harsh shadows that generally aren't as flattering for skin tones, facial features, etc.  Thus, it is usually better to take the subject out of direct sunlight...

Once you take your subject out of the direct light, you'll have better luck getting even skin tones.  In this photo, light bouncing around from north and east facing windows at a coffee shop provided gorgeous, flattering conditions in the afternoon.  I simply exposed the shot to feature the correct amount of light in his eye and let the camera and natural light do the rest.  You can actually see the north facing windows reflected in his eye. 

In this shot, I asked my subject to stand in a spot of reflected light -- sunlight that was bouncing off the windows of a building across from us.  Beams of reflected light are fun to experiment with, and are a bit easier on the subject's gaze.  As you can see, while it still casts some dramatic shadows, it also can create fun magic in the eyes.

One of my favorite things to look for is nice, subtle bouncing light that is slightly weighted in its direction.  By that I mean that the light is essentially coming more from one side than the other creating a nice broad highlight on one side of the face, in this case, the side towards camera.  A darker background pops his face as the main focus of the composition.

These last two photos are shot on the same long wooden bench, but facing opposite directions.  In this first one, there is only indirect light on my subject, but an open area of VERY bright light behind him.  I exposed for his face (so essentially you'd need to OVERexpose if you were using a camera that meters for an overall scene), and I let the background go white.

For this photo, we switched positions so that the brighter area is now behind me (the camera), and it's a little easier to get a traditional photo with a nice tonal range, great skin tones and no hot spots.
And of course it never hurts to capture an impish grin :)
Happy shooting!!

Denver | Black + White

A few black and white captures from recent photographic wanderings through my beloved Denver...

Art Dress by Nicole Finger

Nicole Finger, an incredibly talented painter (and lovely person) from Telluride, Colorado, asked me to photograph her this past weekend wearing the fruits of her latest passion, couture painting.

It began last year with an original creation for the Ah Haa Auction: a bold safari themed dress which she modeled during the live auction, adorned with a huge, live snake draped across her shoulders!

This year's spectacular dress (the second in what I certainly hope will be a long line of Nicole's art dresses!) takes a retro and artful turn, its inspiration being Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss."  The fabric is intricately painted with shimmering colors and then hand jeweled.

The piece will be auctioned during the live auction part of this Friday night's annual Ah Haa School "Artopia" fundraiser in Telluride.

Sparkles beautifully in late afternoon Colorado light... and on such a gorgeous artist!