As many of you know, while I spend a lot of time photographing families and events like weddings and mitzvahs, about half of my photography business is comprised of actor and corporate headshots. Those lines of business may seem quite disparate, but I’ve found that there’s a lot of crossover. One of the keys to my success as a portraitist is understanding that people are people, whether they’re wearing wedding dresses, onesies or suits, or sitting behind a desk on Madison Avenue versus on a picnic blanket in Central Park. The key is in establishing a connection.
By way of illustration, here’s a recent guide I created in which I used kids from the family photography side of my business to demonstrate 5 Easy Tips to Get a Great Headshot. There’s a lot more latitude in family photography, since it can be more editorial — everyone doesn’t have to look directly at the camera, you can express personality and emotion through motion, the focus is often on the interaction between family members — but if you want a traditional family portrait, these tips are as relevant here as they are on the other side of my business.
Step 1. Make a direct connection, whether that’s with your prospective boss, a potential new client, or a casting director. To do that, look not at the camera (or away from it), but at ME. That connection will continue onward to whoever sees your photo, and voila! you’ll communicate with them without even being there.
Step 2. Convey your authenticity, which is far more compelling than a smile. DO NOT paste on a fake smile. Unless … (click to read more)
