Blog

Funny Faces?
02nd April 2022
Asking people to pull funny faces just might seem like a good icebreaker but there's more to it than that. For me, the objective is to make the subject forget that they are being photographed so as to get a natural reaction. Here's Ed who really did have a huge stock of funny facial expressions.


Colour temperature and you
16th February 2022


A word about colour temperature: here I've gone for a slightly cooler colour (about 5200k) and I feel that it works well for this particular image. I didn't want Ed's headshot to be overly warm so it was a judgment call on where to put it. I went cooler because I felt that his skin tone could take it. On another day I might have gone a bit warmer. That is the beauty of digital photography. You can go back and re-process the original digital negative as many times as you like until you are happy. So if the client came back to me and said he wanted something a little warmer then I would oblige. It's a question of taste but also of what the purpose of the image is: in this case a business headshot.
Creating a Strong Jawline
19th January 2022


Most of us look better on one side of our face and it is often the case that it is the left side which shows us to our best advantage. Here, Georgia is turning that side to the camera but turns her shoulders in the opposite direction thus creating a strong jawline. It's a strong look.
Using props in your headshot
27th November 2021


I think we were trying to create a 'lifestyle' kind of image with this one. The model, Gypsie, certainly got into the role of an entrepreneur and we got lots of good shots of her at her desk and using the phone. I don't know what I was thinking of, using an old GPO telephone (which actually still works perfectly well, even on today's phone network) but it makes for a much more graphic image than a modern mobile. In any case I love the look in her eyes. It was a very productive shoot.
Eyebrow action in your headshots
20th October 2021


John dropped by the studio recently and we got some headshots. John is a vocalist and George Michael tribute artist. I always like a bit of eyebrow action in my headshots as you can see.
Attention all Theatre Students: Headshot Alert!
18th October 2021


My latest model and favourite up-and-coming musical theatre star, Callum, did a great job when he came into my little studio last weekend. With very little coaching from me he produced a range of very simple poses that looked great. This one is my favourite. I'm sure he's got a great career ahead of him.
What a cheek(bone)! Or how to lose that double chin.
05th October 2021


So how do you create a strong jaw line when you are sideways on to the camera? Simple. Notice that Taylor here has dropped her left shoulder a little and is leaning in towards the camera. As she does so she is pushing her cheekbone towards the lens thereby achieving that separation between neck and jaw which is so important. I don't know what I said to produce that expression but it was probably something a bit outrageous.
My Headshot formula.
01st October 2021


Joe, a successful DJ, popped into my studio last week and we got the lights out and made a few headshots. This is a perfect example of the kind of clean look that I go for. I was very happy with the result and I think he was too. Notice how he is leaning in a little towards the camera which helps to create a strong jawline.
Continuous lighting and Headshots
22nd September 2021


If you look really closely at the eyes of my subjects you will see that the catch-lights (the reflections you always see in people's eyes) are rectangular in shape. This is because I use daylight mats to light people's faces. These are panels of hundreds of little LEDs which emit a light that is similar in colour to natural daylight. They have several desirable effects. Firstly, they are very bright and this makes the iris larger which to my mind is a good thing. Secondly they seem to wrap around the face creating a much softer light, similar to window light, which I love. These daylight mats are the sort that are used by cinematographers in movie making. They are continuous lighting and allow the photographer to see exactly where the light and shadow are falling. Most photographers use strobes or flash but I only use these daylight mats in my studio.
A strong jawline make for a good headshot
16th September 2021


Talking about how to pose for your headshot, notice how Aaron here is dropping his front shoulder slightly and leaning in slightly towards the camera. At the same timer he is pushing his cheekbone towards the lens, helping to create a strong jawline which is so important.
Backgrounds
14th September 2021


Most of the time I use a white background as it is the simplest you can get. Grey is okay as well or even black, but usually I prefer white. Here, with Eric I was trying grey and it worked out fine.
Funny Face
03rd August 2021


One shot I always try to get is a funny face. Everyone has a different 'funny face' and I don't know what it all means but the result is nearly always so striking that I've started collecting them. If for no other reason than it breaks up a photoshoot and takes the subject's mind off what we are doing, I always try and get a funny face. What's yours?
Confident but approachable
31st July 2021


This is one of the most important looks that I try to go for in every shoot I do. It doesn't come naturally to everyone but anyone can do it. Before coming to your shoot I suggest that you practice doing these two things: first, relax your face and then raise the corners of your mouth a little. Not a smile but almost. The other thing that you must do simultaneously is to raise your lower eyelids a little. I know, crazy, but try doing it in front of a mirror and it soon becomes second nature. Mark here didn't find it all that easy to do but when he relaxed he just did it naturally. The result is he looks cool but he looks confident but at the same time approachable. Have a look at any photo of Brad Pitt, for example, in a magazine. He's known this secret all his life and of course people think he's just naturally photogenic. But we know different, don't we?
A Close Crop
05th July 2021


Compositionally, this is a very simple photo. The subject, Andy, is off centre because that is an interest raising factor and his eyes are just above the centre of the frame. But what about the crop? How close should you zoom in on your subject? Personally, I like to get in close and in so doing I break one of the cardinal rules of photography. By tradition, you should never cut off the top of your subjects head. But why? There is nothing of any interest going on up there. All the action is going on around the eyes. A close crop, in my opinion is the way to go.
The beauty of window light
04th July 2021


This photo shows what can be achieved with nothing more than a window and a white background. It was a bright, sunny day and I put Amanda in front of a sheet of white paper. If you look very closely you can see the window reflections in her eyes. It's quite a big window and the light was pouring in so I hung a shower curtain in front to make the light softer, adjusted my camera to f/5.6 to create some nice fall off on her right shoulder and started shooting. Amanda's best features are her eyes so I spent a little bit of time in post making them sparkle and shine and I think and hope that she was pleased with the result. I was happy and it was all done in my living room which just goes to show what can be done with very limited resources.
Portrait v. Landscape? You decide.
30th June 2021


An old friend of mine and a very experienced photographer was often asked, 'When should I shoot in portrait orientation?' (That is to say, holding the camera vertically instead of horizontally.)
'Simple, he replied, you should always shoot vertically straight after shooting horizontally.'
What he was saying was that you should always shoot both ways because that way you always have a choice when you get back home and open the photos on your computer
Good advice because if you later decide that you should have shot in portrait orientation, it is probably too late to go back and re-shoot.
When it comes to a headshot though, I think that horizontal is the way to go.
One reason I say this is that landscape orientation is better suited to social media and avoids unwanted cropping of your image.
Another reason is more for professional actors and performers who want to get noticed: if you provide your agent, promoter or casting director with a horizontal shot it will appear larger on a screen than a vertical one. Does this give you a better chance of being noticed? Maybe. It certainly won't hurt.
For me, a horizontal image is also more like the way the human eye sees the world and feels more natural.
Imagine if this shot of Aaron, a rugby player, was cropped vertically. He would look constricted by the edges of the photo with no room to move.
I prefer the horizontal or landscape version which you see here.
What to wear to a photoshoot?
25th June 2021


When considering what to wear to a photo shoot, I always advise clients against wearing tops with very busy patterns. These usually distract the viewer. My advice is to bring a variety of different tops in plain, neutral colours. Black is very popular with many people because it can be flattering to the figure but this can be quite difficult to light. Not impossible but difficult, because black clothing often registers just as black without any detail. A selection of shirts or sweaters is a good idea as it allows you to get a variety of different looks. Your should also give some thought as to whether you want to show arms and shoulders. If these are good features then it can be very beneficial. Otherwise, sleeves are always a safe bet.