Making portraits has been a passion of mine forever! It all started in high school with a Canon A-1 camera and too many rolls of film. I must have over 50 pages of negatives in my archive book of friends and family. Each one is a photo of someone who has been a part of my life, a piece of my memories. After over 20 years I have a few external drives FULL of portraits.
A Legacy of You...
Every one of the people I have photographed smiles differently. They all look at friends with their own voice. Each personality is visible with so many dimensions. It's a special thing to watch those people change, it's even better to see those changes in photos. Let your personality be documented. Legacies like portraits are irreplaceable. People will crave your image when you are gone, as you have done with your loved ones.
That's why when people commission a portrait with me, I want that image to speak about my subject. I want that image to have their voice first - then mine. Don't get me wrong, I love photographing people when they are styled with a bit of drama and glitz as much as anything. Those projects are exciting and they have a personal purpose for the client. But headshots and branding needs to reflect the client as they are in real life. Here's why:
A Message of Personality...
Head shots and personal branding have to communicate who you are as much as what you do. Relationships in business are everything now - an image that communicates that to others really helps! As clients and I plan shoots, we consider who will view their images and how they want to be photographed.
I advise my clients not to get too made up or dress in ways that are very different than they look most days. Certainly a haircut and fresh manicure are a great idea. We discuss this when we plan the shoot together, we keep it simple, we keep it real. You may be wondering, "What do you mean, real?" What I mean is you can see something about the person in my work that tells you what it's like to be around them.
Here is an example of one of those more styled images. While a great portrait, it doesn't communicate her goals, it celebrates her innate beauty. So, these images are what I make for people who are celebrating their lives and leaving a legacy of themselves to friends and family. Giving your loved ones images like this with depth and intimacy is important and I encourage everyone to do it at least a few times in life because you see yourself in new ways when you do. 
Tania's headshots, on the other hand, are more straightforward and they illustrate her as she would audition. 
Generally I find the best accessories are a connected smile and a genuine laugh. 
Giving my clients a voice in their photos isn't only about connecting to future business partners - it's about speaking to their future selves. It's about documenting the start, celebrating the middle and rewinding at the end. There are lots of ways photographers make portraits. This is the way I do it and I adore being able to help people with great images that communicate who they are.
Thanks for reading!
