I’ve been thinking about headshots a lot lately and right now everyone wants one. Damn, even me!
So as I like to do, I reminisce and I get into the archives and it makes everything more enjoyable in this topic of photographing peoples heads!
Before I get into the headshots themselves I am going to get a few stories going regarding photographing people.
Let’s go back to the good old days….the wedding days. This was a fast track learning curve of getting comfortable with strangers in an intimate moment. I cut my cloth shooting weddings. I don’t know how I managed it to be honest. Totally nerve wracking. Totally thrilling. Navigating a variety of folks and their mixed expectations on such an important day. What drama! What fun! It was almost like social work or therapy.
*You have to remember, these were the film days. So if you fucked it up you wouldn’t know until 2 weeks after the day.
I recall the moment I realised that the best part of photographing a wedding was that people wanted to be photographed and you had a kind of freedom within the event to make images of people.
Bride getting ready. Sydney, Australia
Couple dancing at a wedding. Nassua, Bahamas
Meanwhile….I started the practice of documenting people (strangers) at parties and events. All shot with black and white film, hand processed and printed. I felt free. I felt like an artist. I was going out at night by myself on the hunt. I sought out the weird. I even ended up on a last minute trip to India in 1999 with 2 freaky dudes (met at one of said events) as a nod to “getting the shots” (insert another blog post here)! The trip itself was so damn strange and I have the images to prove it.
Riding a men’s only train with Ben King in Mumbai, India, 1999
India, 1999
Winston and Ben with whom I travelled to India in 1999.
One of the most important things in the beginning of my photo journey was a having a muse. Someone to inspire image making. Someone that was a “good sport”. The original muse was my little sister Heidi. Boy, the things we did. She was 13, tall & lovely and we had a blast playing dress ups and gallavanting about pretending I was Richard Avedon and she was an Italian Vogue model.
Heidi Croft. My little sister, the original muse. 1992
Then came my university comrade, Mary Keith (*I could totally write another blog post on Mary Keith). She is the reason I have short hair to this day. The first day on campus I saw Mary directing two hefty blokes to her dorm room lugging her ginormous trunk of belongings (she was a collector). She had razer short hair and was wearing a pair of denim cut offs (which I’d never seen before), a white top with the words “chainsaw’ in bloody red across the front and a pair of Blundstones at the base of her whiter than white long legs (*I shall mention she’s Irish). I was hooked.
Mary Keith. Say no more….
Recently I have been inspired to photograph people on the street (strangers) again and I’m searching for the courage that I had in my 20’s. It’s different times for this kind of thing for sure. I need to commit to that courage. I love when I see someone and I just think “ You need to be photographed right now” and I have started a hashtag on instagram which is #youlookgoodtome
Sometimes I just want to tell people how great they “feel” (if you know what I mean).
So when a client inquires about having photos taken of themselves, I get that feeling of creativity of what we can do. For certain there’s the business profiles. I like to keep it natural, no fuss.
But I like if we can do more.
A sneak peek from a recent shoot with the fabulous Laura Calder.
Here’s my approach.
Let’s discuss your needs. Where you’d like to use the photos. What industry are you in?
Studio or location? Are we keeping it simple or can we do something a bit more. Sometimes we will style it up! It really depends on your needs but remember…. YOULOOKGOODTOME!
I guess what I’m trying to say is that having your photo taken in whatever form should be an enjoyed experience. At least that’s my take. heck, I’m nervous too. But remember, the photo of yourself today will become more significant next week, month and years.
A favourite portrait of Erin Brubacher to wrap up this post!
A good photo has a story to tell.