Virtual and On-Location Photography

  In the past, I've written a lot about virtual meetings and the visual impact on your brand.  As a  virtual photographer , my eye starts to recognize opportunities for improving how you appear at a virtual meeting.  The tweaks are subtle.   Following are the three next level suggestions for improving your image during a virtual meeting.  💡Color of light. The most common color on an attendee's face on a virtual meeting is yellow, followed by orange. That often means the lights used are incandescent. Solution: Soft white lights are a good solution. A techie option is to go for a light rated close to 5500k (kelvins), a neutral. Many ring lights have options that include Warm White, Cool White, and Daylight. 2. 👀 Glasses. I wear them. Half of my clients do as well. They are a challenge. Solution:  Look straight at the screen. Do not have the screen positioned so that you have to look up. Have lights slightly above your screen an...

  We live in a visual world especially now that for many much of our communications are strictly  online. Professional photography  has never been as important as it is right now when communicating with prospects and influencing your market. You are the literal face of your business and you want your prospects and clients to know who you are. Here's the list... Throughout your  website In posts on you  social media  platforms In your newsletter,  blogs  and e-blasts. In proposals to prospective clients. In the contracts you present to your clients. Press releases about an event or new offering you have. Profile photo  refreshing every few months so that people see a new  image of you. In your sales and landing pages. Submit an image  (not just a headshot) along with your bio when you  have a speaking engagement. In your email signature On print materials like rack cards, brochures, mailers or other With a strategic library you'...

  How did you feel that last time you posted a new professional headshot? I'm guessing pretty good. What I've noticed on social media is when a client posts a new headshot the comments like these start to explode.                                                        Love it Gorgeous Wow You're so pretty Very professional... You look younger than ever Fabulous as always only more so... Awesome So handsome. Keep up the good work. You're looking good... Who took that photo? I want to look like you. When I read the comments and see clients' social media likes it's an endorphin rush. There are so many reasons why you'll want to update your headshot.  It will attract new viewers. Have you ever bought a book twice because the cover was changed? You get the idea. An updated headshot will keep you in front of clients and prosp...

We're all selfie-obsessed!  My sister and I were doing selfies decades ago with film (huh!) cameras but had no way to share. The digital mobile phone has turned Selfies into a necessary component of socializing even to only to share online if you're sheltering in place. Over 17 million self-photos are uploaded to social media every week - with those individuals over-55 taking more pics than those aged 18-24. If that many pics are being uploaded imagine how many are being taken daily ~ badly! With summer NOW and Selfies an obsession we're in for quite a season of dropping our phones, bumping into people and falling over anyone in our way.  These 3 tips will help you take better Selfies and avoid walking into traffic when we eventually can walk around in traffic! These tips also work well with or without a mask.  1 - Make sure the light is toward or at least a 45 degree angle to your face. Note: Do not face bright sun without some sort of shade...

Today many of us are staying close to home which makes visiting a photographers studio not an option. We still need headshots for social media, resumes and other digital purposes, so let's take your selfie headshot to the next level. Since it's my craft I still believe that a professional headshots makes a difference but if you can't or won't venture out from where you are then let's work on the next best solution. What I'm going to show you is how I took my own headshot recently and that the environment doesn't need to be pretty. No one sees what else is in that room. The only thing that's important is you. Let's start with the final headshot here. Equipment: Mobile phone that takes photos. That means something with a high-enough resolution that you can take a clear sharp picture.  Remote trigger release. You can find them for under $10 on Amazon. You'll find a lot of other uses for that device so it won't go to waste. Using the ...

This is going to be short and sweet. PUT A HEADSHOT ON YOUR LINKED IN ACCOUNT!!!  Do I sound like I'm screaming? Sorry - I am. I'm a little edgy right now. Hope you understand. Do you follow or trust anyone on LinkedIn who won't post a current headshot on their account? Next worse thing to no headshot is posting a 20 year old photo but that's a different argument. Once you have a proper headshot how about filling in all the blue space? It's prime advertising space. Even just a logo is better than blue. I like blue but not on a LinkedIn Cover Image. Use these dimensions from the LinkedIn help page when you want to update your LinkedIn photos.  TAB MODULE MINIMUM IMAGE SIZE RECOMMENDED IMAGE SIZE Page Logo Image 300 (w) x 300 (h) pixels 300 (w) x 300 (h) pixels Page Cover Image 1192 (w) x 220 (h) pixels 1584 (w) x 396(h) pixels You may not be thinking about headshots, advertising, your job, your future - it's understandable. When you do decide to...

  Photography may not seem complicated to the mobile phone clicker but there are a lot of 'rules' that can help you take better and look better in pictures.  I've compiled a few relaxed ways of making your pictures look terrific. (Of course there's always the option to hire a professional photographer but that's a topic for another blog!) Light is everything. Arrange for the light to be on either shoulder to a 90 degree angle No light in back or in front (make squinty eyes) Use light/bright surfaces to reflect light What you use to reflect will change the color of what you’re shooting Use your automatic settings based on what your light is…sun, shade, clouds – it changes the color of the final photo. Your camera!  Get familiar with it.  Unless you are comfortable using all manual setting to manage ISOs, aperture and shutter speed use the automatic settings for sun, shade, clouds, action etc. Shooting better selfies Please, no  cutesy ...

After spending a ton of money on equipment with a plan to make promotional videos for my photography business I was frustrated when I could not get all the equipment to work together. I know my photography equipment inside and out but when it came to producing video not so much, actually not at all! Out of frustration I did a search on line (of course) and found a simple, low cost option that includes what you already have. This hack is particularly for iPhone users but may also apply to other mobile phone cameras as well. This link will take you to a quick video  with the instructions as well that may give you a good visual way to implement the solution for yourself. I will outline here as well. Find something you can put the phone on that is stable. I have a mini-tripod which isn't very expensive and helps. You have a choice of many specifically to hold a mobile phone. Position the camera horizontally which is best for almost all uses. Take the headset provide...

With the Arizona heat on the rise I thought a quick list of tips to avoid the blistering sun would be in order. My first suggestion is to plan and arrange for any photoshoot that you want to happen in particular outside today. The type of photo sessions you may be considering include: Senior portraits: What kid doesn't want to have a unique series of photos to show off and look back on. Today's senior portraits are a far cry from the typical studio headshot in color and black and white!  Family Reunion: I once did a reunion of 30 family members in August, in the sun at high noon, no shade whatsoever and had everyone keep their eyes closed until I said 'smile.' Ultimately it worked out but it was HOT. Families don't often together in the same place at the same time so you'll want the best experience possible. Family reunion portraits are such a wonderful remembrance for the years to come.  "The family is one of natures masterpieces." ...

I think a lot about headshots. I think about what's best in a headshot and can come up with a dozen ideas that suit me but maybe not you. What it boils down to is that your headshots reflect your personality, supports your story ~ all while it projects your brand. We live in a visual world. Professional photography has never been as important as it is right now when communicating with prospects and influencing your market. You are the literal face of your business and you want your prospects and clients to know who you are. Building a robust library of photos is key to maintaining a fresh portfolio of flexible visual assets. It is useful to have more than one headshot taken during a session. That provides flexibility for when and where to post your photo. It's an opportunity to always have something new to post and update your followers and clients on social media, place on  business cards, press releases, brochures, announcements and more. Decide what works best f...

Everyone is photogenic but I hear so many people think that they aren't because they believe they have never taken a good photo. And maybe they haven't. With the standard in today's world of selfies and point and shoots it's impossible for most people to show off their best features. There's a lot that goes into being photogenic and what you see in photos of celebrities isn't always who they are off camera. “Even I don't wake up looking like Cindy Crawford.”  Cindy Crawford Cindy is being modest, but all professional photos have some retouching done without compromising who the person is in the photo. Photoshop is designed for that. So much of what changes an individual's look (the photogenic factor) in photographs is lighting and angles. Angles are affected by professional posing, camera and lighting placement. Then there's an inner glow that I can't explain but it's like a light switch.  Ugly? Never. Photogenic? Always. Wan...

In Part 1 we covered Productive Ways to Use Corporate Event Photography with 14 tips to consider the next time you hire a photographer for an event. Pre-Event planning is an important step that will assure success. Without it it's like darts - hit or miss. The plan will be used to communicate with your team and photographer so everyone is on the same page when it comes to before, during and after the event. There are two key areas to define in the planning stage that should be provided by the organizer to the photographer: a check list of shots that will be needed depending on how the photos will be used and tactical instructions.   Suggested “shot list” many include: Pre-event setup. This can involve set-up, preparation and decoration throughout the construction phase before the attendees arrive A step and repeat at the 'Red carpet' location as the attendees arrive Posed and candid shots of VIPS such as speakers, awardees, key clients etc. Crowds m...

Taking photos is just the beginning if your plan is to print and hang a single or gallery of portraits. Hanging photo groupings can be a challenge. Check out this video for installing multiple photos using a template and simple tools to install something similar to this client's annual photos.  The template used for this wall was provided by the lab for use specifically with these displays but you can create your own templates with a little planning, paper, tape measure and pencil. Go to Video! Any questions get in touch. Call me at 480-353-9415 or email. Enjoy!

As the New Year begins, it is the perfect time to evaluate, renew and refresh you branding and marketing materials. This should include your written content as well as your visuals such as video and photographs.  Both should clearly reflect your branding image.   Last year, I decided to add videos into my Branding mix.  I had planned to use them for several scheduled promotional opportunities.  The videographer and I had a prior general discussion, but in retrospect, not thorough enough. I didn’t have experience with this medium and process and frankly, didn’t know what to ask. The results were misaligned with the outcome I envisioned and they didn’t meet my quality expectations.  It was an expensive lesson. The purpose of this article is to provide you with guidance and preparation when photography is involved in your branding and marketing plan.  Here are 5 important steps that will result in a successful photography branding session. Be Clear ...

The holidays are upon us and planning the season has kicked in. I took my vampire and witch Halloween 'dolls' out (they will enjoy the light until January 2), we're planning Thanksgiving dinner and hosting a comfort soup party on January 1. Between now and when the activities are in full swing many of us will also be planning holiday cards (hopefully with professional photography but that's a different story), event invitations and more. I'm currently scheduling mini-photo sessions for Saturday November 16 in DC Ranch, North Scottsdale. Get in touch to schedule your session and receive a FREE digital photo optimized for  your holiday cards or wherever you prefer.  There are several companies that do wonderful printing for reasonable prices. The labs I use have good quality paper, fantastic range of designs and great pricing. They're easy to set up - just drag and drop. Add a personal message and you're in good shape for the holidays. Vistapri...

There's always a lot to think about for the professional photographer much less the casual picture 'taker.' Here's one tip that's pretty easy to avoid. The Popsicle! 1. Anytime you 'pose' your photo think about what's growing out of the subject. I call that the popsicle. It's distracting and easy to avoid. 2. I scoured my photos for an example and finally found this ONE. I have taken many photos with things growing out of my clients. I dump them as soon as I notice the problem. 3. You only need to move a couple feet or even inches left or right up or down to avoid the problem. In the case of the sample photo it was even growing out of his ear.  4. You probably will never find actual popsicle sticks in nature growing out of any head but you will photograph something like the sample. Happens ALL the time. Enjoy! Check out my article  15 Tips For Better Headshots I hope that you find this little tidbit helpful.  If you enjoy the ...