Virtual and On-Location Photography

  If you haven't experienced it yet  ... most likely you will soon because virtual photography is now a must-have experience in the day of the new normal.  It's here to stay.  Traditionally, companies that use photography for their branding, marketing, and image have used more traditional avenues to capture these photos ... ... which are time-consuming, costly, and inconsistent. And while it came about as a necessity from the pandemic, it has presented many benefits, especially to companies with multiple locations that need to have streamlined branding. Here are the top 5 ways my clients are benefiting from virtual photoshoots * We've been able to save employee productivity by reducing travel time to and from photoshoots. * No need to manage multiple photographers in various locations; one photographer as the point of contact for management (easy scheduling). * Brand consistency: photography that meets corporate standards * Budget management * New employee remote dig...

  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'...

                                                           📸   Capturing holiday memories is going to be a little different this year …  They'll probably be laid-back but can be magical if you plan for how to adapt.  Part of the mix for capturing your holiday memories can still include professional (or not so selfies) portraits.  A  virtual photoshoot  is an option if you don't want to leave your home. Your remote family members can also have a virtual photoshoot wherever they are to capture this same moment in time for everyone.   Whether you hire a photographer or take the DIY route you can adapt these to virtual or in-person photoshoots.  ✌  Here are some tips for taking your holiday photos. 🗓 Plan your wardrobe.  It makes such a difference to coordinate colors...

This 2 part blog addresses the professionalism and your personal brand that you can project in a virtual meeting. Don't waste the opportunity or other attendees' time if you aren't going to respect who they and you are. In Part 1  we discussed paying attention in a virtual meeting, dressing professionally, and staying in one place sitting still. The next 3 thoughts address the environmental setting. Backgrounds - Is it as difficult for you as it is for me to concentrate on the person when the background is like a storage facility? OK, that's harsh. But even though not all of us have the luxury of devoting a spiffy space to where we meet it wouldn't hurt to clean up the mess behind. Solution: have your logo, product photos, etc. ( professionally shot if possible ) printed by a retail printer and hang them up behind you. Make sure the photo size is large enough or close enough to your screen that your viewers can appreciate what's behind you. Optional...

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...

As a photographer I tend to see things that others might ignore or pass over. During the past couple months I've been in many virtual meetings on Zoom, FaceTime and others. Here are my observations and suggestions for a better business meeting visual experience - mostly for your viewers. Environment - have a 'clean' background; take things off your desk if it will show during the meeting. I suggest a neat, professional background with your logo or something specific to your business. What does your business do/sell?  Think about featuring a product, tools used to sell your product or even a display or picture in the background. If you have nothing you want to feature, be sure the background has a professional, organized office feel.  Sound – Please mute when you're not speaking if you have anything in the background that could interrupt or detract from your conversation, particularly if you are on a call with multiple participants. Pets, dishwasher, kids,...

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...

 (Part 2 Will Cover How Pre-Event Planning will Enhance the Results of Corporate Event Photograph y) The original title of this article was 'Where do your event photos go to die?' It seemed a little harsh. Practically speaking, though, I know that most photos taken at an event will end up in a digital boneyard. Why? Because... Organizers don’t know what to do with them The person responsible is too busy to follow-up The company may lack a marketing perspective The company uses stock photos. One hopes it doesn’t show up on a competitor’s website, just sayin’! It’s been known to happen. A strategic plan wasn't put into place prior to the event  Finally, Who cares! Wow. I have to confess that when I produced events in the 90’s I didn’t have photos taken. That was before the ubiquitous availability of digital photography. Do I wish I had?  You bet because there are so many relevant and valuable uses for the photos from events. Let’s go through some he...