One Light Head Shots for London Entrepreneurs
Welcome back to my weekend shooting in London. Quick recap, on day one I had my first ever bump shoot with actress Jimena Larraguivel, the following morning I was shooting at Chef Robin Gill’s new restaurant, The Manor in Clapham. As soon as I was finished in Clapham I jumped in the jalopy and cruised into central London. I was capturing personal head shots of a small group of entrepreneurs. We’d met at a Les Brown event in London, the month before, and it seemed like a great opportunity to come to London and create fresh head shots for their new ventures.
The location for this shoot had been juggling around somewhat. I couldn’t have done it without my new and amazing friend Seranna, who organised the location through her extensive contacts. We ended up in a beautiful apartment in central London, I already had my, on the go, lighting kit so although a studio would have been nice, it wasn’t really necessary. You can get this kind of look just about anywhere, which is a blessing when the location isn’t always favourable.
Times like this we like to keep it simple at JTP. It’s been said by a number of photographers, if you think you need two lights, use one. If you think you need three lights, use one. I like to think I’m in good company, but one is plenty for head shots, especially if you find yourself in a tight location. I had an assistant in the lovely Nataline, who was also at the Les Brown weekend and she wanted to help out. It was great to have a little help, especially since I’d been working alone all weekend. Seranna was brilliant, running to the door and settling everyone in while we were setting up. On this occasion I had four happy and enthusiastic subjects, Roxanne, Anne-Marie, Wayne and Vernon.
I was shooting for the dark/black background head shot, followed by the white background. All the shots used one Speedlite, one soft box and one reflector to achieve the look.
We all had the Les Brown weekend in common so before long we’re chatting and settling into the shoot. People photography is a good 80% psychology, I had to get the best from four very different personalities. When you create a fun and relaxed environment you’re helping everyone enjoy the experience, which creates better results.
People want to connect and I use this to my advantage. It also helps being a bit of a nut who loves his work, I want my subjects to have fun with it too. It all comes across in the photo. Some folks just don’t like their photo taken, usually because they’ve never liked any photo taken of them, often by Uncle Fred or Aunt Joan. A portrait or head shot you’re not happy with isn’t an option. Contrary to many beliefs, everyone can have a great shot.
Peter Hurley is one of my favourite people photographers right now. I don’t use his style, because that’s Peter’s look, but his techniques are wonderfully effective. Inside everyone there’s a spark, flame or furnace just waiting for you to capture it. It’s my job to create a space for you to let it out. I’ll watch every move of your face, each emotion in the eyes, act like a fool and I’ll know when you make an appearance, because it makes me smile from the inside when I see it. Click!
Although I’m specialising in food and restaurant photography, portraits, studio and environmental, are a part of my craft I want to develop. Meeting and photographing new people really interests me. Being able to create something fresh and new for those much more accustomed to having their photo taken, to getting the shot they didn’t believe could be achieved, is a very satisfying challenge. It’s a case of allocating time to developing my style, and having lots of fun in the process.
What is a portrait?
There’s no end to opinions on that, but to me a portrait is when the photographer and the subject enter into a relationship of trust, to create the final image. Usually the photographer needs to be a master of energy, you need to bring with you whatever the subject needs to relax and feel they can show you their inner self. The eyes really are the windows to the soul. This is every bit the same for a business head shot to a fashion model shoot. If you don’t have a connection, the eyes will show you all you need to know.
You need to be happy with the technical stuff, lights, camera and settings. Then you can make sure you’re bringing what your subject needs and they can show you who they really are.
That’s a wrap
It was fantastic to catch up with everyone again. We came away with some great shots and had a brilliant afternoon. Time for the long drive home and run through the whole weekend in my head.
I’ll leave you with a shot I took of Wayne that he really liked. Next stop Hollywood 😉
That’s it for this weekend in London. I was back a few weeks later for two more restaurants, looking forward to the next time.
Thanks for stopping in for a visit, I’ll see you back here very soon. Have a great week.
