From the first camera I owned, for me, it's always been about faces! "Beauty" is what happens when any face is captured in a way that is true and clear and right. Don't talk to me about whether you are "photogenic" or not. I don't believe in "photogenic". I believe in a photographer's ability to connect with a subject and craft a moment that fills the frame with interest, energy, and life! We've all heard it said that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Come in and let me show you what I see in you!
Each session starts with a blank canvas and it is our blended energy, imagination, experience, knowledge and ability which will generate the elements that become our "image". I know that the "unknown" aspect of that blank canvas is a source of anxiety for many subjects, but it is a source of excitement and possibility for me. I love the fact that every shoot starts with a void that we fill with light, shape, energy, and emotion to complete a finished image. That's the magic of photography. It's what drew me to photography in the first place, that supernatural aspect of the art. Photography wields the power to seize a moment in time and crystalize it, dazzling the viewer with details and drama. I'm excited every time I look at the screen on the back of my camera!
Here's how I work: Each headshot client has their own unique set of needs. This writer wants to project an image that evokes his/her writing style, that actor wants to project his/her presence in a way that illuminates character type and unique qualities, this politician wishes to embody strength, honesty and intelligence, that executive wants to express openness and likability. To begin, we define the known aspects of what we want the image to accomplish. These ideas become the goals of the shoot. Sometimes, my clients need help defining what elements the shot should project, I see it as my job to facilitate the identification and exploration of those elements. Some shoots start off with clarity, others with merely a vague notion of what we need, but I try to act as a translator, taking the ideas for the shoot and translating them through the photographic language. To do that, I feel I need to possess a very deep bag of techniques and tricks. My goal in my chosen field is to have complete mastery over the techniques necessary to execute any type of shot with any type of lighting and aesthetic. I have worked and studied hard to be able to use natural light, studio light, a blend of both, bounce flash, ring light, you name it, I want to learn and master it. I shoot tethered to my computer, so we can constantly be evaluating the look of each shot and fine tune that look to a degree unheard of before digital photography.
The images on my headshot site represent a wide variety of clientele. Some headshot photographers specialize in a particular type, everyone on their site is young and beautiful, or older and character-ish, or edgy and raw, or classic and polished. Some shoot only in the studio, others don't have a studio and shoot only outdoors. I want all options on the table when we shoot, so I keep a studio on 27th Street in the midst of the beautiful FIT campus, but I also love to "take it to the streets", and you can get both approaches in one session! I enjoy shooting all different types of clients and since my approach is to build the look of the shoot from the ground up, I feel I can find an avenue to capture anyone with the qualities they need to project themselves in an exciting, interesting, and unique way. My ultimate goal is to be "The Face-Whisperer". :)
Call and come in for a meeting and we'll figure out what you need and how to get it!
© Joe Henson 2012 All Rights Reserved