Oh, to be young again. This young man reached out to me to get professional headshots so he could try something new. It isn’t like his life isn’t full already. He’s a third-year university student in kinesiology and a star basketball player. He works full-time in the summer while running private and small-group basketball clinics for young children and adults.
The first challenge was to make him look approachable and natural. It was tough because the shoot could easily turn into a GQ model or a Sports Illustrated magazine cover photo. Toning it down was the name of the game.
The second challenge was to recreate natural sunlight, which is very common for this type of photography session: an actor’s headshot photo shoot. It was dark outside due to the storm, so using “sunlight-in-a-can” setup (Godox V1 and Godox 860 VIII) and a gold reflector, we photographed the various outfits and looks.
I mostly photograph women in business or casual attire and in wedding gowns. I’m experienced with photographing female curves in many different styles and settings. It isn’t that I do not enjoy photographing men; it is simply that men don’t often require professional portrait photography services.
I’m glad to be reminded that the skills required to photograph someone’s personality and soul are the same. As usual, it took us about 15 minutes to provide the directions and explanations for posing and to get more comfortable in front of the camera. After that initial period, we were finally cooking with gas! By the time the last images were shot, I hardly had to direct him at all. Like a pro, E.M. hit that last image out of the park.
Hair: @hairbychlo
