Tag Archives: portrait-photography

Stories in Portrait Photography

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I am writing a new photography book, my first since The Microstock Photographer’s Guide (2007). Since that book I have shifted focus to portrait photography, in particular shots of artists and creative people doing their thing. I consider myself a storyteller, and a good portrait does just that – it tells a story.

After lots of encouragement from friends and readers, I started doing research for the new book. I knew it was going to be about portraiture, but I wanted to find an angle that was both helpful to many, and could be applied without making massive investments in lighting rigs, studio space and software. It had to be about taking interesting photos more than technically superior ones, yet still contain enough concrete tips for the pro audience.

To begin, I started with a simple survey asking 5 questions about photography. I’m still collecting data, so if you have a minute, your input would be greatly appreciated. Already after the first few responses, it became clear that focus was going to be on telling stories.

“Stories in Portrait Photography” (working title) will talk about communication between photographer and subject, about emphasizing or downplaying specific character traits and “reading people”, but it will also contain tips and things to try out for every topic presented. Whether through the use of light, angles, location or direction, there are plenty of ways to strengthen the story of a portrait — without making it overly staged.

The survey has an optional field where you can put your email address, if you want to stay updated on the progress of the book. Unlike last time, I will not be posting the individual chapters as blog posts ahead of publishing. Take the survey here.

Quick update on my other current projects:

  • The Final Prophecy – currently being distributed to/read by select beta-readers for feedback.
  • Fantasy Gaming Campaign – related to The Final Prophecy. We’re about to play our 3rd session.
  • Nebula Rescue – my upcoming iPhone game. I thought I was 90% done, but then my brother tested it and gave me a ton of ideas. Now it’s about 70% done.

Will Work For Free

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Singer Johan Olsen from Magtens Korridorer.

Magtens Korridorer is a Danish band I've photographed for years. It's been fun following their path to success. The free beer was cool too!

I hope I never get too busy, jaded or lazy to do the occasional free job. Anyone can take a picture, but I like to think that I am better than average (or the last decade of my life has been for nothing). That’s why I normally charge for my services. But every so often, I will offer to work for free. It’s not a completely selfless act mind you, I get something out of it too.

The people I photograph for free are almost always artists of some sort. I grew up around painters, musicians, architects and what-have-you, and almost all of these talented people could have used a good picture or three for marketing themselves and their work, and for the same reasons they would need a photo, they also couldn’t afford to hire a professional to shoot a series for them.

There are thousands of struggling artists in the world, but naturally I can’t afford to give away my photos all the time.

I extend the offer to people I really like. The people behind the work are more important than the work itself. I am a storyteller, and those always have their root in people. It ties into combining Kindness and Hard Work as well. The people I help are genuinely grateful, and they tend to remember me later. In the past this has led to referrals, more work (some of it still for free), friendships and collaborations. And with each and every shoot comes inspiration and learning, and that’s the real pay-off.

A couple of people I have photographed have later gone on to have some success, which hasn’t made me rich (nor would I dream of taking credit for their success, which had everything to do with their own hard work) but it’s gotten me lots of really cool, fun experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Giving away my work also gives me a sense of applying my talent where it matters. That’s a very direct and fulfilling thing. I’ve met naysayers who claim one of two things: it’s undermining “the industry”, and you’re killing yourself for nothing. To those I say, you don’t get it. I’m not doing this for business – not directly anyway. I’m doing it because it’s who I am, how I was raised and it’s what I love doing.

Free Headshots in Hindsight

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The headshot event was a success. That’s the most important thing, I have to say about it, so I’ll say it first. In one day, I happily serviced about 50 people, taking their portrait, so they could use it on LinkedIn, Facebook, with their acting agent or where ever a headshot might come in handy. It took me a while to write this final post about it, simply because I wanted to finish it first. Which I have. All the photos have been retouched and e-mailed out to the participants.

I originally offered 100 free headshots and later raised that number to 120, but I was happy to see that on the day of, there were no enormous lines, no chaos and thus, no catastrophes. Instead, there was a small initial rush of people who had been waiting around, followed by a slow trickle. Much more along the lines of Continue reading →