Why take a blurry selfie when you can have someone do it for you (that’s not blurry or with part of your arm in the photo)? I like taking a variety of styles so prospective employers or partners will think, “wow, that person is so professional yet so hip and cool. I want to work with that person, with the awesome headshots.”
Even in a pandemic, conferences are still going on, even if you only need to be dressed professionally on top but no one will ever know you have on PJ bottoms. Here, Wunan requested some pics for upcoming events she’ll be participating in, so we found a nice sunny fall day for those!
Nutrition is a very important part of daily life, and with all that misinformation out there on the world wide web, why not consult an actual nutritionist who can help guide you through all the necessary criteria to fit your (or your family’s) health needs? Here’s Amy, MS, CNS, LDN, local nutrition expert, who recruited me to help take some more updated headshots. If you must know, the fruit bowl was deliberate. And I’ve included some outtakes so that you know that Amy is not all about vanity but is a real, blinking, laughing (a lot of laughing) person. She also comes with an authentic English accent, so you’re more likely to pay attention to what she says than you would to any other health expert out there.
This is now my fourth time photographing this group (here they are earlier this year, last year, and the year before), and each time their headshots always come out so photogenic. Is it because their purpose is to help nonprofits run even more smoothly and therefore, help people and the world? Or because they are exude such care and support for one another as colleagues and friends that it shows through their smiles? In any case, something is working right at this company (and I dare say almost every company, whether a nonprofit or not, could stand to learn a little about good management if they want their employees to look this relaxed and happy in their professional headshots).
This particular day was extremely blustery and windy that the people could barely stand without being blown over, let alone any of my light stands. In between gusts of wind throwing debris into their eyes and their hair all over the place, I managed to get most people’s pictures done quickly before we retreated to safety inside to take the rest of them. Here’s a few selections of headshots I particularly liked (for artistry, really) and some of the working teams who congregated for a few serious and then silly shots.
Look at how professional, sharp, smart, knowledgeable and strategic Sara is! If anyone is looking for someone with experience in international relations, she’s your prime candidate.
This is my third year in a row photographing The Management Company (this is last year and the year before). After three years, I can safely conclude that this is a very photogenic group of people. Being photogenic is all about looking naturally happy and comfortable with themselves, without the usual grimaces and eyebrow furrows that happen after a few years on the job. Which means that the people at TMC are genuinely happy with their job, and pose happily for the camera with very little weight on their shoulders while the rest of Washington shleps by them with bricks on their ankles.
This year I set up the shoot on a sidewalk and had a few fun moments of the wind catching my umbrella modifier. There is also the usual cast of commuting characters passing by who think they’re really funny trying to pose in front of my lights and asking for a photo. In any case, these are a select few of the headshots I took that day – of the actual people from TMC!
I went to the South of France a few weeks ago. Because sometimes you just need to go to France. Here is my friend Ha, who met up with me from Shanghai, and we’re hanging out on the beach in Cannes, right outside the Cannes Film Festival. More to come from Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Cassis, Nice, more Cannes, and Monaco!
Our favorite musician and music teacher, Heidi, needed some photos to promote her ukulele class! We did one attempt of throwing floating scarves against a white background, but then she found this even more colorful mural in Takoma Park to go with her multicolored ukuleles and, of course, with her personality.
If you’re suffering from pain, injury, middle-aged overuse, or anything that doesn’t feel quite right with your body, Point Performance is the stop to make. I love working with this extremely talented group of physiatrists and physical therapists! Here are some headshots I took in the fall.
This is my second year photographing the staff of The Management Center, and boy has this company grown in the past year. It had to move locations and increase the number of desks, but the staff’s dedication, attitude and level of fun is more than obvious that this job isn’t just merely a paycheck, but a huge part of their lives. Knowing that poor management and bad bosses are one of the top reasons people leave a job, its main purpose is to help progressive non-profits and organizations function better as managers. This helps to avoid losing great talent who would otherwise make a difference to important people and issues. You can tell these people love what they do – no one ever gets this giddy for a company shot! Here are a few from that terribly hot and humid morning down near Farragut North, in what’s known as the “Golden Triangle” district.
Need a family lawyer? Look no further than the law office of Sarah F. Horowitz, LLC, a Silver Spring-based practice that specializes in family law. Estate planning, family formation, nanny contracts are right up her alley. While you’re there, enjoy her wonderful headshot! Here are a few more from our photoshoot.
Meet David, the CEO and co-founder of Retrium, a company/ software for agile retrospectives. This is particularly useful and interesting if you work in agile development and technology, so if you’re looking for a good retrospective tool, you should check them out!
Anyway, David was in need of a headshot for a conference and for some nice photos in general, so we got together and went around downtown Silver Spring for our shoot. It was fun and creative, even when one of the residents of downtown Silver Spring’s streets mistook my camera for a hose shooting biohazard toxins and called the police on me. It was a simple misunderstanding, although we got out of there before the police arrived. Here are some photos (not toxins) from that shoot!
The talented singer/ songwriter/ guitarist Heidi Martin, born and bred in Washington, DC, influenced in Casablanca, croons jazz and blues that go well with a martini on a warm summer night. Together we had a super creative time checking out parts of Rock Creek Park, finding blends of nature and industry for a funky setting for her artistic shots. These are best viewed in conjunction to her music, so check her out!
I totally upped my cool factor by photographing a jazz/ blues musician, Heidi Martin. More to come…
There are lots of good intentions out there, and lots of action whirling around to bring those intentions to light. But sometimes, a roadblock appears in the process, bringing the project to a screeching halt. Enter The Management Center: a company whose purpose is to help nonprofits manage their processes and people better, and help them overcome hurdles to realize their mission and goals. The company is made up of people from all over the country, with a wide range of experience and background, but united with passion and drive to do good. For a rare moment, the staff were together in DC recently for a company gathering and seized the opportunity for a group photo and some headshots.
The physicians therapists of Bethesda-based Point Performance are some of the most talented I’ve ever encountered. They fixed my shin splints and got me back on the road right before the New York Marathon. They have an astounding reputation for being really careful, precise and personalized with their approach, rather than cookie-cutter and just follow what’s in the book. I’ve had the pleasure of photographing each of their new therapists with the matching outdoorsy look, one in each season (fall, winter, summer). Here’s Michal, Adam and Robert.
Ha was moving overseas to China, where companies tend to like seeing pictures of job candidates along with their applications, so she asked me to take a bunch. We went for the more laid-back, smiling ones as well as the very serious, firm and stern versions. The latter didn’t go so well because she kept laughing and because she’s not a very stern person.
Yiftach and his business partner took the plunge and started their own company- something involving government contracting, defense, strategy, and a lot of intelligence (both secret information AND being very smart). The two of them asked me to take some working shots of them, and in these shots they aren’t posing – these guys work so hard, they decided to maximize their time and actually have a meeting, so these shots are genuine, the real thing.
Nick and his financial team (Kevin and Kim) braved a morning of headshots which, they soon learned, can be a painless process. Even if they were forced to listen to my terrible jokes, they still smiled – even laughed – at a few of them, which resulted in some great shots. The proof that financial planning and headshots can both be fun are found below.
(this last one is really just an outtake – but one of my favorites)
Lexi, finishing up her degree as a nurse practitioner, needed some professional shots for job-searching. Look at that calm, confident composure – who wouldn’t want to put their healthcare in her capable hands?
My sister needed headshots for a conference where she would be presenting, so of course who else would she call to have them taken?
Red Kite Studios 