Creating headshots that look informal and ‘un-corporate’, yet professional can be a challenge. However, both my client and I were really pleased with this image. I love that it was picked, as it captures a sense of playfulness in a way that most corporate headshots seem to miss out on. Of course, all this depends on what sort of business you’re promoting – a light touch might be completely wrong! Nevertheless, in this case, it was great to make the most of the window, a lovely reflection and a super smile.
When I recently changed my business name I wrote to all my previous clients to inform them. Happily, getting in touch with people again, and perhaps especially as we come out of a period of repeated lockdowns, led to a few bookings and here are the results of one of them. As I said in my previous blog, I love people-photography more than most other forms, and it was especially fun spending time with an old friend and client who needed new headshots for her job. She has yet to make her choices from a large selection of images, but here are a couple that sprung out while I was working on them.
If you’re re-entering the job market, starting a new business, or just fancy refreshing your profile images, do get in touch. Visit http://www.sarahfurniss.co.uk for more information.
I have been reading a book by an art critic, who, while conjuring up a thought experiment, contrives to remove all people from all photography. And at the end of a protracted passage where he eradicates everything he professes to be disinterested in in photography, he arrives at images of blank paper on a desk as the only worthwhile consideration. (In fact, the work he refers to ultimately is intriguing and intelligent, and has had a significant impact on the way I think about photography).
I have not mentioned the writer’s name, nor the photographer he highlights as worthy because, while they both matter in certain aspects of my life, what is critical here is that people photography, and in particular portrait photography, is my favourite kind. If I were to do the same thought exercise as the aforementioned critic, I’d get rid of landscapes and still life, and maybe even journalistic images with people running this way or that – and only ever take portraits; the sort where one person and I get together and spend a bit of time with my camera, and not much else. No props, no lights – just the ambient light, perhaps a stool, and the ‘field’ – the space between the subject and me. It will come as no surprise that I very much enjoyed photographing the young man below last week. I hope he also enjoyed the experience and I’m looking forward to more portrait shoots soon!
I thought January was meant to be a quiet month. I haven’t stopped since the year started, and am only just beginning to catch up with myself. Still have that pesky tax return to get sorted before the end of the month though and anyone in the same boat as me has my sincere sympathies. One of the things keeping me busy was sorting out some corporate photos. These were for a relaxed PR company so we went with natural light and conversational visual tone.
Sarah Furniss Photography 