Do you hate to have your picture taken?  I certainly do.  People often find this strange because of my profession but I’m never more uncomfortable then when I have to be in front of a camera.  And portraits have always been the worst.  Having to sit and freeze with a fake smile while someone futzes with a camera and goads you into posing in uncomfortable ways ranks right up there with having wisdom teeth pulled out.  I think I might actually prefer trips to the dentist – at least going there they don’t give you a snapshot as a memory of the bad experience.

I share this with you only because I completely understand that for many people, having a professional head shot done, ranks pretty low on their wish list. I think we’ve all had experiences when the person behind the camera asks just a little too much – even if it’s just “tilt your head this way” or “bigger smile”.  Or doesn’t seem to understand your desire to not have a cheesy fake grin in all the pictures.  And so I do take a bit of pride that I never want to be that guy.

Really good portrait photography is truly an art form. And capturing someone’s “essence” in one frozen moment in time is frankly rare. So while I may never reach the artistic heights of Annie Leibovitz or Richard Avedon, I always strive to at least give my subjects plenty of choices so they can recognize themselves in their pictures.

Here are some recent portrait head shot samples from a  short “mobile studio” session – on location with various backgrounds & places inside a manufacturing facility.