Exposure, Aperture, and ISO: The Painfully Misunderstood Basics of Photography

Exposure, Aperture, and ISO: The Painfully Misunderstood Basics of Photography

Let’s just go ahead and say it: most articles about exposure read like they were written by a robot who spent too much time on a photography forum and not enough time actually making photographs. They spit out definitions with all the liveliness of a tax form, and while technically accurate, they tend to miss the thing that really matters—what it feels like to actually shoot, to wrestle with light, to ruin frames, and to sometimes, just sometimes, get it spectacularly right.

So let's kill the formality and talk about the three-headed monster that is exposure: Aperture, ISO, and Shutter Speed. Or, as I like to call them, the holy trinity of either making or absolutely mangling your image.

Exposure: The Myth of "Perfectly Exposed"

Exposure is, in the simplest and simultaneously most frustrating sense, how light or dark your image is. Too much light? Washed out. Not enough? Mud. But here's the thing: what counts as "correct" exposure isn't a meter reading. It’s not what your camera says. It’s what you say. It’s whether the shot feels right. If you're photographing a funeral in the rain and the picture comes out looking like a toothpaste ad, you've missed the point.

Cameras don’t understand intent. They don’t understand poetry. They just understand 18% gray. So if you want your images to carry weight, you're going to have to push and pull your exposure settings around with full knowledge that you're breaking rules on purpose. Good. That’s where the art starts. Thats where you’ll learn to take killer portraits, specatular and awe-inducing headshots, and penultimate portraiture.

Aperture: Not Just a Number, But a Choice

The aperture is the hole in your lens that opens and closes like a mechanical iris, letting in more or less light. It’s measured in these cryptic little numbers called f-stops (f/1.4, f/2.8, f/8, etc.) that don’t really make intuitive sense unless you spend time doing math or making photographs—and I suggest the latter.

Here’s the useful part: the lower the number, the more light gets in, and the blurrier your background gets. That dreamy portrait with the eyeballs sharp and everything else melting into blur? That’s a wide aperture. That tack-sharp landscape where you can see ants on the mountain? Narrow aperture.

But—and this is a massive but—you don’t always want the prettiest background blur. Sometimes you want context. Sometimes you need more in focus because the story calls for it. The trick isn’t to memorize what f-stop to use. It’s to know what you want your viewer to feel. Then dial it accordingly.

Also, wide apertures let in more light - which is crucial for someone like a professional event photographer. So if you're shooting in a cave or, say, anywhere in Brooklyn after 5pm (the nice thing about shooting past 5pm is at least you won’t have to worry about whether to choose between hard or soft photography lighting it’s universally softjust be aware your margin for focus is razor-thin, so if you miss, you miss.

ISO: The Necessary Evil

ISO is your sensor’s sensitivity to light. Technically. But in real terms? It’s the emergency lever. The booster rocket. The late-night compromise. It’s what you touch when there’s no light, you’re wide open on aperture, and your shutter is already dangerously slow. It’s a get-out-of-jail card, but the kind where you come out looking a little roughed up.

Low ISO (100-400) = clean, beautiful files. Raise that sucker past 1600 and you start dancing with the digital devil—noise, grain, loss of detail. And yet... some of the best, most emotional photos ever taken were noisy as hell. Don’t let the pixel-peepers scare you. If the moment matters, bump the ISO and shoot the photo.

Shutter Speed: The Unsung Hero (or Silent Killer)

Shutter speed is how long your sensor is exposed to light. 1/1000 of a second? You’ll freeze a bullet. 1/10 of a second? Your dog just became a ghost.

Fast shutters = frozen time. Slow shutters = motion blur. Choose wisely. Or recklessly. Just know what you’re getting into. Want sharp images handheld? Stay above 1/125s. Shooting a dancer on stage? 1/500s minimum. Trying to capture light trails on a New York street at midnight? Slow it down to seconds and grab a tripod (or pray your arms are made of stone).

The Exposure Triangle: Your Frenemy

Everyone loves talking about the exposure triangle whether professionals or hobbyist photographers. It sounds authoritative, like something you might learn in a seminar next to a guy in a fleece vest. But it’s not sacred. It’s just a framework. Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all interact. If one goes up, another has to go down, unless you want your image to be brighter or darker.

• Want a blurry background? Open your aperture.

• Need to freeze motion? Speed up your shutter.

• Shooting in a dark alley? Raise the ISO.

You juggle these depending on what matters most for the shot. Not what the internet says. What the shot needs.

Practical Example: The Portrait at Dusk

Let’s say you’re shooting a portrait in golden hour, and it’s fading fast.

• You want the subject sharp and the background creamy. Aperture: f/1.8.

• But it’s dimming. You can’t shoot slower than 1/100s handheld. Shutter: 1/100s.

• You look through the viewfinder and it’s still too dark. Time to swallow your pride. ISO: 800.

Boom. You have a shot. Might be a little noisy. But the mood? On point.

Now imagine doing that every day, thousands of times, until it becomes instinct. That’s when the triangle stops being geometry and starts being poetry.

Final Thoughts: Shoot First, Define Later

If you're still reading, here's the only advice that matters: shoot. Shoot all the time. Break the rules. Screw up the exposure and find out what happens. Use ISO 3200 in daylight just to see what it looks like. Shoot with your aperture wide open and learn the heartbreak of a soft focus. Try everything, then do it again.

Because the only real way to understand exposure is to live it—to take thousands of frames that are too dark, too bright, too blurry, too noisy, and then suddenly... one that isn’t. One that sings.

And when it happens, you’ll know. Not because the histogram is centered or the meter says ±0.0. But because you felt it in your gut.

And that’s the shot that counts.

Hard Light vs. Soft Light in Photography: Understanding the Difference and When to Use Each

You may have heard (correctly) that lighting is the backbone / linchpin of photography. It’s renders your subject, sets the mood nearly in its entirety, and can take an ordinary shot and transform it into an engaging and compelling visual story. One of the most critical decisions a photographer can make when lighting a subject is choosing between soft light and hard light. These two types of lighting can and will dramatically impact ones final image, and understanding their inherent differences is key in mastering the photography craft.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down what hard and soft light fundamentally are, where they differ from one another, how and when to use them, and different use cases in portrait, product, and fashion photography.

Table of Contents

1. What Is Hard Light?

2. What Is Soft Light?

3. Hard Light vs. Soft Light: Key Differences

4. How to Create Hard Light

5. How to Create Soft Light

6. When to Use Hard Light in Photography

7. When to Use Soft Light in Photography

8. Examples of Hard and Soft Light in Popular Photography Genres

9. Tips for Controlling Light Quality on Set

10. Final Thoughts: Choosing the Right Light for Your Vision

What Is Hard Light?

Hard light is used to describe a type of light that is a direct and focused form of it that creates crisply defined shadows and stronger and more clearly pronounced contrasts between light and dark areas. An emphasis on texture and detail is created with this type of light and it typically comes from a small or distant light source - such as the sun or an undiffused flash.

Characteristics of Hard Light:

• Sculpted and well-defined shadows

• Much higher contrast and an inherent sense of drama

• Edges, pores, and fine details are emphasized through the use of hard light

• Heightens the sense of intensity

Fashion editorials, dramatic portraits, and cinematic scenes are all good examples of where hard light often times will be used the most - lending intensity and boldness to an image.

What Is Soft Light?

Soft light is a large and diffused light source that envelopes and wraps gently around the subject - this minimizes shadow and reduces contrast. While typically soft light almost always universally comes from a large light source, keep in mind that it is also relative to the distance of the subject. A relatively small light source can technically be a large light source if placed close enough, while a relatively large light source can be small if placed far enough away.

Characteristics of Soft Light:

• Diffuse, feathered, and soft shadows

• Low contrast and smoother gradients

• Skin appears smoother and more flattering

• A natural and gentler mood to the image

A Portrait and headshot photographer, beauty shooters, wedding photographers, and natural light photographers all in general employ soft light because it flatters the subject.

Hard Light vs. Soft Light: Key Differences

The primary or key differences between hard and soft light lie in two areas: the quality and type of shadows produced as well as the texture and detail of what’s being photographed. Hard light creates sculpted, well-defined shadows and punchy contrast; often coming from smaller light sources like a bare flash, midday sun, or modifiers such as zoom reflectors, silver umbrellas, or gridded softboxes. Hard light will oftentimes be found as a mainstay with an event photographer in low-light environments, as they’ll be subject to a speedlight as their sole source of illumination.

In contrast, soft light is gentle and diffused and produces smoother and more feathered shadows that have a more gradual transition between light and dark. Soft light usually comes either larger light sources that have been been diffused via softboxes, umbrellas, or clouds. Imperfections and texture are minimized through the use of soft light and it is used to create natural and flattering portraits in beauty, commercial, and fashion photography. Often times soft lighting will specifically be chosen for use in film photography, as certain film stocks can be married to certain soft lighting techniques to achieve specific nostalgia.

How to Create Hard Light

Creating hard light in photography involves using lighting tools and techniques that produce focused, undiffused illumination. One of the most common ways is by using unmodified flash heads or strobes, which emit a concentrated beam of light that results in sharp shadows and high contrast. Shooting in direct sunlight, especially during midday when the sun is high and harsh, naturally creates hard light due to its small relative size in the sky and lack of diffusion.

You can also enhance this effect using metallic reflectors, which bounce light in a controlled, high-intensity manner, preserving its hardness while adding directional emphasis. For even more precision, gridded modifiers and snoots can be attached to strobes or continuous lights to narrow the beam and create distinct, crisp lighting that isolates subjects and adds dramatic flair. Together, these tools allow photographers to sculpt with light, emphasizing form, texture, and detail.

How to Create Soft Light

Achieving soft lighting in your photography involves techniques that diffuse and spread light evenly. This results in gentle shadows and more flattering, low-contrast looks. Large umbrellas or softboxes, which increase the size of the light source relative to the subject and distribute light more broadly, is one of the most popular and effective practices for doing this.

An additional and alternative technique (and considerably less expensive one) is to bounce light off large, neutral-colored surfaces, such as white walls or ceilings. This turns a small, direct light into a much larger and softer source by reflecting it indirectly onto the subject. Natural window light is also a beautiful and accessible form of soft light, especially on overcast days or when diffused by sheer curtains, providing a wraparound effect that's ideal for portraits and lifestyle imagery. Additionally, using diffusion materials—like scrims, silks, or translucent panels—placed between the light and the subject can help scatter light rays and eliminate harsh shadows. Together, these methods create a soft, natural illumination that flatters skin tones, reduces texture, and enhances the overall mood of an image.

When to Use Hard Light in Photography

Use of hard light in editorial fashion, cinematic portraits, and athletic or fitness photography is most common. Outside of this, it's also extremely effective in black-and-white photography, where tonal contrast and shadow. Enhanced storytelling, particularly when mimicking natural sources like direct sunlight or headlights to suggest tension, mystery, or raw realism is often times common with hard light. While it's less forgiving on skin imperfections, when used deliberately, hard light can create images that are visually striking and emotionally charged.

When to Use Soft Light in Photography

When you want to create images that feel natural, gentle, and emotionally resonant, soft lighting is the way to go. It is the go to for flattering portraits, such as actor headshots or corporate headshots, as the diffused light smooths out skin tones, reduces blemishes, and either minimizes or altogether eliminates harsh shadows.

For adding emotion or romance to a scene, where a warm, subtle glow can be used to enhance intimacy and add a sense of emotional depth to the image, soft lighting is also at the forefront of use cases. Additionally, massive octabanks or other modifiers are constructed to mimic natural light, especially in an indoor setting or while shooting in a window light. This helps to create an organic and true-to-life feel within the image.

Within the world of product photography, soft light is critical for even illumination of your subject. Reducing reflections, highlighting details without overpowering glare, and minimizing texture are all a huge part of the power and characteristic of soft lighting.

Overall, soft light is versatile, forgiving, and found more commonly and across a wider variety of categories and subsets of photography. It is elegant, soft, and atmospheric.

Examples of Hard and Soft Light in Popular Photography Genres

Fashion Photography

• Hard Light: High-contrast editorial spreads for publications like Numero or Mission Magazine

• Soft Light: Editorial spreads in publications like Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue almost universally
  use soft light.

Headshot Photography

• Hard Light: Character actors working within a specific niche will seek these out for drama

• Soft Light: Actor, corporate, and lifestyle headshots on the whole will use soft lighting

Street Photography

• Hard Light: Black and white street photography in urban environments

• Soft Light: Overcast days with diffused light can make stock look dreamy and atmospheric

Product Photography

• Hard Light: Useful for watches, tech, the dimension that shadows create. Used as well when showing products
  In an editorial setting (say a watch at the top of an article for New York magazine).

• Soft Light: Necessary for food, cosmetics, interiors, or anything with glare

Tips for Controlling Light Quality on Set

Here are practical tips as a summary for lighting points when in studio and making your lighting diagrams.

Control Light Size

Controlling the size of the light source relative to your subject is a foundational practice for on-set lighting. The larger the light source the softer the light - while conversely a smaller light produces a harder effect. Adjusting the physical size of the light or using softboxes or reflectors, you can achieve any desired effect you’d like.

Control Distance

Equally important is controlling the distance between your light and your subject — a closer light is software and more diffuse, while a light further away is harder and punchier.

Lighting Modifiers are Everything

Light modifiers are the most powerful tool a photographer has when in studio. They allow you to refine, sculpt, and shape your light. Diffusion panels, softboxes, umbrellas, and grids can all dramatically change the spread and intensity of the light.

Pay Attention to Shadow Edges

Paying close attention to shadow edges will reveal a great deal of information about the quality of light being cast on your subject. Soft shadows with gradual transitions will come from a soft light source, while distinct, clearly defined edges will come from a hard.

Mix Lighting Styles

Mix lighting styles on set should be something you ultimately should not be afraid to do. The elegant marrying of hard and soft light can add dimension and contrast to an image and is oftentimes a sign that a photographer has truly mastered the application of light. Soft key lighting for instance can make a subject elegant, while hard rim lighting will separate it from everything else in the image. The addition of a soft fill will make that very subject look even more atmospheric and elegant.

Either way, thoughtful control of these factors lets you take creative command of the visual story that ultimately you decide to tell.

Final Thoughts: Choosing the Right Light for Your Vision

There’s no single “right answer” to the question: Which light should I use? Whatever light most fits your vision and taste is ultimately the best option for you. Hard light is stylistic, intrepid, and adds drama; soft light adds atmosphere, is flattering, and used more often than hard lighting. Understanding the difference between between these two lighting qualities allows a photographers to be intentional with his or her work.

Whether creating headshots in a studio or capturing fashion editorials out on location, having a deft understanding and ability to manipulate light is one of the most powerful tools you have as a visual storyteller.

Next time you frame a shot ask yourself exactly what it is you want out of it. Do you want intensity and stylization or do you want elegance and atmosphere.

Your lighting will lead the way.

Have questions? Contact me and I’ll be happy to help answer in any way I can.

Film vs. Digital Photography: Pros and Cons for Modern Photographers

Introduction: Choosing Between Film and Digital Photography

One ongoing and seemingly endless debate that shows no signs of slowing is: film vs. digital photography. Both formats offer a unique set of strengths and a unique set of challenges, and understanding the pros and cons can be critical to helping you decide which best suits your creative and professional needs.

You could be an experienced photographer looking to revisit the bygone days of analog photography, or a beginner or hobbyist photographer simply wondering which format you should ultimately start with, this comprehensive comparison will guide you through key differences in, workflow, image quality, cost, creative control, and more.

1. Image Quality in Film vs. Digital Photography

Film Photography: Classic Tone Recreation and A Timeless Visual Texture

Film’s visual style is distinctive, to say the least. Being especially revered for a natural highlight roll-off that comes from the photographic development process (dealing with emulsion sensitivity ), it’s visual characteristics also include hyper-smooth grain and warm, nostalgic color rendering. Medium and large format film stocks as well provide extremely wide dynamic range values and detail.

Instagram, one of the most well known brands and online platforms in existence and one with a paltry $70.4 billion valuation, was launched initially as a tool that allowed people to take digital images from their phones, run them through a filter, and make them look like analog photographs.

Advantages of Film Photography Image Quality:

• Highlight retention is unparalleled

• The soft, cinematic grain and organic feel of analog is almost universally mood-evoking

• The natural skin tones and color depth of film are automatic and do not rely on the digital calculations of a dslr/mirrorless

• Different film stocks come with different visual personalities, moods, and character.

Disadvantages:

• Low-light performance was surpassed ages ago by digital, and analog will never come close

• You cannot see a preview of the image

• Development and scanning can act as a bottleneck if done cheaply / improperly.

Digital Photography: Clarity, Resolution, and Control

Modern dSLR

Modern digital cameras — moreover full-frame and medium format (I own a GFX 100S and, as a new york headshot photographer will personally attest to this ) — offer outstanding sharpness, extremely high color rendition and tonal value, and a very wide latitude when editing RAW files.

Advantages of Digital Image Quality:

• High resolution and sharp detail

• Performance in low-light conditions that analog cannot come close to matching

• On the fly white balance and exposure adjustment

• Non-destructive editing techniques allow for more flexibility in the post-production process

Disadvantages:

• Harsh highlight clipping. Whereas highlights can roll-off or taper with film, in digital, once it’s clipped it’s gone.

• Processing or editing is an art and as such, quality labs are more limited in number.

• It is oftentimes said that digital will never contain the soul that film has

2. Workflow Speed and Efficiency

Workflow

Film Photography: A Deliberate Process

Requiring more time and thought, film photography can force one to slow down, think about their settings and composition, and approach their images with more intentionality than digital (though digital photographers can just as well develop a process that places just as much of this in their own work).

Pros of Film Workflow:

• Promotes a thought to ones composition

• A lack of image review or preview can place more value on each and every frame

• A higher emphasis on execution and pre-planning

Cons:

• A limited amount of exposures per roll

• While turn-around with digital can be instant, film can take days/weeks.

• Risk of mistakes without immediate feedback is 100x what digital is.

Digital Photography: Fast and Flexible

Digital cameras allow you to adjust and review hundreds of images instantly. The ability to do this is ideal within the confines of fashion and commercial work. As well, as a full-time event photographer in New York City, I can attest that digital is universally the way to go in this realm.

Pros of having a digital workflow

• Image review is immediate and using a histogram can tell you where you exposure is at

• Lightning fast post-production and editing allows for instant delivery

• While a roll of film may allow for 36 exposures, a 128GB sd card can hold thousands of RAW files.

Cons:

• People have a tendency to overshoot in digital.

• An “I’ll just photoshop this error” mentality can oftentimes hinder learning and development.

• Can require expensive digital backup systems for photographers that shoot a lot.

3. Cost Comparison: Film vs. Digital Photography

Film Photography: High Long-Term Costs

Film cameras themselves may be far more affordable than they used to be, but film stock, development-and-lab processing costs, as well as scanning add recurring expenses that never dissipate. Each roll can cost $15–$30 with processing included. This means that every 36 exposures you’re going to be spending about $25-$50. To put this into perspective, you can at the moment buy a 128gb Sandisk Extreme Pro off of amazon for $20. If I were to use this memory card in my nikon d850, I’d get approximately 600+ images or so. If I were to shoot that same number of images on film, the roll and processing costs would be around $850.

$850 vs $20 is a rather large divider of cost.

Pros of Film Cost:

• Film cameras are almost all vintage now - meaning they are exceedingly more affordable than they
  used to be.

• Film photography provides an intentionality of shooting that digital does not. This may end up saving you
  in the long-run.

Cons:

• Far more expensive than digital, limiting the amount of shooting beginner and hobbyist photographers can do.

• Darkrooms and labs are not all created equally. A bad lab can easily ruin your image and good ones are
  not available 24/7.

• As most film cameras are vintage and no longer made, repair and part sourcing is much harder.

Digital Photography: High Upfront Cost Requirement, Much Lower Ongoing Costs Over Time

Digital cameras and lenses are a much newer technology that’s gettingg iterated over every year. This makes digital cameras and lenses considerably more expensive. However, there is no cost-per-shot factor and this makes digital ideal for high-volume shooters.

Pros of Digital Cost:

• Costs per image is essentially $0.

• Professionals photographers and content creators that use digital are far in the majority

• Analog is unforgiving, whereas digital promotes learning on an ongoing basis.

Cons:

• Gear depreciates much more quickly than analog. While an analog camera can last 30+ years and beyond, digital can oftentimes only last a few.

• Digital photography is extremely popular and companies upgrade their tech every year. This means that staying current can be costly.

• The investment for pro-level gear can be quite high.

4. Creative Control and Flexibility

Film: Built-in Character and Constraints

An endless boon of film is that different film stocks yield drastically different looks (instagram’s filters are essentially based around the idea of using different films for your image). Photography aspects like ISO and color profiling are committed to before the first image has even been taken - and that’s by selecting one’s film stock. This leads to a more disciplined creative process.

Creative Advantages of Film:

• Each film stock has a unique visual profile and aesthetics (Kodak Portra, Fuji Pro 400H, etc.)

• There is considerably less editing to achieve a stylized look

• Working within a set of constraints fosters more discipline in creativity

Drawbacks:

• Ones ability to correct mistakes is 1000x harder than digital

• Manipulating or compositing images is considerably harder

• While digital tools for retouching and editing are in the hundreds (now that AI is here, in the thousands)
  there are only a small handful for analog / film photography.

Digital: Post-Production Powerhouse

Your options in post production are nearly limitless with digital. Exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, sharpness, and grain are just a few of the characteristics of the image you can modify (and quite heavily, assuming you’re working in RAW). And outside of what you can do yourself, there are literally tens of thousands of presets and color profiles on the internet that you can use to emulate film and various film stocks.

Creative Advantages of Digital:

• Creative freedom in post-processing is nearly limitless

• Commercial retouching for things like corporate headshots and visual effects are almost universally digital

• Adapts easily to trends and different looks

Drawbacks:

• Over editing ones images, especially early on in their career, is quite common

• Sometimes having too many choices in the editing room can oftentimes cause “choice-paralysis,”
  or the inability to make a decision.

• Authenticity seems less via digital

5. Archiving and File Longevity

Film Photography: Physical and Archival

When stored correctly, negatives, transparencies, and prints can oftentimes last decades. The data loss and digital corruption that digital photographers are accustomed to are not found in film photography, and archiving in analog is considerably easier and less expensive.

Pros of Film Archiving:

• Physical records are permanent, whereas an image on a hard drive is subject to the hard-drive’s lifespan

• Can be scanned over and over as technology improves

• Software, firmware, and technology changes are something that physical prints are immune to

Cons:

• Fire, moisture, and physical damage are all things that physical prints are vulnerable to.

• Large collections can take up vast amounts of space

• Unless scanned or in a gallery / exhibit, sharing ones work can be limited

Digital Photography: Convenient but Risk-Prone

Storing, copying, and sharing digital files is relatively easy. This being said, they remain vulnerable to hard drive failure, data loss, and even format obsolescence (a raw file thats 20+ years old may have a hard time being read by current software).

Pros of Digital Storage:

• Backing up and duplicating digital files is incredibly easy

• You can store them on-site, in the cloud, or both

• Finding images within an archive is easier due to metadata

Cons:

• Avoiding data loss can require putting certain processes in place that accounts for things like multiple backups/etc

• Specialized software (adobe lightroom or capture one pro) is required to read RAW files

• Accidental deletion or file corruption remains an issue

6. Learning Curve and Skill Building

Film Teaches Fundamentals

Learning manual settings like metering, composition, and exposure are something that’s forced upon photographers though the use of film / analog. Building a solid foundation through the use of film photography is much more critical than through digital.

Benefits of Learning Photography with Film:

• Understanding things like lighting techniques and exposure are forced

• Teaches that each individual frame is valuable

• Basics are taught early on in a way that digital are not

Challenges:

• Mistakes during the learning process can be costly

• The feedback loop is much slower and can be days / weeks

• No metadata for archiving

Digital Accelerates Learning

Rapid trial and error one of digitals main strengths for beginners. With things like histograms and immediate image review, learning every shot in real time is a massive benefit for photographers.

The benefits for Beginners learning Digital:

• Instant feedback means a lightning fast learning curve. This can be beneficial for photographers doing fashion test shoots, for example.

• Correcting mistakes and ease of experimentation are paramount

• Software tools, educational materials, and schooling resources are abundant

Challenges:

• Automation can become a crutch

• There is less discipline in shooting manual

• Oftentimes photographers can go years without learning the foundational skills of the craft

7. Cultural Relevance and Artistic Impact

Film: A Creative Revival

Film photography is undergoing a resurgence in interest like no other, and artists and other younger generations are adopting it more and more for it’s nostalgic value and hands-on characteristics.

Cultural and Creative Pros of Film / Analog Photography:

• Creative communities and analog cultures are far more tight knit than digital

• Fosters thought in image making

• A welcome counterpoint to the perfection that digital achieves

Cultural Cons:

• Photographers that only shoot film can be seen as using it as a crutch

• It eliminates the photographer from a large number of jobs, particularly ones with fast turnaround

• Costs continue to rise for processing and development

Digital: The Backbone of Modern Photography

Digital is the dominant format and this will never change with photography (we achieved the singularity long ago). Brand marketing, photojournalism, and ecommerce are now the realm of digital photography.

Cultural Pros of Digital Photography:

• Accessibility and ubiquity

• AI tools, social, and creative are in limitless supply

• More latitude for innovation and experimentation

Cultural Cons:

• Digital fosters content fatigue

• Our culture has a shorter attention span for images as they’re being bombarded with them

• The line between photographers, influencers, and hobbyists is now less distinct.

Conclusion: Film or Digital Photography — Which One Is Right for You?

Making a choice between film and digital photography depends on your budget, goals, and where your artistic priorities lay. Both formats offer the user the ability to be professional dedicated and to have valuable experiences in the medium:

• Film photography should be considered if you value hands-on craftsmanship, waxing nostalgia, and a slower, more thoughtful creative process.

• Digital photography should be considered for flexibility, total creative control for commercial or high-volume work, its forgiving attitude when it comes to error, and of course it’s speed.

Many professional photographers now use both mediums for different projects and as a hybridized workflow. Ultimately, however, whatever most readily supports your vision is the best choice.

10 Hobbyist Photographer Tips to Live By

Modeling Headshot - Joe Jenkins Photography

Contents

Learning the Basics
Gear is both necessary and not
Organizing and Cataloguing your Photos
Rights and Consent
Legal and Ethical Lines
Retouching and Editing
Inspiration is not Comparison
Sharing your Work
Developing a Style that is You
Staying Passionate

Super Producer DIanne Warren at The Quad NYC for 42 West - Joe Jenkins Photography

1. Learning the Basics

• Exposure Triangle

  The exposure triangle can seem a bit more like the bermuda triangle at times - and it can oftentimes take a very, very long time to learn . This being said, I almost exclusively shoot on manual mode anymore and, while I’m sometimes (often) a little off on the first shot, after one adjustment or so I can usually have myself dialed in to the correct exposure (ISO, aperture, shutter speed): Understanding this helps take better control of your shots.
  
  As a refresher, below is a summary of the three components of the exposure triangle and their respective definitions:
  
  ISO: ISO, or film speed, can be thought of as your sensor or film’s sensitivity to light. A film speed of 800 or a sensor set to 800 means that it’s much more sensitive to light and thus requires less of it to create an image.
  Aperture: Aperture is the size of the opening in your lens (every lens comes with what looks like an iris and is a series of curved blades that all form a central opening. The opening can be adjusted in size and that size determines how much light is let in and also the amount of depth of field.
  Shutter Speed: Shutter speed is probably the easiest to understand as it very literally deals with how long the shutter is open and the film is exposed to light. The faster the shutter speed, the less time it is open.

• Composition: Rule of thirds, leading lines, symmetry, etc.

• Light: Learn to see and use natural and artificial light.

2. Gear is both necessary and….not

• Many hobbyists fall into the trap of thinking that more gear equals better photos and that is not at all the case; or at least usually. I remember first getting into photography and buying all these items that I very literally used once and then forgot about (looking at you, rogue flashbender).
  
  The thing about photography and gear is that the photographers skill level rises proportionately to the amount / sophistication of gear. And what I mean by that is, the more a photographer works, the more he or she advances. The more he or she advances, the more expertise he or she will have. It’s a bit like racecar driving. The more a racecar driver wins, the more he or she upgrades his car. And the more he or she upgrades his car, the more he or she wins. Gear is an indicator of a level of experience, but not necessarily a conduit to getting it.

Actor Headshot

3. Organizing and Cataloguing your Photos

• One shoot can yield hundreds of images, and hundreds of images can quickly turn into a terabyte of data. The first thing you need to determine as a hobbyist photographer is - are you going to keep all of your raws? Personally, I don’t. In twelve years as a professional photographer I’ve never once needed to go back to a RAW file for a client that was any longer than a few weeks in the past. Seriously - what do you need them for if the shoot itself is of no great consequence to yourself.
  
  I personally feel like we need to get out of the mindset that every RAW file absolutely be kept on record because it’s expensive to do so. In any one given year I could shoot a few hundred thousand images and storing those requires space - lots of it.
  
  This being said, I do keep the JPGs and have worked out a relatively standard convention for storing them. Each top level folder is the name of the shoot and contained within that folder is another folder named ‘selects.’ Within selects resides edits and retouches, depending on the shoot type (event photography or headshots, for instance).

For cataloguing images, Lightroom is in my opinion the best software platform for keeping everything organized.

4. Rights and Consent

Wedding Photo at Sunset - Joe Jenkins Photography

• Privacy and consent in photography, in an age where sharing online is instant and widespread, are important topics. Whether you're a hobbyist or pro, understanding when and how to get consent both insulates you legally and allows you trust with your subjects.

  Here’s a breakdown of what you should know:
  
  When consent isn’t needed

  Guidelines may differ by country:

  Public Places: You generally don’t need permission to photograph in public places. In the event you find yourself on private property that feels public (say, a work campus), that campus may very well own the sidewalks and ask you to keep off of them. You can then step onto the road (which they likely don’t own) and suddenly you’re gold.

  As well, if what you’re photoraphing is of public interest, (protests, parades), you can typically photograph freely.
  
  When you absolutely need consent

  You should get permission in the below:

  The subject is in a private place (home, etc) and their is an expectation of privacy

  The subject is under 18 and a minor

  You plan on using the image commercially

5. Legal Stuff and Ethical Lines

Editorial Portrait - Joe Jenkins Photography

• You should take time to understand both the legal and ethical guidelines surrounding photography — and this is true whether you're a professional or even a hobbyist. Just because a photo can be taken doesn’t necessarily mean it should be taken (I’d imagine celebrities would heartily endorse this statement).
  
  What’s considered generally okay and legal

  • Public Spaces: Public areas are free-game for whatever’s visible (this doesn’t necessarily apply to the people in those places, especially those that are under 18).

  • Architecture & Landmarks: Architecture and Landmarks is okay, though commercial usage may be limited in certain situations.

  • Public People: There’s generally not a huge expectation of privacy when in a public place. This isn’t to say you should get right in someone’s face and take a photo of them of course. As well, irrespective of whether the person is in public or private, you absolutely need their consent to use their image commercially.

  
  What is Verboten

  • Trespassing: This seems like a given, but don’t go fence-hopping to get a photo. There’s a reason why that fence is there in the first place, and you may find that the police don’t really care about the great angle you were trying to get.

  • Hidden Cameras: Photography that invades personal privacy (hidden in clothing, furniture, etc) is very much a hard no.

  • Children: Taking photos of a child without parental consent is a major no.

  • Misuse of Likeness: Once again, you cannot use an image of someone commercially without their consent.

  • Drones: Drones are really cool, and also prohibited pretty much everywhere. You cannot fly over peoples homes. You cannot fly them in urban areas and over sidewalks. You really can mostly only use drones on your own private property and as well designated public spaces.

6. Editing and Retouching

• Less is more is a phrase that has never been more applicable than in retouching. Honestly, at the end of the day it mostly has to do with how trained your eye is and where you are personally at with your work. If this is your second day as a photographer and retoucher, no matter what you do, your image is only going to be as good as your eye is at determining how much, or how little, retouching / editing is necessary.
  
  As a comparison, take a look at newspaper comic strips and if you have a moment, take a look at ones in their early days versus ones in their later years. Garfield, for instance, is a really good example. Garfield in his early years looks almost nothing like he does after a decade of being drawn by the comic’s author, Jon Davis. In the first year or so of Garfield the comic strip, it’s titular main character, Garfield, looked a bit more like a giant orange triangle with whiskers than it did a cat. As the years went by and Jon Davis got better at illustrating, he slowly but surely began to take on and develop the form we’re all accustomed to now.
  
  The same can be said about your retouching and editing - in the beginning it’s going to look inevitably a little early-stage because no matter what you do your eye and your level of experience simply aren’t at a point where you’ll be able to produce experienced work. This being said, you nevertheless should try to keep things on the minimal side. When editing, try taking breaks and coming back to your work after a period of time and giving yourself a fresh perspective. Oftentimes in doing so you’ll be better able to get a better idea if things are over-edited.

7. Inspiration is not Comparison

Engagement Party - Joe Jenkins Photography

• I’ve been a professional photographer now in New York City for twelve years. I’ve shot Martin Scorsese, work for the best modeling agencies in the world, and still get depressed out of my mind if I allow myself to get in my head and compare my work to others. Comparing your work to that of others is pointless and a waste of both time and energy and as well can actively work to sabotage you and hold you back.
  
  Now, using others’ work as a source of inspiration is another matter entirely and that is something I routinely do.
  
  Seriously, though, you do you and no one else.

8. Sharing your Work

• When you start sharing online, you should be prepared for low engagement - and you shouldn’t let that discourage you.

• Keep in mind that when you ask for people to critique your images online, the people that do so may be at a lower skill level than you.
  - Humans have a habit of seeing things written down and taking them as creed and as well assuming that the people that authored them
  must be authorities (or why would they have written them). Keep in mind that when you go into a place like reddit, or a photography group
  on facebook, and ask for people to critique your work, the people doing so are more than likely in the exact same place as you. Take
  online critiques with a grain of salt and nothing more.

• Be aware that uploading to certain platforms opens your images up to free use.
  Uploading an image to flickr, for instance, may place some of your images under creative commons license - meaning that once it’s uploaded, anyone can download it and thereafter use it. Which sometimes is not the coolest thing in the world.

9. Developing a Style that is You

• The ability to produce a photograph and it instantly be recognized is the pinnacle of what a photographer hopes to achieve through his / her craft. The greatest photographers in history, from Peter Lindbergh, to Annie Leibovitz, to Steven Meisel - all of them create images and with their portrait lighting in such a way that when one looks at their work they can almost, without hesitation, ascribe that work to that individual.
  
  This being said, in keeping with the above point that one shouldn’t compare their work to others - a photographer should strive to develop an individual style and an aesthetic that is singular to them. How one goes about doing that is up to the individual, but the best way to do so is to keep shooting and as much as possible and to keep allowing yourself to be influenced by the works of others (this could come from photographers or simply other museum visits).

Actor Headshot - Joe Jenkins Photography

10. Staying Passionate

• Photography shouldn’t be a chore. Shoot what excites you and if it does not, don’t - don’t try to force a square peg in a round hole. if you were meant to be a portrait photographer then you’ll enjoy taking portraits. If you were not meant to be a portrait photographer - you won’t.
  
  Try joining online groups, take photography challenges, take walks with your camera, and do things that are off the beaten path. Even something so simple as shooting your running faucet with a speedlight (which I’ve done in the past, and yielded something quite cool), can produce inspiring imagery.

Conclusion

Photography is hard work and requires time, patience, and dedication (to get good at, anyhow). Being a hobbyist can be a daunting task, as there are more photographers in the world than there have ever been at any point in history. Gear, criticism, social media engagement (or disengagement), and the like can all weigh heavily on the aspiring snapper.

This being said, taking the above into account is a good way to guide yourself into the craft and ultimately pursue something that is extremely fulfilling.

Featured in Dreamwave's top ten NYC Headshot Photographers

Recently was featured in an article by headshot startup Dreamwave as one of New York City’s top ten headshot photographers. You can go ahead and check it out here.

A Q&A with Martin Scorsese

A client reached out in late December ‘24 needing event photography for a Q&A. The Q&A they were having was with a distinguished guest and, having shot dozens of Q&A’s with distinguished guests, I didn’t think too much about it. I quoted the client a price (which was around 60% lower than my usual fee, as it was a religious organization) and went about my day.

Roughly two days prior to the event they sent me an email saying that ‘Mr Scorsese…..(insert details here).

My brain froze and I was stunlocked for a few moments while I tried to comprehend what that email had just said. Martin Scorsese was the distinguished guest? No way. Can’t be.

I asked if by Mr Scorsese they meant Martin Scorsese and they said ‘Yes, Martin Scorsese.’

And so, Mr Scorsese being my favorite filmmaker of all time and someone beyond legendary, I freaked out. I emailed the client asking if I could get a portrait of Mr Scorsese and wasn’t able to get much of a yes or no on the matter. The night of the shoot, even then after his publicist showed up I still had no idea if I was going to be allowed to get the portrait.

Finally, with all my lighting set up (I brought about 3 bags worth and wasn’t sure if I was even going to be able to use it), as a last ditch effort I pulled up the work that I kept on my phone. His publicist looked at the work, then looked at me, then looked at the work, and issued a string of words that I will, for the rest of my life, never forget.

“Ok, you can shoot Marty.”

The shoot happened on January 3rd, my birthday. And at Old St Patricks cathedral (my middle name is Patrick). One of the greatest days of my life - no exaggeration here.

Shoot: A Q&A with Martin Scorsese
Date: 1/3/2025
Venue: Old St Patricks Cathedral
Category: Corporate Event Photography

3 Great Headshot Examples,What Defines Them, and What Type You Need

Corporate Headshot with commercial styling

Headshot photographers are plentiful. You know how when you run a search on google for something, by the fifth page the results have started to meander a bit and no longer are directly related to the thing you are searching for?

Example:

You run a search for peanut butter jar manufacturers (because you wanna take on big peanut butter, good on you). As there are only so many peanut butter jar manufacturers in the world, by the fifth page, google has run out of companies in the world that manufacture peanut butter jars. And so, not to be embarrassed that they can no longer give you peanut butter jar manufacturers, they start throwing in things that are related to peanut butter jar manufacturers, and by the tenth page of results you’re reading about peanut shaped balloon animals.

This is not the case with headshots in a local market. Even twenty pages back, that direct search is still going strong. Entry 139 is Jim the Headshot Photographer and entry 140 is Jim The Headshot Photographer’s mom - the amount is dizzying.

And so, with this said, how do you make a decision as to who to choose and what type of shot you need and who exactly you need it from? Where do you look for images that work? What examples constitute great headshots and what do not?

The below headshot examples cover the fundamental categories of headshot photography and can help you out as an introduction on what to look for in a session and what sort of images to choose for your career.

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways

2. Example # - Dramatic

3. Example #2 - Commercial

4. Example #3 - Corporate / Professional

5. Conclusion
   

Key Takeaways

• You need to decide on whether or not you want in-studio or outdoor shots and the market you’re in is largely responsible for that. Los Angeles, for example, has its headshots mostly taken outdoors. New York City, on the other hand, is responsible for mostly in-studio portraits (I’ve always found this ironic, given that indoor space is much more expensive and less available than Los Angeles).

• Are you a commercial or dramatic actor? Commercial images are much airier, friendly, and the subject is smiling 100% of the time. Dramatic, or legit, headshots on the other hand are much moodier, serious, and don’t involve any sort of smile at all. Additionally, lighting setups for a headshot are completely different when going from commercial to dramatic. As different headshot photographers have different strengths, you can at least start at deciding on whether or not a photographer’s style is geared more towards commercial or more towards dramatic when making your decision.

• Your best angle is generally straight on.

• The headshot needs to look natural and it needs to look authentic to you - regardless of whether it’s studio dramatic/commercial/outdoors. If you’re a serious person, your expression should be serious. If you’re a super friendly and smiley person, your expression should be sort of super smiley and friendly.

• A Dramatic headshot is referred to as legit

• Darker, more natural colors are better for dramatic headshots as they distract less from the overall mood and tone of the image.

• Lighter, airier, and more colorful clothing is better for commercial portraits and headshots, however, and give the image a more upbeat mood.

Example #1 - In Studio Dramatic

In-studio shot with Dramatic lighting

What Is a Dramatic Headshot?

A dramatic actor headshot is a specialized portrait that conveys depth, intensity, emotion, and is designed to highlight an actor's ability to portray serious and impactful roles. These headshots are an actor’s primary tool aimed at landing roles in dramas, thrillers, or other genres that require a serious tone. Unlike commercial headshots that often aim for a bright and approachable feel, dramatic headshots focus on evoking a mood that runs parallel to the story’s seriousness and tone.

Lighting in dramatic or legit headshots tends to involve much more use of shadow and mood than commercially lit images (which involve almost no-shadow) and there is a massive difference between the lighting you will find in an in-studio session and an outdoor session. As the photographer has complete and total control over an in-studio session, the lighting will typically involve more of the below aspects:

• Low-Key Lighting: Often used to create shadows and depth, low-key lighting adds contrast and drama to the face.

• Directional Lighting: Techniques like short lighting (illuminating the side of the face away from the camera) can enhance the contours of the face, adding a moody, three-dimensional effect.

• Modifiers: Softboxes or grids can create controlled highlights while maintaining a dark, cinematic feel.
  
  

This being said, in-studio dramatic are in my own local market the most common form of portraits in this list of examples. And going a step further, the vast majority of them are photographed with studio lighting (as opposed to a daylit studio). As far as the expression goes, you generally want a mixture of two things. You want the expression to be neutral and you want the expression to convey authority - that’s mostly it. And most importantly you want the expression to look natural.

Wardrobe choices should support the tone of the headshot. Darker, solid colors such as black, navy, or gray are common, as they emphasize the face and lend a serious undertone. Avoid busy patterns or bright colors that can detract from the mood.

1. Background
   Dramatic headshots typically use darker or neutral backgrounds to keep the focus on the subject. Subtle gradients or textured backdrops can add dimension without overwhelming the image.

2. Framing and Composition
   Tight framing around the face and shoulders keeps attention on the subject. Minimalism in composition emphasizes the actor's expression and presence, making every detail of the performance-ready look matter.
   
   

The Purpose of Dramatic Headshots

1. For actors, the purpose of a dramatic headshot is to highlight their ability to portray serious characters and to underscore their range of emotions. It’s that emotional range that allows the actor to express an oftentimes complicated and complex character.

2. In the corporate world, a dramatic headshot is used to convey authority and expertise - lending the voice behind the headshot credibility and competence.

3. Modeling is an entirely different world unto itself and split between the terms fashion and commercial. Fashion is more like Vogue, Numero, and Harper’s Bazaar, whereas commercial is more like advertisements seen at larger retail brands. If doing fashion, the headshots are dramatic. If doing commercial, the headshots are light and airy.
   
   

Example #2 - In Studio Commercial Headshot

Commercial Actor Headshot

In the world of photography, commercial headshots are the charming, approachable cousins of their moody and intense sibling, the dramatic headshot. They’re bright, friendly, and tailored to convey one message: “You can trust this person.” Whether it be for a business professionals, actors, or marketing materials, a commercial headshot is designed to sell a personality, a brand, or an idea in the most accessible way possible.

But don’t let the simplicity fool you, however. Nailing a commercial headshot takes more than just pointing a camera at someone instructing them to smile. It’s an art form that blends technical skill with an intuitive understanding of the subject’s goals and, most importantly, a friendliness and approachability of the person behind the camera that gets that expression to begin with. Below are the essential ingredients behind a great commercial headshot.

Examples of good commercial images in this arena include:

Lighting: Bright and Flattering

Commercial headshots are all about approachability. Sculpted shadows and high contrast are not generally found within the commercial headshot realm —this is the realm of soft, flattering light that makes your subject look their best without drawing attention to the lighting itself. The entire purpose of a commercial portrait is to sell a person that will be selling a product.

Remember that.

Expression: Confident, Warm, and Friendly

The hallmark of a good commercial headshot is a genuine expression. Think warm smiles, relaxed body language, and eyes that say, “I’m here to help.” Forced grins or overly posed stances can feel fake and alienating—exactly what you’re trying to avoid.

The trick? Talk to your subject. Crack a joke, ask them about their favorite vacation spot, or play their favorite playlist. A natural smile is always more engaging than a staged one.

Wardrobe: Clean and Professional

Stick to solid colors that complement the subject’s features and avoid busy patterns or logos (unless the brand requires it). For professionals, a classic button-down shirt, blazer, or blouse works wonders. Actors might go for something a bit more relaxed, like a fitted t-shirt or a casual sweater, depending on the roles they’re targeting.

Background: Neutral and Non-Distracting

In most cases, commercial headshots use neutral backgrounds—white, gray, or softly blurred natural settings. The goal is to keep the focus squarely on the subject while maintaining a clean, polished look.

Pro Tip: A subtle gradient or slight texture in the background can add depth without pulling attention away from the person.

Example #3 - In-studio Corporate Headshot

Corporate Headshot shot on site at client’s office

What Are Corporate Headshots?

Corporate headshots, synonymous with Linkedin headshots, are polished and professional images designed to exude confidence and authority over one’s given area of business. These portraits are designed to project competence, credibility, and trustworthiness, and they’re anymore as much of a requirement as a resume itself; more so in reference to your digital presence.

This being said, the internet has done a lot for portraiture in general and the day and age of stiff-looking headshots or people in front of blue, sponged backgrounds are (blessedly) over. A well-executed corporate headshot balances professionalism with relatability while at the same time conveying personality and modernity.

Basically, corporate headshots can be cool. And the cooler your corporate headshot, the more valuable your personal brand.

Why Are Corporate Headshots Important?

Corporate headshots are more than just a photo—they’re a branding tool. Whether it’s for an individual professional or an entire team, these images communicate key values like competence, reliability, and professionalism.

Common Uses:

• LinkedIn Profiles: A professional headshot increases credibility and helps make a strong first impression.

• Company Websites: Consistent team headshots enhance a company’s brand image.

• Press and Media: A polished headshot is essential for press releases, interviews, and speaking engagements.
  

The Evolution of Corporate Headshots

Gone are the days of stiff, lifeless portraits that look like passport photos. Today’s corporate headshots strike a balance between formal and modern, reflecting the evolving workplace culture. They’re designed to show personality without compromising professionalism.

Final Thought: Professional, Not Pretentious

Corporate headshots are about walking the fine line between formal and friendly. When done right, they’re more than just a photo—they’re a professional’s calling card, a company’s image, and a gateway to connection and trust.

Conclusion

Headshots have evolved considerably since the days of analog but are remarkably important. Despite the myriad use cases for headshots, the three above referenced (dramatic, commercial, and corporate) still represent the fundamental three seen most commonly and which all others typically branch out from.

3 of The Most Commonly Used Headshot Lighting Setups

Modeling Headshot

Headshot lighting can be a complicated subject, but it also revolves around three incredibly simple principles and setups. After eleven years of working with it as a headshot photographer in nyc, it excites when it works and confounds when it does not. Nothing is more rewarding than a beautifully lit headshot and nothing is more frustrating than one that looks like garbage.

If you find yourself intimidated by the sheer volume of choices and and decisions that can be made when becoming a photographer, it’s lighting techniques can really be broken down into three simple setups that you can use to carry you, very literally, throughout a career.

Whether you’re just starting out or an industry veteran, this guide can either be an intro or a refresher and break down the mass of noise into a few simple to use and easy to follow techniques that surround 90% of commercial portraiture.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

The Big Three - Loop, Butterfly, and Broad

Loop Lighting

Butterfly Lighting

Broad Lighting

Summary

Conclusion

Key Takeaways

• There are a dizzying selection of lighting setups and techniques available to photographers with their headshot lighting, but 90% of them can all be broken down and branch out from three simple setups or techniques.

• These three techniques are the most widely used and commonly found setups in the industry, and they can carry a professional photographer through every facet of an industry - be it from commercial portraiture, to actor, to beauty, and beyond.

• Each lighting technique is more commonly found within a specific industry. Loop lighting, for instance, is used more for actor and journalist portraiture. Butterfly lighting is more commonly found in beauty.

• The There Most Common Lighting Techniques are:

  Loop Lighting

  Butterfly Lighting

  Broad Lighting

• Broad Lighting is dependent on the subject’s face resting at an angle.

• Loop lighting is dependent on the subject’s face being straight-on

• Modifiers, sizes of light, or equipment used do not matter in respect to these lighting techniques. A loop light is still a loop light whether the key be a 69” Octabank or a speed light.

What is Loop lighting?

View fullsize

Loop lighting - Modeling Headshot

Loop lighting is not only the most common form of headshot lighting but it’s also the most common form of portraiture lighting in general. Named after the distinctive loop that forms just underneath and to the opposing side of the person’s nose, loop lighting is also referred to as 45 / 45 degree lighting (this stands for pointing down by forty five degrees, and at 45 degrees away from the subject’s forward-pointing angle. 

Loop lighting encompasses a massive array of portraiture types most commonly used in beauty, editorial, general purpose portraiture, and corporate headshots.

While earlier cited as 45/45 lighting, one can play a little with the angle exactly and move it either closer to axis or away from axis, depending on taste. A less commonly used gauge for how good your loop is is the far-side of your subject’s face. If the light is too far-off axis, the shadowed side of your subject’s face will begin to creep over and move toward’s the center.

What is Butterfly Lighting?

Corporate Headshot Utilizing Butterfly Lighting Technique

Butterfly lighting is more commonly found in beauty and named for the distinctive butterfly shape that forms underneath the subject’s nose.  The placement of the light is directly overhead the subject, pointed down. How high you have the light and how much angle there is pointed down at your subject will determine how flat the lighting is.

In the above example, the light itself is positioned just above the head of the subject (as in if the camera was raised an inch higher, the bottom of the octabox would be in it’s viewfinder).

As mentioned above, the angle of the lighting in relation to the subject will determine how flat the lighting is (or otherwise). If the light is positioned extremely low to the subject and pointed almost parallel to the subject’s face, the lighting will ‘flatten out’ and the subject will not have a lot of volume to the image (or it won’t look as three-dimensional). If, on the other hand, the lighting is raised slightly higher and closer to the subject and angled downward, more volume and dimension will be added to the image.

As with loop lighting, typically the angle the light casts downward is at about 45 degrees. The difference between loop lighting and butterfly lighting is that loop lighting can oftentimes be used for slightly more dramatic effects, while butterfly lighting almost universally has a more commercial and airy feel to it.

Another aspect of butterfly lighting comes from the light that forms on the face. Oftentimes the photographer can assess how correct the lighting placement is in the headshot by the pattern of light that falls on the subject. Notice in the above image the diamond shaped pattern of light in the center of the subject - that is an indication of proper lighting.

What is Broad Lighting?

Actor Headshot

While loop lighting is the key placed at forty five degrees to a subject looking straight at the camera, broad lighting is the key placed at forty five degrees to a subject at an angle. The reason the lighting itself is called broad lighting is because the key light is cast at the broad side of the subject’s face (or the area of the face shown most in the camera).

Broad lighting is used in a variety of circumstances but primarily for actor shots, journalist and editorial portraits, and is almost always used for beauty lighting when the subject is at an angle.

Short lighting, the opposite of broad, is rarely used in commercial beauty.

Summary

Loop Lighting - Placed at forty five degrees to subject and forty five degrees down, this lighting is named after the distinctive loop shadow just under ad to the side of the subject’s nose. Far and away the most commonly used form of lighting. Encompasses nearly all forms of portraiture.

Butterfly Lighting - Placed overhead of the subject and cast generally forty five degrees down, this form of lighting is named after the butterfly shadow cast just under the subject’s nose. Most commonly used in beauty and commercial portraiture.

Broad Lighting - Placed at forty five degrees to an angled subject, or a subject not directly facing the camera, and forty five degrees down, this lighting is once again not named like the above two setups (in that it is not named after the shadow cast by the key light). Broad lighting is called broad lighting because the key light is used to light the broadest, or largest area of the face (the area of the face closest to camera).

Conclusion

You’ve likely heard that lighting is everything in photography - and it is. This being said, whether just starting out or even being an industry veteran, the amount of lighting techniques one can practice with their headshots is beyond dizzying, myriad, and numerous.

However

Just remember that the dozens of hundreds of thousands of portrait and headshot lighting practices almost always spring from the above three principles. Loop, butterfly, and broad - nearly everything springs from those three fundamentals and you can use them in nearly any given situation to carry you through a shoot.

5 Things Every Headshot Photographer Should Know / Do

Corporate Headshot, 2023

Direction 

I was once reading an interview of a fairly well known commercial and music video director. He had just completed a video for Jay-Z for the song ‘On To The Next One,’ and the interviewer asked the director what it was like meeting Jay-Z and if it was difficult working with him. The director replied that no, it wasn’t, and the interviewer then asked if Jay-Z, being who he is and the amount of experience that he has, was open to direction (the idea being that someone like Jay-Z would be hard to direct as he’s so much experience that he’d know what to do and want to be responsible for doing it himself). 

The director replied that ‘no, Jay-Z was not difficult to direct at all,’ and that one thing he’d learned over the course of his career was that each and every person he’s ever worked with, regardless of how famous they were, all shared one trait -  each and every one of them has wanted to take direction.  No matter how big they were and what accomplishments they’ve had, each and every person he had ever worked with wanted feedback for being on camera. 

When people are in front of a camera, they almost always universally want direction from the person behind it. This being said, the same goes for a set of headshots. 

Each and every person you encounter over the course of your career will all share one commonality and one trait - they will all want direction from you. From the actors on their eighty-first headshot session to fresh out of college corporate grads getting their first linked-in shot, each and every one of them will want to be told what to do - and it’s your job to do it. 

The most common forms of direction are for people to lean forward and pronounce their jawlines, as the jaw and the eyes are the two most important elements of a headshot, and for advice on situating the eyes. I generally tell people to imagine a squint from 0-100% and then squint 10% of the way - or move their eyes together almost imperceptibly. This tends to make people more expressive and, as well, negate any deer-in-headlights effect you may have going on. 

Corporate Headshot

Use and Know More Than One Lighting Technique 

When I started my business, headshots nyc, I came to realize that the New York City headshot market is…aggressive, to say the least. Sessions for top photographers start at $1,000 and climb northwards of $2500 for the most well-known names. With this said, one thing I’ve noticed about headshot photographers is that there are some that will use different lighting techniques throughout the course of their career, and there are others that will use the same lighting techniques over and over and over (ad nauseum). 

There are advantages to doing both of these things and I’ll explain why. The advantages to using the same lighting technique over and over is that when someone hires you for a headshot session, they’re getting exactly what they’re paying for. Nothing is left to chance or experimentation and what they see in the photographer’s portfolio is a near mirror-duplicate of what they are going to get. 

This being said, there are disadvantages to using the same lighting and style over and over - the first being that, after awhile, it gets kinda boring. 
 
Once, en route to a Fuji launch party for the original GFX-100, I passed an extremely well known and successful actor headshot photographers in New York City. His work is nothing short of stunning and beautiful the first time you see it - but his work is also the same shot over, and over, and over and, to be honest, pretty formulaic. 

I asked him how he was doing and what he was up to and he looked at me, despondently, morosely, and with the face of someone severely burnt-out (I know the face of burn-out because I pretty much have that face half the time) and replied that he was doing ‘the same old shit.’

We’re talking about a guy that probably makes seven figures a year off his headshot photography and he looked about as excited at life as a kid that’s about to get grounded for three months. 

What is the moral of this story? Doing the same shit day in and day out gets boring and eventually becomes soul-sucking. As well, in a field with so much creative latitude, that makes it all the worse. 

Try mixing things up a bit. As well, certain lighting techniques work better for certain people, and not everyone requires the same one. I’ve found that people with really angular features and larger noses have much less of a light-wrap around their face in a headshot, for instance. Do not, however, experiment with a paid client in a way that you never have before. There’s a time and a place to get creative and break new ground, but if someone is paying you money that time and place is not at that moment. 

And so, 45/45? Loop? Broad? Butterfly? Clamshell. Get acquainted with those terms and know them all.

Styling matters 

This is an oft-overlooked facet of headshot photography, but styling matters. And I don’t just mean what the client is wearing (though styling in that regard is usually the biggest point). What I’m actually referring to is everything within the image - including the backdrop. My reason for saying this is that in 2021 I made a run at fashion photography. It’s a brutal industry to try to get into and requires a lot of resilience, fortitude, and perseverance. 

One of the things that kept me back for so long as that going into fashion photography I knew nothing about fashion and assumed it was all just a bunch of attractive people and good lighting. I never actually considered the fact that it might have to do with, ya know, fashion. 

And so when I did finally realize the clothing and styling element of fashion photography, my work improved by 1000% and my career began to take off. 

Similar points can be made in comparison to headshots. Granted, the styling requirements aren’t anywhere near as high, but a well dressed individual in front of a clean and smooth backdrop and with well-styled hair and makeup will absolutely elevate your image and oftentimes by leaps and bounds. If you find yourself with a small case of writer’s block and aren’t sure on styling, check out my article on what to wear for headshots.

Communication

You know what’s sort of super weird? Sitting in a room with a stranger for an hour in silence. 

Seriously. 

I often think one of the best things about my job is being able to sit in a room alone, with a stranger, and basically just hang out with them for an hour or two. The two of them become bffs, you shoot them, and then they leave.

What’s better than that? 

Communication is critical for two reasons - the first being that the more comfortable a person feels around you, the more authentic and natural they’re going to be in front of the camera. Sitting there in absolute silence for hours on end is super offsetting, and eventually doing this will ensure that your client’s facial expression after awhile begins to look a bit not so relaxed. 

The second reason communication is critical is because the photographer can simply direct and give feedback. The client is not going to have any real idea on how they look in front of the camera (unless you’re tethered and you show them the entire time), and so giving them direction throughout the session is a necessity. 

Know The Market 

This is a bit of a nebulous topic but relevant. Every market at any given time has a certain look to it - this can be said of the graphic design found in advertisements, the shape of new cars coming out of a factory and onto a lot, and the clothing and hairstyles found within a fashion magazine. 

And this can absolutely be said about the market, and especially for corporate headshots. 

Headshots and portraits taken ten years ago are going to look quite a bit different from the headshots and portraits that are taken today. Lighting, styling, and even editing are going to play a huge role in the end product of a contemporary headshot and they make look drastically different than the lighting, styling, and editing of headshots produced ten years ago. 

One headshot photographer in particular has a style that very largely mimics that of instagram filters. He has a bit of a faded film effect going on in his work and that type of creative liberty was a complete non-presence in the headshots of yesteryear. Black and white headshots as well were, for instance, extremely common in the early 2000s and late 90s - now showing up to a casting with a black and white headshot will probably result in several looks of abject confusion. 

This being said, a both headshot photographer should take a look at his or her own work and ask themself if it fits into whatever is that current time period’s overarching aesthetic. Is it fitting? Does it work? There are trends in headshots just like there are trends in anything else. And, also importantly, are they priced in accordance with the current market? To figure out where rates currently sit, check out my actor headshot packages and that’ll give you a pretty good idea on current market rates.

Conclusion 

Taking the above principles into account whether you be the client or whether you be the photographer and you’ll have a much easier time of things and a much better experience on the whole with your headshot photography. For even more tips, check out five things to know about headshots in 2024.

For any questions or concerns, or simply to inquire about my own work, please email hello@joejenkinsphoto.com

5 Things Every Birthday Party Photographer Should Have

Joe Jenkins Photography

A Speedlight

Speedlights have been been around for just about forever and are a bit more safe to use than the flashguns of old ( potassium chlorate and magnesium were once used to illuminate subjects by way of a controlled explosion - which uh, probably wouldn’t pass today’s safety standards). Speedlights are standalone flash units connected to the top of the camera’s hot shoe (a hot shoe is simply the electrical connector at the top of your camera that powers the flash). 

The primary use of a speedlight is to create light for the photographer. Depending on the situation and the crowd, the speedlight can either be pointed directly at the subject or up at the ceiling (in which case the light is bounced off the ceiling and onto it’s subject. The photographer can also point the speedlight at a wall (my personal favorite, when available) and have the light come from more up, over, and to the side. 

Secondarily, however, the speedlight also can aid in autofocus and is extremely useful in this regard in low-light situations. Most cameras built these days do come with low-light autofocus illuminators, but they rely on mini-led lamps built into the camera that can be a bit distracting at parties.

The autofocus lamps on speedlights, however, use infrared lights to help with autofocus and, as well, are much more effective for cameras (as in, cameras have a much easier time focusing with the infrared lamps on speedlights than they do using the built in camera illuminators). Ask your party photographer if he/she primarily uses speed lights, environmental/ambient lighting, or a mixture of both.

A Tripod / Monopod

To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I brought a tripod to one of my birthday parties, but I do in the very least carry a monopod with me just about everywhere. 

Birthday parties are places with very, very little lighting and carrying a monopod with you allows your photographer to take photos in low-light situations where the lighting is even, pleasing, but more scantly found. 

A Good Set of Prime Lenses

I don’t go anywhere without at least one prime lens in my bag, and that particular lens is the Sigma ART 50MM 1.4. It focuses super fast, is intensely sharp, and in my opinion one of the best lenses ever made. 

This lens is so good, and so useful, that when it started having difficulty connecting to my camera a few months back, and a few hours before an important shoot, I just went to the store and immediately bought another one (rather than go without it and wait for a repair). 

This being said, the most common primes you’ll encounter for a birthday party is a 35mm, a 50mm, and every now and again I rock an 85mm prime (for one-person candids). 

For those unfamiliar with what a prime is, exactly, it is a camera lens with only one focal length (as in it doesn’t zoom). 

They’re important and useful for birthday parties for a couple of reasons. Birthday parties are generally in low light situations and prime lenses focus much faster than zooms (as they have less parts, for starters). Additionally, their apertures go as low as 1.4 and allow the lens to open up much wider and collect more light (zoom lenses, even professional ones, only open to 2.8). 

A Full Frame Camera 

The endless debate between full frames and cropped sensor cameras will forever be just that, endless. However, full frame cameras are objectively better and more well documented as such for low-light situations. Their usefulness and necessity for birthday parties is something I really cannot emphasize enough - as cropped sensors just aren’t capable of collecting as much light.

If you feel comfortable asking your potential party photographer if his/her camera is a full-frame, I’d recommend you do so. 

Liability Insurance

This one is probably the most oft-overlooked requirement for photographers, but Certificates of Insurance (especially in New York) are fairly commonplace venue requirements, and whether or not a photographer has one can be used as a pretty good barometer for where they’re at in their career. Even if the event doesn’t require a COI, if a photographer isn’t able to obtain one, you have to ask how serious they are about their business. 

I provide at least two COIs per week to various venues around the city and have a conversation with my insurance company every couple days to provide them (venues will oftentimes ask to have themselves listed as one of the certificate holders, in which case the insurance company will have to draft a different/unique one up). COIs generally affect event photography pricing as well

And that’s it. Above are the most five commonly used and requested items I use in my event photography. If you want to see more of my work, you can go ahead and do so by checking out my event photography.

5 Examples of Great Corporate Event Photography.

Marketing image taken at Docusign’s Momentum 2024. Taken with an on camera speed light and a Profoto B2 head / zoom reflector.

If you find yourself googling “What should I know as a corporate event photographer?” I can definitely help you out.

Corporate event photography is a fairly straightforward sub-discipline within the overall genre that is event photography.

Typically, businesses and corporations will hire photographers to capture everything from conferences, to keynotes, to fireside chats, to panels, and to client mixers (and much, much more).

And, while the reasons for hiring a corporate event photographer can be incredibly varied, that photographer is usually there for one purpose and one purpose only: marketing.

I’ve created this handy list that’s not only of benefit to you if you’re an event photographer, but also is of benefit if you’re a client.

Table of Contents

1. BYOL (Bring Your Own Lighting)

2. Marketable images is all anyone ever wants out of this

3. Don’t be afraid to be set up a shot with strangers

4. Two cameras is the norm at high levels

5. Candids. Candids. Candids

1. Event photograph with an External Light Source

Rim lighting at The Addis Tax Initiative meeting, over by the UN. Had it not been for this, the lighting would have been hum-drum overhead fluorescent and look nowhere near as impressive.

Lighting at a corporate event can be nothing short of a majestic affair. Stage lighting, bay windows flanking the venue, overhead skylights, and motorized spots designed to bedazzle the crowd all work in unison to unveil a new product and kick off an important keynote.

Most recently, I shot at The Glass House in New York City, capturing Docusign’s annual conference, Momentum ‘24. Reese Witherspoon joined CEO Allen Thygesen onstage to discuss the trajectory of the own insane success she experienced after forming her own production company and instantly creating hits like ‘Gone Girl.’

The images that I was able to create are nothing short of gorgeous and, while much of that had to do with a combination of my own and experience and the gear I was packing (I had a Z9, a 70-200, and a 14-24), the overwhelming majority of it came down to the venue I was shooting in. The Glass House is easily one of the most stunning venues in all of New York City, and it shows. The building itself is composed of massive bay windows overlooking the Hudson and a multimillion dollar soundstage. You can see from the photos attached that a large part of why the images I was able to create for Docusign were so amazing was because the venue itself was amazing.

Reese Witherspoon on stage with Allen Thygesen, The Glass House NYC for Momentum 2024

However, I’ve been to plenty of corporate event venues (especially at hotels) where the lighting is abysmal. In situations like this, not only is the lighting abysmal, but the stage lighting can be vastly inadequate and force you to shoot at some ungodly ISO, like 4000+, and wedge you into the creation of a bunch of poorly lit, grainy af images that no amount of explanation to the client will save you from.

Remember this, if you take one thing away from this article: You can be shooting in a post-war parking garage covered in rust, weeds, mildew, and gangrene, and the client will still blame you, no matter what, for the crappy images. If you’re shooting in a poorly lit venue, the client won’t accept that it’s poorly lit - only that you’re a poor photographer.

And, with this said, I’ve gotten into the habit of not only carrying a few speedlights around with me, but a couple strobes as well. I purchased the Profoto B2 kit some years ago and, when paired with a zoom reflector, works absolute wonders for stage lighting. It’s literally saved me more times than I can count. As well, if you place it on the opposite side of you, it provides an insanely pleasing rim light on the speaker that clients will lose their sh#t over.

2. Marketable images is all anyone ever wants out of this

This is an event photo but could be a campaign image, it’s so good. People smiling, good lighting, and the brand happily plugging away in the background. What’s better than this?

I once had a client hire me and his first question upon arrival at the venue was this:

“You aren’t going to send me a bunch of photos of like, water bottles and things are you?”

And I went ‘No? Why?’

And he responded, “well, the last photographer I hired ended up sending me a bunch of images of Aquafina water bottles with blurred backgrounds. I think he was trying to be artistic.”

30 photos of water bottles taken at various angles with a soft bokeh might look cool to a water bottle company. To all others, let’s focus on other things

I feel like much of professional photography and the people that inhabit it is a product of monkey-see-monkey-do. You ask people what their rates are and they pull some exorbitant number off the top of their head and if you ask them to explain that number their only reason is that it’s what their neighbor charges - god forbid that person come to that number off their experience or skill level.

The same can be said of event photography. Ask a guy why he’s sending a client artsy photos of pigs in a blanket from their company’s 50th anniversary party and he’ll likely respond that he once saw photos that were very similar in another photographer’s portfolio and just figured that’s what photographers do.!

Let’s be clear, here: The company you’re working for doesn’t really give a shit about how artistically you can render pigs in a blanket. It’s great that you can, and I guess it can be argued that cooked bologna wrapped up in cabbage plays an integral role to appropriately illustrating just how amazing a company’s 50th anniversary celebration was - but for the most part, those sorts of photos aren’t really going to be super critical to telling a story.

What is going to be critical to telling a story is, say, a toast. Or two people laughing hysterically at a shared joke. Or the event signage outside of a particularly interesting looking skyscraper.

All of those things will play a role in establishing a narrative of events that you’ll in turn use and your client, will in turn, love you for.

3. Setting up shots

I set this shot up and asked the woman to look happy and the simple act of asking her to do so made her, in fact, happy.

I’ve been living in New York City since 2008. When I arrived, which I find strange to say was well over a decade ago, I was a pretty timid person.

I hesitated to ask strangers for directions. I routinely went in the wrong direction on the subway and sat there silently stewing while convinced everyone on the train knew that I was an idiot.

Once, even, one of the most attractive girls asked if she could share a table with me at Starbucks. There we sat, myself and her and no one else, and I was so under spoken I couldn’t bring myself to even say hello.

Now, however, I clip shoulders while cannon-balling down the sidewalks of New York with the very best of them. I curse loudly at people I see littering in public. I sit shoulder to shoulder with people on the train and make no attempt to else up less mass if they aren’t doing the same.

This being said, I’ve gotten to be pretty good at being shameless while doing my event work and regularly set up ‘posed candids.’

You don’t have to be overbearing about it and start barking orders at people and saying things like ‘You! Stand over there and smile. Right now!’

This being said, if you see two people sitting together in a way / place that you think might make for a nice photo, but maybe they’re looking a little serious, walking over and saying something like ‘Excuse me, not to be a shameless douchebag, but if you were to like, say, smile while having this conversation, it’d make my life a million times easier.’

9/10 times people will be happy to oblige you, and oftentimes even asking them produces an authentic smile to begin with. People like helping one another, when they can, and it’s such an offbeat and unexpected question that since working this into my photography, I’ve never once had a refusal.

The client will completely love you for it, as well, because smiling candids are like, half of corporate event photography to begin with.

Two panel attendees chat in front of a window at the UN. Taken on a 50mm 1.4

4. Carrying two cameras around at all times is the norm

This being said, I carry two cameras around me at all times. I use a black rapid dual camera strap and, depending on the situation, will either have a 70-200 on one and a 24-70 on the other (this is usually my keynote configuration, though in the crowd is especially big and the venue especially large, I’ll often switch the 24-70 out with a 14-24.)

For smaller corporate functions, I’ll usually have a 24-70 on one cam and a 50 1.4 on the other. The reason for my 50 1.4 stationed on cam 2 is that I’ll shoot without a speedlight attached and use it for available light only. Even if the lighting in the venue is awful, there’ll usually be an opportunity to grab a handful of photos over by windows and near terraces.

Windows themselves produce super soft lighting and make for the most marketable and photogenic images you’ll likely take over the course of your event. If you’re in the corner of a building, or the room is small enough to the point where two windows with opposite sides of one another create ample light, getting a rim light behind the subject while at the same time having enough fill to evenly illuminate them will go a long way in producing marketable work.

5. Candids, Candids, Candids

What, exactly, is more marketable than this photo? Nothing is the answer.

Your corporate clients are going to have a shot list and on that shot list will be items like ‘keynote speech’ and ‘banners and signage’ and ‘stilt walker dressed up like a unicorn,’ and your job will be to get images of those three items. And you will. But, the vast majority of your imagery is going to revolve around candids and people having a good time interacting; or, looking super absorbed and engrossed with the stage presentations.

Think about it in a marketing material sense - what sort of imagery do you see on brochures and email blasts? Stilt walkers? Signage? Or people checking in at registration with a massive smile on their faces.

Focus on candids and specifically ones of people laughing and having a good time for the bulk of what content you create, and you really can’t go wrong.

3 Things You should Consider About Your Event Photographer That You Probably Haven’t Thought of

1. Does your photographer do anything other than event photography?

   I used to argue that a person that only does any one specific thing within a field is going to be better at doing
   that one specific thing than another person that spreads him or herself out across a number of them. I no longer
   think this way.
   
   Way back in the day, when I first got into photography, I told myself I was going to be just a headshot
   photographer - as in I’d be like one of those fancy NYC actor headshot guys that charge $1500/session. Now, if you
   told me that I’d have to spend the rest of my career doing headshots and nothing but headshots, I’d probably break
   down and start sobbing.
   
   Photography is a field with massive amounts of creative latitude, and restricting yourself to any one area of it
   hobbles your creativity and stifles your self-expression. I’m a fairly prolific fashion photographer in the city
   (www.josephpatrick.nyc) and I can honestly say that the three years I spent trying to forge a career out of the
   brutal and cutthroat crucible that is that industry has transformed my event work into some of the best that New
   York City has to offer.
   
   If you’re hiring a true creative with a real vision, I can’t see why that person would limit themselves to just
   one form of expression. It’s like hiring a chef that only makes one type of food (I’m a Michelin rated chef. I
   make spaghetti. And only spaghetti. Make sense? No? Fine. )
   
   Above is a photo I took for Docusign at their annual Momentum conference and without the experience I have in
   fashion and portraiture, I never would have been able to create it - and that specific image could easily be used
   in the highest levels of marketing campaign work.
   
   
   
   

2. What sort of experience does your event photographer have with lighting?
   
   Asking about what sort of experience an event photographer has with lighting
   is a bit like asking what sort of experience a scuba diver has with water.
   You’ve likely heard all your life e all photography is based on lighting
   (this is true, but only mostly) and that as a result assume that because a
   person has chosen to call themselves a professional at something that is
   (mostly) all lighting, they must be masters at it.
   
   This, however, is not the case, and I know (and have encountered) a large
   number of photographers that are terrified at the idea of having the
   lighting around them be manipulated by anything other than their surrounding
   environment.
   
   A really good photographer should be versatile enough to shoot in conditions
   where the lighting is supplied either naturally or, if required, by them.
   I’ve been a professional event photographer for 10+ years now in New York
   City and work extensively with studio lighting, natural lighting, on-camera
   flash, and a myriad of other sources. There are extremely few situations
   I’d have no idea how to move forward in.
   

3. Where does he/she get their photography rate from?
   
   To the uninitiated, a photographer’s hourly rate (in NYC no less) can be a
   bit daunting; and so you ask yourself, how does one go about hiring an event photographer? Even when I got into the field and learned that an entry level
   rate for an event photographer is $100/hr, I was shocked. I think I hit
   refresh on my web browser a small handful of times to ensure what I
   reading was accurate. This being said, my rate has since then grown to
   $250-$300/hr, and for good reason.
   
   For starters, I’ve been shooting for over a decade and have a lot of
   experience. I’ve shot conferences, weddings, birthday parties, mitzvahs,
   wedding-proposals, and everything in between.
   
   Secondly, I’m aware of the ROI behind my work. From a corporate standpoint,
   the images I create for companies are generally going to be seen by
   tens of thousands (in certain case millions) of people. If one million
   look at an image and it elevates their perception of your brand, that’s
   nearly priceless.
   
   This being said, if you asked my why I currently charge $250-$300/hr, I
   can easily explain my answer and tell you that, as well, while people aren’t
   breaking down my door this very second, I am in a reasonable level of
   demand.
   
   What you should stay away from, however, are photographers that base their
   rates off of what other photographers are charging. I once saw a guy
   advertising actor headshots on craigslist for $800 and his sample images
   were fairly bad fashion photos of a guy dramatically taking off his shirt
   while walking through a field. Photographers like this can’t explain their
   rates in any other way than ‘well, that’s what everyone else is charging.’
   
   $800 to them for a headshot session seems like magic money and they’ve no
   idea of the work and sweat that goes into it and the years of dedication to
   the craft and the trade that you’ve placed into your work. They’ve no
   no respect for the profession and their primary motivation is a quick buck.
   0/10 - would not recommend.
   

Docusign Momentum ‘24, feat. Reese Witherspoon

I had the ultra distinct pleasure to be hired by Docusign to photograph their annual conference, Momentum. 2024 was an extremely important year for the company, as they announced a new logo, a company rebrand, and as well, the exciting new direction they’re going in. The fact that they hired me to be responsible for the visual narrative of an occasion with such an extraordinary level of importance was very humbling - moreover when coming from a company as innovative and beloved as them.

Reese Witherspoon joined CEO Allan C. Thygesen on stage for a fireside chat on the company, business, and Reese’s accomplishments outside of acting. Below is a brief summary of the day’s events with much, much more to come.

Client: Docusign Beam
Category: Corporate Event Photography
Date: 4/10 / 4/11
Location: New York City - The Glasshouse

Collab with Redfin

I was recently contacted by Redfin.com and had the opportunity to work with them on best spots in NYC to photograph. You can check it out at the following link, and it was such a pleasure to work with such a pleasant and talented group of individuals. They were interested primarily in my event photography work, and you yourself can find that area of my portfolio at the below URL. If you’ve any other questions, feel free to reach out via the contact page.

https://www.joejenkinsphoto.com/event-photographer-nyc/

Redfin

Birthday Party Photographers in New York City - A guide to Hiring and Pricing

Joe Jenkins Photography 2014

Table of Contents

1. Pricing

2. Type of Photographer
   

Introduction

In New York City, birthday parties are a big thing. I know this because I’ve attended (either socially or professionally) dozens. Upon Dozens. Upon Dozens.

What can I say, New York City has a thing for parties. Just as there’s something in the water that makes Brooklyn’s pizza dough the finest in the world, there’s something in the water in Manhattan and it’s surrounding boroughs that makes people want to don a pointy hat and walk around in cocktail attire.

As per the New York Post, the average American spends $1,422.65 hosting and planning for parties yearly ( they spread these figures out between seven parties thrown annually, and not on any one singular event). What this means is that the average American spends $1,422.65, spread out amongst several different parties. I can tell you from experience that the average party-throwing New Yorker that has chosen to host their event outside of their apartment and at a venue will have usually exceeded this figure in one evening alone (storefront.com estimates the average venue rental in NYC to be $3500).

And so, this being said, when investing this kind of money in an event that you hope to be the grandest of the year, and surely grander than your neighbors, how do you hire a party photographer that’s going to properly capture it? What is that person going to cost? And what should you look for when hiring him or her?

Let’s take a look at a few things to consider.

Price

How much does a Birthday Party Photographer Cost in New York City?

Entry Level:

The cost of a birthday party photographer in New York City starts at $100/hr. It was $100/hr when I began shooting events 10 years ago, and it is $100/hr now. It’s always been this rate and, for years to come, likely will continue to be. Why this number is so apparently sticky with is beyond me, but that’s what you should expect to pay someone that fills out the word ‘Photographer’ in demographic questionnaires and has some far-flung aspiration to one day be culturally influential.

For people that moonlight as photographers (ie have a 9-5 but own a reasonably decent camera and have an interest in photography), you should expect to pay between $50-$100/hr.

One major factor to consider is this: ‘How does this person set their cost?’

Photography is full of people that do the ‘monkey see monkey do’ thing and set their prices simply because that’s what they see another photographer is charging - and to be honest I don’t think those people really have a genuine understanding of what goes into the occupation or even really take it seriously. If you’re charging $250/hr-$350/hr as a photographer, it should be because you have at least either a half-decade to a decade of experience under your belt, or it should be because you’re just that naturally talented. If you’re charging $250/hr as a photographer simply because it seems like magic money and because you see other people charging that, it shows you not only have a lack of respect for the profession but as well as that a lack of understanding of it.

My advice is to take a hard look at someone’s portfolio. If they’re charging a premium rate and you see some semblance of quality and experience, you’re good. If not, stay away. If they claim to have a decade of experience, ask them for photos from 2013. You’re about to pay that person more money per hour than most Americans make in a day - they shouldn’t mind. I wouldn’t.

Intermediate to Advanced:

Joe Jenkins Photography 2016

Intermediate-Advanced Party Photographers

A good, intermediate-level birthday party photographer cost in New York City should be anywhere from $100-$175/hr. And hiring at these rates you can expect to comfortably get good services. For advanced and on you can easily spend $200/hr-$350/hr but once you hit those costs, my advice to you would be to, once again, really ask yourself where that person is getting their pricing from. If you look over their portfolio, does it reflect a level of experience to command a rate like this? 

$200/hr is objectively a very respectable rate and, as a result, should be quoted at by photographers that have built up the experience and the equipment to command it. 

To Sum Up Your Birthday Party Photographer Costs:

Beginner/Entry-Level $100/hr

Intermediate-Advanced: $100-$250/hr

Advanced: $250/hr and up

Joe Jenkins Photography - 2014

Type

The Freelance Birthday Party Photographer: 

A birthday party photographer of this type is where you’re going to get the absolute best quality and most value for your money. I don’t say this because I myself am a freelance photographer ( I’m not going to claim that there isn’t at least some bias, though ) but because, really, it’s common sense. 

Photographers are people that are mostly self employed. Who becomes self employed to work for someone else, be it a production company, a staffing agency, or a tech company? I’ve no desire to give someone 50% of my earnings, whether it be an app or a production house.

This being said, when hiring a freelancer, you can be confident that for every cent you spend, you’re getting one cent back of photographic value in return. 

The Birthday Party Photographer You Hire Through a Photography Company

If you’re hiring a photographer through a company (say, gruberphotographers), for instance, this is where you’ll tend to find the best photographers available that are willing to operate under someone else. Many of them are nearly fully freelance themselves and just need a little bit of an extra oomph per month to sustain themselves, and as well companies like gruber typically have more hiring requirements and higher standards than what you’d find on a hiring app. 

When you hire a photographer through a photography company, you’re getting about 80 cents on the dollar of photography, and 20 cents on the dollar of company upkeep.

Snappr Photographers

Snappr is a service that started a few years ago that billed outself out as ‘the uber for photography,’ back when everyone was billing themselves as the uber of something.

Initially, the rates they offered for a birthday party photographer were beyond low but, after recent review, seem to have since gone up a little bit (apparently they couldn’t keep quality photographers willing to work for 80% below the industry standard. Who knew).. 

As of this writing, they’re offering a three hour party photographer party package for $389. Given that Snappr.com takes half of the fee, that means that, while you’re spending a little over $125/hr on a photographer, what you’re getting in return is a $60ish/hr party photographer. The other $60ish goes to snappr. 

As well, you don’t really get much of a selection to choose from, and they usually just pair you with whoever’s available. 

This being said, if you want to hire a $60/hr photographer that you’re going to pay $125/hr for, be my guest, but I’d say its a bit of a waste of money, since $60/hr photographers are usually moonlighters and pre-entry-level.

I as well really don’t feel like they have a tremendous amount of respect for the very photographers they employ, as well, as I once viewed an advertisement they were running that started with a good looking young actor, hired to play a photographer, exclaiming into the camera

“Hi. I’m a photographer. When I’m not taking photos, I’m just sitting around, wishing I was taking photos.’ 

How they don’t see that as beyond insulting to hard-working photographers everywhere is beyond me, but I wish them luck. 

Thumbtack Photographers

I used to be on Thumbtack and got quite a bit of business from it, prior to being able to branch off on my own. Their business model matches photographers with clients and many of the photographers on it aren’t all that bad. Thumbtack’s cost for leads though is extremely steep, and so this sort of service is once again mostly inhabited by party photographers that are not quite there in terms of being able to exist on their own. 

One thing I will say is that they’ve an incredibly smart closed system of making the consumer feel like they’ve shopped around. For instance, if you go to thumbtack, and it provides you with five photographers to choose and compare from, and you hire one of them as your birthday party photographer, you’ll oftentimes feel like you’ve done just the right amount of shopping around - when in reality all you’ve done is just hired from an extremely limited pool of photographers living within an expensive closed system. 

Hiring an Event Photographer in NYC

Meatpacking District for Pandora Jewelry - Joe Jenkins Photography 2018

How do people hire photographers in NYC?

This sounds like a silly question, but is a serious one. How does the average consumer find an event photographer to work their private function?

I ask this as I feel said average consumer is hesitant to reach out to a freelance photographer (or freelancer in general) and inquire manually about services - ie emailing/calling. We live in an age and an era where each and every industry available has a company/start-up (such as thumbtack, or gigsalad, or god-forbid snappr) that introduces people and vendors to one another (for a fee, of course). As a result the vast majority of service-oriented purchasing decisions that, once relegated to phone calls and emails, now occur via a button-click. A person signs up to a site, is presented with a list of freelancers, and makes a decision via that channel. The site that makes the introductions as well provides the consumer with a level of safety, as the site will tend to be a large brand and offers the illusion of a safe endorsement.

“Hey, we’re a billion dollar company. We endorse this guy. Feel safe” is the message.

Additionally, even though the consumer has technically gone to just one site or service, they as well feel they’ve done their due diligence in making their purchase.

Say, for instance, someone puts out a quote request on Thumbtack. Thumbtack looks at the vendors it has in its database capable of fulfilling that consumers request, and then presents them on a webpage or in an app. If there are five of those vendors, and the consumer chooses one, he/she will simultaneously feel they’ve also weighed a number of choices and purchased responsibly (despite, once again, that all of those choices came from a single source).

The Best Photographers are not on App Services

The irony of this method for hiring someone of course is that the people that inhabit these sites tend to be not as capable as the ones that are able to acquire business using the traditional methods. You have to ask yourself, if this person cannot acquire business/survive for him or herself without having to have a startup get it for him/her and for either a massive fee or by forcing them to work at an absurdly low rate, how good can this person then be?

Party at the Skylark - Joe Jenkins Photography 2016

Thumbtack, for instance, is a site that I used to use prior to them charging outrageous amounts of money for their services (their pricing very literally went up 500%+ in certain genres of my field) . My relationship with them came to an end when they attempted to charge me $82 in order to connect with one person. As in, someone was shopping for a photographer, went on thumbtack, was led along their hiring path into clicking ‘interested’ on my profile, and then charging me close to $100. For one person.

That’s insane

Snappr, on the other hand, in my opinion essentially takes freelancers that cannot survive on their own and places them in a directory and then forces them to work at rates that are around 60-70% lower than the industry standard.

I’m not about to ask the following question because I’m salty over them or anything. I just want you to generally ask yourself why would a person be on a site like this in the first place.

Do you think people want to work with the above companies? If my rate was, say, $200/hr as a photographer, would it be my dream to only be able to get business through a company that forces me to sell my services at a massive discount because they want to provide to the consumer something as cheaply as humanly possible.

Of course it wouldn’t, and that’s why you won’t find the top talent on any of the hiring sites such as this.

Email is Sort of Dead, Maybe?

I ask this as I look at my web traffic and see a retinue of visitors, many of which will view multiple pages on their visit (my main portfolio, and then my event portfolio, and then my about portfolio, and then my contact page) but then eventually exit prior to any sort of contact being made.

I’ve always found this somewhat strange, as my view to contact rate when I was on sites like the aforementioned was always extremely high, and I can’t help but wonder if things have shifted in such a way where the consumer has become unable to have a conversation with a freelancer that resides outside the boundaries of an upstart tech company looking to wedge a service fee in between vendors and consumers.

I’ll continue to change my pages and how people interact with them and see what happens. In the meantime, feel free to drop me a line.

info@joejenkinsphoto.com

I do find that people looking for corporate event photography tend to be a little more versed in actively reaching out to freelancers via email and either requesting quotes or simply making a basic inquiry about services. Granted, it’s their job to do so and, and in many ways finding the right photographer isn’t an option so much as a requirement (whereas hiring one for, say, your birthday party is).

This being said, however, I do feel that the private, consumer market is a little more ‘quote averse,’ in that if given the opportunity, people would rather have their options presented or pushed to them, like freelancers in a shopping cart, prior to making their purchasing decision.

Real Estate Headshots - Five things you should know

Your Real Estate Agent Headshot - 10 Things You Should Know 

The Common Thread

You’re walking down the street on a cool Monday morning. You’re sort of but-not-really late for work and, with this in mind, your pace is somewhat brisk; but not so fast as to show up a bunch of power-walkers at the mall and make enemies out of an incensed group of old ladies in sweatsuits. Dogs bark and sprinklers make their fitz-fitz-fitz sound as you round the corner. look up, and see it. It’s not a largely impactful point of your day but nevertheless it’s there for your mind to instantaneously observe and assess. It’s the omnipresent and ever ubiquitous realtor signage. 

It’s attached to a brownstone, or shellacked to a wall, or affixed to a gate. It’s a rectangle or a square or if the weather’s been unforgiving maybe a rhombus. It’s black and white or contains more colors than there are names for them. 

It comes in a myriad of designs and variations and has been re-sketched, retooled, reshaped, and reworded since realtors were selling real estate.  Despite all this, each and every one of them has one unmistakable and unshakeable trait in common. One common thread brings each and every piece of marketing asset together, whether it be a stack of brochures in a lobby in Philadelphia or the signage of a brownstone in Manhattan. That thread is, of course, the realtors headshot. 

Moving Forward

So you’ve decided to have a professional headshot taken for your real estate business. This is a good, no, fantastic decision. The reason why this is a fantastic decision is for two reasons. 

Your Headshot is Your Brand

The first reason is that your headshot ultimately is the end-all ambassador for the brand that is you. Companies like Nike, Apple, Adidas, and Prada all have an incredibly diverse marketing portfolio and have to worry about hundreds, if not thousands, of things at any one given moment that define their brand. Not only do they have to worry about each and every product in their inventory being out in the world and altering people's perceptions of their brand (or hopefully in the very least preserving it), they have to allocate mental resources and company processing power into each and every marketing asset that’s out there doing the same. And, when I say marketing asset, I’m not just referring to the multi-million dollar times-square billboard placement that’ll run through March. I’m referring to everything; whether it be the aforementioned billboard or a vertical side banner on an ecom side. There are so many points of interest in the matter that it’s mind-boggling, and I wouldn’t want to be any sort of entity that has to worry about that many things at once shaping how people view me as an entity. 

Luckily you, as a realtor, don’t. Your main product is yourself (we’re speaking irrespective for now of your properties) and there are no variations on this. For this reason, you only have a few marketing assets to worry about and can devote your resources into other things. Nevertheless, one of these assets is of penultimate importance because, as a photo of you, and with the main product being you, your headshot is the marketing asset that most encapsulates your brand. Your headshot, in effect, is your brand. 

First Impressions Are Everything

When someone walks by your listing, or sees your card, or observes any piece of signage advertising your services, they make an immediate and all encompassing first impression that instantly and irreversibly defines how they think of you. 

A study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science and cited on psypost.org (https://www.psypost.org/2017/10/study-reveals-just-quickly-form-first-impression-50039) found that glancing at a person’s face for 33 to 100ms was sufficient time to form a first impression. That’s thirty-three milliseconds, or thirty-three thousands of a second. To put that into perspective, a humming-bird beats it’s wings once every 66 milliseconds. This means, of course, that people are cementing their perception of you and your brand at half the time it takes a hummingbird to flap its wings. 

While that’s insane, it’s also important; as thirty-three ms is about the time it takes for someone to look up from their morning coffee and see your face on a real-estate sign as they’re sitting at an intersection.  

Getting a Good Headshot from a Headshot Photographer 

Now that we’ve discussed why you need a good headshot, we can go ahead and move into how you should get a good headshot. I feel like articles are always lacking in one area or another. They’ll tell you why you need to do something but not how you need to do something. Or, conversely, they’ll give you the how but not the why. Today we’ll do both. 

Firstly, you should really be hiring a photographer that specializes in portraiture and narrows that focus even further into headshots. While a diverse skill set in photography makes a photographer more able to do a wider spectrum of things, there really are specific aspects to portraiture that someone with less experience isn’t going to know. It takes a very, very long time to learn not just indoor lighting but outdoors as well; and with neither you nor the photographer having really any control over the latter, it’s best you hire someone that knows what he or she is doing. Again, this photo not just represents your brand but is it when you’re not present, and with outdoor headshots especially being so popular amongst real estate agents, it’s better to have someone that can take control of the situation and knows what to do with your surroundings. 

While I’m not necessarily trying to plug myself, I’m certainly not going to link to some other photographer's portfolio for examples. I’d be that guy that walks into a voting booth and doesn’t select himself. 

Below are various examples of corporate, real-estate, and commercial headshots for you to get an overview. 

https://www.joejenkinsphoto.com/corporate-headshots-nyc/

I don’t think it’s especially important that you hire someone that claims to specialize in real-estate headshots. There absolutely are some aspects to realtor headshots that do require some knowledge (vertical or horizontal placement and how either will fit in with your ad/current marketing trends and how present-day headshots look for example), but for a photographer to claim he/she specializes in realtor headshots sounds more like a sales pitch than a legitimate claim. 

In summary: 

DO: Hire a headshot photographer. Preferably one with real estate experience.

DON’T:  Hire a headshot photographer that claims it’s their undying trade specialty  (seriously, who literally only does real estate headshots as their sole occupation and form of income?)

Hire an Experienced Photographer Because They’ll Direct You. Newer Ones Won’t

Anymore, when I get on set, I immediately start setting things up, issuing directions, and answering questions. When I first started out, that wasn’t the case. I was tentative in all of my actions and not confident in orchestrating their outcomes. My photos were never bad (maybe once or twice they were so-so), but I danced around their setups with the steps of someone that generally knows what they’re doing but still has to somewhat hope for a good outcome. Now before taking a photo I to a high degree know exactly how it’s going to turn out and exactly what it’s going to look like. 

This being said, people want to be directed. In my event and conference photography (www.joejenkinsphoto.com/event-photographer-nyc), group shots are inevitable. People begin arranging themselves in shapes and formations from  past group photos.  Usually they achieve a moderate degree of success before invariably requesting I tell them what to do and where to go - typically commanding ‘Joe! Direct us!’ in a somewhat frustrated vein. It’s become so consistent anymore I don’t wait for it but just immediately begin issuing commands and telling people where to go (which is occasionally fun when done for people that aren’t used to taking orders). 

The same is true of your headshots. You want a photographer that’s going to show up and know exactly what to do, how to pose you, and where to place you. It is unequivocally not your job to know what’s going to make for the best backdrop (though you can suggest), how to position your arms, or what sort of expression to make. While you can certainly offer your input on the matter, at the end of the day it’s the photographer’s job to both know and execute this. 

Choose a backdrop that fits your real estate, not someone else’s 

This one is fairly straightforward, but I’m constantly seeing people off the mark here. High end commercial real estate typically yields headshots that are taken either in-studio and on a seamless backdrop or indoors; in a setting that evokes a corporate feel. It fits into an overall aesthetic adherent to the industry and for this reason, you’ll see a number of agents that sell commercial properties on white seamless. 

Headshots for residential properties, on the other hand, are typically taken outdoors and involving a property of some sort. In Manhattan and Brooklyn, for instance, there are a wealth of brownstones for sale at any one given time. As a result, many a realtor headshot is taken in front of one as it both effectively conveys a residential atmosphere and as well illustrates what they sell. 

Don’t choose your headshot based exclusively around what someone else is doing. Find what works for you and what will best illustrate what you’re selling. 

Don’t Smile Like A Maniac in Your Headshot But Don’t Not-Smile Like a Sociopath 

One thing I’ve learned about taking headshots (and I’ve taken a lot of headshots) is that maintaining a blank, neutral expression is either a practiced thing or something that simply comes naturally to a very small percentage of the population. Those magazine covers you see of Leonardo Dicaprio or Barack Obama, where they’re maintaining expressively blank and commanding expressions; those are tough. Extremely tough. Excruciatingly tough. Do you have any idea how hard is it to look expressive with no expression? Most of us that live within the plane known as reality just look like grim-faced sociopaths in photos where we don’t smile. 

For this reason, you should definitely smile in your headshot. You’re operating within a commercial space anyway and so you want to look as friendly as possible. Don’t overdo it and look like you’re at a club, on drugs, but definitely convey an approachability and social-sense that’ll make people look at your photo and be like ‘I’d buy a commercial loft from that guy.’ Or  ‘I’d get a bank to help me purchase a four bedroom house from that girl.’

Again, you want to look friendly, approachable, and helpful. Don’t go nuts and overdo it as you do want to simultaneously look like an authority on the matter, but a smile goes a long way.

A Makeup Artist is Really, Really Good at Makeup

Men don’t have so much to worry about this issue (unless you’re somewhat shiny a large percentage of the time), but makeup artists absolutely do make a difference. They’re better at blending tones, applying the right amount of eye shadow, and on the whole achieving a level of polish that the average person simply isn’t capable of. 

I’m not knocking your makeup application abilities, but this is something this person does for a living. Their lives revolve around it and as a result, they’re going to have an exponentially higher degree of proficiency on the matter than you do. 

I’ve tied my shoelaces every day for the entirety of my life and am, if questioned, probably pretty proficient on the subject. If I met someone that did it professionally though, for a living, tallying eight+ hours a day on the subject; well I’d probably see all sorts of loops and knots I never knew existed

Do you think any of the models in the ads you look at do their own makeup? They absolutely do not. Because it’s an ad. Used to sell something. And your headshot is an ad. Used to sell you. 

Afterwards you can go to a happy hour, sit there, and shimmer. 

Clothing 

This one’s fairly easy (though maybe you don’t feel that way). If you’re wondering how to dress for your headshot session, simply put on what you’d to a showing. I should say that if you wear a lot of patterns and stripes, avoid doing so on your headshot day, as they can divert attention away from the central point of the image (you). 

Outside of dressing like you would for a showing simply because I’d imagine you’ll be looking your best, you’ll as well be conveying authenticity. When you walk into a room and greet your viewers, they won’t be surprised by the person and complain later on they’ve been catfished by a real-estate agent. 

If you’re looking for a more objective take on the matter and appreciate things broken down in a more scientific sense, feel free to head on over to: https://www.helpscout.com/blog/psychology-of-color/

They’ve written a nice article on how color fits in with marketing and how various tones/shades/hues elicit different emotions. 

Your License and Copyright

The world is populated by a group of very laid back and easy to work with photographers (like myself) and a group of not-so-easy or at all-laid back photographers. The latter group can be a bit more difficult to work with and will do things like itemize the shoot and the proofs as two separate costs (as in some photographers will charge you $x for the shoot itself and then $y for the actual images afterward; which is ridiculous but whatever) and act as if outfit changes warrant massive alterations to the cost structure (they’re called looks. It’s a thing).  

People such as this generally remain more cognizant of the fact that all of us, as photographers, maintain copyrights on the images we take. What this means is that despite being an image of you, I as the photographer hold the copyright. The reason this can be problematic is because in any future marketing materials you purchase, I (or anyone) could technically cite violations of those copyrights and seek compensation; punitively if I want to. 

I, of course, would never in a million years actually do that; though there are those that would and do.

This being said, make sure you either own the copyright or have no restrictions on how the images are licensed for marketing materials. This doesn’t necessarily mean you demand a contract, as a simple confirmation via email will do do (make sure you keep the email, of course). 

Your Headshot’s Use Case 

I once did a round of headshots for a fintech company. There were around eight employees and, after taking the first shot, the marketing director and person responsible for coordinating the shoot came over and mentioned that the headshots were going to be framed in circular buttons on the bio site.  This was mentioned, for the first-time, midway through the shoot and within a space of thirty seconds. Because of this, I gave it a bit of thought but, being in the middle of the shoot, didn’t allot it a huge amount of attention. 

I continued along with the shoot as I normally would, submitted the contact sheet a few days later, and all was well within the world until I got an email from the marketing coordinator stating that only a small percentage of the photos were usable and that each staff’s favorite would not work with their specific formatting requirements. The headshots were no different from any I’d taken in the past (and the reason I was there to begin with was because of the headshots I’d taken for the company founder, two years prior), but because of the very strict use case requirements they had, they were initially under the impression that nothing I’d produced they could use. 

Though it took about twelve hours of additional work to correct, all was remedied, said headshots are now up on the company site, and everyone will resume sending one another cards on the holidays. 

The reason I felt this story was pertinent is because you absolutely need to think not only about how your headshots are going to be used, but how many different uses there are, and any pre-existing designs it will fit into. Don’t go into the shoot thinking every headshot is absolutely the same and that the images the photographer produces will fit neatly into the slot that is your design; it may not. A business card has different dimensions than a billboard and a billboard has different dimensions than a flier. 

Discuss the formatting beforehand with the photographer and ensure that your headshots are going to work for your intended uses. To be safe, you can take shots that are both vertically (portrait mode) and horizontally (landscape) oriented. 

A Full, Unedited Contact Sheet Sucks 

As a photographer in New York City, one of the most photo-heavy markets in the world, I pass shoots daily. Not only do I pass by shoots at a daily rate but I get very judgy over how they’re being conducted (I can’t help it). I’ve been shooting for long enough that I can typically get a sense of what the image is going to look like based around what the photographer’s doing and what sort of set-up they’re working with. 

Not too long ago I saw graduation shots being taken in the West Village. The photographer may as well have had her camera on burst fire mode as she was shooting at about 3-5 frames per second. I inwardly cringed as taking 3-5 frames per second of something that isn’t essentially moving (a person’s face, for instance) is typically a bad idea. It’s a bad idea because it creates a massive amount of not just extra work, but extra work of an unbearably tedious nature. A camera’s burst fire mode is typically for  journalists taking photos of people as they move; not for stationary subjects that are sitting there looking the same from one moment to the next. 

Going through five hundred photos that all look for the most part the same is, to be clear, excruciating. Outside of the fact that it’s incredibly time-consuming and fairly boring, there’s a lot of choice paralysis involved and not a recommended method for how to spend an afternoon; moreover when you’re looking at yourself. You may claim that you’ll go into your session with a variety of poses and expressions, but unless you’re experienced and comfortable on camera (which most people aren’t), there’s likely only going to be three or four end poses that will be distinctly different from one another. 

For this reason, I’d recommend you think about whether or not you want the photographer to narrow down the initial set to the obvious choices and as well weed out duplicates. It will make your life intensely easier in the long-run. 

Just Because Someone Else has a Headshot Doesn’t Mean it’s Good

People have a tendency to do what other people do; oftentimes regardless of whether it works or not. Not only do they have this tendency, but once it’s slipped into the group consciousness, it’s pursued rather tenaciously. If you need evidence of this (which you probably don’t since it’s fairly well-known, but for argument’s sake we’ll say you do) you really don’t need to go any further than a dating app like Tinder. 

If you’ve never used Tinder, it’s one of the most proliferate trend-producers I’ve ever before witnessed. A couple years ago, I noticed a profile that cited each state the girl had lived in prior to the one she currently resided in. It looked a bit like this: 

OH => PA => TX => CA => NY 

A couple months later I began noticing these breadcrumb trails in more and more profiles until eventually it was a trend so prevailing it seemingly populated thirty-percent of profiles. Every other profile I visited had this large chain of states the person had lived in prior to ending up in New York. What was the reasoning behind this? 

Those people had simply come across other people employing the same social-schematic. 

If anybody actually sat down and thought about it, does a string of states you’ve resided in really make you more compatible with someone? Is a girl going to visit some guy’s profile and go ‘omg this guy has lived in texas. Where’s my phone. I need to call my mom.’ Of course not. 

This being said, simply because one person has a type of shot does absolutely not reflect whether or not it’s good/effective/well-done. Give the matter some critical thought if you’re shopping around for examples and styles you’d like to emulate, but simply because something exists does not me

Headshots in 2024

Professional Headshots in 2020 - Five Things to Know

The world of headshots is large, competitive, and saturated. When I say saturated, I mean it’s very, intensely, hopelessly so. To provide an analog, let’s take a cool pastel as our baseline. Pastels are colors that are generally known for being non-aggressive; if they were people they would  be described as ‘even tempered and well-mannered.’ For the sake of illustration we’ll then go ahead and further define the pastel as red. Pastel red is an every-day, non-aggressive value that isn’t too high and isn’t too low and resides somewhere in a goldilocks zone referred to as normal. 

Now take every available firetruck on the planet, extract the red, make it a flaming neon, add it to our baseline pastel, and the result would be a red so oversaturated it’d make your tomato soup look like bathwater. 

That’s the world of headshot photography. And that’s how many photographers reside within it. 

This of course begs the question, how do you choose? What do you look for? What are the photographer's methods that sets him or her apart and how is it going to help you? Let’s look below at five items you definitely need to take into consideration about your headshots. 

Is the Headshot Photographer a Known Entity, Or is it a Business

Right now, if you go to google and run a search for ‘headshots nyc’ you’ll be greeted with a set of front-page results that’s for the most part a fairly even split between headshot photographers and headshot studios. Let me be clear, there is a distinction. 

Businesses that arise from a photographer’s name are the photographer. If something were to happen to that photographer, his or her business would cease to function. All of the art, imagery, and photography being produced would stop. Examples of this are Annie Leibovitz, Ansel Adams, and Henri-Cartier Bresson.  

Conversely, businesses that arise from a photography studio (at least in terms of headshot photography. This does not always apply to fashion photography, for instance) are not representative of any one given photographer. Make no mistake that they are started and founded by a photographer (or two), but at their present states are a collective of individuals that make up a company. They seek to fuel that company in the traditional business sense, just like Starbucks, Walmart, and the like.

This is important for a few reasons, but primarily of which because when you hire a photographer known by his or her name, your headshots will come from that photographer. If you hire Peter Hurley for your headshots, they will then be taken by Peter Hurley.  If you hire David Noles to do your corporate headshots, they will then be taken by David Noles. If you hire me for your corporate headshots, your headshots will come from me. Knowing this, you’re guaranteed a level of quality and consistency that comes from that photographer’s portfolio and is adherent to his/her professional reputation.

Headshot photographers (as I don’t wish to gain the ire of Milk Studios, again, I stress that this applies typically to headshot photographers) of this sort do tend to offer a product of considerably higher quality; with the drawback being their sessions are usually more expensive (a Peter Hurley mini-session will set you back a cool grand for thirty minutes, for instance).

When you employ the services of a headshot studio, on the other hand, you could have your headshot taken by any one number of photographers kept on its roster. Most studios will keep photographers around that are comparable in skill and proficiency, but there’s nevertheless going to be at the very least a variation in style and even quality based around who’s shooting that day. 

As well, studios tend to be predicated around shooting in higher volume; and so your session could be any one of three, four, or six for the day. Named headshot photographers on the other hand, whose services are more bespoke, will only have a couple slots available.

The difference is a bit similar to the choices confronting someone wishing to have a suit made. A headshot photographer that carries with them the weight of their name is a bit like a bespoke tailor, whereas a headshot studio that employs a collective of photographers at any one given time is a bit like Men’s Wearhouse. The bespoke tailor will make you a (sometimes substantially) nicer and more well-fitting suit, but will then charge you two to three times the amount for it. 

As well, studios that produce headshots generally tend to create photographs that look more homogenous than individual photographers. Individual photographers definitely adhere to a sense of style and one that’s been developed over the years, but their photographs generally contain a bit more individuality from one set to the next. 

Given this, you’ll need to figure out for yourself what fits your needs the most. One thing I will as well point out as that history tends to remember photographers; not studios. This being said, the  most influential photographs ever taken are done so by people employing and representing themselves (ie Leibovitz, Bresson, and Adams)

Outdoors vs Indoors

I personally prefer studio headshot sessions  over outdoor headshots, but mostly as a matter of preference. Both have a time and a place, and at the end of the day it comes down to personal taste, but I typically prefer studio shots for the below reasons. 

Photographers operate around and are reliant upon their schedules. The better and more in demand ones rely on schedules such as these that have been fixed for weeks, or sometimes months, ahead of time. Given this, it’d probably be fairly devastating to book a high-profile headshot photographer months in advance, only to have the weather force you to reschedule on the day of your shoot. Worse yet, it’d be devastating to have the weather cooperate just enough so that you can shoot but in a less than ideal environment (everyone knows what a day looks like where the rain is barely held back and always just at bay. They’re dull.)

If this was the case, not only would you have a less vibrant set of shots but you’d be out the money spent on them. Chances are, if you’re an actor living in New York and waiting for a break, I’m assuming the idea of blowing a bunch of money on a set of professional headshots set in a bleak environment is less than appealing (and make no mistake. Your photographer can not photoshop it to look like a sun-drenched spring day). 

This being said, indoor-studios are controlled environments. Assuming the photographer has paid his utility bills for the month, the lighting is controllable. It has air conditioning. You can stop and grab some water if you’d like. Additionally important is that if you’re shooting more than one look, there’ll be a place to change your clothing that isn’t the nearest restroom at a Starbucks (bathrooms at NYC Starbucks by the way are not bathrooms at Starbucks found in the midwest. They’re penal colonies with less janitors). 

Outside of not leaving things to chance, the NYC market is more suited to begin with to indoor, studio-based headshots. I’ve no real idea why this is the case other than it simply is. The Los Angeles market, on the other hand, typically is more suited to outdoor headshots. A casting director leafing through a pile of them will see a much larger percentage of images taken outdoors; with NYC being vice versa this notion. 

Posture and Posing

Posture’s fairly important for headshots. When I say it’s fairly important, I actually mean it’s critically, unerringly so. In fact, posture is everything. It may seem a bit overwhelming as there are an infinite number of poses and positions the human body can place itself in and has done so for the purposes of portrait photography,  but in the context of a headshot and luckily for you, there are really only two you need to worry about; straight-on and at forty-five degrees. 

Straight-on is my favorite position and is explanatory enough, in that you’re essentially just looking straight at the camera. The plane of your face is close-enough to the same plane that the camera is on and the lines of your jaw are pointed directly at it. Humans both prefer and respond to symmetry (casting directors are humans, keep in mind) and it triggers both strong indications of cognitive bias and visual affinity. 

An article in psychology today asks the question: Why Are Symmetrical Faces so Attractive? 

(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beastly-behavior/201907/why-are-symmetrical-faces-so-attractive)

You may, of course, sharply object to this suggestion and worry that you took a test once that gave you a facial symmetry rating of 7.6 (or whatever metric they used to to gauge the matter), but even Angelina Jolie, whose face was scientifically rated at one time as being the most symmetrical on the planet, has a score of 9 or so. The vast majority, if not the entirety of us, isn’t really perfectly symmetrical and we only kind of get passing grades on this, so don’t worry about it. 

Forty-five is where your shoulders are rotated about forty five degrees away from the lens and your face is about forty-five degrees rotated away from the lens between it and your shoulders. If that’s confusing, see the below. 

One thing you definitely don’t want to do while employing this position is make the angle too wide and wander into profile-shot territory (profile shots are side shots). This is where your shoulders are perpendicular to the lens and, as a result, you’re hyper-extending your neck and craning it around at an unnatural angle to make your face parallel to the camera. This is where super canned and over-cliched headshots come from; you’ve likely seen them on commercial signage or stock photography sites of some sort and thereafter cringed.

Your Jawline. It’s Not Just Generally the First Thing Punched in a Fight 

Headshot maven Peter Hurley has explained, more than once, that it’s ‘all about the jaw.’ As a headshot photographer with years of experience operating within the same market (www.joejenkinsphoto.com/actor-headshots), I unequivocally and without compromise agree with him.  There are a few key elements to headshots that the photographer is responsible for providing (lighting and composition) and a few key elements the subject is responsible for providing (clothing/expressions/poses). The photographer can of course direct and coach the subject on how to pose and what to wear, but at the end of the day these are ultimately determined by said subject.

This being said, your jawline is paramount when it comes to framing your face, as it’s responsible for the entire under-area of the image and a huge portion of its overall aesthetic. It’s important that it be prominently shaped, articulated, and not blend in with your under-chin. There should be a clear separation of neck and jaw, is what I’m trying to say. Ohio and Pennsylvania, for instance, are adjoined but clearly separated by a distinct boundary line that runs between them. There isn’t this amorphous grey area the two share where travelers are sort of in Ohio but kind of in Pennsylvania, depending on the mood they’re in (which’ll be pissed-off because who wants to travel that way).

Given this, there are a few things you can do to ensure that this doesn’t happen and that your jawline maintains a cut, centered appearance. 

For starters, you can lean forward a little bit. I’m not saying you necessarily need to launch into a full-blown bow, as if the photographer’s your sensei and you’re a burgeoning karate disciple. Leaning forward, however, forces the head naturally forward and tautens up the skin underneath. This accentuates your jawline and makes for better photos; which in turn makes everyone high five and go ‘f*ck yeah!’

After you’ve done the leaning thing, extend your head out slightly and jut your chin forward a bit. Remember the Tortoise from Never-Ending story, who’s head remained retracted into his shell but rapidly extended outward after his interest was piqued over something Bastion started talking about (probably the empress, because at the time I had a huge crush on her and my eight year old head would’ve jutted forward too like that) ? Do about 10% of that. If you go too far, though, you’ll look a little silly and probably feel like a bit of a ninny.  So don’t go too far. 

DO: Lean forward a bit and jut your chin out

DON’T: Do it so much you end up looking like Billy Bob Thornton from Slingblade. 

Content is King, and You’re the Content

What’s being photographed is just as important as how it’s being photographed. The photographer in that sentence is represented by the how. He/she is responsible for the lighting, composition, and quality of the image. The what’s being photographed in the image is represented by you, or the person having his or her headshot taken. Make no mistake, both of these elements work together to create a singularly refined product and both of them are necessary to do so. 

The point I’m trying to make is that you should look as polished as humanly possible for your headshots, and it’s your job to do so. The headshot photographer can suggest hair and makeup and even introduce you to a hair/makeup artist or stylist, but it’s up to you to decide on whether or not you want to pay the additional money to hire one. If you don’t, it’s then up to you to create the content that’s going to be rendered by the camera (ie do your own, and well). 

If this sounds confusing, let me take you back a bit. A woman once hired me to take a set of professional headshots. She was applying to a number of medical schools, all of which required a personal photo. She did the smart thing and hired a headshot photographer (me) and we set a date. Because of an inborn fear of being photographed she then pushed it back twice over a multi-month period. Finally, the day of her shoot, she lay in bed for as long as humanly possible  before she couldn’t avoid the matter any longer, quickly did a once over in the mirror, and ubered over to my studio. When she eventually did show up, she was forty-five minutes late and soaking from the rain. Her hair as a result was wet and her makeup was non-existent; despite an extensive set of directions and pieces of conversation advising her otherwise (‘make sure you come camera ready’ was a phrase I used no less than 157 times over the course of our conversation). 

As a result, her headshots had numerous issues. Her hair was in her eyes and all over the place, her pores were the size of manhole covers, and she didn’t exude the confident, polished sort of look she was after. In fact, she didn’t even come close. 

When she emailed me about all of this, citing things like her hair sopping wet and in her eyes half the time, I replied back that that wasn’t my fault. And it wasn’t. At all. She couldn’t grasp the fact that she had played a role in the creation of her headshots, as if she wasn’t in there or involved in any way. She couldn’t conceive of the notion that I had no control over her wet hair or that she had any involvement in it’s creation. 

My point: A photographer photographs what’s in front of him or her and documents reality as it exists before his lens.  He does not create that reality but does shade, color, light, and maximize it’s aesthetic.  Granted, with the aid of photoshop he/she can embellish it and make it more palatable, but if the subject is grimacing in half the photos and makes no attempt to do otherwise, they’re going to get a bunch of shots of them grimacing. The “photoshop magic” you’ve heard of exists to do things like eliminate pimples, even out skin tones, and play with color. It does not exist to take a bus and turn it into a motorcycle. 

Ad-buyer: ‘Hey I know we’re doing an ad that involves a bus but we didn’t rent one in time, so we got this vacuum cleaner. Just work your photoshop magic, thanks so much!’ 

Photographer: ‘Thanks. No. I’m going home. I’ll send you an invoice.’

My point is that you’re responsible for supplying the content, because the content is you. The photographer can of course coach you, help you out, and ultimately direct that content (and that photographer should), but you need to recognize the fact that you’re there working together.

I do believe that for headshots, the photographer should have a decent and easy enough personality to connect with a person and help place them at ease, (like me, just saying), but it is not the photographer's job to to take your stone-faced countenance and  spaghetti-stained tee shirt and turn it into an image of you in armani, smiling like you’re on the verge of an antidepressant overdose. 

Annie Leibovitz once said ‘I reject the notion that it’s a photographer’s job to put on some dog and pony show to make her subject feel at ease.’ 

I do agree with this, but only to an extent. As a headshot photographer I do believe that being personable and easy to connect with will take you hundreds of miles further than one that isn’t. I cannot, however, physically personify what you see in your head without your help. To summarize this section, the photographer and subject are just as critical to one another and both have parts in the creation of an image; so make sure you come looking your best and embrace the role you have that day. 

CONCLUSION

This was a pretty broad overview on getting your actor headshots done, and this article wasn’t geared towards getting into the minutiae of everyday shoots. The reason for this is that is because headshots, to be frank, don’t have to require a ton. Hopefully after reading this article you’ll gain a little more confidence prior to booking your session and it will, as well, give you a little more insight on the matter. 

Joe Jenkins is a New York based headshot photographer. www.joejenkinsphoto.com

The Benefits of Hiring a Professional Photographer

The Power Of A Professional Headshot Portrait For Your

Career

Photo via Adobe Stock

The rise of social media and the increasing demand for visual content means that having a
professional headshot is more important than ever. A quality portrait can convey confidence,
competence, and approachability, which can make a huge impact on a potential employer. If
you're a business owner, it can be a significant factor in shaping your personal brand. In this blog
post courtesy of Joe Jenkins Event Photography, we'll look at several reasons why a professional
headshot is essential.

A Portrait Session Can Empower You

Professional portrait photography can help you present yourself confidently and professionally.
A portrait session can provide an opportunity to showcase your personality, style, and
achievements. The process of getting your portrait taken can also make you feel empowered andconfident. This can translate into better networking skills, more successful job interviews, and
improved communication in the workplace.

Make a Great First Impression

First impressions matter, especially in the job market. A professional headshot can make a
difference in how potential employers see you. A poorly-taken selfie or a low-resolution photo
can suggest a lack of professionalism and attention to detail. A high-quality portrait, on the other
hand, can convey competence, approachability, and confidence. It can make you stand out from
other job applicants and increase your chances of landing an interview.

See Yourself In A New Light

Many people have insecurities about their appearance, which can negatively affect their self-
confidence. A professional portrait can help you overcome these insecurities by showcasing your
best features and highlighting your unique qualities. A skilled photographer can use lighting,
angles, and composition to capture your image in the most flattering way possible. Seeing
yourself in a positive light can boost your self-esteem and help you feel more confident about
your appearance.

Utilize Adobe Express To Create Marketing Materials

With a high-quality headshot, you can create a variety of marketing materials using free online
tools from Adobe Express. This is a great way to maximize your portrait, and these resources are
easy to use without design experience. Whether you need a new business card or want to create a
banner for your social media page, Adobe makes it quick and simple. Here are a few of our
favorite tools:

● If you’re a business owner, make a company brochure with your headshot. This is an
easy-to-read format for customers when you have a lot of information to share. Add
photos of your products or the business itself to make it more dynamic.

● Design a professional banner for LinkedIn and show potential employers what you’re all
about. This is an easy way to catch their eye and show off your personality at the same
time. Add text in an easy-to-read font for maximum effectiveness.

● Create an eye-catching business card that shows off your personality. This is perfect
when you’re heading to a convention or other networking event, as it will help potential
customers or partners remember you.

● Do you create a lot of video content for your business or nonprofit? Make a YouTube
banner that displays a great photo of your team or best-selling products. This is a great
way to introduce a branded visual into your YouTube profile.
Investing in professional portrait photography can provide numerous benefits in your personal
and professional life. It can help you present yourself confidently, make a good first impression,
and overcome insecurities about your appearance. With a great portrait in hand, you can build a
strong personal brand and project the best version of yourself to the world. When choosing
portraiture photography, consider factors such as style, location, and experience; take a look at
your photographer's portfolio before booking a session to ensure they're a good fit.
Ready to get started with a professional headshot portrait session? Get in touch

Event Photographers - How much do they charge?

New York City has a photography market unlike any other on the planet. Photographers here are plentiful and comprise an extremely large spectrum of service; from the guy shilling his services for $50/hr (unless you hire a talented upstart, you may as well just use your iPhone instead. Also this is usually a moonlighter) to the multi-decade veterans commanding rates of $400/hr and up from clients that represent brands. Usually in the middle is where you can expect to find a healthy balance of cost to quality, and in the following article there are some points you should take note of when searching for someone.

First and foremost, in reference to what I charge, I usually hover between $150-$250hr, depending on the type of event, what the market is like at the time, and what my own level of demand is. You can check out my work at the following link, if you'd like to take a gander at what it is I produce.

My event photography work can be found here

And now that I've gotten that own shameless sense of self-promotion out of the way, I'm going to go ahead and look at three different types of event photographers, how they price themselves out, and what you should expect to get in return.

1. The staffed event photographer: The staffed photographer is essentially a photographer hired via an agency or staffing service that is paid a rate that's typically half of what the market commands, with the other half going to the agency itself (or sometimes it isn't even half. Sometimes it's more like a 75/25 split). These photographers are, in my opinion, the riskiest to hire, since the agency itself usually has a revolving door of photographers and oftentimes the quality-gap is absolutely massive. Keep in mind, no photographer sets out to work for a staffing company. I literally don't know of one person I've ever met that has said 'I feel like giving half of what I earn to someone else because I just don't like responding to emails.'
   
   While it sounds callous, these photographers usually can't make it on their own for one reason or another and rely on staffing companies to find them work. The reasons for doing so vary in that they don't have the experience and or history to provide the sort of product that big companies or individuals want, or they simply aren't good enough to provide a product on their own to begin with.
   
   And so, with this being said, when you hire a photographer through a staffing service, you're hiring a photographer whose rate is going to be half of what that market rate actually is. For example - say you hire a photographer through something like Snappr, Or NYPhotographers. And say you pay that service $175/hr for work. What you're getting in return is a photographer that actually charges less than $100 for their work (and subsequently is probably not that great. You are, at the end of the day, getting a cheap photographer. I don't mean inexpensive. I mean cheap).
   
   In my opinion, if you're paying $175/hr for a photographer, you should be getting a $175/hr photographer - not a $75/hr photographer.
   
   Verdict: If you don't care about quality, hire one of these, but be aware that staffing agencies have a hard time keeping good photographers around (as good photographers typically go out on their own) and are constantly in a state of flux as they look to fill the gaps in their rosters.
   
   ONE THING TO NOTE ABOUT STAFFED PHOTOGRAPHERS:
   
   When looking at a photography staffing portfolio, you may not even get someone that has actually contributed to it. The staffing company could have not had anyone available and provided someone new, or the individuals that added to it could no longer even be with the firm. Beware of this.

2. The Corporate Event Photographer: A corporate photographer is a photographer that specializes in corporate work and bills his or herself as such. Typically, hourly rates exceed $200/hr, as images are used for marketing and licensing purposes, and as well corporations simply have larger budgets than private citizens. Referencing the difference between a corporate photography job and a private photography job; equipment usually plays a large role. While a party, for instance, can usually be shot using one camera and with a basic lens, corporate functions differ greatly. Speakers can oftentimes be far from crowds and the photographer will need to have lenses with long range capability and that can fare well in low light. Experience will as well play a large role as the photographer will need to know when certain things happen that are vital to the function (keynote speeches always have a distinct set of mannerisms, for instance).

3. Private Party Photographer - This is actually where I got my start as an event photographer in NYC and an area
of the craft I enjoy the most. While I do carry two cameras around at all times, usually one will do, and a good
photographer with a 50mm lens can absolutely carry the day and enshrine your event for as long as you care to
look at the images. You can expect to find a good photographer charging anywhere from $100-$250/hr, though
I've asked for (and gotten) $500/hr for seasons where I was extremely booked and there was very little of me to
go around. I honestly think what helps me the most with my private functions stems from the fact that I am my
core skillsets as a photographer lie around portraiture and people imaging and that I am, as well, a huge people
person. Being fairly inconspicuous (while remaining personable) is a key aspect to private event photography.

As well, there are a million subsets to this area of the field and they vary from Birthdays, Anniversaries, Mitzvahs,
proposals, general parties, nightlife, and more.

You can see my private event photography work here:

And with the above said, there's my take on the three most common types of photographers and what you should expect to pay in NYC. I hope this was informational.

Feel free to drop me a line at mailto:info@joejenkinsphoto.com if you have any questions. If you're also wondering what sort of photography guidelines you should be looking at when you are looking around for a photographer, you can go ahead and view my article on Event Photography guidelines from an actual client. This was sent by Coindesk for Consensus 2019.