Expression Sells the Image
Lesson 8 from: FAST CLASS: The Business of Professional HeadshotsGary Hughes
Expression Sells the Image
Lesson 8 from: FAST CLASS: The Business of Professional HeadshotsGary Hughes
Lessons
Getting Headshot Clients
14:06 2Pricing
13:24 3Six Styles of Headshots
29:36 4Posing Basics
06:26 5Basic Standing Pose
04:56 6Basic Seated Pose
02:43 7Head Position
04:16 8Expression Sells the Image
06:27Lesson Info
Expression Sells the Image
expression is a thing that sells the image. It doesn't matter how technically excellent the images. The truth is that your average person can't tell the difference between an image that's pretty good in an image that's excellent most of the time. If they can't see pacts past the fact that they don't like the way they look in it, you understand what I mean. When you look at a picture of yourself that somebody else took for me, the first thing I do is does my beard look good? That's very important. Yeah, The second thing is, do I look heavy? Do And then that is, Once I get past that, I can start to enjoy other things about the image. But if I if it's from the wrong angle and I look fat on like I hate that picture, I never wanna look at that picture. You can't tell me nice things about that picture anymore, and we're all kind of that way about certain things. If you're sensitive about you, think you have a weird smile when you drink three martinis and then you see a picture of you after f...
our martinis and you got a weird smile. You're expecting to see it. You see it and you're not gonna like expression is key. You could be a mediocre photographer. And if you could get great expressions from people, you're gonna be successful in business because people will like the way they look. If they like their expression more than they like the quality of the photo. I promise you that anybody ever do Children's portraiture and the ones that the parents pick are never the ones that you pick because they like them for different reasons. They're not looking necessarily a technical excellence. All right, expression sells the image. Use a tripod when possible. I will tell you that when you can get your hands off the camera and you can bring your face from behind the camera so they can hear you and interact, you're gonna be able to interact with your client more. So when I'm in the studio or when I'm on location shooting headshots, I am on a tripod. Now, this is kind of crazy, because I know that Ah, a lot of people don't like to use him. But when your hands are free, you can engage more when you don't have to direct the client. When you're very smart stuff going to camera, you can talk to them. It's a little more open so you can focus at the camera. I can have my finger on the trigger. And Aiken, So OK. And that looks great. That's awesome. Hey, nice gold tooth bling. Like whatever you gotta do, you know, you can you can engage more. I would encourage you to try it when I first started tripod shooting. It's really awkward because you have to learn to work within the tripods range of motion. But after a few sessions, you'll start to be now I feel completely naked without it. If I go into a heads up shot, head shot session and I don't have my tripod, I like I don't even know what to do it myself. Okay, here's number one. That should have been number one stopped looking at the stinking camera. I know we have. Do your test shots, make sure exposure is good, and then stop looking at the camera. Every time you stop and look at the camera, you break faith with your client. You're basically going Am I doing good? So I know what I'm doing that turned out okay. You should know that is gonna turn out okay. And even if you don't, you should pretending that you do. I had my one of my very first photography mentors. Used to make me tape up the back screen on the camera with electrical tape and then go out and shoot, you know? And, man, does that feel like you just got the shivers thinking about it? You did. He just got goose bumps. Made it shoot without my LCD screen. Holy crap. Yeah, that used to do that a lot. You know, they used to kind of be all they had, except for Polaroid. But truthfully, I use it as you know, I'm a little less old school because I don't use light meters most the time and stuff. But I am using the camera t to check my exposure, and I get my test shot. And most of time, I will test with an assistant or on myself. So I have everything set before the client walks in. So I'm not fiddling around with my equipment. I know that the exposure is good, that the lighting is good and my basic set up. And so when they come in, I'm mostly ready to go. But if you're taking, like, 12 test shots, 13 test shots, 14 test shots, 15 test shots, and then when you start shooting a Okay, we're gonna shoot now. You know, we've been shooting for 10 minutes already. Every time you look at that camera, you're gonna seem a little less like you know what you're doing. All right, remember and use their name. This is I'm telling you when I shoot a wedding, here's a trick for wedding photographers. By the way, if you remember the name of one person in the bridal party, they'll think you remembered all their names. This true story, you're like, Hey, Brad, why don't you bring the guys over here and let's do a photo? I've had people say, Oh, and they were so impressive that you remembered everybody's names like I know Brad, it works. If you you remember and you somebody's name and assumes they walk out the door, you could forget it. You can literally put in the recycling bin and click empty because you don't probably won't need it. My wife deals with him after that so I won't need it anymore. But just being able to use somebody's name and talk to them puts them at ease most of the time, and it's a sort of thing. It's just a very small thing to show that you are actually paying attention that you care. So whatever trick you have to use to remember their name, remember it. And if you don't remember it after the first time, I told you it's OK to ask again because they probably don't remember your name either. You know, in fact, here's a trick when I won't remember something to go. Uh, how do you spell that? Especially if it's unusual name like, how do I spell it? J O H n, you idiot? No, I just have a friend who spelled J A W N. And I just wanted to see if you did too. Okay, Okay. So find a common ground. This is so important. People, when they talk about something that they're interested in, well, they're excited about. They'll relax. It's all about getting someone to relax in the studio. And so a lot of times, I'll, you know, you ask a couple of questions of basic questions. My favorite is Are you local? Where you from? Actually from Cincinnati. Oh, that's when you know I've been a Cincinnati. I was there. City of Seven Hills, Man. That's a really cool place. I had some Chili Mac while I was there. It's unbelievable place and any time a Cincinnati, or if they're an architect in your town, find out what building they designed and learn a little bit to have covered. That's a three minute trip. Three minute. It's a three minute trip on Google to figure out something about them, Uh, not creepy stalker way, just just to be interested in what they do. It's really, really easy to do that. And most people don't take the time to do that anymore. Treat the shoot like a conversation for me when I'm in a session and individual session. Not necessarily high volume stuff almost gets to feel like the third taking of the photograph. ISS secondary. Does that make sense? So you want to basically be be the photographer, that they have a really good time. If they had a good time making the picture, they're gonna like the picture and so treated more like a conversation rather than your Sometimes you go, Oh, forgot workability taking pictures. But if somebody's talking and relax, they're gonna be comfortable.
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