Why you need professional business photos

I'd photographed Emily in Lincoln recently.  I asked her to write a few words about the shoot and more importantly why she needed professional photographs of herself.

This is what she had to say.

"As part of my work, I sometimes have bylined articles placed in various publications online and in print. In many cases, the editor will ask for a picture to accompany the piece. It's also kind of expected that I have a decent(ish) pic on my website and social media profiles, so a small stock of professional photographs of myself is a must.

As such, I'd been meaning to sort out a shoot for some time but for one small problem: I hate having my picture taken. I really do freeze, then skew my mouth into a crazy shape and manage to roll my eyes back, exorcist-style just as the shutter clicks. But needs must, so despite my dread, I'd been keeping an eye out for a good photographer.

Michael's name kept cropping up so I had a look at his portfolio. What convinced me to book with him was the natural expression on the faces on a number of his subjects. They seemed relaxed and genuine, so I figured maybe he could get me to look less like a frightened rabbit.

By the day of the shoot, we'd already had a few chats, so he was forewarned about my severe lack of modelling skills. We headed to uphill Lincoln and retreated from the icy fog for a coffee. When we went back outside, the situation hadn't improved. In fact, it was foggier and colder, so we decided to go to my village in the hope that the conditions would be better - they were.

As we trundled about finding interesting backgrounds to shoot against, I had almost forgotten I was about to have my most unflattering facial expressions immortalized on film. Except, it didn't happen that way - Mike put me entirely at ease. He got me smiling and laughing in a natural way and, to my surprise, was soon showing me shots that actually looked like me. Even more surprising, I was enjoying myself.

Mikey has a great eye for locations and the final pictures all have a little of the character of the village I grew up in. The stone walls, greenery, Victorian doorways and church arches all make for something a bit different. I don't think I look awkward in my pics (you may disagree!) and I don't think I look like I'm trying to be a 'model'. I think I just look like me, and anyone who's tried to photograph me before will know that's not an easy thing to achieve."

Emily Cagle
Director of Emily Cagle Communications
http://www.emilycagle.co.uk

Magic behind the lens

By Tannis Miller

There is something about a successful photo shoot that makes you feel not only extraordinarily glamorous (because you do feel like a star!;) ), but it is almost as if every trace of inhibition that was once with you unravels like layers of an onion. In my own experiences with shoots, I have always worked with such great, experienced photographers who have made the shoots so comfortable right from the get-go, but it does always seem to take a few moments to break out of that shell completely! When this does happen, it all comes together. What’s left is nothing but your trust in the photographer, and their talent and eye that work together to create irreplaceable images!

The whole experience is like acting and the subject, the model, is the actor. If you think of it as slipping into a character and playing the role, it gives what you need to pull off certain shots without holding back, simply because you’re escaping into someone else. On the other side of the camera, the photographer is the film director, directing you into your most physically flattering angles while arranging the perfect lighting, all to create the most visually appealing image possible. A great photographer has a creative imagination and can produce interesting ideas regardless of the circumstance or location. This past September for instance, Michael and I shot in a dark parking lot on a gloomy, rainy afternoon. This could have been grounds for a lousy shoot, but with Michael’s talent and my positive outlook, we nailed some of my favourite photos yet! If you’ve been shown a glimpse of some of the amazing shots that have been captured straight out of the camera during a shoot, you’ll know what I mean when I say it can be a thrill! Actually, I remember during my first shoot, I could hardly believe it was even me in some of those shots –the work of a fabulous photographer goes a long way!

Like anything, practice is needed! Experienced models will know how their body positioning and facial expressions look best on film, but often only a few shots per shoot are actually used for anything. Only the very best shots should be released for marketing purposes, personal portfolio use, or any other use at all. You only want to ever show your best work!

Overall, when the right shots have been captured, the photographer and the model have connected successfully! It can be said that a good model can be just as important as a good photographer, but when the two are combined, the results can be wicked.

Tannis Miller
Fitness Model/Personal Trainer

Guest Blogging

Congratulations, you've found my blog.

What exactly is guest blogging? Well, it's where I invite others to write articles for my photography blog. I'm looking for as much variety as possible for the blog, so I'm asking people that I've worked with over the last couple of years if they'd like to contribute.

A few subject ideas...

Business portraits
-- have they helped win you any business?
-- how are you using the photos? on websites, literature, forums, business cards...
-- any tips on getting the best out of a photoshoot?

Weddings
-- how did you choose your photographer?
-- how did things go on your big day?
-- what questions did you ask your photographer?

Models
-- how did you prepare for the photoshoot? (everything from dieting, makeup, outfits, posing etc)
-- how did the photoshoot go? (meeting the photographer, where you shot, any amusing stories etc)
-- how did you select the images from your shoot?
-- how you used the images after? comp cards, websites, business cards...
-- did the photos help get you noticed more? did you gain any business from them?

Obviously it would be great if you'd like write about our shoot, but if you want to talk about another photographer / photo shoot then that's cool. We just need their permission to use one or two of the photos from the shoot with the article.

Ideally photos need to be landscape in orientation, and approximately 660 pixels on the longest edge.

Please add any credits / website links / contact information to the article.

The articles don't need to be huge - infact it would be better to have lots of shorter articles over less long ones. Three of four good sized paragraphs would be perfect.

Thank you :)

Photography and the Law: A viewpoint from a Private Eye

Written by Jorge Salgado-Reyes

As a Private Investigator, I take photographs everyday of people who (if they knew) would object to their picture being taken.

Most of the work that I do occurs in a public place, a man and a woman holding hands, kissing, hugging, enjoying intimate dinners in a restaurants are all indicators that their partners sat at home pay serious money to be aware of. I have taken pictures and video of all this and more in my time.

Taking pictures of the public

Most people tend to believe that you need their express consent to take their picture and that taking a picture of a child is completely unlawful.

Nothing could be further from the truth, according to Home Office Minister Tony McNulty, "There is no legal restriction on photography in public places, and there is no presumption of privacy for individuals in a public place." So contrary to popular belief, if the subject is in a public place i.e. the street, a pub, restaurant etc or I can see them from a public place then I can take the photo.

Taking pictures of Children
In today’s climate of child abuse hysteria, it is important to note that the law does not differentiate between an adult and a child in terms of photography in public. IT IS NOT AGAINST THE LAW! The age of the subject is irrelevant. So pictures of children are OK too.

However, if you are taking photographs of children in a public place and are seen then expect to be questioned but remember what you are doing is completely legal.

Expectation of Privacy
Most of us have seen the paparazzi taking photos of celebrities and most of us have asked ourselves, “isn’t that harassment? Are they not entitled to Privacy?”. Well it is possible that the taking of photographs of someone could amount to harassment. I’ll say it again "COULD". According to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, Harassment is defined as "A course of conduct which amounts to harassment of another, and which he knows or ought to know amounts to harassment of the other." In other words, not just one incident and the person being harassed needs to be aware of the harassment.

The other question that you have to ask yourself is; is there a reasonable expectation of privacy? If the person whose picture is being taken is in a public place then by definition, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy and they are therefore fair game. Even if they are on private property but for example, their curtains are open and no trespass is occurring then you can take the picture.

The UK Photographers Rights Guide (in PDF format) goes into a lot more detail on this subject and makes for interesting reading.