So yeah, I figured that a serious professional photographer like Lou would manage to produce something I’d be OK with. It is her job to work miracles. I didn’t expect to be really pleased with some of the results.
Here’s a very different one that makes me look a bit more serious and professional.
There are others I like too.
If you need a professional photo shoot done, get Lou to do it, she’s great.
Nice shots! Although to me the first one’s more see how friendly I am, trust me, I’m a professional and the second one, with the darker lighting, is more mysterious woman of intrigue.
Wow! I like those both a *lot*.
Looking good!
Very nice !
I’ve not met you so I’ve no idea how true to life they are and can only judge on how true to this blog they are, but that woman looks like she is intelligent with a streak of mischief, someone who has lived enough to be interesting, someone I would like to know! And someone very like the one who I’ve read here. So yes I’d say they hit the mark.
That description of me is even more flattering than the photos. I’ll take it, thanks! 🙂
As someone who knows Cheryl well, I’d say that’s an excellent description!
You may be a teeny bit biased, my darling, but I’ll take that too. 🙂
I find most people can photograph better than they expect.
It’s just a matter of putting them at ease (which is something a pro who specializes in portraiture and headshots had better be good at), giving the subject something to do with his or her hands (because idle hands tend to just flop around in photos), working through a few good poses appropriate to the person and intent of the photos, and sorting out the lighting.
I’ve been shooting the members of PenWAG for several years, mostly “ladies of a certain age” (who, of course, think they look awful in photographs) and it’s been really fun watching them relax and start to have fun, instead of panicking in front of the camera. Almost all of them have lost that “deer in the headlights” frozen stiff demeanor and now really show their excitement about their art.
I think Lou did a great job of capturing your excitement and joy in the projects and causes you work on.
All good points, but there’s something else very important. Professionals take a lot of pictures. Lou gave me maybe 50 to look at, of which I like a handful. She did not bother to show me the majority of the pictures, because they were not as good.
Part of the professional process is taking test shots, finding out what angles and lighting work, finding what expressions look good and how to coax them out of the subject, and so on.
None of this happens in a single shot taken in an unguarded moment which then gets posted to Facebook.
Oh, absolutely. Shoot like mad, never show the subjects the ones that didn’t work (unless they’ll laugh at them), and cull down to the best.
I do know some event photographers who are very good at getting flattering candids while things are going on. But that’s the same process. Shoot like mad, trash the crap.