Headshots That Look Like You. Portraits With Personality.

Why I Combined These

Headshots and portraits are different things. A headshot is functional: it goes on LinkedIn, your company website, your conference bio. A portrait is personal: it tells a story about who you are. But both start from the exact same place, which is making you feel comfortable enough to look like yourself in front of a camera.

That is the real job. Not the lighting. Not the lens. Making a person who hates having their photo taken feel relaxed enough that they stop thinking about the camera. The best headshot is the one where you forgot you were being photographed. The best portrait is the one where you look at it and think, "yeah, that is me."

Headshots

Natural, professional headshots for LinkedIn, your website, your personal brand, your "about the author" page, whatever you need them for. I shoot outdoors in natural light whenever possible because it looks better and it feels better. No sterile white backdrop. No awkward corporate pose with your arms crossed like you are guarding a building.

Sessions are quick, usually 30 to 45 minutes. We shoot in a few different spots, try a few different looks, and I give you natural direction throughout so you are never just standing there wondering what to do with your hands. Turnaround is fast. Most people need their headshot soon, and I respect that.

You will get a set of professionally edited images, plus my honest recommendation on which one works best for what you need. People often pick the one they think makes them look the most polished. I usually steer them toward the one where they look the most approachable. That is the one people respond to.

Creative Portraits

This is for people who want something more than a headshot. Senior portraits. Personal projects. Musicians, artists, authors, coaches, anyone who wants photos that show who they are, not just what they look like. These sessions are longer, more exploratory, and we spend time finding the setting, the mood, and the look that fits your story.

Creative portrait sessions might take us to a trail, a coffee shop, your studio, a rooftop, wherever makes sense for you. I shoot in a way that feels documentary, not staged. We talk while we work. I learn about what you do and why you do it, and that comes through in the final images. When you love what you do, it shows in your face. My job is to capture that.

What I Do Not Do

Corporate batch headshots. I used to do them. Line up 50 employees in a conference room, cycle them through one at a time, same backdrop, same lighting, same forced smile. They paid well. I hated every minute of it. Every photo looked the same, and none of them looked like the actual person.

If you need 50 employees photographed in a conference room in one afternoon, I am not your guy. But if you need one headshot that actually looks like you, that you are not embarrassed to put on your website, that makes people feel like they already know you before you have even met: I am exactly your guy.

The Session

Show up. We will talk for a few minutes. I will ask about what you do, what the photos are for, what kind of vibe you are going for. Then we start shooting. I give natural direction throughout, things like "turn your shoulders slightly," "look past my left ear," "now look at me and think about something that made you laugh this week." It keeps things moving and keeps you out of your own head.

Most people walk in saying they hate having their photo taken. Most of them walk out saying that was actually fun. That is the goal. If the process feels good, the photos look good. It is that simple.

"I was nervous about getting new headshots. Jody made it feel like we were just hanging out. Twenty minutes in, I forgot the camera was there. Best photos I have ever had taken of me."

Marcus T., Headshot Client