Photographing Headshots with Amanda Campos
Photographing Headshots with Amanda Campos
What an honor it is to have been invited to write this blog post for Intuition Backgrounds. Let me start with this amazing quote from Maya Angelou, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” At the heart of our business are our clients and the magical experience they get every time they meet with us. Our goal at the studio is to make every subject feel warm, welcomed, safe and secure. Free to be. The more comfortable our clients feel in our studio, the more true to character their images will be. We do everything possible to make our clients feel good and feel like they’re able to be themselves in front of the camera.
Here’s a bit of a look inside our process for “head shots”.
The first and most important step is our studio tour and pre-consultation. We take a drink order in advance (from the coffee shop, people!), tour the studio and ask a lot of questions like:
- Do you have any specific ideas for your images?
- What will the portraits be used for?
- How do you want to portray yourself or what part of your personality would you like accentuate?
- What vibe would you like the images to have?
Our consultation includes in-depth clothing recommendations matched to sets and backdrop suggestions. The day of the shoot we greet our clients at the door to help them carry in and hang up clothing. We never want them to feel nervous or overwhelmed. We then offer something to drink and remind them to make themselves at home.
Next on the agenda is shooting! I aim to light our clients appropriately depending on the goal for their final images (dark and moody, light and airy, glamourous, etc). I guide our clients to pose in a way that is unique to their individual personality and what they want their images to say about them. No two shoots are ever the same.
I try to stay in-tune with how the client is feeling throughout the shoot. I also make sure to block off plenty of time so clients never feel rushed, check in frequently to ask how they’re feeling or if they need to sit down and take a break. Most of all, I listen to our clients making them feel safe and secure while focusing on providing 5-star customer service. Couple all of that with the right backdrop to set the mood and you will see personality and energy in those final images.
Dubai gives portraits a little touch of glitz and glamour.
Buffalo Bill is sophisticated, but that orange glow pumps in enough energy to keep things fun.
Pond is a unique color and it really comes in handy. I like to use it with military uniforms or to contrast red clothing.
Some of my other favorite Intuition Backdrops are: Blackbird and Zuni. Our studio tends to select backdrops with texture or unique color.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Growing up in Northern Minnesota, Amanda Campos has traveled the world with one eye through a lens. Amanda credits her adventurous nature to her mother, a nurse who has helped thousands in countries of extreme poverty. She always encouraged Amanda to explore the world. Amanda's travels have led her to such places as South America and Southeast Asia, where she lived and learned to speak fluent Thai. Amanda has degrees in International Business and Marketing and is a renowned photographer of 15 years specializing in portrait photography. Amanda is the owner of Tiny Hearts Studio, headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
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