Do you ever get that feeling before you’ve even met someone that you’re going to get on really well?! That’s exactly what happened when I was recently asked to take some updated headshots for this art curator in London, I could just TELL from the first email I received that I was going to really love working together! We just clicked straight away over email, and by the time we actually did meet for her headshot session one bright Morning in beautiful Russell Square it was like we were already friends! Just the way I like it :-)

Like so many of my clients, Francesca was feeling nervous about feeling awkward in the photos, but like I tell everyone I work with, it’s MY job to worry about camera shyness, not yours! I couldn’t imagine anything worse than feeling nervous before a photoshoot and not knowing which way to look or what to do with your hands, so a huge part of what I bring to every session is the ability to put you absolutely at ease and dispel any fears you may have about having your photo taken, and giving you the direction you need so that you don’t have to think about a thing. Having a photo shoot with me is very much about forgetting everything you know about what it’s like to have your photo taken and any staged poses you may have come to expect…we’ve all been there, whether it’s at school, university or in corporate life, where you’re having your photo taken and it just feels SO unnatural and awkward and the last thing you can do is smile on demand, so you end up looking more like a tense rabbit in the headlights than the relaxed, fun person you are in real life. Sound familiar?! I know for me that was pretty much my consistent experience of having my photo taken and it’s exactly why my approach is the polar opposite to this!

To work towards our common goal of you absolutely LOVING your new photos, we have to first make sure you are feeling happy and confident, so we’ll first pick a location you like, where the light is good and the backdrops are appropriate for the kind of headshot you’re after, and then we’ll get to work! And by get to work, I usually mean nattering throughout the session, walking around our chosen area and having loads of fun to make sure your true personality shines through! Nobody ever said we couldn’t have a lovely time while we work, right?!

One of the very best bits of being a headshot photographer is hearing my clients reactions to their photos when they see them and knowing their confidence has soared - there’s nothing that makes me happier than knowing I’ve changed someone’s perceptions of what they look like in photos and of what it’s like having their photo taken, and to hear them say they enjoyed their experience. It means so much to me to deliver so much more than photos to the people I work with and to make sure every single experience with me is a hugely positive one. Here is what Francesca had to say:

“These are incredible! Thank you so much for capturing me so beautifully - you are so gifted! I’m so so pleased with my headshots - you helped me feel very comfortable and I think that really shows in the pictures! Thank you thank you thank you!”

— Francesca - art curator, London