Why are my favorite portraits of me, flattering, pleasant, welcoming and true to life?
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Why do some images of me look like the end of a 13 hour day, rumpled, tired eye, saggy skin, and generally dull expression? And how do I avoid the bad Images?
The short answer is use a professional a professional photographer, here is why...
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| Business Head Shot by Max Bailey Photography |
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| Business Head shot by Max Bailey Photography |
This is what a Professional Portrait is...
Portrait Lighting...
Cell phones are great at getting correct exposure no matter what the lighting is. However bad lighting is bad lighting and can deepen wrinkles to your skin, bags under your eyes, exaggerate folds in clothing, loose eye color, unpleasant and incorrect overall color. Professional lighting is flattering and learned from the old master painters. Lighting angled low enough to light up the eye color, and skimming across the face give your face a dynamic three dimensional look. Often times a background light, hair light and extra kicker light are used to separate you from the background. Correct soft lighting from a good angle will fill eye bags, and soften character lines. Correct color makes your skin pleasing, with clothing and background in the correct color tones. An experienced portrait photographer will either find the sweet natural light or bring studio lights and the skill to control them correctly.
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| Notice the light side to shadow side of the face, this gives your face dimension, only possible with portrait lighting. |
Portrait Posing..
Remember the old saying "the camera always adds ten pounds?" It is true, however it is nothing but an optical illusion. The camera flattens a 3 dimensional object (you) into a two dimensional one. An experienced photographer understands how to fool the camera with correct posing to take back those ten pounds and a few more. Poses that reflect confidence work well with men or women, and some poses of the more glamours type only work well for women. Your photographer will discuss with you the image you are to portray and photograph you accordingly. Exaggerating good posture, pushing your chin toward camera, correct angle and tighten clothing all lead to a dynamic image.
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| Notice the turn away from the camera, and the slight tip of the head. The correct pose adds dimension to your portrait. |
Portrait Expression..
The first thing a Pro Photographer learns is expressions sells portraits! A great pose, perfectly lit with a dull expression is still a dull portrait. The worst way to get a good expression is to say "smile." You force a quavery uncertain, self conscious expression, timid or exaggerated smile. We never smile on command, we smile because of a pleasant thought. A good photographer will relax and trick you into a natural smile. Most people are surprised to learn that rarely is your best smile your biggest one. It is usually somewhere on the way up to the biggest or on the way back down. A photographer with good timing will catch you often at the right moment. Some people only have one good smile and others a number of them. often forgotten is one half of your expression is in your eyes, and half in your mouth. often a calm mouth expression with smiling eyes, creates a very pealing image.
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| Notice the light in her eyes, eye and lip detail and the playful expression on her face. Sometimes a great portrait is made by expression alone. |
Portrait Retouching...
Women good retouching can make you look like you have a perfect, makeup, hair and skin day! Whether you came in looking that way or not. Men is the same minus the makeup, and character lines. When you spend a lot of time on your appearance for a special event is how you will look after the photographer and artist have correctly retouched your images. Photo artists, smooth skin, whiten teeth, remove blemishes, soften scars & moles, and improve backgrounds. Retouching is like salt in cooking add a little and the flavor improves, add too much, and the taste is ruined.
When you hire a Profession Portrait Photographer for you online presence, website, Facebook, etc., you make your first online impression a good one.
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| You can not see good retouching, with good retouching it just looks like you are having, a great day. |
Max Bailey Photography, Professional Head shots will shoot you, "Heads above the rest"
