How To Take Headshots

At a recent Google+ photography conference Peter Hurley provided more great tips on how to take headshots.  When his presentation, The Art of The Headshot, went live, the folks of Google+ made it one of the most viewed of the series and with good reason–it’s chock full of information on one of the most overlooked areas of headshot photography. During the presentation, Hurley explains that in order to get a good headshot, it’s all about getting the most from your client, not your camera. The video is just under an hour long, but if you have the time to watch it in full, you’re bound to come away from it knowing more about headshot photography than before:

In the opening lines of Peter Hurley’s presentation for Google+, he mentions that he quickly realized he is a mere 10% photographer and 90% percent therapist. To Hurley, being able to elicit an expression from your client is what makes a great headshot.

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“If you don’t have an expression, you don’t have shot.”

Hurley doesn’t dismiss the fact that photographic technique is important, but he bases his approach on understanding the human element involved in photographing people, which he suggests can improve just about anyone’s headshots.

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