I'm Michele

Hiring a headshot or personal brand photographer can be daunting. We’ve all had the experience of spending time and money on a photo session and then not loving the results. 

Photos that flatter

That’s why it’s so important to find a photographer you trust. One who is committed to photography that flatters, who knows which light and lenses are best for your unique facial structure, and who can bring out your best features and your personality — all while making you feel great in front of the camera! 

Here are my six best tips for helping you find a photographer you can trust: 

1. Communication is key

Have a conversation with your photographer, either via telephone or zoom meeting. Make sure you feel comfortable with that person, since that connection will be part of what enables you to get a great photo. If you’re booking photos for your entire team, make sure you feel that person would be a good personality fit with your team.

2. Review the photographer’s work online.

If you like what you see, ask to see a few full galleries of photos of people in your age bracket. Or, if you’re looking for headshots, ask to see photos of a variety of people so you can see if the photographer can truly flatter everyone. A photographer who only shoots models, for example, may or may not know how to flatter different body types.

3. Do you get to choose your pose?

Ask the photographer’s policy on photo selection. Will you get multiple photos to choose from, or does the photographer decide? In my experience, people appreciate being able to choose from a variety of poses when they get a headshot.

For brand photos, I deliver a full gallery of images so clients have a wide selection of poses and angles to choose from. 

4. Does your photographer retouch?

Find out the photographer’s retouching style and make sure it aligns with your brand presentation and preferences. I like to use light on my clients in such a way that they only need minimal, natural retouching. 

5. Talk about your photo concerns.

Talk to the photographer about your concerns. I appreciate it when clients tell me a few things they don’t like about themselves in photos. It helps me know if I need to change my lens, lighting, or posing to minimize a certain feature.

6. Share your photo favorites.

Bring or text a photo of yourself that you DO like. This will give your photographer the chance to study the image to find which lighting, camera angle, and lens will give you the results you already know you like. This is a great starting point, and then we can try other poses once you are comfortable in front of the camera.

Think we’re a good fit? Let’s chat!

If you’d like to find out if I’m the photographer you can trust for your next headshot or branding session, let’s chat!

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