head shots

Holy November…

November 25, 2014

Ever wonder what 16 photo shoots in 12 different cities in 22 days looks like…

November 2nd: (9 am) Oakland with this lovely family.

November 2nd: (1 pm) Healdsburg at the DaVero Olive Harvest.

November 4th: San Francisco with Education Outside.

November 5th: Bodega newborn session.

November 7th: Petaluma documenting nine months.

November 8th: (10 am) Petaluma with this lovely family.

November 8th: (4 pm) Point Richmond with this lovely family.

November 9th: Berkeley with this lovely family.

November 13th: San Francisco head shots with AOC.

November 15th: Point Reyes Station at the Fibershed Wool Symposium.

November 16th: Seattle with The Big Flip.

November 17th: Petaluma with this very special high school senior.

November 18th: Healdsburg for the upcoming Christmas Tree book.

November 19th: Portland with The Big Flip.

November 22nd: LA with The Big Flip.

November 23rd: LA and our very last photo shoot with The Big Flip.

And (after all the editing) this is what I hope November 24th-27th looks like, and for that I am very, very thankful. Happy Week of Thanks, everyone!

It’s the year of the Head Shot…

February 7, 2012

So far my first three photo shoots this year have been head shots… which is way more exciting for me than for the person I am photographing.

Typically I get some pretty big groans and grumbles and usually the common expression, “I hate having my photo taken,” comes out.

And I say, “Yes, me too, and so do most people over the age of 10.”

But then we talk about other things… favorite foods, best vacations, what crazy things their kids said this morning, and before they know it we are all done.

And that’s when I hear, “Well, that wasn’t so bad after-all.”

One face, a woodshop and a picket fence…

May 8, 2010

This is Jason.

Jason wants to seriously start pursuing his acting career, so he needed some head shots.

It was amazing to see how differently a person can look with even the slightest changes.

And it was fun to see what a dusty woodshop and a white picket fence can do.

Stick to what you know…

September 5, 2008

This is the email I received this week….

Hi there,

I have a last minute project I was hoping you could help me with?

I have to get a professional headshot of an executive here at Safari Books Online. He will be in San Francisco tomorrow and I was hoping you would be available and willing?

What do you think?

We will need a professional backdrop and lighting.

I was all fine, and ready to go until… “We will need a professional backdrop and lighting.”

I don’t do professional backdrops and lighting… but of course, I said, “Sure, I’ll be there.”

And then I freaked out. Professional backdrops… that means c-stands and drop cloths, but all I have are wrinkled sheets and Arann’s mic stands…. and I hate using lighting. So I ran around and borrowed what I could from photographer friends (thank you Jude and Randall) and loaded up my car with all kinds of gadgets and I took off for the city with a stomach full of butterflies.

But because I didn’t have an assistant to help me set-up any kind of backdrop, and because I knew my client was going to be busy and not able to hang out while I try different “professional backdrops”… I decided, while I was in the car… no gadgets… do what you know how to do… find good light… and go.

And I got lucky, because in his office (not a typical office building) they had a meeting room with huge beautiful windows, a cool brick wall on one side and a long white board on the other… and ta-da…. my very own professional backdrop and lighting.

Thank you to all the architects who make beautiful buildings with good windows.