Featuring: Behind the Scenes with RED Capital Group in San Diego, California

A couple of weeks ago, I was shooting on a corporate job for RED Capital Group in their downtown San Diego, California office.  I love shooting in cities--typically lots of open shade, lots of textures and backgrounds.  I always arrive early to scout my shooting locations.  Large cities like San Diego are rich with locations--and I really love when my clients request a background that identifies with their office location or what they do.

In this instance I was really excited to find a wall painted in multiple colors in a parking lot across the street from the offices I was working in and right next to that, a gorgeous old brick wall.  All that and the trolley that rolled through every ten minutes or so.

 I also love finding light to shoot with.  I come to jobs fully prepared to make my own light if I need to, but love to find places that will give me the light I'm looking for.  In this case, a storefront window offered two long, thin lights tucked just inside the window and gave me fabulous catchlights for my subject's eyes.

  Stuff happens--like stepping in I don't even want to tell you what!!

But hey, live and learn!  You can be sure I've now added Clorox wipes to my shoot kit!  


            

Pro Photographer's Quick Tips: What To Do When You Don't Have a Makeup or Hair Artist For Your Shoot

You've been prepping ahead of time for your shoot and have followed my advice on what to do in advance of your shoot. You've been drinking lots of water and getting enough sleep.  It's the day of your shoot and time to do your hair and makeup.  Now what?  If you don't have a professional makeup or hair artist at the ready, don't worry, I've got you covered!  Here are my favorite tips for perfect makeup and hair for your shoot.

Think these tips are just for women?  Guys, you'll benefit from (well, some) of these tips too!

1. Hydrate your skin:  (This works for both men and women!) Begin by hydrating your skin with a lightweight, non greasy moisturizer.  (preferably without SPF which sometimes has ingredients that can make your face look shinier) A good moisturizer will plump up your skin and it will look softer, firmer and smoother.  And hydrating with a good moisturizer will prevent makeup from looking too "cake-y".

2.  Think MATTE:  Use matte makeup so that your skin won't look greasy or shiny or reflect the light.  Matte makeup also covers inconsistency in skin textures (i.e. wrinkles!) making your skin look smoother.  It can cover any redness in the skin or blemishes.  It goes without saying that your foundation should match your skin tone exactly.

3.  Limit shimmery blushes or eyeshadows:  In camera, a shiny area is like a spotlight and will attract attention.  (However, a little shiny lipgloss is good because it can make your lips look more full!)

4.  Highlight and brighten the focal point of the portrait: your eyes:  Got dark circles?  Use a yellow based under eye concealer to hide them.  Use eyeliner to define the eye on your upper lid and use a shadow that will highlight your eye, blending it to the outer corners with a brush. For blue eyes, choose warm tones to balance them.  For brown eyes, most any color will work, but purple, bronze and navy work well.  For green eyes, reddish browns are good options.  And for hazel eyes cool tones work well.  Don't forget mascara and use an eyebrow pencil to fill in thin brows.

5.  Apply your makeup just a *little heavier than you think you'll need it:  Even if you are going for a more subtle look, the camera sees differently than our eye does. Makeup will look less dramatic than to our eye.  Be sure to bring your makeup with you in case you need to add a little more.

6. Apply your makeup in natural light if possible.  If it looks good there, it will most likely look good in any lighting condition.

7.  Plan for your hair in advance:  Hair requires a little advance planning.  If you color your hair, it's important to see your stylist in advance to avoid showing root grow out.  A cut or trim needs a bit of settling in--another reason to make your appointment prior to your shoot.  The day of the shoot, plan to bring some sort of hair serum (works better than hairspray) with you to smooth flyaways or frizzy hair.

Good makeup application and good hair only enhances my post production work and makes for an even more natural look so that you will look your best in your portrait!

Have you got more questions on how to prepare for your portrait?  Look here and here!

I can't wait to see you!

Connection...Or Not?

I am a firm believer in connection.  As in connecting in a portrait with the eyes.

As viewers, we are drawn in by the eyes.  It's the eyes that create a feeling of connection for the viewer,  making us feel like we "know" the subject.  And that's important when it comes to business portraits and head shots.  You WANT to connect with your viewer, make them FEEL like they already know you.

I like shooting portraits with connection--I feel like it's been a successful portrait session when I've gotten that expression with great eye connection with my subject.

That said, there is a time and a place for a portrait where the subject is not looking at the lens.  As a viewer, we want to know what the subject is looking at outside the frame--if you don't show it, it can create intrigue--and if done right, we want to know more about this person.  The images tend to be more candid, perhaps more charming and very natural.

Are these images usable for business?  It completely depends on your business branding.  Would it work for a banker?  Maybe not, but maybe!  For a creative or an entrepreneur?  Most likely!  It's all about your brand and who you are.

Whatever your brand, let's create a business portrait that will stand out!  

What Exactly Are Editorial Corporate Headshots?

The genre of editorial corporate head shots are becoming more and more popular--looking fresher and more modern when contrasted against traditional studio backdrops and lighting.

But what exactly ARE editorial corporate head shots?  While I certainly didn't coin the term (I'm not sure who to credit on this) I have definitely embraced it to describe my style when it comes to my headshot work.

An editorial photograph supports a story or an article in a magazine or newspaper. An editorial corporate headshot supports a company or brand in telling clients or viewers about their brand.  A fashion editorial photograph has a look or feel about them that may be inspired by a theme. An editorial corporate headshot is inspired by a company's branding--inspired by it's look or feel.

Editorial corporate head shots are often shot on location.  The location isn't the primary focus of an editorial corporate headshot and most certainly can be shot with a backdrop,  yet location does support the story about the company. It's all about capturing the personality of the subject.

And they are sometimes shot with a team--a hair stylist, a makeup artist and even a stylist.  I find that because my subjects look amazing and feel better, the shoot gets elevated.  Most of my subjects (although I've had a few that actually have been models!) are not models, making them feel like they are on a fashion editorial shoot from the get-go creates an experience which yields much more engaging and inspired portraits.  

Creating an editorial corporate portrait on a unusually dark day in Dallas required me to add a little light of my own.

Editorial photographs are sometimes minimally lit.  Often, I use available light on editorial corporate shoots, but if I need additional light, I try to keep it simple, so that my subjects aren't intimated by big lighting setups and the focus can be directed to making a real connection with my subject to produce a genuine and real portrait that captures their spark and personality.

Finally, editorial shoots are often done on short time frames.  With busy executives, I must give good direction, make quick decisions about what's working and what's not at the same time creating real connections with my subjects on a relatively short time frame.

Editorial corporate head shots are one of my most favorite types of shoots, allowing me more editorial freedom to produce engaging images that connect and engage.

Loved this image of Anna--an intern, new to Madison Avenue.

Do you have questions about what type of head shots are right for you and your company?  Drop me a line and we can talk about it!
Talk to you soon!

A little tough love advice on prepping for your business portraits.

Your business portrait is coming up! I know you're excited, because you're shooting with me!

I've got a little advice for advance prepping for your portrait.  It might be a little tough to take, but I've got your best interests at heart, so take a listen.

My tough love advice:

Fix the hair coming out of the wrong places.  This one's a little touchy to talk about, do this at home--take a good look in the mirror.  Noses, ears, chins.  Trust me, it happens to the best of us and there's a simple fix for all of it.  Just snip and pluck.

Wrinkly clothing.  It's so great that you bought a new dress shirt for your shoot, but make sure to take it out of it's folded state and get it pressed.  You've got your favorite blouse, make sure that it's been cleaned and pressed before your shoot.   Wrinkles definitely counteract the look of "I'm good at what I do", unless of course, you're the creative type where wrinkles say, "I'm good at what I do".

Ties.  Men, pick a power tie.  Stay away from flesh colored ties.  Just trust me on this one.

Get your hair done in advance and have your hair styled the day of your portrait.  If you don't like your roots or grey showing, get your roots or grey done.  Go one better, invest in having your hair styled the day of your shoot.  Then make it worthwhile and plan to go out--to lunch, to dinner, with your partner, with your friends!

Invest in makeup.  I've shot business portraits with a makeup artist present and I've shot them without.  A makeup artist uses photo ready products to reduce shine and enhance your features. They can even contour your face, to make the most of your features.  They use the right products to enhance your look in front of the camera.  But perhaps more importantly, I've seen what a makeup artist can do for my subject's demeanor.  They feel powerful, more beautiful or handsome.  They walk into the shoot differently.  Colleagues oooh and ahhhhh over them.  At the very least, make an appointment in advance at your favorite makeup counter and learn how to apply products and the best makeup for your shoot.  You'll feel so much more confident walking into our shoot.

Have you got other questions about how you can get ready for your business portrait?  I've written this, this, this and this on getting ready.  Still have more questions?  Give me a shout!  I'm happy to help!

See you soon!

Featuring: In Home Portraits with the Peterson Family

The Peterson's have been photographed many times over the last year by other photographers because their son was recently married.  Yet as intimidating as that was, I also knew that as art lovers, the Petersons would leave me a wide range of freedom to create much, much more than a traditional portrait.  We talked about the many possibilities of locations and because they are moving, they decided they wanted to record their life at the house they are leaving. I thought a lot about the direction to go in and decided that we should create portraits with a little bit of irreverence and a whole lot of fun.  I started looking at photographers like Slim Aarons and Larry Sultan for inspiration.  I liked the idea of creating a more documentary style portrait but without the grit.  Linda briefed her family with the "goal that we would "artsilly" record the life we imagined we lived here."  And then asked them to pack as if they were invited to a lounging party with no color off limits.  

Fun is a bit of an understatement.  And just in case I had doubts about how much fun everyone had, Linda posted this from her husband:  He says, "She's really fun. It was a great day! I would do it again and recommend Laura to everyone." Followed by, "put THAT on Instagram. I don't Instagram."

Indeed.  

Featuring: Citizen Relations LA--Corporate Editorial portraits on location

Although I've been in almost all the Citizen Relations offices this past year (I'm coming for you next month Vancouver!) being back in the Los Angeles office of Citizen Relations last week was like home.  I (half) jokingly told Chris Chamberlin, Managing Director Asia Pacific Region, on my first visit to the Playa Vista office that it was going to become my LA studio and was really happy when he told me (and I think, not jokingly!) that I was welcome to it.

The light--the light there.  Gorgeous, beautiful, full wall window light with a fantastic ledge for leaning or sitting.  A huge space, just perfection.  Don't get me wrong--I have loved all of my spaces in all the Citizen offices all over the world.  But how I love my hometown light.  The light came in and out as the clouds broke, giving me some very cool light patterns to work with in the background.

And no matter what office I'm at, the Citizen offices are in the cool parts of town--and the LA office calls Playa Vista home surrounded by the likes of Google, Yahoo, Facebook--so I always feel like a super cool cat when I'm there.

And then there are the citizens of Citizen Relations.  I can't say enough cool stuff about them.  And although I've now heard lots of times how great I made them feel, the feeling is mutual.  Here's a peek at just a couple of the pretty awesome peeps--just for fun I gave them a little bit of matte finish and love how it feels.

When will I take your portrait?

Getting ready for your business portrait

You have an important meeting with a prospective client in a couple of weeks and you definitely want to win this client's business. What's your plan? Have you already started your preparations? Been doing your research?  Begun putting it all together? Of course you have!

Guess what? That client has already begun their research on YOU!  No doubt they've checked out your profiles and link backs to your company. And that headshot that's out there is the first thing they see. It's always on and out there.  You've spent a great deal of time branding your company.  Your headshot is a huge part of that brand as it sets the tone for who you are and what you are all about--the first impression.

From Entrepreneur.com:
"Simply put your brand is your promise to your customer.  It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offerings from your competitors'. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be."

From Forbes.com:
"Personal branding is no longer an option; it's a powerful leadership enabler."

Your corporate portrait/headshot deserves the same attention as that important client meeting. You begin winning business the moment the prospective client views your headshot.

Prepping for your portrait should begin a couple weeks ahead of time--give it the same importance that you would give to an important meeting.  Your portrait will represent you (and your company) for a bit--give it the attention it deserves.

Ahead of time:
Hair:  Do you need a haircut, your roots done, your eyebrows trimmed?  Do it a week ahead of time so your hair has time to relax into the cut.

Keep smoking and drinking to a minimum in the days before your session and begin drinking plenty of water to hydrate so your skin will look its best and lines and wrinkles will be minimized.  (Really, it works!)  Get adequate sleep, particularly the night before your session so you appear rested and relaxed.  Would you go out partying the night before a big client meeting?

There aren't definitive rules for what you should wear and how you should present yourself, your company culture and profession should be your guide.

Your business portrait should reflect a confident, relaxed and approachable you.  Schedule yourself accordingly so that your arrive relaxed and on time.  Now that you've done your prep work, you can relax, have fun and let me do my job!

I can't wait to see you!

My top ten tips for clothing selection, hair and makeup preparation:

1.  Prep your clothing beforehand--Clothing should fit well, be clean and pressed.  (Mind the gap in a blouse!)
2.  Solids look best--avoid bold or loud patterns (patterns or prints can sometimes create strange looking patterns on camera or distract from your face. Moire anyone?)
3.  Darker is slimming.  (Did you know black is my favorite color to wear?  And now you know why!)
3.  Watch that your neckline isn't too revealing and at the other end of the spectrum stay away from turtlenecks--they are difficult for even the longest of necks!
4.  Men--watch that a shiny or reflective tie doesn't compete with your face or that your undershirt is peeking out.
5.  Women--stay away from sleeveless blouses and jewelry that would distract from your face.  It goes without saying to wear well fitting undergarments.  (You--it's all about you!!!)
6.  Check your facial hair--eyebrows, nose hairs, beards and mustaches.  Trim neatly and check for strays.
7. Check your smile, brush and floss beforehand.  (It's great to have a little snack before we shoot so you aren't cranky with hunger, but make sure you check your smile!)
8.  Stick with matte foundations, powders and eyeshadows because shiny makeup reflects light and can be distracting in camera.
8.  Bring a bit a smoothing product for hair and light smooth down any frizzy stray hairs. 
9.  If in doubt, uses professional makeup artist or hair stylist.  (You'll look so good, you'll want to go out afterward!)
10.  If you wear glasses all the time--wear them.  You can consider having your optician pop the lenses out for the session.  And if you'd like we can shoot with and without them.

And finally, just between you and me--can we get up close and personal a minute?  Don't forget a few last minute checks: stray eyebrows, wayward nose hairs, inner eye gunk and dry lips! 

It's all about the eye (or is it?)

I used to think when I was younger and in school that it was ALL about the eye.  That is, it was all about how you see things, and how you see things differently than anyone else.  And of course, if it pleases your eye, but maybe more importantly if you are in the business of photography, how it pleases someone else's.

But I know differently now.  Seeing differently is absolutely still important, but now I know that how you run your business and treat people within your business can trump that any day.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

That's why I strive so hard to make my subjects feel good about themselves.  Most of the time, at the beginning of a shoot, I hear how much they hate having their portrait taken, but it's something they have to do--whether it be for a business portrait, family portrait or high school senior portrait.  They've had awful experiences, whether it be from friends snapping unflattering pics or professionals rushing them through the process.  I understand that feeling--funny enough--I'm not fond of having my picture taken either!  So I want my clients to not only enjoy the process and love their portraits, but to know that I understand and change their feelings about having their portrait taken. And I want them walk away from their shoot feeling like a rockstar.

So before I even raise my camera to my face, we spend time just talking.  I ask them questions about their life, family, friends, pets.  It's amazing how much laughter and softness comes to a person's face when they speak about the people and things that they love.  I spend a good deal of time just chatting with my subjects, about who they are, what they do and who they love.  And you know what happens?  They forget just a little about my camera and just relax.   Their body relaxes, their faces relax, their eyes sparkle and their real personality shines through.  We begin to have fun and they end up feeling like a supermodel.  And then all I hear about is what a great time their photo shoot was!  And I feel like the rockstar for changing their mind!!!  Win-win!

I can't wait to meet you and hear all about you!

Featuring: NASCAR xfinity driver Eric McClure

Last weekend, I had the chance once again to head to Auto Club Speedway and photograph NASCAR xfinity driver Eric McClure and his team.

I know, it seems a bit of a departure from my usual work,  but it's really not.  Although the subject of these images can be moving upwards of 200 miles per hour (most of the people I photograph can't run THAT fast!) I can't tell you how much I enjoy it--not only because it puts my skills to the test and requires me to think rapid fire but because I can put together a pictorial that is perhaps a little different than the usual media photographers documenting the race.

Although not the best of days for Eric and his team in terms of racing, it was the best of times to show what an excellent sportsman and representative of the sport he is.  There wasn't a time that he didn't stop to chat a moment with his fans or sign autographs.  And in the end, he spoke highly and encouragingly to his team, despite many issues with his car  "Proud of my guys--they fight hard.  That's all you can ask."

If you'd like to see more race images by Laura Schmidt Photography, check out Eric's webpage here and new storefront here .

***You may share these images online as long as the Laura Schmidt Photography logo/image is preserved in full.  Link back to www.lauraschmidtphotography.com or tagging is appreciated.  Contact Laura Schmidt Photography for any other usage. ***

#24 Hefty/Reynolds Wrap car sponsored by the Doubletree by Hilton Claremont for the Auto Club Speedway Race

Ready for qualifying

One of many times that Eric stopped to sign autographs

T and I in the hauler pre-race

Taking a break before the race

I couldn't resist a  little photoshop wizardry to put McClure's name on the board behind him

Doc gives the thumbs up

Identifying the pit to Eric

The Monster team next door comes in to pit

Eric's team on the first pit