My 20 Favourite Headshots and Portraits of 2018 (actors, corporate and personal branding)
December is a great time to start reflecting on the year. In my 2018, I returned home from travelling – inspired and full of determination. I launched my business a couple of weeks later, with my new website up and running, sessions on the way, and my studio renovations started.
I remember painting the outside of my studio on a 40 degree day. It was somewhat soothing. I changed up the entire interior, and the exterior, and since then it has all come together. We re-paved areas, created gardens (and had gardens eaten by rabbits). A lot of plants died – but not all of them (that’s something!). But I created a space that is really, truly special to me – and it is special to my clients too. If you haven’t yet, you can see it here.
But aside from setting up this journey, in 2018 I have worked with some really amazing people. I’m really lucky to be able to work with people who are so creative, talented and inspiring. Each session is really tailored to who I’m photographing. Looking at their ideas and inspiration, using various lighting, backgrounds and settings. We capture a range of images in my sessions, because at the end of the day I want to give my clients choice and options. Bring all the outfits, shoot inside and outside, explore various angles. It really is my passion.
I thought I would reflect on the year that has been, and look back on some of the portraits I’ve created throughout the year. So have a look at some of my absolute favourites (and I can’t wait until next year too!):
Maddison:
Maddison stepped into my studio in January, and I took some headshots of her.
She is the sweetest person ever – beautiful on the inside and out.
During our shoot I took two different looks.
This one was the first setup we took, and I really like the darkness it holds.
How a little bit of the background shines through if you look closely (of course, depends on monitor calibration too).
This lighting setup works so well on her to-die-for cheekbones too.
Jonathan:
These images of Jonathan came together with colour for me.
Pink and pink, blue and blue – cohesion at its finest.
I really like his expression in the pink shot – it’s as if he’s in thought.
Where as in the blue his expression is a little more open.
Ben:
Ben, an actor, sat through one of those intense summer heats during his headshot session last summer.
It was in the middle of the day too – but it didn’t seem to bother him at all.
I really liked this shot because despite being outdoors we achieved this strong contrast.
It almost looks like it could have been taken within a studio.
The contrast between Ben and the background brings out his eyes and shirt to really strike the viewer.
Kim:
This shoot with Kim was really fun.
She has an amazing energy and is such a natural in front of the camera.
Also, how fun is the pink?
Louise:
This shot is actually of my sister.
We joke together about her looking like a mysterious Russian spy here.
Aside from the jokes, I really like the lighting here, and how her serious side is captured.
If you were to know her, you’d likely not have seen this side of her before.
It’s a little unusual, and I like that it has been preserved here.
Michelle:
Michelle is a beautiful person.
She is full of energy, always having a laugh, always with an interesting story.
How much do you love her curls?
What I like about this shot is the neutral tones.
From the background, to the highlights in her hair, to her freckles.
Russell:
Russell picked an orange backdrop because he has red hair.
A fair decision I think.
Also orange and green always look amazing, so it brings out his eyes too!
Bree:
Bree had her actor headshot session during the beautiful autumn afternoon light.
This shot was taken in the same location around my studio as Ben’s, above.
At a different time of day we had this incredible backlighting.
With her long hair catching the sunlight, it created this beautiful glow.
Lucie:
These two shots are of Lucie: a musician, an actor and an artist.
I loved getting to know Lucie, hearing about her passions and creativity.
Here we created a headshot for acting, and a portrait for her music promos.
Lucie loved colour – so of course we got on really well!
Tracy:
Tracy and I started our businesses around a similar time.
Watching her business, Looking Inwards, grow has been really special.
I took these personal branding portraits of Tracy for her business.
In particular for social media, marketing and promotional material.
This one is my favourite, because it shows her infectious laugh.
Aponi:
Aponi had her actor headshot session at my studio, both indoors and outdoors.
We captured a crazy amount of images, and there were so many beautiful headshots and portraits of this wonderful woman. These two are my favourites – a serious headshot for acting, and something a little more relaxed and playful.
Ellery:
Ellery is a talented local musician who came to me for some studio headshots before the release of his single.
This shot has that candid sense to it, and we captured a really genuine smile here too.
Richard:
Richard had an actor headshot session, and we captured a mix of outdoor and indoor headshots.
In this particular shot I felt his expression was really warm and genuine – which sums Richard up as a person.
He’s also really fun, and funny, and I really enjoyed getting to know him.
Matt:
This shot of Matt, to update his actor headshots, was really striking to me.
His jacket created this really interesting, symmetrical shape.
Paired with the lighting, the balance on this headshot really worked.
Jen:
Jen had some headshots and branding portraits for her business.
She is a life coach and business coach, and in particular wanted a few shots for her website, as well as her Linkedin.
We took this shot outdoors, on a beautiful afternoon, with some amazing light.
She had a really infectious smile here, and it was the last spot outside that we explored before heading into the studio!
Kathie:
Kathie was wonderful to work with.
She was kind, patient, and had a clear idea of what would work for her and her business.
This shot is an updated headshot for her VA business.
We also took a range of personal branding portraits that she can use across her social media now too.
Christina:
Can you believe this young woman is only fourteen?
Christina is about to get her start as an actor.
She needed some headshots, so we utilised the studio to capture some really beautiful shots.
The pink in this image feels really soft – and speaks to her kind personality.
So there’s some of my favourite portraits from 2018.
From actors, to business owners, musicians and artists.
I love exploring the ideas people bring to me, to capture their personality, to shape light, and to bring colour to an image.
I can’t wait to see what can be created in the New Year.