Getting photos taken by a professional

funkey_monkey

Hi.

Odd request but I want to get some decent photos taken for various needs from business to personal to networking. I'm not sure if what I'm looking for is available and whether I'm going about it in the right way. So some advice from you guys would be appreciated.

What I'm looking for are some natural looking photos some close up some full length which do not look 'professional' if they make sense.

I am unable to take a good selfie and I've got noone in my circle who can even take my passport photo never mind any other type. So basically I'm looking for a set of photos which look like they were taken by a knowledgeable friends rather than a studio photographer. But, as I've noone to do this, I am looking for a professional to do it. Am I making sense?

Am I looking for something/service that doesn't exist or can this be got? If it does exist, roughly what is involved in it and obviously cost too?


Thanks.

CabanSail

You can read and post in the Services Offered/Wanted thread (please read OP first)

I am sure someone will help you.

Note - Please do not offer services on this thread.

CelticRambler

Simple answer is: yes, these services exist ... but !

There are, in fact, two parts to your query - the photography, and the photo. There are many, many photographers who would have the skills and equipment to be able to take the kind of photos that you want. You'll find most of them in the Golden Pages under "photographic studio" - it's as simple as that.

But the harder part is getting a photo that shows you the way you want to be seen, and that's more to do with how you dress and stand for the session. If you turn up at a studio in a scruffy T-shirt and a pair of old jeans, the photographer can probably get some great natural looking "grunge" photos that will be perfect for a dating profile but do absolutely nothing for your CV. Similarly, wearing your finest Armani suit will get you looking like the best CFO on the jobs market ... but wouldn't necessarily look natural to your nearest and dearest. All of this needs to be thought about and decided upon before you set foot in a studio.

Last year, I had the chance to take part in a "careers guidance for old people" seminar, which included a photo-shoot by a professional photographer. We were each given about 20 sample shots from which to choose 5 full-size photos. A variety of poses in "business" attire, head-shots and three-quarter shots, all of them were perfectly lit, perfectly exposed, so I outsourced the choice to my family and friends. The unanimous verdict was that the best photo - the one that they all thought was "the real me" - was the one where I'd taken off my tie at the end of the session. That wasn't something suggested by the photographer!

Edit: don't forget that your phone has a self-timer function. You'll get much better non-selfie-ish pictures if you set it up on a (mini) tripod and take pictures this way instead of trying to hold it and tap the screen. At the very least, use it while you experiment with poses and wardrobe choices before paying for studio time.

Cameraman

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Hi.

Odd request but I want to get some decent photos taken for various needs from business to personal to networking. I'm not sure if what I'm looking for is available and whether I'm going about it in the right way. So some advice from you guys would be appreciated.

What I'm looking for are some natural looking photos some close up some full length which do not look 'professional' if they make sense.

I am unable to take a good selfie and I've got noone in my circle who can even take my passport photo never mind any other type. So basically I'm looking for a set of photos which look like they were taken by a knowledgeable friends rather than a studio photographer. But, as I've noone to do this, I am looking for a professional to do it. Am I making sense?

Am I looking for something/service that doesn't exist or can this be got? If it does exist, roughly what is involved in it and obviously cost too?


Thanks.

What you're looking for is along the lines of what's called Personal Branding or Lifestyle photography. Even then these can look "professional", but this can obviously be tweaked to suit.

Heebie

A good professional portrait photographer should consult with you about what you're looking for, and spend some time with you getting a "feel" for what you're like and how to best capture what you're looking for.
Usually some combination of candids and posed photographs may come out of it, but the job is to capture who you are and/or the look you're trying to project, depending on what you really want.
One of the "secrets" is knowing how to get the camera to capture what's desired, rather than just what's put in front of it, though.
Meet a few photographers. If you find one that really puts you at ease, then you should be in good shape to get the photos you want.