Recent Peter Hurley Articles

How to Cash In on ERAS Photos as a Photographer in the Spring and Summer: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you are a photographer looking for a low competition niche market that is in high demand during the spring and summer months, you might want to consider offering ERAS photos. ERAS stands for Electronic Residency Application Service, and it is the system that medical students use to apply for residency programs in the United States. As part of their application, they need to submit a professional photo that meets certain specifications and showcases their personality and professionalism. This photo can make a big difference in their chances of getting an interview and matching with their preferred program.

10 Indispensable Tips for Getting a Killer Headshot

If part of your business is capturing headshots, then this is for you. Even if you're thinking of adding it to your portfolio, it's worth checking these essential tips and tricks as, if you're a commercial photographer, you can up your customer's average spend by offering this essential service.

From Headshots to Headlines: An Interview With Peter Hurley

Headshot photography has been making major headlines recently. A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal interviewed headshot guru Peter Hurley about the importance of a professional headshot in a quickly changing business landscape (The Perfect Professional Headshot Is Worth $1,000, and Maybe Even a Job).

How to Run a Successful Portrait Session

Running a successful portrait session can be a daunting task, especially for photographers who are new to working in a studio. The myriad of options can easily become overwhelming. There are endless choices for light modifiers, backdrops, props, clothing, poses, and all the rest, but I have found that having a consistent plan and process is the key to success.

5 Words Headshot Photographers Should Never Say

One of the biggest mistakes I made early on as a headshot photographer was using the dreaded phrase, “I'll fix it in post.” In today's article and accompanying video, I share five reasons why I never say this to my clients, and why you shouldn't either.

Create Stunning Portraits With This Simple Two-Light Setup

Creating an even, flattering light in the studio doesn't have to be difficult. In this tutorial, I will show you three simple parallel lighting hacks to make portraits that everyone from the boardroom to Broadway will love.

How to Create Dramatic Headshots With Three Lights, One Light at a Time

Creating dramatic headshots using multiple lights doesn't have to be difficult. One of the best ways to become proficient at using a three-light setup is by building it one light at a time. In this article and the accompanying video, I will demonstrate how you can easily create dramatic headshots and portraits using a key light, kicker light, and fill light.

Better Headshots in Three Minutes: Five Tips From Peter Hurley

If you’re looking for your clients to walk away with imagery they think is top notch, it’s a good idea to understand how they see themselves in front of the lens. Peter Hurley gives us a quick rundown of tips and tricks to create headshots that will resonate with the tagline: "Confidence and Approachability."

Sha-Bang! Peter Hurley Explains the Value of Consistency

Peter Hurley has grown into a household name among photographers over the past 15 years while working from his studio in New York City. With a personality that keeps his clients on their toes and a vocabulary that is ever evolving, the leader of the Headshot Crew has some tips for you that may help you grow even faster with your photographic journey.

Learn the Nuances of Headshots and Lighting from Peter Hurley this Black Friday

Peter Hurley is a master of headshot photography with his ability to connect with clients and draw out the most flattering poses from his subjects. This Black Friday, Fstoppers is discounting all of Peter Hurley's tutorials. See the details below or visit the Fstoppers Store to see every deal being offered during the holiday season.

How to Become the Best Headshot Photographer in the World

After a four-hour trip to London and only being able to catch whatever sleep I could during the uncomfortable journey down, I met with Peter Hurley and immediately felt welcome. For those of you who don't know, Peter Hurley is a headshot photographer based in New York City. Hurley once had a career as a model and was also part of the U.S. Olympic sailing team. He is known for his clean, white background headshots and for coining the phrase "squinch," which has now become relatively mainstream thanks to news channels and shows like Orange is the New Black. To many, Peter is known as the best in the business and this may be true, but, what is Peter actually like to work with?

An Afternoon With Backdrop Artist Sarah Oliphant

Sit down, strap in, and buckle up. This video is a long one but for those who can find 47 minutes to spare and watch this video you'll be rewarded with a casual insight and genuine conversation into the work space of premier hand-painted Backdrop Artist Sarah Oliphant alongside world-renowned Headshot Photographer Peter Hurley. If you've ever considered shooting on a painted backdrop, you'll undoubtedly find this video an interesting watch.

Peter Hurley Explains How the Inverse Square Law Applies to Photography

The inverse square law is one of the most important yet misunderstood concepts in photography. On the surface, it basically says that the intensity of a light source will decrease as you move the light away from your subject, but how does that apply to the highlights and shadows in a portrait? In this small excerpt from the "Illuminating the Face" tutorial, Peter Hurley breaks down both the math and the practical application of the inverse square law.

Peter Hurley Returns to His Roots With Oracle Team USA Sailing Portraits

We're big fans of Peter Hurley here at Fstoppers. We've collaborated with him twice on Peter Hurley: The Art Behind The Headshot and Peter Hurley: Illuminating The Face. His signature headshots are well known throughout the industry. What you may not know is that Peter was a world-class sailor in his day. Recently, he returned to his roots to combine sailing and photography, and the results are awesome.

Can This Body Positioning Technique Really Make You Look 10 Pounds Less in Photographs?

Everyone wants to look their best when they are in front of the camera. Most people practice in front of a mirror to get their perfect "photo face" nailed down but did you know that your shoulder and arm positioning can actually make you look thin in one photo and fat in another? Headshot photographer Peter Hurley has released his latest photo slimming tip video and it is called "hold your sub."

Critique the Community Episode 11a: Headshots with Peter Hurley

A few weeks ago we offered to critique a handful of headshot photographs from the Fstoppers Community. I was able to sit down with professional headshot photographer Peter Hurley for his advice on how you guys can help improve your own headshot photos. Since there were so many submissions we were only able to get to about 18 images, but don't worry because next week Lee and David will tackle many of the images that did not make this episode of Critique the Community.

B&H: "What's in Your Bag?" with Headshot Photographer Peter Hurley

We love photography. We love gear. And we love this guy: New York City-based headshot photographer Peter "Shabang" Hurley. So when B&H put out this episode of, "What's in Your Bag?", featuring Peter and his kit, of course we were going to watch and post it with all the same excitement and exuberance that Peter himself puts into everything. Watch as Peter tears through his bag to reveal his set-up while running down what gear he uses and why.

Watch This Free Headshot Tutorial From Peter Hurley's Illuminating the Face

When it comes to all things headshots and manipulating human expression, the best guy to seek council from is Peter Hurley. Peter's career has spanned about 15 years now, and over those years he has gained a tremendous amount of knowledge. Last year with the help from our friends at Profoto, Lee and I were able to film a supplemental free chapter to Peter's Illuminating the Face Tutorial. In this video Peter takes us outside to show some of the techniques he uses out on location.

24 Hours Only: Save $100 Off Peter Hurley's Headshot and Lighting Tutorials

As announced in yesterday's sale, Fstoppers is having a 24 hour sale on our tutorials every day leading up to Christmas. For today's deal we have persuaded Peter Hurley to offer $100 off both of his acclaimed tutorials The Art Behind the Headshot and Illuminating the Face. This sale even beats our current "Buy both for $450" sale and marks the lowest price you have ever been able to buy both at one time. You can find the discount code

Download Peter Hurley's Newest Photography Tutorial For Free

A few months ago Fstoppers teamed up with Peter Hurley to produce the 6 hour tutorial Illuminating The Face which covered all of the intricacies of lighting a person's face in a studio environment. Thanks to Profoto, today we are releasing an additional chapter for free.
Peter Hurley on TEDx:  How the Camera Reveals Your Personal Baggage

When I first met Anna Rowley while filming Peter Hurley's Illuminating the Face tutorial, it was obviously clear that she had discovered the psychological power behind Peter's headshot directing skills. That day she shared with me her belief that there might be a direct correlation between how a person reacts in front of an intimating camera and how they perform in their workplace. Everything she told me was extremely interesting, so I was pleasantly surprised when Peter texted me this TEDx talk yesterday. I'm curious to hear what you guys think.

Peter Hurley Shares His Headshot Tips and Tricks with Frank Doorhof

A few days ago Frank Doorhof posted a great interview with headshot photographer extraordinaire, Peter Hurley. In the video Frank asks Peter what his thought process is while coaching the people that he's shooting and what photographers should do if they're wanting to get into headshot photography. Peter gives some great insight and advice on headshots and on how to to approach the people you're shooting to capture the perfect expression.

Three Easy Steps To Improve Your Lighting on Webcam

Last week Fstoppers and Peter Hurley hosted a free Illuminating the Face release party on Spreecast (view it here if you missed it). Since I had learned so much from Peter's tutorial I figured it would be exciting to use some of his studio lighting techniques for my own webcam session. What I didn't expect was all the emails, tweets, and live questions concerning my lighting setup. So in this post I'm going to share my lighting setup with everyone so you can reproduce it with your video sessions.

Last Day To Save $200 On Peter Hurley Tutorials

Today, Sunday May 4th, is the last day to buy both Peter Hurley's tutorials - The Art Behind the Headshot and Illuminating the Face - for $400. Our Save $200 Promotion has been a huge success and many of you have picked up both for an incredible discount. But all good things must come to an end so make sure you take advantage of this incredible offer here.

How I Overcame My Fear of Using Strobes

Every photographer, at some point in their career, will have an internal debate to accept or decline a job because they may feel insecure about having the right skill sets or gear to complete the job. Personally, I have found myself accepting certain jobs and a few hours later, I wonder if I made a mistake in accepting the job since I may muck up a huge opportunity. A few days ago, I was offered a job that, at first, I did not think I could execute. Luckily though, I talked myself down the ledge and remembered I was in fact prepared for it.

Join the Fstoppers and Peter Hurley Live Tonight at 9PM Eastern

As you know, today we released our newest collaboration with Peter Hurley: Illuminating the Face. To celebrate the completion of this 4.5 hour tutorial, both Lee and I will be joining Peter Hurley live on Spreecast to talk about photography, lighting, headshots, and pushing yourself as an artist. If you have any questions for Peter or about the photography community in general this will be a great hangout tonight. Simply click on the link above to join and we look forward to seeing everyone live tonight!

Peter Hurley's New Tutorial Illuminating The Face Is Now Available

It's been 3 years since Lee and I flew up to NYC and filmed The Art Behind The Headshot with Peter Hurley. Today we are so excited to announce our latest collaboration with arguably the best headshot photographer in the world. Our new tutorial has been named Illuminating The Face and it's finally available to the public. We're also offering an incredible discount.

Peter Hurley Teaches From Zero To #Shabang!

When it comes to getting the best expressions out of your subject, Peter Hurley is one of the best out there. Two years ago we teamed up with Peter and produced the critically acclaimed The Art Behind the Headshot. This year Peter Hurley is joining us in the Bahamas for the 2014 Fstoppers Workshops. His two day headshot intensive has already sold out but there is still room in his newest lecture series From Zero To Shabang! Check out this video for details

Peter Hurley's "Squinch" Helps To Make Better Headshots

You would have to be from Mars not to know who Peter Hurley is at this point. He was one of the first photographers to let Fstoppers into his studio, and together we produced the wildly popular The Art Behind The Headshot tutorial where he shares all of his secrets. Today Peter is publicly sharing perhaps his most important tip for making people look good in front of your camera, and it is appropriately named "squinching."

The Importance Of Angles... Before And After

UPDATE: Original video was removed, but we found it again! In order to make our subjects look their best we need to be shooting them from the correct angles. Peter Hurley is the master at this and in his DVD he gives so many fantastic tips on how to accomplish taking photos of people looking their best. This YouTube video that popped up today on Reddit is probably the best example I have yet to see of how the simple change of an angle will give your subject an entirely different look. This is might just be the best 14 seconds of your day!

Get The Peter Hurley "Look" With A Single Light

Since we released Peter Hurley's: The Art Behind The Headshot, the internet has been trying to replicate his signature look without shelling out thousands for his Kino Flo lights. The guys over at SLR Lounge put together a great video that comes up with a similar look by using only 1 light, 1 bank, and 3 reflectors. I think the results are fantastic.

The Peter Hurley Headshot DVD Is On Sale, Save $100

Happy fourth of July Fstoppers. To celebrate we are currently discounting Peter Hurley's: The Art Behind The Headshot $100 (the most we have ever discounted it). If you purchase Peter's tutorial you will also receive a $50 discount for our wedding tutorial: How To Become A Professional Commercial Wedding Photographer.

To save $100 use code "save100"

Special Offer For Those Who Purchased Peter Hurley's DVD

We are ironing out all of the details for our new wedding tutorial: How To Become A Professional Commercial Wedding Photographer which we be released on January 6 at midnight. Until then we wanted to give back to those who have supported us in the past. Anyone who purchased our first tutorial "Peter Hurley: The Art Behind The Headshot" can actually purchase and download the wedding tutorial right now plus you will also get another special offer.

Peter Hurley's Google+ Keynote: How To Take The Perfect Headshot

If you are a regular reader of Fstoppers then you know how many times I've said this, "Peter Hurley has changed the way I photograph people more than anyone else". During his Google+ Conference Keynote Presentation, Peter explains why it is the photographer's job to make every person look amazing while they are in front of their camera. Photographers cannot rely on a model's good looks, perfectly crafted lighting, their own technical prowess, or old fashioned luck

SLR Lounge Interviews Headshot Photographer Peter Hurley

Pye Jirsa from SLRLounge.com recently sat down with Peter Hurley for an exclusive interview. Peter talks about his history as a photographer, his DVD, his favorite gear, business techniques, and PH2. Peter is a huge character and as always he makes the interview a pretty entertaining watch.

[Free Video] Preview The Art Behind The Headshot With Peter Hurley

The response Peter Hurley's downloadable tutorial The Art Behind The Headshot has been receiving over the last few months has been unbelievable. Peter's technique has changed the way so many photographers approach working with models, and it's apparent by his facebook group that photographers of all skill levels are taking the best headshots in their portfolios. So we have decided to release one free lesson from the DVD for those of you who might still be on the fence. Peter's knowledge is expensive sure, but it's guaranteed to change the way you shoot headshots for the rest of your career. We believe in this so much that if you don't think your headshots are any better after watching 4 hours of Peter's instructions we will give you your money back guaranteed!

[Community] Peter Hurley's Facebook Group Offers Even More Instruction For The Headshot Photographer

Peter Hurley is pretty well known among the Fstoppers crowd but after the release of his highly anticipated DVD, The Art Behind The Headshot, Peter has become an inspiration to hundreds of photographers around the world. If you've purchased his 4 hour training session on how to take the perfect headshot then you know just how powerful his teaching techniques can be for your career. But what you might not know is Peter has created an interactive community on Facebook for those of you who want even more instruction! If you've already purchased The Art Behind The Headshot, you need to join The Artists Behind The Headshot Facebook Group. Not only can you post your own photos and have Peter critique them directly but you can also talk business with other photographers who have purchased Peter's digital tutorial or attended his Headshot Intensive. I just got off a private conference call with Peter and his guest speaker Delane Rouse (who photographed over 800 lawyers in 2011!) It was really amazing to have over 25 photographers logged on and sharing business tips on exactly how they are making money in their local communities. These extra help sessions are only available to those who are members of the private Facebook group so join now! The information shared tonight was worth it's weight in gold, and it's inspiring to hear how people are turning their photo hobbies into full blown careers!
[Contest] Today Is The Last Day To Win An Ipad And Peter Hurley DVD Through Twitter

Just a heads up to everyone; today is the last day to enter into our Peter Hurley / Apple iPad 2 Twitter contest! Tommorrow we are giving away a Apple 16GB iPad 2 and a free digital copy of Peter Hurley's The Art Behind The Headshot to one of our lucky twitter followers!
All you have to do to enter is follow @fstoppers on Twitter, and tweet the following message: "Follow @fstoppers and retweet this message to win Peter Hurley's DVD and an iPad 2 http://bit.ly/tsTufu" Make sure you tweet this message between now and the end of December 15th, 2011 because we will announce the winner the following day. Goto Peter's The Art Behind The Headshot Website for more information. Thanks to everyone who has already purchased the DVD and good luck to everyone entering the contest. NOTE: If you plan on ordering the DVD or already have purchased it, you will be refunded if you win the twitter contest.
[Contest] Win A Free iPad 2 And Peter Hurley's DVD Through Twitter

We have a lot of contests going on each month but we wanted to give away something really special for the Holidays. What are we giving away that is so special? How about a free Apple 16GB iPad 2 and a free digital copy of Peter Hurley's The Art Behind The Headshot!
All you have to do to enter is follow @fstoppers on Twitter, and tweet the following message: "Follow @fstoppers and retweet this message to win Peter Hurley's DVD and an iPad 2 http://bit.ly/tsTufu" Make sure you tweet this message between now and the end of December 15th, 2011 because we will announce the winner the following day. Goto Peter's The Art Behind The Headshot Website for more information. Thanks to everyone who has already purchased the DVD and good luck to everyone entering the contest. NOTE: If you plan on ordering the DVD or already have purchased it, you will be refunded if you win the twitter contest.
Peter Hurley:  Free Seminar At BH Photo Oct 6th

Many of you know we have been working our asses off producing our first full length Headshot Tutorial with Peter Hurley the most successful headshot photographer in the US. We wrapped up the final production on Monday and threw a fun Fstoppers party to celebrate the end of a very long but rewarding project (thanks for waiting guys). For those of you who are around the NYC area, Peter is doing a free seminar called The Basic Headshot at the BH Photo Store in Manhattan. The event starts at 3pm and Peter would love to answer your questions. After filming Peter work for over 5 days and recently experiencing his magic first hand, I have to say that what Peter brings to the table is useful for more than just headshots. If you make a living from shooting people in front of your camera (or want to make a living doing it) you need to check out Peter's seminar. It's guaranteed to change the way you work with your clients. Update: Watch most of the recorded lecture here (wonder who the guy is at 17:40).
Monte Isom's Pepsi Photoshoot With Jahvid Best

A few weeks ago I posted a video that created a lot of unintentional buzz about poorly compositing athletes together on a football field. Well this video from Monte Isom doesn't include much photoshop but still produces a lot of great images. Monte always has a great time on his sets and hopefully you NYC readers will be able to share a drink with him tomorrow at our FS Meetup.
This Weekend Is Peter Hurley's First Headshot Workshop In NYC

This weekend, May 21-22, Peter Hurley will host his first ever "Headshot Intensive;" a 2 day photography workshop dedicated to photographing people and building a thriving business. At $1500 this workshop is not geared toward the average enthusiast. Instead, this workshop was created for professionals looking to take their businesses to the next level. If you would like to learn more, you can read all of the details and see all of the upcoming dates over and Peter's website. Also keep in mind that Peter is still giving $300 off of his workshops for anyone who pre-orders his DVD.
Peter Hurley: The Art Behind The Headshot DVD Pre-Order Begins Now

A few months ago Patrick and I flew up to NYC and filmed our first ever full length DVD (dual DVD actually) with Peter Hurley. The DVD is still being edited but we can finally see an end in sight. Initially we didn't plan on having a pre-order but when Peter Hurley decided to start teaching workshops, we decided to create a special pre-order deal. When the dual DVD is released, it will cost $300. If you purchase it before October 1st, 2011, we will give you a $300 credit towards any of Peter's workshops (and this can be used at any time) so you are actually getting the DVD for free. Peter is also going to personally sign all of the pre-ordered DVDs. Patrick and I are working as fast as we can to edit this DVD while managing Fstoppers.com and also shooting a wedding every weekend. Things are busy but we hope to have this DVD released sometime this summer. Head over to Hurley's website to sign up for "The Headshot Intensive," his new 2 day workshop. There are currently 4 slots left for his first workshop on May 21-22.