Hey group!
I'd like to share some images from my last two headshot clients. Other than keeping hair neater, any suggestions?
To be quite honest I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I did all of my lighting learning through research, tutorial after tutorial, and practice on myself. Two of my friends happened to be looking for headshots and paid for these sessions. I know I'm not an expert yet, but I feel like providing this mid-level imagery for free is also a disservice to myself. Would a few well done frames be enough to bring in more clients? Or should I find my most photogenic friends and get them in front of the lens to get say 10 sessions and be able to create a website? I have the slight advantage of knowing I will be moving cross-country for my day job in a month, meaning I won't be known as the "free headshot guy" going forward. What would you do?
Hopefully you understand my dilemma and can provide some guidance.
NICE
You're definitely on the right track.The first two images and #6 are really great. There are a couple of shots I would leave out entirely (#3 and #4 except maybe because they're kind of funny, if it matches the guy's personality; #5 is great except for the hand and the banding in the background, and I'd tone down the exposure a bit; #7 I wouldn't use at all due to the creepy eye whites).
Personally I think you're absolutely fine to be charging for headshots, but if you want to have a wider variety of people in your portfolio and get a better handle on posing and expression, maybe do a few trade sessions. Portfolio building isn't the same as doing "free work", it's just a different form of payment.