Renowned photographers Peter Hurley and Tony Taafe are organizing an initiative to photograph 10,000 people in a single day across all 50 states. For free.
With the coronavirus pandemic putting millions of people out of work, it's hard to pull up the income for a new headshot in order to get a new job now that things are starting to open up. Studies show that having a professional headshot on LinkedIn can mean 21 times the profile views and 9 times the "connection" requests compared to people without one.
But how do you get a great headshot when you don't have any money? Well, on Juy 22nd, Headshot Booker is partnering with over 200 different photographers to give headshots to 10,000 unemployed people across the United States in a single day, all for free. They will be taking place from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. local time in 10-minute sessions and are open to anyone unemployed.
Initiatives like this are one of the many ways that photography can help change people's lives for the better. Headshots can be expensive, so offering them for free for a day is a big help. Not to mention, it's a fantastic way to drum up new business and make lots of connections.
Will you be taking advantage of this offer? Or maybe you're already volunteering to help! If you want to learn more about how to take great headshots to do a similar initiative in your own city, you can check out our tutorials with Peter Hurley: "The Art Behind the Headshot" and "Perfecting the Headshot."
Photographers can be so self defeating at times. The real winners here are Peter Hurley and Tony Taafe slinging tutorial sales/free marketing off the backs of 200 photographers working for free.
I once "partnered" with a bridal shop where I provided a free bridal portrait at the bride's final fitting in hope of booking a few weddings, after 30 portraits and the cost of proofing and printing all on film, the project produced no bookings. If some one asked me to participate in a similar project based on past experience I would respectfully decline.
Couldn't you also give away the tutorials? If this is an initiative to help everyone why not give everyone the most help you can?
Very good point, there are free tutorials on you tube and fstoppers on how to take the "perfect" headshot, there are even tutorials on making a headshot selfie, this is mine, it may not be Peter Hurley material, but I think it would work.
This initiative could help a lot of people. Are the 200 photographers from Peter Hurley's Headshot Crew? There are thousands in the network that deliver consistent and professional images.
I appreciate the cause, but it should be "pay what you can afford, even if it's nothing."
Photography is hurting worse than most industries, and 50 headshots in one day is a hell a lot of work.
Otherwise, this just looks like an email marketing/SEO campaign for Headshot Crew.