In February, I attended the inspiring ClickAway Conference in Dana Point, California. I made friends and recklessly flew my drone far, far away (I got it back), and I learned tons of exciting things that I could instantly apply to my business.

One of them was the concept of the “Not-So-Corporate Headshot” by Sarah Deragon where she offers casual & fun headshot sessions designed to not only get a great shot for work, but also a great new profile photo! It’s the complete opposite of stuffy, sit-there-and-don’t-move-and-smile-awkwardly headshots, and it’s great.

Everyone deserves a photo of themselves that they love, and this is a great way to get it without a lot of pressure.

I instantly adopted her idea (she shared so much!), and am so glad I did! It’s like the Universe knew I was supposed to let go of traditional corporate headshots and embrace this new lighthearted style because right away I got emails asking for this exact thing - before I had even advertised it!

I call mine the “Work ‘n’ Play” Headshot. I thought about calling it the Mullet Session - business in the front, party int the back! haha! But then I vetoed it.

So, here’s one of my first Work ‘n’ Play sessions with the adorable lady! I think she ought to find a job AND some good dates, don’t you?!

When Franklin TN's newest lawyer, Shanone (pronounced "Shannon") contacted me about doing a little personal branding shoot in front of the courthouse, I was so excited! I know it sounds odd, but so many headshots are done in my studio in front of a plain backdrop, that the thought mixing it up a little sounded fun.  She said she'd be using them on her website - that this wasn't just a single-shot deal for something like a corporate team page or a new LinkedIn profile pic - so I suggested we go with two different outfits and that we walk around downtown shooting a bit to get of that small town vibe.

This kind of shoot is a little more involved than a one-off headshot deal, but less so than a full lifestyle shoot.  I like them, also, because it allows me to get to know my clients a little more, and that always helps both of us.

Fun fact about this headshot session: this was the first time I ever had to DARKEN someone's eyes in post-processing!  Her eyes are hands down the brightest, sparkliest eyes I have EVER come across and I had to do just a tad bit of darkening in one or two photos just to help define them!  Isn't that nuts?!