Guerrilla Headshots

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." -Albert Einstein

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Excerpt from Guerrilla Headshots' Introduction: As I was planning my ebook assault on the subject of headshot photography, doing some online research, outlining, making notes and generally organizing my thoughts, I came across many headshot photographers' websites. A few of them were using a simple phrase in the text of their pitch. One that read, "Headshots That Don't Suck!" In the world of headshots, good headshots, headshots that get the job done regardless of what that intended job might be, the phrase, "headshots that don't suck," speaks volumes. Leastwise, to me it does.

Excerpt from Chapter 3 - Composition - How to Place That Face - Symmetry: While many people have eyes that are either slightly different in size or lazy (one eye being noticeably larger or smaller than the other for whichever reason) it's usually a subtle difference. In life, people don't much notice the mismatched eye sizes of others. That's because life is in motion. But it can be much more noticeable in photos because, unlike life in motion, photographs are static and motionless. When I'm shooting people who have eyes of noticeably different sizes, it means I might make some posing decisions based on the difference in the size of the subject's eyes. This is often important in close-up headshot photography as the eyes are the primary focus of the image.

Excerpt from Chapter 7 - Editing, Post-Processing, and Retouching - People Should Still Look Like Real People - Age: Good headshot photography doesn't attempt to fool Mother Nature in big ways. (Although it often does so in small and subtle ways.) Working too hard at trying to make a 60-year-old look like a 30-year-old by over-processing a headshot usually yields nothing more than an obviously over-processed headshot... Excessive processing and retouching can defeat many, if not all, of a headshot's specific purposes. (Photo: Award Winning Writer/Director - Oscar Nominated film, "Stand and Deliver" - Ramon Menendez)

Excerpt from Chapter 4 - Lighting for Headshots - How to Light That Face - Natural Light or Artificial Light? From CEOs to doctors and lawyers and beyond, many business folks and professionals are looking for a friendlier, warmer, more affable headshot to project their images. Like many other things, headshots follow trends and those trends, indicated by photographic styles coupled with the attitudes and emotions of the subjects, go in and out of vogue. (Photo: Informal headshot of an attractive media executive.)

111 Candid, Straight-Talk, Put-Into-Practice Pages Designed to Help You:

Shoot headshots that don't suck! Headshots that communicate the messages your clients want to convey.

Learn to Keep it simple stupid and resist multiplying difficulty beyond necessity.

Arm yourself with gear you need, not simply what you want or what manufacturers say you need.

Choose the right locations, props, and wardrobe that don't distract or compete with your subjects

Engage viewers with simple yet compelling lighting styles and compositional techniques.

Simplify your editing & post-processing skills and techniques and develop a personal style.

Implement marketing and branding strategies that score headshot-shooting gigs!

Excerpt from Chapter 4 - Lighting for Headshots - How to Light That Face - The Language of Lighting: Lighting speaks to an image's viewers. Viewer's understand lighting's language whether they realize they do or not. The more obvious the lighting style or technique, the louder it speaks. When coupled with other elements of an image, low-key lighting might say one thing while high-key lighting might say something else. This is as true for headshot photography as it is for lighting for most any sort of photography.

Excerpt from Chapter 3 - Composition - How to Place That Face - The Power of Diagonal Lines: While keeping many lines in your photos plumb and level is often a good idea, e.g., a subject's eyes or other visible elements of the headshot, there are times when tilting your camera and shooting with Dutch angles is a great compositional technique to employ. Doing so can be accomplished in obvious ways or in subtle ways. For headshot photography, I mostly prefer a more subtle use of Dutch angles and the diagonal lines they produce. But, for Evan Seinfeld's image (Hardcore rock/punk star, "Biohazard," and co-star, HBO's "Oz," ) the Dutch angle is obvious and pronounced.

Excerpt from Chapter 1 - Defining Headshots - What Makes a Headshot a Headshot: ...theatrical headshots were more formal and generally used to say more about a person's looks than their personalities, range, or versatility. Commercial headshots, on the other hand, tended to be less formal and tried to convey as much about the versatility of a performer's abilities and range as it did about their looks. Often, commercial headshots were “lighter” in their emotional feel and appeal. (Photo: Scan of a "commercial" headshot of my former spouse, a Hollywood actress, one I snapped circa 1980.)

What Photographers Are Saying About Guerrilla Headshots™

"By keeping things that normally bog photographers down (gear, lighting, technique and model relations) as simple as possible, Guerrilla Headshots shows you how to get out of your own way and get on with taking headshots that don't suck. Jimmy has distilled a career's worth of experience into some eminently practical tips and advice. BTW, It's very refreshing to get practical advice on the right way to shoot for free, especially when all one typically hears are new photographers on forums asking about shooting for free and the knuckleheads come out of the woodwork to discuss how that person has single-handedly destroyed the ancient and honorable profession of photography." -Mike Slivka, Fine Art Photographer, http://www.tallplumphotography.com/

"Guerrilla Headshots is a well thought out and extremely detailed 111 page ebook covering the topic of Headshot Photography. You'll be hard pressed to find this level of information in books costing 3x as much. Congrats to Jimmy for a stellar follow up to Guerrilla Glamour!" Cris Mitchell, photographer and founder, http://ProPhotoResource.com and http://ProPhotoPublishing.com

"Thanks for talking TO ME instead of AT ME, Jimmy. There's more to this book than knowledge-- there's understanding. After years of knowing what to do and how to do it I now UNDERSTAND why I'm doing what I do when I do it. Beauty "headshots" are an integral part of my glamour photo shoots and this book hits the nail on the head! Finally, a simple to understand yet comprehensive book that made me take a second look at my work. Hopefully, I'll now be able to take headshots that don't suck!" Rick Davenport, Photographer, http://www.after6photo.com/

"No matter what kind of photography you are engaged in, if you keep at photography for an extended period you will improve. Eventually, someone is going to ask for a headshot. Photographing people is a natural. It is the one subject that we all relate to and all appreciate. JimmyD's book helps launch or increase your understanding of how to create great headshots. So, when that time comes when someone asks you to shoot a headshot, make sure you've read JimmyD's book. Then, watch their faces light up when they see the results." -Kevin Stecyk, Photographer, http://www.flickr.com/photos/stecyk/

"Guerrilla Headshots" is a superb follow-up to Jimmy's first book, "Guerrilla Glamour." Jimmy is able to take important, critical concepts that often elude photographers and explain them in a way that is easily understood. His books are a must for every photographer who seeks to improve the quaiity of their work." Dan Cavallini, Attorney & Photographer, http://www.bubbleguess.com/

"Wow! This is an excellent follow-up to "Guerrilla Glamour." I really liked the way you step the reader through the process of photographing headshots and how, at the end of the chapters, (you) reviewed what was discussed. It's a great way for the reader to have the info reinforced... if you liked Jimmy's first book, you'll love "Guerrilla Headshots!" It's a great sequel and an easy read packed with a lot of good common sense thoughts and advice for every level of photographer! Great job once again and I can't wait to see what's next up to bat for you!" -Kevin May, Commercial Photographer, http://blog.kevinmay.com/

If you're interested in joining the Guerrilla Headshots™ or the Guerrilla Glamour™ Affiliates Program, please contact info@guerrillaglamour.com for details.

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