Selfies Have Given Way To Professional Photo Shoots For Personal Branding
Alex Williams writes for The New York Times:
Wearing black leather pants and a cape top, she reclined on a velvet armchair under the frescoed ceiling of a 19th-century Florentine villa, flanked by a hair and makeup artist, as a photographer clicked away.The model was not a $5,000-a-day runway pro from Elite Model Management, but Gina DeVee, a 41-year-old success coach from Montecito, Calif. Ms. DeVee paid a photographer $3,500 to create magazine-worthy images for her Facebook and Twitter profiles, as well as her professional website. The goal, she said, is to create "personal brand buzz."
"This stuff isn't only for J. Lo," Ms. DeVee said. "I love being a rock star in my own life."
There are times, it seems, when an iPhone and an outstretched arm just won't do.
In an era when social media has given everyone a public persona to burnish, some image-conscious digital natives are taking online-image management a step further, sparing no expense to treat themselves to iconic portrait sessions that produce profile shots for Facebook and Twitter that could double as covers of Vogue -- effectively, glamour selfies.
...There was, of course, a time when such portraits were the stuff of statesmen and aristocrats, and were rendered in canvas and oil. The rest of us generally had to make do with high school yearbook photos or passport shots. No more. Anyone with some extra cash can outsource the task to the pros, and present a more polished image to the world.
You don't have to pay a $3,500/day photographer for this. Gregg shot the cover of I See Rude People and the photo of me on the back of "Good Manners For Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck".
I did my own makeup, both by applying what I'd learned from people making me up for TV and from a YouTube video by a former Miss America that I can no longer find. I did find this one and there are others.
Actually, wait -- the ones I used, which are great -- are here. The series of expertvillage ones at this link.
You can use the web similarly for your photograph. I recommend taking a shot in natural light if you're a non-pro. Gregg used a little fill light (you can rent one) and white paper that he hung from my porch. I drank wine to loosen up and wore my usual evening-wear as daywear.
More here and here from my author friend Sonya Sones, who takes fantastic photos of authors and illustrators.
via @instapundit
And everyone thought Glamor Shots was silly...
Cousin Dave at July 11, 2014 7:08 AM
"F8 and be there."
It doesn't take much to be a decent photographer, especially with modern DSLR cameras. Frame the subject, and shoot. And with digital images, shoot a dozen or two. Most cameras have some sort of burst mode that will shoot several images in a row as rapidly as possible.
One will turn out OK. The rest? eh, delete 'em.
I R A Darth Aggie at July 11, 2014 7:22 AM
The question is, can a decent photograph be taken from a web camera?
Is there any way to offer a web service that lets you sit down or stand in front of a web cam or phone, provides some degree of lighting, background, clothing tips, then takes your photo at high resolution and retouches it, all for say $50 and have that come out markedly better than a selfie?
jerry at July 11, 2014 9:07 AM
"The rest of us generally had to make do with high school yearbook photos or passport shots. No more." - um, yeah, because you have NEVER been able to go in to a photographer and get a photoshoot done.
Who is this moron? You can have something done cheap, or you can have something fancy, on location, whatever.
The point is that people are professional beanding their social sites, not that photography is different... but we would expect that from a "41-year-old success coach" who actually is selling that.
The vast majority of people are not needing this, though maybe they can convince themselves they need it. Like Glamour Shots from the late 80's-90's you can feel all fancy, and if you want to stick those shots on your facebook? It's your dime, mac.
I'm sure in 10 years, those pics will look just as dated as a glamour shot... cuz, man they're almost as bad as a mullet.
http://www.mommywantsvodka.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/unicorn-glamour-shot1.jpg
Warning: picture might trigger... something, prolly not good.
SwissArmyD at July 11, 2014 10:10 AM
A "success coach" isn't a job description. This person is unemployed.
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at July 11, 2014 11:56 AM
She's 41? I bet she's freshly divorced and blowing some of her divorce-money-what's-it-called.
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at July 11, 2014 11:57 AM
People with no winner self worth must purchase exterior ersatz self worth.
Jay at July 11, 2014 1:09 PM
oops. That should be "inner self worth."
Jay at July 11, 2014 1:11 PM
damn. shoulda never read the full article. OI. I'ma thinkin' this is facebook addiction leaching in to people's professional/personal lives...
how long before they are green screen staging FABULOUS! vacations in faraway places they could never afford.
We'll remember it for you wholesale? Could be done.
OTOH, this is another way of photographers keeping the lights on, and more power to them... It was hard, back in the day, it's harder now.
Facebook addiction. Liiiiike MEEEEE:
http://golem13.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Mr.Thoms-Facebook-streetart01.jpg
SwissArmyD at July 11, 2014 2:54 PM
Read the whole,thing. if you're a video producer in Petaluma, you're doing it wrong.
KateC at July 11, 2014 9:02 PM
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