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Captivating Headshots
by Andrej Valko

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Everyone can and should look their best in their photos – I made this my mission, no matter how camera-shy you may be or not knowing what to do in front of the camera.

I’ll guide you step by step so that you appear as capable, knowing what you’re doing and approachable and friendly, easy to work with at the same time. This is my priority and even though it can be a journey, I’m always happy to “walk it” with you.

FORMAT / CROP

I always supply photos with a loose crop, especially for business profiles and websites should you need to extend the edges or the top.

Saying that, the tighter crop puts more emphasis on the facial expression, resulting in an even more impactful connection with the viewer. Not just that but your features are larger, especially on a profile picture or a smaller screen.

VERTICAL / PORTRAIT FORMAT FOR ACTORS

UK actors often need a vertical / portrait crop. I supply this as a standard within the acting headshot package:

HORIZONTAL, CINEMATIC VERSION

You, of course, get the horizontal, more cinematic version too:

FACIAL FEATURES AND BODY/FACE LANGUAGE

Everyone has something about their appearance that they are self-conscious about. Especially when it comes to face being photographed up close. I’ll work with you to bring out your best features while minimising uneven and less flattering features.

THE RIGHT MOOD AND EXPRESSION

When it comes to acting headshots, a range of expressions is very important. Yes, the “main” profile picture should really catch the viewer’s attention, even captivate it. The range expands on this, showing the different sides of you and the characters you’d like to portray.

TARGETING THE CORRECT COLOUR

Whether I work outdoors or indoors, I always add my own light for the best effect and consistency of my work – so that you can be sure that no matter the circumstances, weather, time of day, etc., the light on your face is guaranteed to look like it does in the shots you can see in my portfolio.

Apart from emphasising the eyes and modelling / shaping the face in an appealing way, by using my own light, I can also target the correct skin colour (as well as eye and hair colour of course). How do I know that the colour is correct? I ensure you are lit by a “clean” light source (i.e. light not reflected off differently coloured surfaces). Then I adjust the camera and editing software according to the known “temperature” / colour of my lights. I double-check this against a colour checker designed for this purpose on a calibrated screen, ensuring the colour is right every time:

 

Andrej has such an eye for drawing out the best of you in a shoot. His communication through-out was exactly what I needed, I’m so happy with my headshots!

Alexandra Doyle

 

Face is the first complex moving shape we learn to recognise as babies. It is the main feature of ours that we continue to use in identifying each other. Now, more than ever, we need to be present at multiple places at once. This cannot be done in person of course so we need something to represent us. This is where the headshot portrait comes into play. Good first impression counts greatly towards success in any area whether it is professional or personal.

 

“I had a great experience with Andrej. Scheduling was very quick and simple, and throughout the shoot he was friendly and professional, and gave really useful direction to get the best out of me. I would definitely recommend him!“

Liv Paige

 

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Not many people feel comfortable being photographed and that’s OK! Majority of us normally don’t tend to think that we can look awesome and play it safe. Or we try to look good too hard and the result is most likely far from being genuine. But you can look confident and awesome – and you will.  As we go through the session, we will achieve a solid look that will portray you in the best possible way. The photo session is always light-hearted, everyone enjoys it after we get into the flow and start getting great photographs until the end of the photoshoot.

 

 

Don’t wait until you are forced to use just any photo or a holiday snap so that there is at least something on your online profile, CV or website. This may be, and often is, the first contact certain people have with you. The first impression counts and it can be made only once.

 

ENQUIRE AND BOOK

 

“Andrej is an incredibly warm, funny and skilled photographer. He gives great coaching to get the best shots out of you whilst putting you at ease throughout. Highly recommend.”

Hannie Frances

If you are looking for a great head shot Photographer then Captivating Headshots is the place to go. Andrej was brilliant, he made me feel very comfortable , confident and at ease during the shoot.
I have had many headshots over the years but the quality of these shots far outweighs my previous. Not only was Andrej a pleasure to work with, he has extremely good directing skills, helping me hugely in getting the pictures I requested.
Extremely impressed, could not recommend him any higher

Dean Marshall

“I cannot recommend Andrej enough – he is incredibly talented and a consummate professional. He tailors the photographs to your exact requirements – but improved anything that I could have thought of with his experience and abilities. He makes you feel immediately at your ease and the whole package was enjoyable and productive – I couldn’t believe how quickly he captured the images I needed and he was prompt to deliver the final results too. Absolutely brilliant!”

Julie Dossett

 

“I was quite apprehensive before the photoshoot as I had never experienced one before, but I needn’t have worried! Andrej’s professionalism showed through when he explained what I should expect during the session and his great sense of humour meant that the whole process was very relaxed. I would happily recommend Andrej to anyone needing a photographer.”

Anthea Harding

 


there is a bright side to all of us
let’s capture it