Fretting the Details
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Lately I’ve been thinking about two ways to progress in my work: refine what I’ve already done or make the jump to work on something new. New work gets all the glory, and it should. You should shoot yourself bored, then keep going. Realizing you’re making that picture again and refusing to repeat yourself is a sure way to see new things, or, possibly, see old things in new ways.
But I do love making headshots. Over the years I’ve probably done… thousands? Maybe not thousands of people, but certainly thousands of frames spent on making headshots and I still enjoy making them; but instead of the rush to move on to something new I’ve sunk in to the details. I work on the finesse. Balancing lights to finer and finer degrees. I’ve learned how to quickly establish a rapport with a subject to hopefully relax and assure them (as a bit of an introvert, this is still a challenge). I pay attention to finer and finer details.
A few weeks back the Roundpeg crew came by for some portraits. The last time we got together it was near the library downtown, this time we met at my studio, M10 in the Circle City Industrial Complex. They wanted a new set of headshots and a set of high-key full length portraits of them and their furry office assistants. It’s a difficult task: how to find new ways to move deeper into something that you’ve already thoroughly explored.
I had been considering this, prior to the shoot, and decided that for their headshots I would get a roll of backdrop paper that matched the colors of their logo and website. It’s a minor thing, but details like this add up.
The Roundpeg crew has a great time together and it shows in the photos. They’re always fantastic to work with and appreciate the time I spend fretting the details and exploring the mundane.
