Nicole called me to see if I had same day availability to make actorheadshots for her as she was going to audition for a role in a Netflix series and needed high quality headshots asap here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I already had another headshot session scheduled and a drone flight too, but I we were able to schedule a late evening photoshoot. The results, to speak frankly, could be my best photography work to date as far as a single person in studio photo shoot.
You may recognize Barbara and Dr. Norm in these photos as they are some of my best, repeat photography clients here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We have done some cool headshot style photos and then a Christmas Day family portrait shoot too. This time we met at the ABQ BioPark Botanical Gardens to make commercial portraits for their newly branded nutrition business, Purple Mulch. We started out in the giant garden section making good use of the landscape of props. We then shot on train tracks, a hacienda, a vineyard, and more! It is always great to photograph people you already know so that relationship is there and comes through in the photos. There is a sense of ease and with Barb and Dr. Norm also a lot of fun!
On a frigid November morning I was out in the actual desert with Maria and Glenn of 4Directions Branding for a drone video shoot. This commercial portrait shoot in the Botanical Gardens at ABQ BioPark in Albuquerque, New Mexico in April was thankfully, much warmer! Our goal was to make the indoor desert garden surrounded by cement and glass, look like a wide open desert. With a little creative composing and editing, we were able to get clean, green backgrounds for these commercial portraits.
Simplicity for diversity in commercial photography
With the right lighting and creative use of depth of field, one can turn an engineering building campus into a diverse photo shoot location for commercial portraits, like I did for these photos in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I left it up to each person if they preferred indoors or outdoors for their candid photos (after I made headshots of everyone earlier). Whether I shot indoors or outdoors, my lighting setup was the same. A very simple and flexible lighting setup of my new 42” Cheetahstand SoupBowl softbox powered by my Godox AD600 strobe light. Just using a different background and positioning the light differently allowed me to get a different looking commercial portrait for each person. Which one is your favorite style?
Christina was a former DSLR photo student of mine here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She contacted me about having portraits made out on location because she was actually now leaving ABQ. I had long been wanting to use Albuquerque Civic Plaza as a location so I was glad she agreed to my suggestion to shoot there. Even though it was a middle of the afternoon shoot, I used my new 42” Cheetahstand SoupBowl softbox to be able to shoot in the harsh lighting conditions in numerous spots around Civic Plaza. The water fountains, unfortunately, were not on, but everywhere else was free of passersby and there was no lack of spots to shoot at.
Senior Portraits are not one of my specialties, but when I do have the chance to do them, I always try and add more own signature photo style to them. This shoot with Ryan came about because just a week earlier I photographed his dad at an engineering consulting company. He asked if I would photograph his son for his senior portraits. I was very flattered someone who had just met me, and was one of 70+ people I photographed that day for headshots, would ask me to make such important and personal photos (thanks Scott!). We met back on the grounds of the engineering company and utilized its great red bridge for the above mixed style photo: casual dress, outdoor location, basketball action! It was my suggestion to get the basketball involved in a nontraditional environment.
One of the biggest compliments I can get as a headshot photographer in Albuquerque is when an actor from L.A. chooses me as his headshot photographer, and after our session, says my work is a good as those photographers in L.A.! Thank you Jake for a great headshot session, your Google review, and for making my job very easy behind the camera by being so good yourself in front of it. Hire Jake!
