Author headshot publicity photographs in Primrose Hill, North London
Today on the blog, I’m delighted to share some headshot portraits from Lauren’s recent publicity photo shoot in Primrose Hill, North London. I love taking headshot portraits – there is something so challenging and fun about the perceived simplicity of a headshot, but like anything that relies on a few simple ingredients, it can be hard to do well. Perhaps I shouldn’t liken anything in the portrait vein to a margherita pizza, but it is what springs to mind – you can buy them everywhere, but a really good one is a thing of absolute wonder (and should anyone be interested, I think one of the best in London is to be had at Bianco43 in Greenwich!). But I digress… back to our headshot photographs!
A publicity headshot has a few rules – it’s not as strict as a passport photograph, but it’s similar in many ways. It needs to be simple with just the head and shoulders; it also needs a background that isn’t distracting, but I think one that has an element of interest to it; it also needs good lighting with light in the eyes and flattering modelling light on the face to bring out the best features. It’s hard to get it just right and there is nowhere for the photographer to hide bad technique in a headshot – as everything needs to be just so. This makes headshot portraits lots of fun, as I like to work hard on my photographs to get them just right.
Lauren and I met in Belsize Park for her photo session – she has a series of children’s books being published next year (which sound brilliant, I’ll be sure to read them) and Lauren needed some pictures for her publicity needs. We visited the beautiful Primrose Hill for our pictures and were lucky enough to have wonderful light for the session.
As always, I was looking for interesting backgrounds for Lauren’s pictures whilst using the natural light to its best effect for a flattering and interesting portrait photograph. We utilised overhead shade and the natural shapes of grasses, leaves and branches to incorporate some texture in the backgrounds, while I used a shallow depth of field to blur these shapes into soft textures rather than specific identifiable foliage. It was great fun and I’m thrilled with the results.
I hope you enjoy looking at this selection of portrait photographs taken on location in Primrose Hill, North London. If you would like to book a headshot portrait session, please visit our headshot portrait photography page for more information, or please contact us – we would love to hear from you.
Equally, do click on the link to see an example of a Family Portrait Photography Session on Primrose Hill
