With forced time off from his regular job, Anthony decided to make the most of the adjustments Covid forced upon his workplace. Dreaming of running his own small business where he can design websites, he’d been saving and aspiring to take a few more courses to start his business off on the right foot. That dream, however, was years down the road. That is, it was, until Covid forced his job to reduce hours for their workers.

Not wanting to miss an opportunity, Anthony invested his time off into seeking the education he’d been saving up for. He started designing his own website, pulling together networks and making sure he could make that dream a reality sooner than later.

One important factor for Anthony was making sure he had an updated headshot. LinkedIn and his website were featuring an old photograph of him in a polo where he’d cropped someone else out - and he knew that just wasn’t going to cut it if he was going to have a reputable business from the start.

We’ll be sharing his website and profile makeovers once Anthony’s small business goes live. For now, here’s a sneak peek from his headshot session!

Staff Group Portrait for Salem Law, Winston-Salem Estate Law | On Location Brand Photographer | Headshot and Branding Photographer | Jasper & Fern

The hot sun glanced against my cheek, breaking through the dense overhanging pine needles. The citrus-y musk of the pine tree sap wafting through my open car window. It always feels like returning to my mountain home when I visit the Salem Law team. I could easily see why Daniel, the founder of the business and an avid outdoorsman himself, would be drawn to this location for his small business.

Pinecones crunched underneath my tires as I ascended the blacktop drive up to the Salem Law office building. Not much had changed since I was here last time taking their brand photographs. I breathed the sap and earthy smells into my lungs, closing my eyes so I could memorize them and revisit their scent later. Moduled light danced across my closed lids as a warm “Hi!” met me from across the parking lot. Smiling, I opened my eyes, greeted by Lindy and Caroline’s sunny dispositions.

”Is it okay if we do the headshots out here like last time? Daniel really liked having the trees in the background,” Lindy said as she stopped to greet me. “Oh, and is it okay if Daniel’s dog joins us for the group shot?”

My eyes lit up in excitement and I couldn’t hide my glee, “Wait, Daniel brought his dog?! AAAH! YES, PLEASE!! I’d love to meet him and have him be part of the portraits!” I was already excited about taking new headshots for Daniel and his team and getting to spend time with them. Adding his dog to the mix was the icing on top of the cake!

Re-focusing from my excited dog distraction, I surveyed the shadows in the row of pine trees behind where I wanted to take their headshots. I knew I’d be editing the tones in their photographs to compliment their brand colors and getting the right shadows was key.

As always, we had lots of laughter, fights with the wind blowing hair about, and a careful avoidance of the pokey pine cones on the ground. The heat quickly warmed us all as we swiftly moved to capture the best body language and expression for everyone - pupper included.

Sad to leave the covering pines and good company, I packed my gear back up to head to the next location. Waiving goodbye to Lindy, Caroline and Daniel - and sneaking a few last puppy pets - I headed back down the blacktop, the crunching pine cones and citrus-y musk softly drifting further away.

Brittney’s favorite headshot from her session | Women’s Professional Portraits | What to wear for your headshot session | Womens headshots | Makeup for Brunette Hair | Best colors for winter skin | Winston-Salem Headshot Photographer | Jasper & Fern

A pitbull mom just like me, the sweetness in her voice rang true over the phone as she answered me. "I'm a caring, compassionate person that's easy to get to know. It's important people can see that." We were discussing her updated headshot and making sure her goals were going to be met.

Brittney had just taken a new position - working with rescue animals none-the-less - and needed to replace the headshot she'd been using since college.

"It takes people looking past an outward appearance," a twinge of sadness entering her voice as we discussed our love of pitties. As she spoke, I knew that deep love in her eyes was what I wanted to capture.

After many more enjoyable paths of conversation, together we planned her session and discussed how she could best prepare.

Here's what we captured!

P.S. Check out the video below to be a fly on the wall of our studio during Brittney’s session!!

The door was ajar and a chorus of laughter greeted me even before I knocked on at my clients’ suite at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina. Upon my knock, Lauren, the team liaison, ushered me into the bustling room. Hairspray clouds burst in the air as lipstick colors were mixed and cut across mirrored pallets. Against the wall, a team of stylists was hurriedly at work on the hair and makeup of several women.

As frenetic as the room was, if you stepped back to take it in, a symphony of beige, browns, blacks and dusty reds blurred together to create a cohesive, grounded color palette. It was a minor detail but somehow displayed just how well all 13 of these women formed together. This was the eastern division of Lancome. All these powerful, type-A women in one room working together like a well oiled machine. It was hard to not observe and admire.

The group of us briefly chatted. I’d been brought in to photograph their team headshots and team portrait. As I’d only had contact with the team liaison thus far, it was important to me that I gather as much about each person and how they interacted with each other as quickly as possible as well as dictate what could be expected from their time with me.

I worked with each woman one-on-one, focusing on their individual personalities. Then, we also did team portraits, feeding off of each others interactions. There was hair flipping and top-model smizing going on by the end, finishing out the session with just as much laughter as there was to start the day.

I can’t not mention these ladies below either! We had some extra time in our session. So, I made a point to photograph the style team who made the ladies above look awesome!