Boston Headshots: Emerson College Admissions

Last week  Emerson College generously invited me back to shoot more corporate headshots for their admissions staff. "Yay"   ( I love working for the team at Emerson)  What I love about shooting for Emerson is that they allow me to deviate from the standard corporate headshot and put my own spin on it. Formal is great, in certain situations and there are people who do it amazingly, but I personally excel in a much more relaxed environment. In January I shot all of the seasoned members of the admissions staff, but recently they have added some fabulous new energy to their Graduate and Undergraduate teams and needed to officially welcome them... by having their photos taken. Diverse backgrounds all, they each bring a valued skill set to the admission's office which supports the team atmosphere and also makes for a very fun office environment. What was incredibly clear to me as I spoke to each of these new staffers is their commitment to and passion for the bigger picture of the work they do each day. Emerson is great school..."yes I am biased because I went to graduate school there." But I ask you this: "Don't we trust the man who is not only the Hair Club president, but also a client more than we would someone who has no basis for their claim...I think we do!"  enjoy*

Happy Holidays! Cheers*

Providence RI::Headshots:: Leigh

You know how there is always at least one person in a classroom who doesn't speak very often, but when they do you know it's important?....yeah, that's Leigh. We actually did meet in a classroom and I was so drawn to her quiet brilliance that I just wanted to sit next to her every day and see if her ideas would rub off on me. She's quirky and unsure while at the same time incredibly grounded. She uses her hands, while wearing amazing rings, to try to figure out her thought process as she is talking and she shakes her head and says "Oh...I don't know, but what about: (insert something brilliant and thought provoking and timely and effortless") ...and then everyone in the class is better off because she spoke up. Leigh doesn't think she is an academic which is what makes her so approachable and funny and successful. Her one woman show: How to be a lesbian in 10 days or less is a fantastic self composed piece of theater which seamlessly weaves humor, personal biography and dance. I have seen it and loved it! She has already performed it in Boston and Providence and will hopefully continue to share it with the world. But on the flip side, Leigh is incredibly down to earth and speaks with passion about her love for Will & Grace, specifically her twin at heart Sean Hayes, and how she is obsessed with the Lifetime movie What Makes A Family...well, basically anything Cherry Jones will do...or Mary Louise Parker...or Sarah Paulson...Oh and lest I forget..."NO, her tattoo has nothing to do with the Ani Difranco song. Stop asking!"

Thanks for the fun, Leigh..and the sangria lunch...(shhh!) :)

Cheers, enjoy*

Boston:: Headshots:: Meredith

"I want to be a good time gal...but not the dirty kind! ": This quote is only a mere glimpse of the hystericalness (made up word) that is Miss Meredith. She is hands down one of the funniest women I have ever met and I was thrilled when she contacted me for shots. She is equal parts brains and sass which is what makes her brand of humor so fun to be around. I remember being in class with her and crying from laughing so hard. Love it! We scheduled for Sunday morning and after waking up to a downpour, I crossed my fingers that the rain would first of all, stop and then after this hold off for a few hours so we could do our session! Thankfully, it did...just long enough for us to have some fun. Don't be fooled though, Meredith is not without a serious side. A newbie to the world of tattoos, she took the plunge a few weeks ago and didn't choose a smiley face for her foot, but rather a principle by which she wants to live her life: "Leap and the net will appear." The quote is inspired by her favorite professor and mine, Bethany Nelson. But then in the same sentence she'll tell you how she's proud to be a "muffin" (the name a colleague of hers has given to those exceptionally awesome people who love Musical Theater) and thus the conversation has shifted back to the lighter side. Personally, any gal who answers my question "name your top five musicals" with an incredulous "Of all time?..Oh my god that is so hard" is a girl I want to hang with.

Thanks for the awesome makeup Tom!


I'd seen her wear this hat before so I asked her to bring it along. Totally cute, right?

Diva-licious.

Good Luck Meredith. I wish you lots of  "leaping." Go get em!

enjoy *

Boston:: Headshots:: Rachel

"Can you stand without leaning on anything?"I actually said this to Rachel at one point during our session. Bananas!!! I got so caught up in having her lean against things that when there wasn't a wall or a door, I kind of freaked out. She was quick to retort, that "yes, indeed she was an ambulatory human and as such, could stand without additional structural support!"  (people hire me for my eye, not my brain.)  Friday was an incredibly perfect day and as the sun set in beautiful Cambridge, MA  Rachel and I were livin it up and literally stopping traffic while we did it.(Really, Walden St had a detour and we were right there wavin at the cars)  As you will see, Rachel has flawless skin, fabulous hair, amazingly deep hazel eyes and the awesome where-with-all to know when she looks good. (which is most of the time!) This was incredibly helpful and she even taught me a few things about really listening to what people say about themselves and not pushing my own agenda. She knew exactly how to move and could totally "smize" on command! Oh yeah, and before the session we even had a little "home economics" class as we, and by we I mean I,  ironed the shirts that she had rolled up and thrown into a bag! hahaha. "Dear clients...please iron your clothes. They look so much nicer in your pictures and you and your photos will be happy that you did."

It was great spending time with you Rachel !
enjoy*

Boston:: Headshots:: Marni

Marni Glo at the afternoon "PEEP SHOW":
 Marni wore a skirt to her headshot session. (rightly so because it was oppressively hot in Boston yesterday) However...I didn't know her all that well yet, and I wasn't sure how to approach the delicate subject about needing her to spread her knees a bit in order to get the right position for her shoulders. So while I was being all timid and delicate and awkward about my wording and making sure she wore undies, she just chimed in: "oh, you need me to sit like THIS?!" (make your own mental picture hahaha) ...and now we know each other VERY well and she's my new best friend. It was hysterical! We were as modest as possible, but I think the people in Central Square did get a kick out of us. Marni is an amazing woman, folks. A native of Northern California, her Berkeley education has done her well (smartie), and led her to Emerson grad school where, among other great accomplishments, she helped write a fabulous play about the Salem Witch Trials! She's quirky and funny, but can bring down the house with Shakespeare's "Queen Anne." (I've seen it) Marni's free spirit and love of life made me wish I had spent more time with her before she moves on. She's moving to the big apple in a few weeks to be with her dashing british boyfriend, will no doubt find an amazing loft in Park Slope, a great student teaching position, and basically live a fabulous life... fitting for this fabulous woman.

There were a TON of great shots from today. Here's a few of my favs....

She actually OWNS colored shirts. It was awesome. I had such a hard time choosing because everything was so great on her brown eyes....so we kinda wore almost everything.


One of my true favorites! Don't you just want to hang out with her?!

When she pulls her hair back it's a totally different look. Very sophisticated. And she didn't even have a mirror!

yeah, we had some "wardrobe malfunctions.

Not a headshot, but there is something approachable in her face that I can't put my finger on, but totally love and wanted to share.

Good Luck Marni!

enjoy*

Boston:: Headshots: Alex

The intensity that is Alex can not be captured in a mere image. You simply have to spend time with him to understand. He's a passionate writer, kickin it old school at times with a paper and pen and devoting "white board scheduling" to keep himself on track. He's inspired by the daily occurrences of life and his mind wonders curiously about the story found in imagining who may be on the other end of a random stranger's telephone call as we walk past. Not wanting to be compared to anyone else, lest he be put into a genre box, he did offer that his work could be loosely compared to the style of well known author Brett Easton Ellis (Less than Zero, American Psycho). Not bad company to aspire to if you ask me. Alex's sarcasm and antics kept us awake when, on such a beautiful day, both of us wanted to simply take a nap on the pavement in order to recharge from our late nights. Although my excuse is a good one, he actually was up late kicking doors (totally legal, no one was hurt), but it doesn't sound at all like a way to cure writer's block! Keep an eye out for his mug on the jacket of best seller some day soon.







enjoy*

Talk to me plain

Friday night was the end of the year Vernacular party (the WLP blog) and it was a blast! I am thrilled to have been asked to shoot the event. If you haven't yet checked out this great addition to the Emerson website, I hope you take the time to do so; there are tons of resources and events and musings to entertain you for hours. You can also become involved if you'd like!

If people didn't have a good time at this event it was their own fault because the team went all out. An awesome local band played, Gentlemen Hall, and brought everyone to their feet. If you are in Boston and have an opportunity to hear them play I highly recommend you go. It will not be long before they are highly sought after.


enjoy *