Components of a Great Headshot
PREPARATION
Cynthia McIntyre will personally consult with you during a headshot planning session. Clothing is an important component to any successful headshot because it can dramatically detract from the intended message of your headshot or ensure it’s success. Cynthia will provide a pre-session packet with preparation and clothing advice that will ensure a message consistent with your personal brand.
Cynthia will also discuss with you your vision for your headshot. What is the look you are going for? A professional corporate executive look or more approachable and friendly? She is ready to listen to your suggestions and can make recommendations as needed to bring your vision to life. Her most popular backgrounds are shown on this website, however she has many more to select from and is open and willing to use additional backgrounds. Of course, she can always photograph you on location, at a location of your choice.
Women sometimes enjoy having their makeup professional done. However, this is certainly not a requirement because Cynthia always enhances your makeup when retouching to ensure you look your best. Yes, she can refresh or complete your make-up using Photoshop!
She does not recommend that men wear make-up. Any shine or blemishes on a man will be removed during her natural looking retouching techniques.
POSING & BODY LANGUAGE
Your body language says everything about you in your business headshot! During every head shot session, Cynthia McIntyre utilizes her extensive knowledge of non- verbal communication or body language when posing a client to ensure that the non-verbal message communicated through your final headshot is consistent with your personal brand. The message that you reveal about yourself through non- verbal communication is the most important part your headshot session. Do you want to look meek and scared in your headshot? Or do you want to look confident and successful? How you place your chin, the look in your eyes, they type of smile and the tilt of your head dramatically affect how you are perceived in your headshot. Cynthia will work with you to ensure your message is appropriate.
Through proper posing, Cynthia can make you look thinner or younger. She has special techniques to reduce any neck fullness or a double chin. Do you squint when you smile? No problem, Cynthia has a posing “trick” to ensure that we can see you eyes in your final headshot. She always poses people in a variety of ways to get your best angle and side. Then, when you review your images on her laptop, you can select the one that looks best!
EXPRESSIONS
Your expression in the first thing people will note about your headshot. It says a great deal about you and plays an important role in shaping your personal brand. It allows you to connect with the viewer of you headshot on a more personal level.
First & and foremost your facial expression should look natural. Forced smiles can make you look insincere & unapproachable. Cynthia will coach to bring out a variety of facial expressions. Rest assured, as a very experienced headshot photographer, this headshotologist has quite a few “tricks” to bring out natural expressions that will produce a headshot that you will proudly display! Her sessions are lively and stress free so your expressions come naturally.
She will solicit from you a variety of facial expressions: a serious closed-mouth smile to the “power smile” to the emotional smile. You can then select the one that best suits your personal brand when you review the images with Cynthia on her laptop at the end of your session. Some people are hesitant to show their teeth in a headshot. However, your teeth can easily be whitened and straightened in Photoshop!
SELECTION
Cynthia McIntyre will personally sit with you to review your images and select your favorite headshot immediately after she photographs you. As an objective trained observer, she will point out to you the non-verbal message in each image to make your selection easier. She will teach you about what to look for in your body language so you can begin to see yourself objectively. That being said, she will never try to influence your decision – the final selection and decision is yours. She truly is of the belief that you should like you final headshot. Headshots are quite personal and once you have a good headshot it is amazing how much your confidence improves with each compliment you receive.
Cynthia does not post your proofs online and leave you to your own accord to select the best one. Most people do not look at themselves objectively. Too often, we focus on our perceived facial “flaws” or the fact that we have gotten older. Their selection is therefore based on the image with the least “flaws.” However, most of these imperfections can be corrected in Photoshop. Cynthia has a simple process to review and narrow down your business headshot or acting headshot to your best one. Then, she will take it into Photoshop to show you what can be done in Photoshop to address your perceived.
TECHNOLOGY
Cynthia uses studio lighting in the creation of headshots. (Of course, if preferred by the client, she can use available or natural light). There are dramatic advantages to using studio lighting , the most significant being that great lighting can make you look significantly younger! Traditional portrait lighting can accentuate lines on your face and make you look heavier. The special lighting setup that Cynthia McIntyre has custom designed will make you look more youthful and enhance your features so you look more confident. This lighting set-up creates the signature look Cynthia is known for – vibrant, crisp, flattering images.
Cynthia uses the latest in full frame professional digital cameras so your headshots are exceptionally sharp and capable of being used in a variety of settings: from small files for use on LinkedIN to large files for use on an outdoor billboard.
Cynthia is able to bring her portable studio to your office or any indoor location.
ART & SKILL
Cynthia McIntyre, the Headshotologist has been photographing people for over 40 years. During that time, she has done many different types of photography: babies, maternity, wedding, families, high school seniors, glamour/boudoir, and of course headshots. She has trained with some of the best photographers in the world to learn lighting, posing and the use of digital cameras to master the technology of photography
However, it was not until she began to break the established “rules” of photography that her skills turned into an art form in the creation of headshots. She has photographed over 2300 individuals in developing her unique style of headshot photography.
Cynthia’s clients quickly realize during their headshot session that her style and technique are unique and unlike any other photographer. As the Headshotologist, she uses her unique methods to create amazing headshots for her clients.
She pulls out smiles and facial expressions from her clients that bring looks of amazement as they see their images for the first time!
RETOUCHING
The intent of retouching should not be change your appearance. Instead it is to enhance your image so you look like you do on your best day. Poor retouching can make you look fake and dishonest. Cynthia’s retouching technique retains the skin texture so men look like men. Blurring of the skin can make a man look feminine. Cynthia uses advanced photoshop techniques to keep your headshot looking natural. Retouching includes correction, removal of blemishes, removal of stray hairs, remove glare and distortion in glasses, even-out skin tone, smooth wrinkles on clothes, add body to hair, even out the size of eyes, whiten teeth, brighten eyes, reduce lines under the eyes, remove lines on the neck, etc. etc.
Cynthia McIntyre personally retouches all headshots for Cynthia McIntyre Photography. Consequently, you can be assured that your headshot will look just as great as those on her website. As an expert retoucher, Cynthia will work her “magic” on your head shot to ensure you look like you do on your best day. She can even make you look younger or thinner if you desire.
CONVENIENT LOCATIONS
Business men and women as well as actors have limited time today to drive long distances to a photography studios. Therefore, Cynthia McIntyre Photography has multiple studios conveniently located throughout CT,and Westchester NY, as well as the Tampa Bay area: Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota FL area for your convenience.
All of her studios are in contemporary high-end office buildings with receptionists, comfortable waiting rooms, ample on-site parking, elevators, refreshment areas, and climate controlled for your comfort and security.
Of course, Cynthia can also bring her portable studio to your office or other location of your choice to create studio quality headshots. Headshots she creates on location look exactly the same as those she creates in the studio. When coming on location, you need only supply the room- Cynthia McIntyre brings everything she needs.
Cynthia McIntyre Photography
In Tampa Call 813-369-5545
In Sarasota call 941-531-1113
In Orlando call 407- 720-5005
(All studios are only open by appointment)
