Headshot, The

It used to be that the only people that needed professional-looking headshots were actors and models, but now thanks to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and social media in general, headshots are hot! They've never been more in demand than they are today, and Peter Hurley's unique headshot style and trademark look have made him the most sought-after headshot photographer in the world today. Here's your chance to learn exactly how to create "the look" that everybody's after. This is bankable stuff! If you're not adding headshots to what you offer as a photographer, you're leaving a lot of money on the table. Peter knows first-hand the secrets to not only lighting your headshots like a pro (there's a whole chapter on that alone), but in this book he reveals, in the very same fashion that made him a famous name with photographers everywhere, how he gets authentic expressions and incredibly flattering positioning that will make your clients look better than they ever have in any photo-period! It's all here: he shows you his positioning techniques, his secrets for getting genuine smiles and images that look so natural you won't believe they're posed (but of course, they are), and you'll learn the very same techniques that Peter uses to create amazing headshots for everyone from execs at top Fortune 500 companies, to Silicon Valley startups, to actors and public figures who know all too well how important a great-looking headshot really is. Peter doesn't hold anything back. He reveals all his tricks of the trade, from his trademark lighting look, to how to create good-looking backgrounds on location, to positioning tricks you won't hear anywhere else, and it's all written in Peter's fun, quirky, inspiring style that lets you know, right from the beginning, you can do this, and you can do this big! These are the techniques that Peter has crafted from years in front of the lens, as a model for top brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Guess, and years behind the lens, giving him an insight few photographers will ever possess, and he's willing to share every bit of it-every trick, every technique, and every nuance-in this book that will pay for itself at your very next shoot. Yes, it's that good.

Peter is a New York and Los Angeles based photographer specializing in advertising and commercial work, including portraiture, fashion, beauty, editorial, actor's headshots, events and corporate photography. "Let me give you an idea of the round about way I picked up a camera and found a new love. It and most of my life revolve around the sport of sailing. In 1993 after graduating from Boston University I hadn't a clue as to what I was going to do with myself. That summer I was doing what I had done every summer since I can remember, racing sailboats.In August, I won a National Championship and decided to train for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. While training full time, a friend sent me to see a designer at Ralph Lauren, who was in search of real sailors to model in a Polo Sport advertising campaign. I had an incredible time and months later my picture was seen around the world. More importantly, I met a true friend and eventual mentor, Bruce Weber, who was the photographer on the shoot. Bruce continued to take pictures of me sailing and after failing to make the '96 US Sailing Team, I found myself in New York at the start of a new modeling career. Modeling led me into acting, but the dream of a gold medal still lingered in the back of my mind. After a few years, I dropped everything and decided to jump back in the boat and train for the Sydney '00 Games. It was during this time that Bruce encouraged me to start taking pictures of sailboats. My training paid off landing me a berth on the 2000 US Sailing Team. Shortly afterward, I took up the camera and while shooting a regatta I turned the camera on a fellow model/actor and friend of mine who had come along for the day. Those pictures ended up in his portfolio and created the outset of my new career. Since then my pictures have led me into advertising and my clients now include Levi's, Reebok, DKNY, Johnnie Walker and Axe Deodorant to name a few. I am continually growing as a photographer and I'm so glad that my crazy path has landed me here with a camera in hand. I would like to give a special thanks to Caggie Simonelli, Bruce Weber, and Josette Lata for making this possible."

- Introduction - Chapter 1: The headshot recipe that started it all - Chapter 2: Hitting the technical on the head - Chapter 3: Lights, camera, action-or not? - Chapter 4: Establishing a rapport - Chapter 5: Let's craft what's in your director's toolbox - Chapter 6: The art of Sherlock Holmesing - Chapter 7: Breaking the nonverbal two thirds barrier - Chapter 8: It all starts with the jaw - Chapter 9: The beauty of the human smile - Chapter 10: Make em squint - Chapter 11: It's all about the therapy/direction and the inner dialogue going on between us and our subject - Chapter 12: Pre-shuttter release checklist - Chapter 13: Don't shoot it if it just ain't right