Takeaways:

Finding the Location:

1) Corner Technique: creates directional lighting
(slightly more on one side vs another).
2) Shadow Line Technique
3) Separation between subject and background
a. Even background lighting
4) Natural Reflectors
5) Use: 1/500, ISO 100/400/800, F4.
a. Test the exposure with these settings, then adjust the environment, pose,
modifier (not the camera settings).
Steps to getting a good shot:
First, teach the squinch, jawline, and hook.
1) Preshot: Find their Good Side and sweet spot:
a. side you part your hair on.
b. Do you have a side that you love?
c. Adjust for eye size differences.
d. 60% of people have their left as their good side.
2) Position the Body:
a. Hook back of head (no slouch).
b. Arms to the side (thinner).
c. Start straight on, then turn body different ways.
i. Shoulders one way, head turned the other way (thinning).
3) Position the Head:
a. Method: Freeze body and suction cup/karate chop technique to position
head.
b. Forehead down and out toward camera to emphasize jawline
(w/sharper shadow):
i. Show: scrunch for double chin. NO!
ii. Show: forehead down and out, but relaxed. YES!
iii. If turned away from camera, turn the neck to move the head toward
the same angle as camera before doing forehead move.
c. Drop shoulder by saying lean toward camera to emphasize jawline.
d. Hook on top of head pulling up toward ceiling.
i. Or: increase distance b/w earlobes and shoulders.

ii. Reasoning: This resets the body and removes any slouching,
overleaning, and also elongates the neck, body, and jaw.
e. Tilt/Untilt: to remove neck wrinkles/straighten jawline/remove hair near
eye tilt camera with them to straighten.
4) Fix Hair/Clothing if needed:
a. Method: pointer fingers to back of head; split hair and trace down to middle
of chest to prevent hair on shoulders.
b. People are particular with hair; show them early and ask if hair looks okay
before proceeding!
c. Both sides down, one side down (always on the shoulder away from
camera), ponytail (tie at occipital not too high and shake out the ponytail
and show a little bit near the back shoulder)
d. Clear the shoulders and the chest/neck.
5) Add expression (see below).
a. Make sure everything is in place before you inject expression!
b. Slight smile
c. Squinch
d. Shoot through the residual smile
e. Brows
6) Shoot and repeat BUT CHANGE THE POSE SOMEHOW!
Directing the Subject and Getting Expressions:
Reasoning: a set of different images with different expressions for different roles they
might go for. I, as the photographer, elicit genuine expression in the subject.
We can move the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth.
1) When they first come in, get to know them, things they like to do!
2) Throw out adjectives to get different expressions:
Flirty, bitchy, sophisticated, suave, try it different ways, badass, suspicious, sinister, sneaky,
dark, innocent, sultry, feisty, snooty, devious, tough, sassy, charming.
He'll throw in actors names, too, like Give me Zoolander. He also has them try words
different ways, looking away and coming back with something new on their face.
Goofy words (used to chill them out and take stuff less seriously, or just so they
laugh): Delirious, perplexed, embarrassed, constipated, befuzzled, indecisive, skeptical,
inquisitive, antsy.
Other directions: tiny smile or smile with eyes or squinch (show first) or pull the
corner of mouths toward eye lobe

3)
4)
5)
6)

A, e, i, o, u
Close eyes, deep breath in and look into barrel of camera.
Just open enough to let air through
Squinch: [see below for how to teach]
a. Squinch lookbook: http://www.deesayz.com/squinching-the-latesttechnique-to-look-photogenic/
7) Range of expressions:
a. start out darker, slowly get lighter
b. have them look away after each shot and change expression every time I
shoot (throw out words or 20 different looks of charming)
8) Role play.
9) Genuine smiles:
a. make a funny face, capture through the end of the residual smile.
10) Slight smile: barely pull up corners of the mouth.
a. Smile with eyes.
b. http://imgur.com/a/8lxJ2
11) Brows: brow pressure, furrow, jack upward (peering at eyechart)

Miscellaneous:
1) If other people tag along, get them in the picture too!
2) Engage the unconscious (spontaneous/genuine).
3) Shoot at eye-level to empower (vs. shooting down on them)
4) Composition: chopping off the head to increase proximity and impact.
5) With black background, make sure to have a bit of separation in degree of darkness.
6) Glasses/Glare: tilt glasses, face, or light until reflection removed.
7) Lens: 100 mm, f4 (depends on how messy background is).
8) Expressions:
a. Frame of mind: get them away from thinking there is a camera in front of
them. Control their thoughts with things that will elicit genuine expressions.
i. let me try this vs. is this right?
b. Positive reinforcement (though not excessive!)
c. Different types of people when in front of camera; some will need more
reinforcement than others.
d. feels weird but looks good
e. I am the mirror for the subject people dont really know what their face
looks like.
f. Misdirection: anything we do as photographers to prepare our subject for
being photographed takes them farther away from their true selves

i. Solution: get them to think of anything besides the camera! Play

mode! Do direct direction first to get them in place, then throw in
misdirection.
ii. Examples: start off small when theyre a thread, then build up.
1. dont look so miserable!
2. tilt head/turn toward [place] e.g. the Empire state building
3. pull corners of your mouth slightly toward Mercury (for
smile)
4. sneaky look or sneaking up on an [animal]
5. give me a look like you just
a. You just sneezed, you got struck by lightning,
6. Puckering/flattening/furrow/collapse brow (for brow action)
7. Think about [random object/thing]
8. slightly flex your
9. Impersonate [character, animal]
10. Funny faces [blowfish on crack]
11. Adjective list (see above)
9) Beady Eye Syndrome: squinch only the bigger eye.
10)
Crop: leave shoulders (idea of clothing)
a. Crop into the front shoulder if it gets obtrusive when they turn to the side.
b. Give a bit of breathing room in the frame dont slam into one corner.
c. Eyes top third.

Lighting Setups:
1) Natural Light: two v-flats in front of window in a box in front of southern facing
window
Sherlock Holmes-ing:
1) Best angle?
a. Nose
b. Jawline
c. Eye size
Lethal Combination: squinch AND small smile
1) Confidence + approachability: I am capable but also I am a great person to be
around!
a. Confidence = eyes (Squinch)
i. Why? Deer-in-headlight look = uncertain/unconfident.
b. Approachability = mouth (slight smile)

2) Extra: Sneaky expression for mystery, intrigue.

Teaching the Squinch:
1) Try telling them to squint first.
2) Explain why (confidence)
a. Say: You must believe in yourself/squinch to have it come across.
3) We want the lower eyelids to go up without the upper eyelids to go down too much.
4) Imagery: eyechart, sandstorm,