It was becoming common for me to get enquiries from business owners or those of you who are client facing that needed new headshots but didn’t have the time for my full session. The full sessions can range from anywhere between sixty and ninety minutes. I’ve never put a time limit on them because when it’s going really well and great images are flying out why stop? I’m not really someone who is driven by what my watch says, I’m driven by the end result. Having this time can be really beneficial as it gives us the time to really drill down into the details of what makes a good headshot. Also, people take direction differently. Some take to it like a duck to water but some need a little bit more time to get into the flow. Having that hour to hour and a half makes this possible.
However I had to find a way to help those people still needed headshots but didn’t have that amount of time available. So I decided to try a little experiment in the form of a #QuickFire event. It was a full day at the Grain Store Studio in Faversham. It’s a beautiful place to work with free parking and two minutes from J7 of the M2. It’s a refurbished grain store (no surprises I guess) on the site of a farm. We turned one of the downstairs room into a studio for the day.
The #QuickFire sessions are twenty minutes long. After spending years shooting corporate teams, where twenty minutes is all I’m ever going to get, I’ve gotten pretty good at working to a tight schedule. Nothing really changes from my full session. I still go through all the expression coaching to make sure every single person I shoot is perceived in the right way by their existing and potential clients. Confident and approachable. It just happens in less time.
One of my makeup and hair styling team, Vanessa Jane, was on hand throughout the day and will be part of my team at the next event. Vanessa is a highly experienced and qualified makeup artist and teaches as a senior tutor at The Beauty Academy in London. Vanessa and I have worked together on many occasions. She knows exactly what is required for a professional business headshot. Subtle and classy.
Not surprisingly, bookings were really solid. I guess that’s the benefit of putting together an event based on pre defined interest. The images in the grid above were all taken at the event. It was always my intention to make it a two or three times a year thing. So today I am announcing that the next event will be on Tuesday August 16th. I’m pleased to announce that the Business Bunker radio show will again be the lead sponsor. For those of you who live under a rock, the Business Bunker is a weekly business orientated radio show on Channel Radio, presented by the one and only Paul Andrews. You can listen live via the website on Tuesday’s between 1pm and 3pm or you can listen again at any time here.
So, I hear you ask, how does this #QuickFire event work? Here’s the answer.
Booking – At 12 noon on Wednesday 6th July, at the bottom of this page, you will be able to book a timeslot that works for you and securely pay online using a credit/debit card or via PayPal. Once your payment has been received (which happens almost instantly) you’ll receive a confirmation email and then some guidance from me on what wardrobe options would be the most appropriate to wear on the day. If you are unsure what colour schemes would work best, I can recommend a professional image consultant to help you out.
Magic Time – On the day, we create the magic. It might be a one look, 20 minute session but there’s no downgrading in quality here. I will coach you through the entire process. Every image is taken directly onto a computer screen and periodically we will stop and review the session up until that point. It helps me to guide you in what’s looking great and what we need to work on and it allows you to be sure you’re getting exactly what you need.
Review – After the session is complete I will create an online proofing gallery with a unique link with a selection of the best images. You’ll get this via email within seven days. You can share with this link with friends/family/colleagues etc if you would like to to ask their opinion. I’ve created an incredibly simple process to then let me know which image you love the most. The session includes one image. If you require any additional images, these are chargeable at £30 per image to cover the time in retouching. Which leads me onto…
Retouching – Your choice(s) are then professionally retouched by my retoucher. I often get asked how much retouching is involved, usually because people are worried they will end up looking like a china doll parody of themselves. Less is more is my motto here. Unless you’ve told someone the image has been retouched they would never know. Most of the work to make you look your very best is done at the time of your session, through my custom lighting setup and my expression coaching. The post production retouching is the cherry on the icing on the cake.
Delivery – Your final retouched image is supplied to you within 7 days of you choosing your favourites, ready for social media or website use.
Slots are £79 and are on a limited, first come first served basis. There are a total of 14 slots available. After all, there are only so many hours in a day to make the magic happen.
You can now book and pay for your preferred time slot using either a credit/debit card or via PayPal using the button below.