Preparing for your actor photoshoot is one of the most important steps you can take in building a professional acting career. A strong headshot opens doors. Whether you’re just starting out or updating your portfolio for Spotlight or an agent submission, your headshot is the first impression casting directors get—so it pays to get it right. The key to a successful shoot begins with understanding your casting type.
Rankin has photographed some of the most recognisable faces in the world, including David Bowie, Kate Moss, Madonna, Queen Elizabeth II, and Daniel Craig. His portraits are known for their directness and energy, often revealing unexpected sides of well-known figures. Ignore the haters on social media – his AI art show FAIK OFF is the best attempt yet to tackle the role of AI in photography.
If you’re feeling a bit nervous about a photoshoot, join the club! Most people feel that way. You’re putting yourself out there and that can be uncomfortable. Nico, the film-maker who’s the subject of this photo told me that he felt nervous when he came into my studio. Looking at his photo that’s hard to believe, I know.
The secret is relaxing and being yourself. Give yourself a little love and trust. A photographer with empathy who knows how making people feel at home helps a lot with this.
Preparing for a corporate headshot might seem like a small task, but in reality, it’s a powerful step in presenting yourself and your business to the world. Whether you’re updating your LinkedIn profile, refreshing your company website, or preparing for a PR feature, the image you put forward should reflect your professionalism, personality, and brand identity. A well-planned headshot session can elevate your presence and directly support your business goals.
Lighting is the foundation of all great photography. It’s what separates a dull, flat image from a vibrant, three-dimensional portrait that captures attention and tells a story. When done correctly, lighting not only enhances the subject’s features but also sets the tone, mood, and style of the final image. For portraits, headshots, and fashion photography alike, understanding light is one of the most critical skills a professional photographer brings.
In recent months, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly entered the world of portrait photography, offering quick, low-cost alternatives to traditional headshots. With just a few selfies taken on a mobile phone, AI software can generate polished-looking portraits that mimic studio lighting, clean backgrounds, and professional styling. For busy professionals or individuals on a tight budget, this can seem like an appealing shortcut. But the question remains: should you trust your brand image to an algorithm?
There’s been a revolution in lighting for film, TV and video. For decades, lights didn’t change much in terms of how they worked. Then LED lights arrived. LED’s save on electricity bills, don’t fry the talent and are faster and more convenient to work with in every respect. They’re the lights (almost) everyone’s using – but are they better?
There are more images being created than ever before and the overwhelming majority are not being created by professional photographers. Mobile phones offer a cheap, simple way to get an OK image. This eliminated the low-end market for photography and camera sales have reduced dramatically over the past 15 years. AI is the second wave of change. Mobile phones eliminated the low-end market for images and AI will eliminate much of the mid-market – for images like generic pictures for web sites and advertising, basic product shots and fast-fashion e-commerce photos.
So if images of reasonable quality can now be created by anyone for free (or almost for free) with their mobile phone or AI, why do I think some photographers will still be doing just fine years into the future? What kinds of photography will always be created by professional photographers rather than an algorithm?
In today’s highly visual, digital-first world, a professional headshot isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, a corporate executive, or part of a larger team, your headshot is often the first impression clients, colleagues, and potential customers will have of you. And in business, first impressions are everything.
Planning a corporate photoshoot is an important investment in your brand’s image, but many businesses aren’t quite sure how to budget for it. Whether you’re updating your leadership portraits, creating consistent team photos, or launching a campaign with lifestyle imagery, it helps to understand what goes into the cost of professional photography. Budgeting properly ensures you get the quality and results you need without surprises along the way.
It can be daunting if you’re landed with the job of organising a shoot of your company’s executives. It’s a high-profile task involving the entire management team so you need to get it right. Here’s your essential guide to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Choosing the right portrait photographer isn’t just about who owns the best camera or who has the slickest Instagram feed. A truly good portrait photographer brings much more to the experience than technical know-how. They have the ability to see people—not just through the lens, but as individuals with stories, expressions, and energy that deserve to be captured with care and authenticity. One of the key traits of a great portrait photographer is empathy.
It’s often thought that creative people are disorganised but if you look at successful artists, they all have a system. Even the artist Tracy Emin, famous for her Turner-prize-winning unmade bed, has methods she follows for all her artwork. Planning is an enabler for creativity because it frees everyone’s minds from the mundane so they can focus on being creative.
