EVERYBODY IS A CELEBRITY!!!

Gary Bernstein Quick Tip:

EVERYBODY IS A CELEBRITY!!!

Click HERE to learn more about Gary Bernsteins book collection.

Everybody is a celebrity! In fact – that’s truer now than ever before – because everybody is always taking pictures of themselves and sending it to their “millions” of followers! Remember, the younger generations want fame more than they want money (very foolish, by the way ;)). Anyway, I always treat my clients like celebrities AND photograph them like celebrities – even if I’m doing a free shoot for an old granny who just likes my work. In this case, my client is in fact a truly legendary celebrity—the beautiful actress and author Joan Collins.

This shoot was for one of her book covers. This is how the final book cover looks (sitting on my desk):

Try this on your next portrait shoot (and the one after that…and after that…): Regardless of whether the shoot is for a mother-daughter, a bride, a family portrait whatever (!): After you get the “hero shot in the can,” (consider the “hero shot” to be the main purpose of the booking), show the woman the cover of Joan’s book (or buy it (print it out from Amazon)) and say “I’d like to do this shot with you! You would look amazing! You will love it!” And she WILL love it! Count on it!

Remember to tell her to bring extra wardrobe and her makeup to the session. Remind me that we have to discuss how you can get professional hair and makeup for free for every session.

Check out Chapter 5 in Pro Techniques of Beauty and Glamour entitled (appropriately) “Hair and Makeup Styling.”

Now, you will be able to sell the shot as a huge portrait – that’s money you never expected from the shoot. Remember, you can’t sell it if you don’t shoot it! Do I sell large head-shots??? Oh yeah—even to myself. Below is a photo I just made of another desk in my office – the 30 x 40 is a shot I made of my wife, Lena Harris, looking out a window (I love window light – I love large head-shots on walls and so do my customers!):

The page below describes how I made the shot of Joan Collins — it is Page 116 from my book, The Glamorous World of People Photography.

OK, a few things about the page in my book – stream of consciousness:

It talks about my extensive use of Denny Manufacturing stools. I use one as a stool for the subject, and a second - in front - as a small table to rest hands, elbows, arms…

The background is one of a number of Denny backgrounds I have that are mottled grey. I love the greys because it pops both black and white skin tones; plus it’s “rich-looking.” Plus, it smacks of NYC editorial photography. That’s huge!

CHECK OUT OUR GREY BACKDROPS HERE

Last but surely not least: Yes, there are a lot of electronic flash units that were used for this shot. You can make the shot with some small, cheap, hot lights – just use 2 of them. I did it for years.

(see the set up on pages 75 and 76 in Gary Bernstein’s Lecture Notes and Private Journal).