FREE (YES...FREE!) STUDIO PHOTOS FOR YOU

WHO: me, you and a camera

WHAT: FREE business headshots for your professional network profile (i.e. LinkedIn)

WHEN: december 19th (10am to 4pm)

WHERE: a studio in downtown yyc - message me for details (see contact info below)

WHY: an opportunity to pay it forward this holiday season and help those who are working hard at finding work.  a professionally done profile photo will boost your marketability to potential employers and expand your professional network

HOW: photos will be done in a professional studio and selected high res digital images will be provided FREE of charge

studies have shown that professionally done profile photos increase your presence on social media sites and gets you noticed.  whether it is online dating or professional networking sites, a good current profile photo makes the difference on whether someone wants to take the time to learn more about you or not.  more specifically for those looking for work, a clean and accurate visual representation of you will likely lead to increased views on your profile which contains all the important information about your work experience and education. in a tough economy such as this, why would you not consider doing everything possible to make people notice you?

here are two articles which i think adequately explain the value of good profile photos for professional networking sites such as LinkedIn:

Why it's smart to have a profile photo
Why it's smart to have a GOOD profile photo

i personally have an affinity for LinkedIn because my networks helped me with two opportunities in my career, one when i wasn't actively looking for work and the other when i was.  i believe that building a professional network starts with being personable and putting a face to the name.  being faceless means being ignored and being ignored is not why you signed up to be on a professional networking site in the first place.

too often i have come across profile photos that are either non-existent or poor quality. think about some of the memorable profiles you have come across on LinkedIn...and now think about what their profile photo looked like. chances are you remember them because their photo stood out and then you took the time to read more about them out of the hundreds of other profiles you could have looked at.

this is where i hope to be of service.  like many other professionals who have 9 to 5 jobs, i also moonlight as a photographer and i want to be able to help out where i can.  i'd love to be able to hand out jobs to people who are looking for work, but that is not realistic. but through this special FREE event, my goal is to offer up my time and expertise to help others improve their profiles and get them noticed online.  who knows - that could be the first small step in finding employment again. it's not a guarantee, but it does check off that box that asks, "are you doing everything possible to make people notice you?"

space is extremely limited so book early to reserve your desired time.  limited spaces will also be available for those people who are employed and looking for a current professional headshot, but i will be asking that we use the honor system and request a cash donation to be made on the day of the event.  all collected donations will go to the Salvation Army on your behalf.

email me at d.dejesusjr@gmail.com to make a reservation and do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions/concerns.  did i mention that this event is absolutely FREE?! what do you have to lose?



de jesus. FREE professional headshots. out.

FROM THE VAULT: ABSTRACT PORTRAIT

sometimes when i'm doing client work i'm able to squeeze some personal work to play within my creative space and enhance my portfolio.  for this particular shoot, our model Vanessa was hired to create an ancient far east theme to the shoot where she would wear traditional robes accessorized with a replica samurai sword. and although it may be cliche to put these elements together, with the right hair and makeup it helped create some dramatic images that weren't so tongue in cheek.

photo credit: me

for this photo, i wanted to create an abstract which demonstrated the dramatic effects lighting, exposure and composition can have when showcasing images side by side.  a thematic play of dark and light with eyes closed and open help create the mood and balance which is absent when the photos are shown individually. choosing to display the images in black and white only intensifies the shadows - especially when the sword is being utilized this way.  i tried to give this ancient look a modern twist by giving it high contrast between the dark and the light and using mirrored symmetry as the focal point.

client photography often times restricts my creativity to certain conditions and expectations.  no complaints from me - after all, i am hired to perform a certain task and obtain certain images at the client's request.  but never lose sight of your creative side and try and work within your client's parameters to see something that you could take away as well.  this work allowed me to compose an image i enjoy - it may not serve a specific purpose or be used for a magazine ad, but it's a creative space that i was able to explore and produce an abstract portrait i might have not otherwise been able to.

de jesus. photography is art. no debate. out.

WEDDING PHOTOBOOTH: RHODA AND CORY

the old saying goes, "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime..."

Rhoda and Cory: just married

in wedding photography, "give guests a photobooth and you get some fun images. teach guests to enjoy a photobooth and you get really entertaining images..."

i've done the wedding reception photobooth a couple of times now and each time it has been one of the highlights of the day.  along with the bride and groom, the guests become a part of the event and have memories of the evening whether they are sober or not.  the photobooth experience provided by my studio is meant to be fun and given the right set of props and atmosphere, guests really come out of their shell to embrace the innocent playfulness it is intended to be.  

all we do is set up studio lights and a fixed backdrop, mark a spot on the floor and let the shutter fly. that's about it.  no need to get technical or worry about composition or perfect lighting.  guests decorate themselves, pose any way they want and let the image speak for themselves.

as promised to all the guests at Rhoda and Cory's wedding, the photobooth images are available on my website on a password protected client page.  click here to access my main site and please go to "clients".  from there, enter the following information:

username: rhodacoryphotobooth

password: (cory's last name)

here is a sample of what you will find in the album.  thanks to you all for embracing the experience and really having fun with it.  images are only as fun as you make them to be and you certainly did a wonderful job at that.  please enjoy!

  

    

    

   

de jesus - taking the "boo" out of photobooth.  out.