Image of the Week: Jeff, Middlebury College, Vermont

Spend a little extra time on easy shoots to build your portfolio.

This week's image was the result of tacking a little extra time onto a headshot session. These shoots are a walk-in-the-park for photographers, but the usual imagery isn't fantastic portfolio material.

I asked the subject, a music professor at Middlebury College in Vermont, to stay a little longer and try some more characteristic portraits, something with a little more visual interest. I switched to a wider lens to encompass more of the sparse surroundings, and finally settled on a composition that graphically isolated him against the backdrop of concrete and metal patio furniture.

You don't always have the luxury of time to try something different, but when you do, make the extra effort. Make sure you bag the shot your client wants, but it doesn't hurt to bring a little extra to the table.

Technical Data

Jeff, Middlebury College, Vermont was photographed with a Hasselblad 500CM and a Zeiss 80mm ƒ/2.8 T* lens on Kodak TMax 400 film (TMY-2). The exposure was 1/60 sec at ƒ/5.6.

Other Images of the Week