We have had the privilege of working with a couple of book authors with their publicity headshots of a couple of upcoming books recently.

Nancy Weston, author of “Diggers Izy” and “Valley of Shadows”  moved to the Boise area recently and was looking for a portrait photographer to work with locally for her upcoming book project, and other projects that she’ll be publishing in the future.

An unexpected conversation…

I had looked her and up and one of her books caught my attention. “Valley of Shadows – Journey Through Alzheimer’s Bleak Landscape” seemed like a book I should be reading.  Like her, I had personally experienced how awful Alzheimer’s/dementia can be, and what it can do to loved ones who are faced with these hard, almost impossible decisions.  For those who have walked with or sat on the sidelines, Valley of Shadows is very descriptive of the plight many people have with their loved ones.  We had a great conversation just about her previous book!

The new book!

After discussing Valley of Shadows, we set about to talk about her new upcoming book and the images she would need for that project, “Ice in the Guise of Fire”.  She described it as a mystery novel with some interesting twists as any good mystery should have.  We talked at length about the cover design, the color, and the location of the image we were about to take.  Afterward, we settled on a good background color and picked some colors that worked nicely with the color scheme of the cover.

The session went well, and it wasn’t too long before she had her images selected.

Nancy even purposely waited to have the session done so that her publicity headshots would be closer to the release date of the book.

“Ice in the Guise of Fire” is currently available for purchase, and you can learn more about Nancy Weston at her website:  https://nancywestonwrites.com, you’ll also find links to purchase her books.

Phil White M.Photog, CPP

Phil White is the Managing Partner of CsiPhotoDesign at The 8th Street Studio in Boise, Idaho.  He can be reached at info@csiphotodesign.com, or 208-331-2287

 

 

 

 

Author headshot session for the book “There Is No Box”

I recently had the pleasure of creating an author headshot with Dino Miliotis, author of the book “There Is No Box“.

In the initial consultation, his idea was a contemplative look for the book cover.  After discussing it we had decided on a darker background, a dark table, and the emphasis on his face and hands.  Once we started, a wonderfully serendipitous moment happened.  Dino pursed his lips in reaction to something his wife had said and I had decided to capture the expression.  Long story short, after reviewing the images, Dino had decided he liked the fun element of that image.  It would be perfect for the cover of the book.

Luck = Preparation + Opportunity

I’ve been told that luck is where preparation and opportunity meet, and in any creative endeavor, that seems to hold true.  We began this session prepared and with an idea in mind, and the opportunity presented itself to create something even better!  Being open to the unexpected is what great photographers throughout history have practiced, and many iconic we enjoy today came from this.  This proves that even in something as simple as a headshot, you can elevate your brand, elevate your message, and elevate what your audience sees in that simple headshot.

In conclusion, we all bring something important to what we do.  Whether it is an author headshot, business headshot, actor headshot, or any other professional or creative endeavor, your headshot matters!  At CsiPhotoDesign at the 8th Street Studio, our goal is always to make our clients look good and most importantly say something important about what they do.

What is more, would later learn more about Dino Miliotis and his life up to this point.  It’s a very inspiring story and I count it a privilege to have been able to help him with the book cover.

More about Dino and his book

Check out Dino’s website and you’ll also find links to purchase his book.

 

Phil White M.Photog, CPP

Phil White is the Managing Partner and part-owner of CsiPhotoDesign at the 8th Street Studio.  He can be reached at info@csiphotodesign.com or 208-331-2287