A Fine Day for a Photo Shoot

Today’s post is a departure from my typical content in that it features photography that is not my own. Not only this, but the subject matter is unlike anything I’ve done here. It is, in fact, the work of a professional photographer featuring a rare and camera shy subject – me. It’s true, I hired a photographer to take headshots of me under the pretext of needing recent, professional photos for the likes of LinkedIn and other “business purposes.” In my defense, I have not had headshots taken since my high school senior portraits, and my 18-year old smiling visage cannot, in good faith, be said to resemble that of my newly 30-year old grimace.

And the “headshots” that I’ve used in the intervening years can hardly be considered recent or particularly flattering. One that I used for near on a decade shows high school era me posing in front of a tree in a black blazer and pencil skirt on my first day of a summer internship. This was followed by a circa 2018 poorly lit image of me with unfortunate bangs on my first day of a new consulting job, standing in front of my then-company’s logo. As I am no longer employed at said consultancy, it hasn’t seemed quite prudent to continue repping the last employer while my LinkedIn profile states that I am gainfully employed elsewhere.

Hence the headshots. But not just headshots, oh no. As I first contemplated the idea a couple months ago, I decided that if I were already going to the self-regarding lengths to have my hair, makeup, and pictures professionally done, I might as well go all out and have some fun with it. Get the standard LinkedIn friendly headshots, but also throw in some more creative, artistic shots that I could use for, say, this very blog!

Enter Vera Pashkevich of Vera Pash Photo, my highly talented and very patient photographer. After scouring the internet for local Seattle photographers, I enlisted Vera’s help because I really liked her work and her style resonated with me. Her site features business headshots, yes, but also a portfolio of lifestyle/creative shots that exude a moody, atmospheric quality. I inquired about her rates (very reasonable, for anyone interested) and sent several images that I had found online to serve as inspiration for the kind of look that I had in mind (I’ve included a few of those here as points of comparison). After learning that Vera has a couple session options that combine professional and creative headshots, we settled on a two-hour session conducted over two locations in Seattle proper that allows for a wardrobe change. But on the day of the shoot, we went for about 45 minutes beyond the allotted time and covered well more than two locations while walking from the shooting sites of my choosing – Freeway Park and Pioneer Square. Suffice to say that Vera went the extra mile.

My vision for Freeway Park, a Brutalist-designed urban park built over a freeway in a maze-like composition of staggered concrete blocks of varying heights, was a kind of freestyle, artsy approach. This hinged a lot on my outfit and involved me wearing a long, flowy crimson dress that would provide a high contrast to the rough textured grey of the concrete forms. Having nothing like this in my wardrobe, I spent a couple days engrossed in online shopping, trying to find just the right gown to complete my artistic vision before feeling a bit silly about the whole enterprise and giving up. I ended up settling for not a dress, but a billowy jumpsuit that, sadly, turned out to more orangey-red in person than the desired deep red that the pictures advertised.

Another problem presented itself a couple days before the shoot, when I realized that my plan to start out with the creative shots at Freeway Park and end with the more corporatey headshots in Pioneer Square might not work so well, as we were to start shooting at 4:00 and end at 6:00. I worried that the later afternoon light, while perfect for the creative work, might not lend itself as well to the business portraits. So I showed up at Freeway Park at 4:00 in my “corporate” attire – another jumpsuit, this one a black satin number coupled with a coral and black leather jacket – and we got the headshots out of the way first at an office building off the park.

After being told by a security guard that we could not photograph anything inside the building lobby (we were strictly outside, mind you), we moved to the park, where I changed into my red ensemble in a damp, dark corner that was protected by walls on three sides but open to the fourth and the sky above. Vera stood guard, ready to alert me to the presence of any curious passerby, and I was able to change without incident (if we don’t count the muddying of my new velvet heels).

From there we spent time playing with different angles and vantages, me posing awkwardly among the concrete blocks and doing my best to keep my facial muscles relaxed while modulating the frozen smile on my face – Does this look natural? – and clawing my hair out of my face every two seconds. We also tried several motion shots, to comic effect, with Vera directing me to take large, exaggerated steps along the edge of a 15- to 20-foot ledge while looking over my shoulder and hoping that my next step wouldn’t take me clean over the side. The more or less candid shot that she took of me climbing up the concrete blocks is far too funny, mortifying though it is, to not share here.

On our way now to Pioneer Square, Vera paused to shoot at various sites that caught her eye. With the afternoon sun beginning to wane on a rare cloudless Seattle day, we had phenomenal light to work with, and Vera would stop me here and there to try out different spots, gushing about the light in the way that only artists do. All the while, we were making our slow way to a particular rooftop garage with city views that is frequented by local photographers.

And sure enough upon our arrival, there were several groups shooting there, taking advantage of the warm October sunlight. We took our turn, alternating between more traditional portraits and some with a bit of a creative flair. Now with the jacket on, now with it off. Big smile confidently at the camera here, look softly off into the distance there. With these directives I clumsily obliged, hoping that I was at least a willing subject, if not an easy one.

For her part, Vera made me feel at ease, or at least as comfortable as I can be in my own skin with a giant camera lens pointed at my face. Better than this was seeing the joy that was evident as she worked – she was positively gleeful upon capturing a radiant band of light or an interesting composition. Her continual exclamations about how gorgeous the lighting was made me start to believe that the pictures just might turn out okay. Even if I came out looking like a greasy ogre, at least the light would be stunning.

As we walked back to our cars at the end of the shoot, Vera told me that the images she was able to get at Freeway Park that day were the kind that she’d been striving to but hadn’t yet been able to capture after years of shooting there because no one had ever worn something that contrasted so vibrantly against the concrete structures. A simple thing, really, but with that, I felt less ridiculous about my hunt to procure the perfect outfit for my silly little photo shoot. Even more so, I felt that, rather than merely being a passive subject in a headshot session, I had been an active co-creator in an artistic process. And that had been my hope and aspiration all along. Whether Vera would hold the same opinion about my contribution is another thing. But for my part, I got to dress up, learn a little, work outside of my comfort zone, and even have a small part in creating something verging on art.