Los Angeles Portrait Photographer – Nick Reid

L.A. Portrait Photographer | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer | Los Angeles Editorial Portrait Photographer

So you’ve decided you want a headshot, maybe more, but you don’t know where to go next or who to speak to.

Headshots or – more professionally known – portraits can be used in a variety of ways for a vast spectrum of goals. It’s important to think about what your objectives are going to achieve from the outcomes of a successful portrait shoot.

Los Angeles Portrait Photographer Nick Reid is here with us to offer you some tips and tricks for your headshot campaign.

Target Ambition

This one is the biggie. Knowing you and your audience is a key feature in understanding what type of portraiture you can benefit from. Los Angeles editorial portrait photographer Nick Reid and the rest of our talented team have worked with a large span of varied clients: musicians, businesses, influencers, agencies, actors, artists, models and even behind-the-scenes individuals such as writers.

Your audience will likely guide your type of headshot and where it is going to be used. For example; a model may need a portfolio of portraiture in different outfits, styles and make-up in order to demonstrate a high employability spectrum in their field. A business, on the other hand, may simply need professional studio-based close-ups for employee profiles and lanyard usage.

So you know there’s a headshot for you, but where’s it going to be used? Wall-art, magazine editorials, movie posters or even news articles. However, modern social media and the waves of people using it make online platforms the most common stage for portraits and even your choice in platform with determine the type of headshot for you.

LinkedIn may require a simple close-up like for the corporate businessman above, while a social media influencer on Instagram or Facebook could require an environmental mid-shot consisting of more artistic and emotional photography.

Your Environment

Ok, so you know who your audience is and you have an idea on where it is going to be used. Next up is thinking about the framing and image of the picture, itself. Does your portrait require a bright or solid-color background? Will you be using a prop such as a couch? Or, will you be embracing the environment and taking the studio outside?

Los Angeles-based Nick Reid photography are flexible in the services we can provide; offering you the choice to come to our studio near Hollywood and Beverley hills, or for us to take our studio-kit on the road to you.

There’s no need to worry about quality for your on-location shoot, as the team will scout the best location, make use of beneficial weather and bring all of the lighting, reflector and camera equipment necessary for a professional day of shooting.

Hand-Picked Nominee

Next up is choosing your photographer. You need a portrait photographer that will take professional and efficient photography while having the ability to help the portrait subject relax in front of the camera. Some of us may even sneak a smile with a cheesy joke.

Los Angeles editorial portrait photographer Nick Reid has spent over 15 years in the industry creating beautiful headshots for a range of clients with big names: Marem Hassler, Chris Cortazzo and Roger Melvin to name a few. He has created rapport with individuals and corporations allowing you to go into business together knowing exactly the service excellence that will be provided to you.

if you’re still unsure, have a look at Nick Reid’s portraiture gallery to have a look at what’s in store for you when working with us.

In the Spotlight

It’s the day of the photoshoot and you’re getting ready for your portrait. One of the most important factors, other than you and your brand, is the lighting. Getting this right from the get-go will make the next couple of steps to your perfect headshot much easier.

Making light look natural is an art form. Nick and our team use high-class industry standard equipment to light you up.

In a short process of working alongside you, we will understand what your aims of the portrait photography are, where they intent to be exhibited and the end product you’re shooting for. With this, we will draw upon the most beneficial lighting sources – and colors – to reach your goal.

Lighting can be used to create different moods and looks. If you want something to appear dramatic or ‘edgy’, then hard light can be used to give you that artistic look. If you are looking for a flattering, professional or formal appearance, then soft light can be used. Soft light is commonly used to generate classic portraiture considered to be ‘clean’. It is often published anywhere from online social media profile pictures to editorial magazine articles.

From artistic to formal and anywhere in between; whatever your taste we can customize your photo-shoot to suit your aesthetic and technical requirements.

Striking a Pose

No matter where you are; in-studio, on-location, Santa Monica, Malibu, Downtown Los Angeles or even London, subject positioning is what truly makes portraiture. Nick Reid will be on-hand to offer direction and to help bring out your on-camera confidence, but think about the style of your image and how your pose will affect this.

Many traditional business-style portrait photography consists of what’s called a ¾ shot; a body faces slightly away from the camera while the subject looks directly down the lens. This avoids any uncomfortable straight-on or ‘aggressive’ stance and can flatter the body while making the subject approachable.

Los Angeles headshot photographer Nick Reid will be on set to guide any subject to find the pose that best suits the client goals, but factors to think about – or, even practice on – would be communicating with the eyes, keeping the shoulder’s back, being aware of the chin and jawline but, above all, being relaxed. Feeling comfortable in-front of the camera directly translates onto your portraits.

Other factors to think about would be the framing: will the final image consist of a close-up headshot, a blurred background or a full-body portrait? Nick Reid’s packages can be tailor-made to help to factor in a number of poses and portrait-design ideas.

Work with your photographers to help us understand the tone your shooting for and allow us to give guidance through professional experience. There’s a chance we may suggest something you hadn’t yet thought of.

Arrange re-touching and brand placement

You’re at the final stage of your portrait photography. Whether you had an on-location photoshoot or an in-studio session, your images will be processed with excellence, so long as you choose the right photographer – luckily there’s a good one based in Los Angeles.

When your images have been processed, you will be provided with a number of portraits to choose from. Depending on your package, you can have a portfolio of images for a campaign or you could have natural business-portraiture requiring one image per person.

After you have chosen your images, they will be sent back to your Los Angeles portrait photographer for logo addition, re-touching where needed, color-grading and image re-sizing to fit the needs of your brand.

Nick Reid and the team endeavour to take the right image in-camera, meaning minimal editing is required, if at all. However, if it is something you and your brand are interested in, then there’s lots of other little things that your Los Angeles editorial headshot photographer can do to make your images stand out with high-calibre re-touching. We offer photoshop services such as blemish removal, teeth whitening and more.

Get in Touch with Los Angeles Portrait Photographer Nick Reid

Nick is what you need in a Los Angeles headshot photographer. To see more of Los Angeles portrait photographer Nicks Reid’s work check out his video work. To see more of Nicks social media work check out his posts on Instagram. For your pick-n-mix production, get in touch either through email: nicholasjreid@gmail.com or by phone: 303-722-0111