Portraits of a Student Actor
Bryan Visits the Studio
By Dennis Drenner on 6 Mar 2017
in Recent shoots
Actors are a blast to photograph. As you might imagine, however, they are not always at home in front of the lens. Even seasoned thespians feel a bit of stage fright at times. At least that's what Meryl told me when we were having drinks the other day...
A lot of actors are more comfortable acting (i.e. performing) than modeling (more static), so I'll often keep them in acting mode. It's fun to yell out emotions and situations for them to interpret: depressed, elated, perplexed, your puppy is lost, you are greeting your girlfriend at the airport after a long …
Portrait of an Artist
Mia Dances Around The Studio
By Dennis Drenner on 22 Feb 2017
in Recent shoots
Unless you're a trained actor, when someone points a large camera at your face, you probably feel a little self-conscious. Even if you wrestle a big grin onto your face, I will see the fear in your eyes. "Do my teeth look stained? Can he see that blemish on my nose?"
My job as a headshot photographer is more than just bathing you in soft light and finding the perfect pose. It is helping you to stop worrying about the camera and relax-- even if it's just for a fraction of a second. That's all I need for a …
When you're married to a photographer, you end up being dragged into a lot of photos whether you feel like it or not. My poor wife Karen has been dragged into the frigid mountains of Colombia for a New York Times travel piece (she hates camping), and been repeatedly dunked into a pool to test my new waterproof camera housing (she doesn't swim). More recently, she helped test my idea of doing an animated headshot.
Professional Headshots on Location
I Work With The Financial Planners At Northwestern Mutual
By Dennis Drenner on 26 Dec 2016
in Recent shoots
A few weeks ago I went on location to the Turf Valley Conference center to shoot headshots for Northwestern Mutual. Their local financial planners were having a meeting, and we took the opportunity to do some headshots while everyone was together. I set up my portable studio in a large lobby, and the planners cycled through as their schedules permitted.
Published in the Washington Post
The Post Sunday Magazine Runs My Alley Portrait Series
By Dennis Drenner on 30 Nov 2016
in Odds and Ends
Some days when I'm not shooting in my studio, I'm working on a personal project photographing people I find wandering down the alley behind my house. A few weeks ago, I got an exciting message out of the blue from the photography editor of the Washington Post Sunday Magazine. He had heard about my project and wanted to publish a selection of images.