Environmental Portraits in Baltimore
Dennis Escapes the Studio
By Dennis Drenner on 21 Apr
2018
in Recent shoots
Despite the name, Charm City Headshots is more than just a headshot studio. Sometimes I leave the studio and venture out into the real work to make environmental portraits. Earlier in my career I was a busy newspaper freelancer, for whom environmental portraiture is a big part of the job. Now I do the same type of work for corporate, individual and institutional clients. The nice thing about this work, compared to newspaper assignments, is that I have a lot more time to prepare for the job and find the ideal time and location for the shoot.
In the …
I recently did a second location shoot with the good people who keep me warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and keep the lights on all year. I was happy to hear from BG&E again after such a great experience working for them the first time. Everyone I met at the company was super friendly, and many had worked there for decades. Clearly they are doing something right!
By the way, sorry I couldn't resist the cheesy dad joke in my headline, but the photos were just electrifying! (Doh!)
This is just a quick post to show you all some recent headshot shoots, as well as to give you an idea how folks are using my photos out in the world to help with their careers and businesses. For example, above, author Barbara Bourland is using my headshots on her website and other promotion materials. She recently released the book "I'll Eat When I'm Dead."
Blurry Background Headshots
On Location With Agile Group in DC
By Dennis Drenner on 15 Mar
2017
in Recent shoots
For headshots, an out-of-focus foreground (i.e the subject) is a bad idea, but blurry backgrounds look cool! So I was excited when a DC area client wanted just that.
Fortunately the space they chose for the shoot, a co-work space called DC Workspaces, was perfect for the job. They had a glass-walled conference room with a large, bright open space behind that acted as the perfect stage. And by moving just a few inches to one side or the other between shoots, I was able to give each subject a slightly different backdrop.
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 …