Cinematic headshots with a musical thread
My client travelled up from London to my studio for a portrait session. She’s a musicologist, which made the brief really interesting.
She wanted two things at once: timeless, no-nonsense portraits for professional use, and a set of images with a gentle nod to her musical world. Colour and monochrome. Straightforward and expressive.
I planned this one in stages. We moved through a handful of clean setups, changed the styling between each, and kept the posing in mind.
My client works in and around the fields of music research and performance history. The pictures needed to read as confident and credible on an academic profile.. We aimed for warmth without losing formality.
The creative direction
I started with a simple, classic head-and-shoulders look. Tonal background, controlled light, eyes straight to the camera. From there, we layered in the musical cues. Nothing literal or costume-y. Just subtle references.
Lighting and the “filmic” monochrome
Lighting stayed precise. I used a soft key and a shaped fill. The monochrome edits lean into a filmic look—grain and contrast added—so the files feel textured rather than glossy. Colour sets stayed clean and modern for press and profile use.
Posing and pacing
I kept my client seated for a lot of it, then stood her for a few fuller frames once we had the essentials. Small adjustments make the difference: chin, shoulder line, hand position. We built confidence in steps, so nothing felt forced. It’s amazing how quickly people settle when the direction is clear and gentle.
Musical touches without the cliché
For some shots, we paid homage to her field through framing and direction. The point wasn’t to shout “music” at you, but to let her world sit naturally around her.
I delivered a balanced set: classic colour headshots for immediate use, and a series of monochrome portraits with that filmic, characterful feel for talks, publications, or a future book jacket. Versatile, consistent, and very her.
Plus, we had a little bit of fun at the end with some sunglasses. Just for the sake of it.
Quick wins for professional headshots
Keep styling simple: solids over busy patterns.
Bring options: two tops, one jacket, clean lines.
Glasses: bring them. We’ll manage reflections.
Hair & makeup: natural finish beats heavy retouching.
Purpose first: press, profile or print? We’ll shoot for it.
Edit notes: All the images are edited with my own Film Edition 4 Lightroom Presets.
Selected Colour Images From the Session
Selected Filmic Monochrome Images From the Session
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