Jon Busby / Birmingham, England
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© Jon Busby / The Portrait Kitchen
“I want to get behind the façade and discover the real person, so that they are seen as approachable. It is not hard to create an image of what someone looks like. The skill is photographing who they really are.”
We’re big fans of your couture millinery photography and we’re so glad you’ve been a part of Headshots Matter!
Can you tell us what initially drew you towards photographing designer hats and how that has led you towards capturing headshots.
Thank you for inviting me to talk about my photography.
My millinery work is one of those happy accidents. My wife Anjee knew the owner of a hat factory and my original plan was to document their hats. Curiosity led me to explore what was available to milliners in terms of high-end photography. There was little or nothing, so I decided to see what I could develop in terms of hat photography. I also noticed that most hats were photographed on stands. It felt like they were missing something. Placing a hat on a model brings drama, a narrative, and a connection with the milliner’s audience. I was, effectively, doing portraiture only the models were all wearing hats. I now shoot hats for milliners from all over the world.
I have recently expanded into fine art portraiture and headshots because I typically work in a very tight composition space. I rarely, if ever, shoot full length and I use the small composition space to create intimacy between the sitter and the viewer.
You’ve mentioned before that ‘connection’ is critical in a headshot. Can you share with us why that’s important to you and how you do that with your photography?
For a fine art portrait there is a lot of conversation at the start of a shoot. Many sitters may be nervous, so I am trying to calm them. The goal is to get them to a point where they are less aware of the camera.
When shooting a team of, say 30 professionals over six hours, which I have done, time is very limited and I may only get a couple of minutes for them to settle. Therefore empathy matters and I need to be able to understand their concerns quickly. Part of my job is to relax people so that they show their true character.
I tend to sit my camera on a tripod and use a cable release with a tethered laptop next to me. By using the cable release I don’t have to look through the viewfinder when I take the shot. I started to do this as I’ve found that sitters would often tense when I looked through the viewfinder and that can show in the final picture.
On your website you mention that you are self-taught. Photography is a lot about trial and error - has there ever been a mistake or a ‘happy accident’ that has led you towards discovering a helpful photo technique?
Self-taught yes, with my friend YouTube. I rarely use ambient light and tend to sculpt or control the light provided by one flash. I would close the aperture to say f/11, drop the ISO to around 100 and set my shutter speed to 1/125 or maybe 1/160. That will eliminate all the ambient light. Then I can direct the light how I want with flash. My happy accident is probably using a tripod. I’d had one for years but rarely used it, then one day I did. It gave me a consistent composition style, as I would be using the same axis. As a bonus, it also took pressure off my back from leaning to take a shot.
I am not sure if these are accidents but I stopped using zoom lenses and only use a 50mm or 85mm prime. I find them much sharper, and I like the fact that I have to move rather than zoom in or out.
I also take my time now. Three years ago I would shoot four or five hundred photos of a sitter. Now it is usually a hundred. I feel that this has led to better portraits.
Who would you love to photograph someday and why? And/or perhaps is there a favourite hat designer you’d love to work with?
They say you should never meet your heroes or idols. I’ve always wanted to photograph Willem Defoe, Christoph Waltz or Uma Thurman. But faces are faces and every one of them is unique and interesting, so I am happy to photograph anyone.
Most of the top hat designers have their own photographers so I don’t waste time pursuing them. My market is the level below them which is also a bigger market. I get to shoot some incredibly original designs. A lot of my millinery clients approach me because they have perhaps used a smartphone but that limits them. With me, they can move to the next level, so their work is more suited for editorial.
Where is your favourite location to shoot headshots and why?
I shoot either in the corner of our kitchen, or at a local studio depending on the assignment. The kitchen studio takes about an hour to set up. When people see a photo, fortunately they don’t get to see the chaos behind the camera. The space is restrictive, but I can pull off anything from waist up. If I need more space, I have access to a formal studio. I like using this for more than two people and all I have to do is turn up with my camera and laptop, then leave.
I also travel to client locations so that there is minimal downtime and disruption.
Your millinery photography is very stylized, but your portraits are much more ‘authentic’ in nature. Do you think we’re moving towards a more natural and authentic style for headshots?
I have quite controversial views on headshots. In the US there is a tendency to do the standard “corporate headshot”; the sort that has been used for the past 10-20 years. Many, to me, can lack authenticity and make the sitter look a bit wooden. The retouching can make things even worse. I have a particular dislike for ring catchlights in the eyes and excessive dodge and burn. In the UK and Europe I think that is changing. The buyer is also changing. Headshots are for anyone, not just corporate 'suits.'
A lot of typical headshot formats look like the sitter has been made to pose a certain way. Surely as photographers we should be bringing new ideas to the table. My belief is that we should be catching the real person because a headshot exists to help at least two people connect. I want to get behind the façade and discover the real person, so that they are seen as approachable. It is not hard to create an image of what someone looks like. The skill is photographing who they really are.
How do you kindle your creativity and where do you find inspiration?
I take a lot of inspiration from classic portraiture and music and film influence me a lot. My creativity comes and goes. Sometimes it is intense and sometimes it is dormant. I occasionally look at other portrait photographers, but I do that less these days as I have found my own composition style. If another photographer’s work is strong and inspiring, I take the view that it will find me.
How critical is mindset when preparing for a photoshoot and is there anything you do specifically to prepare yourself?
Hugely. Before a shoot I am planning everything. My set up is deliberately minimal; camera, lens, one light, one reflector. I only want to think about what is necessary. I am a little nervy before the shoot starts but once I have the exposure set and the client relaxed, I am in my happy space. It is then less a photo shoot and more me chatting with a sitter and pressing a cable release every now and then. I do think nerves are important as they keep me on my toes and help makes me focus on the task.
Lastly, in your opinion, why do headshots matter?
Because our headshot tells our audience about us instantly. Put another way, all of us, given a choice, are visual readers first, text second. I am not saying that a portrait on its own will win clients, deals or castings, but it does give you the opportunity to present yourself in the way you want to be presented rather than how a headshot photographer thinks you should be presented. Humans are curious by nature; we like to see who we are dealing with and in many cases a client may check you out before they even approach you. You wouldn’t want a client to land on a badly- designed website, or be given a business card in comic sans font so why tolerate a badly executed portrait or headshot?
Thanks so much Jon, for spending some time with us - sharing your story and your views about headshot portraiture!
To learn more about Jon Busby and The Portrait Kitchen, please take a peak at his website: portraitkitchen.co.uk
© Jon Busby / the portrait kitchen
