Black & White Headshot Portrait (UNEDITED) of Photo Assistant John While On A Cold Assignment In Downtown Raleigh NC

The black and white portrait above is of my assistant John (UNEDITED) on a 25 degree day (1/5/16) in downtown Raleigh NC. John was actually holding the Profoto B2 light setup pictured on the left above with a 24 inch Profoto octabox attached to it. I had the idea of John letting the monopod rest on the floor pointing slightly up at his face creating the shot that you see above. It was shot with a Canon 5D Mark III and a 70-200mm Canon lens set at f/2.8.

This is an example of a behind the scenes shot that’s not the usual style of seeing gear or the photographer in action. John and I were staying warm in the lobby of a building in downtown Raleigh waiting for our subjects to come down to be photographed outside on a 25 degree morning. John was holding the Profoto B2 setup, so that he could act as my human light stand which definitely saves time.

It’s a dramatic portrait with the lighting style use, John’s expression and being in black & white. It was simply me killing some time waiting on our subjects for the actual photo-shoot that we showed up for which goes to show that you should always be ready with your camera to grab a shot that you may have not originally planned on.

Being a professional photographer is very rewarding, but getting shots like this that were not part of the plan is even more rewarding. Happy Shooting!

The post Behind The Scenes: Portrait Of Photography Assistant In Downtown Raleigh NC first appeared on .

4 Lighting – Studio Portrait – Shot At 162 Wind Chime Court In Raleigh NC By Portrait Photographer David Williams

The dictionary defines a portrait as a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders. With that said, I do a lot of portraits, but of business professionals and a few models. Although family photography shows a lot of faces, families are not my focus. I truly specialize in individual portraits.

A core part of what I do are head and shoulder shots also referred to as a headshot. However, a headshot can also be a really tight portrait of mostly just the face. I absolutely love doing individual portraits because I enjoy the individual personalities depicted through a portrait like the one you see to the left. Whether it’s more of a lifestyle portrait like the one on the left or a business executive type portrait, I am still absolutely passionate about photographing individuals.

The title of this post “Portrait Photography In Raleigh NC By Photographer David Williams” is appropriate because Brenda (wife) and I have a portrait studio located at 162 Wind Chime Court just off Six Forks Road in Raleigh. The studio is set up perfectly for individual portraits while allowing a home base for the equipment needed for the location portrait work that I do. It’s not uncommon for a company in the Raleigh area to hire me as their photographer to set up at their location to do business and executive portraits of the core team or the whole team for smaller companies.

Before the 1980’s were over, I had photographed thousands of people for individual headshot portraits. In those days, it was all film photography which although I still shoot some film, I must say that I love digital. The only downside to digital photography is that so many people try to jump in the photography industry without the knowledge needed to create a nice portrait. There is far more to getting a great headshot portrait than just point and click. I believe that someone who just picked up a “nice camera” over the weekend could not get the same result as the portrait on the left. Not only is it a 4 lighting in studio set up, but it also involves camera and composition knowledge along with building a rapport with the subject.

Portraits of individuals are something that I am truly passionate about: If you are looking for an experienced portrait photographer in Raleigh that focuses on individuals, please feel free to call me direct at 919.723.8453 or use the online contact form.

The post Portrait Photography In Raleigh NC By Photographer David Williams first appeared on .