Years of experience with posing and retouching is our guarantee that you will love your headshots!
If you need a headshot for your Small business, Modeling or Acting portfolio, Real estate company, Law Firm, Small or large corporation, Online dating site, Medical related profession, Commercial enterprise, Government entity, Entrepreneurial endeavor, Actor or Zed cards, or if you need to upgrade your Business directory, Marketing materials, Website and Social Media with new great looking headshots that will make you look your best, call us. Years of photographic experience combined with a great work ethic make Jeff the best South Florida headshot photographer.
If you are someone who is uncomfortable in front of the camera, or if you think you many not look good in a headshot or portrait, then you have not been photographed by Jeff Kolodny. Jeff is highly skilled in the art of posing, lighting, and retouching and will make sure you look fantastic in your headshots or portraits.
Why are professional headshots important? People like to put a person’s picture to their name. A beautiful attractive headshot adds a human touch that starts to build a relationship well before you ever start working together. By putting a face to the name people will remember and relate to you in a positive fashion.
Reasons why would you need a corporate, personal or business headshot? Having a great headshot is important and will enhance all of these materials. Working in the corporate and special event industry I get hired as a South Florida Headshot Photographer all the time.
Marketing for your business and personal use or public relations agency.
A printed photograph or digital image will convey your great personality and build confidence in the viewer. It will also help to strengthen your relationship with building brand awareness.
Websites, Business Cards, Postcards and Direct Mail pieces.
Handing or sending someone your headshot with you marketing piece is a great way to build trust while creating familiarity, confidence and trust with your potential client, contact or new friend.
Social Media Platforms,
Your social media content in platforms such as, Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter can all be improved by using your headshot in your outreach marketing because a picture of yourself is a great way to convey your personality.
Inter-company communications,
As business professionals using your headshot in your Presentations, Annual Reports, Corporate directories, Company Newsletters, and other internal communication types will help you to stand out in a more personal way. If someone is a new hire having a headshot attached to various communications is a nice way to build a business relationship.
Headshots included with Company Directories and Employee Recognition pieces,
A great way to boost the morale of your most important resource, your staff and employees.
Resumes and Employment sites
Employment website such as as Indeed, Monster, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, as well as job sites like AngelList, all stand to provide you with better results when including a professional headshots with your profile. It’s a great way for you stand out in an endless field of competition.
Why is Jeff a great choice for your headshot photography?
With years of experience, and formal training, as well as working as South Florida headshot photographer for over 15 years Jeff is your best choice when it comes to looking great in your pictures. With his BA in Communications and photography. He has worked and lived in Los Angeles where he trained with some of the most famous photographers in the world. Jeff also has amazing photo retouch skills, He uses a skin retouch technique called frequency separation which is the same retouch method used by the worlds top fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle and others.
His work experience is above and beyond the competition. Jeff has produced and edited photography for some of the most prestrgious companies in the country, His client list includes big names such as, Redkin, Warner brothers, Dermalogia, Playboy, 20th century fox, OPI, and many many more. His work has appeared in Vogue, Elle, Playboy, The LA times, and many more.
Jeff is highly skilled in art of posing and lighting. He know how to make people fell comfortable and confident in front of the camera.
His photography skillset insures that your final result will be heandshots in which you look your best without looking overly retouched.
Jeff treats his clients with great customer service and professionalism by returning calls and messages promptly and delivering finished images in a timely manor.
BELOW: If you have never visited the Boca Raton Resort and Club you should. When these lovely girls needed professional headshots to share with their clients they called Jeff.
I guess it means a lot if one of the top floral wedding and event design companies hires you to shoot the headshots of their staff. Here is the link to the Boca by Design about us page. Boca by Design, headshot by Jeff Kolodny. When you client this link you can tell which headshots were shot by me. If you need help check out, Lisa M. Coccoli, Director of Sales and Operations, Mariel Mackintosh-Eldridge, CMP Senior Corporate Events Designer, Jackie Fischer, Corporate Events Designer, Andrea Nunez, Corporate Special Events Designer,Carlos Marquez , Social Events Designer and William Summerlin, Social Events Designer. I’m very sad to say that William (Bill) recently passed away. Bill was a fantastic person and I always enjoyed working with him. I’m going to miss seeing & working with Bill in the future.
Beautiful headshot at your location or ours.
Most of our headshot photography takes place at various locations around South Florida. We also have a collection of beautiful portable backgrounds and we are happy to bring them to your office or location. Jeff can also use the natural backgrounds at your location. Sometimes clients want headshots that reflect their place of business, for example, A lawyer may want to use a legal library as a backdrop, a florist may want flowers in the background.
We understand that people are busy and often have limited time to spend traveling, we can spend as much or as little time available taking your pictures. Businesses people often feel that taking extra time to have professional pictures taken is not a productive use of their day. As a business person myself, I often find that the day has slipped by leaving me feeling like I have not made good use of my time. As a South Florida headshot photographer, I travel all over Southern Florida to take company headshots. I recently photographed staff members at a company that had offices in Miami, Boca Raton, Orlando, Sarasota and Naples. I photographed the company staff headshots in Miami and Boca Raton on one day, then drove to Orlando, Sarasota and Naples the next. Actually, it wasn’t just headshots, I also shot group photos and some marketing photos at each stop. Producing the best results at a competitive price is a must for almost any business, we are no different. We work with our clients to provide a finished product that exceeds your needs at a cost that is within your budget. Often we will recommend photographing several or many people at each location as a way of being more cost effective. Photographing headshots in groups is a good way to keep the cost down. Once we arrive to your location we will find a good spot to set up the background and lighting. Normally we need a 8 X 10 foot space to set up our mini headshot studio. Our set-up time is about 30-45 minutes. We also bring all the required lighting equipment to your office, Because Jeff is an expert at making people look good we bring our specialized beauty lighting gear. If you wear glasses we can change our lighting to reduce glare and insure great results. Of course it’s a plus if you eye glasses have an antiglare coating. Our lighting is customized for each person which results in everyone looking their best.
We have all the latest digital equipment camera gear.
By using only the best cameras and lenses your headshots will be sharp and clear. We also provide custom retouching which keeps people looking their best without making them look strange or like someone else. We always arrive with extra back up equipment. This includes both cameras and lighting. We could also photograph you in several different locations. If you would like some variety we can capture your headshots both indoors and outside as well. By having lots of selections you can have a headshot that conveys the best looking you.
The way Jeff poses and makes you feel relaxed.
We use a variety of posing techniques developed and refined by some very famous photographers from around the world. Before Jeff takes a single picture he spends some time coaching his subjects on how to stand and shift body weight for a natural look. If the person being photographed understands just a few simple concepts they can own their poses. There is no question that Jeff poses his clients, he also wants the look of confidence for radiate from his subject. Jeff also uses the same technique when posing brides and grooms at weddings. Here is the funny thing, once the wedding day ends and the bride and groom start posting their honeymoon pictures online we can see that the couple learned how to pose. We can latterly look at the couples honeymoon pictures and see the same wedding poses and stances that we shot at the wedding. By photographing your headshots in your office, factory or warehouse we can incorporate the character of your workplace into your headshots. We can also include your products with your portraits. What a great way to include a sense of your corporate identity. Because we are the leading South Florida headshot photographer we have worked all over Palm Beach, Dade and Broward counties. If you are in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, or Palm Beach call us at (561) 737-5561
We always include several different poses and expressions. By shooting a wide range of pictures taken from different angles and at different focal lengths you will have a wide range of image selections.
All the pictures get displayed on our online viewing gallery. Each gallery of images includes a private password. Only people with your password can view the pictures. Also included in our viewing gallery is an option to choose and mark your favorites. You can also leave retouching comments for each pictures. Anything goes when it comes to looking your best, if you want any additional retouch just let us know. We can also include a wide range of artistic enhancements and finishes. Love black and white? I can make any headshot black and white. How about sepia? We can create sepia – brown tone images as well. We can also provide unique creative looks such as Split Tones and other unique looks.
While we are taking your headshots, why take some pictures with others. You can include business partners, family members and groups into your photography session. At a recent headshot appointment I also photographed environmental portraits along with standard headshots. Environmental headshots are headshots taken in your natural environment using background that are visible in your office.
Jeff also shoots actor headshots, while business oriented headshots convey a certain professional looks actor headshots are more relaxed back and are geared toward emphasizing the actors personality.
Looking for that someone special? Online dating has become one of the most popular ways couples meet. As a South Florida photographer who also shoots weddings I know for a fact that about 40% of my wedding clients have met online. I actually met my wife online!
I have also taken many other headshots and profile pictures of many many other couples. I know because after being hired to photograph several dating website profile pictures, I got hired to shoot the wedding as well!
Jeff Kolodny has over 25 years of skill and experience working as a South Florida professional photographer, By specializing in professional business and personal headshots. He is an expert at photographing you so you look your best. By delivering top notch artistry and creativity along with quality portrait photography. Jeff will make sure you look your best. Jeff is also a highly skilled Photoshop retoucher. Need a tummy tuck, no problem, shiny skin? I can fix that in a way that look natural. I can also, enhance eyes, soften face lines and wrinkles. I won’t make you look like someone else, just the best image of yourself.
ABOVE: This headshot was taken at the Harbor Beach Marriott. When the catering director Delette needed a headshot quickly I was more than happy to get the job done for her. In addition to headshots I also photograph weddings. I was actually at the hotel getting ready for a wedding. Delette is someone who I work with often so I had the task of getting her picture done fast. The hotel has this mural in the lobby so I figured it would be a good place for her headshot. Working on the fly I don’t get too many options when it comes to photography locations and inside a busy hotel I had even loss options. This South Florida headshot was taken in the horizontal format because I had a camera and a on camera flash. I wanted her to have soft even lighting on her face, so bounce flash was required. The rule regarding soft lighting for a headshot is; The larger the light source the softer the lighting. For example, if you shoot with a small flash pointed directly at a person, then that light source is very small. Only the size of the flash head. However, if you bounce the flash off of a large wall then the light source becomes the wall which is lit by the flash, Some of the light will become reflected back off the wall eliminating the person’s face. She is actually sitting on a bar stool and posing on a highly reflective bar table. The bar table made a good posing table which kept Delette comfortable with her posing. By having her use the bat table as a posing table she was able to use her hands in the headshot. We shot several different poseds in a matter of about 5 minutes. In several poses her put her elbow on the table and her hand, or hands on her face. I was able to crank out about five or six different poses and got a variety of expressions. You can see another headshot by visiting my article on Boynton Beach portrait photography, just click the link and go the the bottom of the page. I live in a area that is very nice for portrait photography, I get lots of calls for headshots and shooting in my Boynton Beach neighborhood makes it easy for me to take quick headshots. Ill add more headshots from around Boynton Beach and on this article over time. If you have a job that requires a headshot then consider me your South Florida headshot photographer, if you need a single headshot or of you have a full department of staff members call me at (561) 737-5561.
A few tips for anyone having a headshot taken. Whenever I have an headshot session set I usually get asked for some tips, so here they are. Tip-1. Try to stay away from busy patterns. You don’t want people who view your headshot so look at the pattern and not focus on your face. Tip-2 Don’t get a haircut the day of your headshot. If you get your hair cut the day of your headshot then your hair won’t look natural in the picture. If you are going to the a haircut then you should do it several days before the photo-shoot. This will give the sharp cuts a change to even out. Believe it or not there is a difference in how your hair looks when you compare a picture taken the same day of the haircut vs waiting several days. Tip-3 make sure you get a very good nights sleep. When well rested you eyes will naturally open wider and look better. If someone looks tired everyone can tell you look tired and the camera will record that and enhance the tired look. Sure your tired eyes can be retouched but you really don’t want your photographer retouching tired eyes. Tip-4 If you wear glasses, have then coated with an anti-reflective coating. Getting your eyeglasses treated in not expensive and, trust me on this, it make a huge difference. Read this article on helpful wedding tips for more on glasses. Tip-5 Go easy with the make-up. As a South Florida headshot photographer I come across may girls who are used to being glammed up often. How you wear your make-up should be different when going out into the world vs being photographed. Usually a photograph will increase contrast and enhance colors. Often when retouching people I find myself removing make-up and reducing contrast. It’s much easier for your photographer to add contrast and color than it is to take it away.
BELOW: This outdoor headshot was taken during a model portfolio shoot at a South Florida beach. Headshot photography in South Florida is very popular for many different reasons. First, anyone in business needs a headshot. I know that I use my headshot for speaking engagement announcements, On my website, for some published articles, whenever a potential client wants to see what I look like, I would shoot over a headshot. This headshot was taken for a modeling portfolio, however, I’m sure it will be used for other content. Headshot can be taken anyplace, outdoors, in an office, at a corporate park, and in this case out in nature. I have certain photographic rules for headshot photography. One of my key focus points is the eyes. Whenever I shoot an image I look at the eyes for what is known as a catch light. Having a catch light in the person’s eyes results in enhanced eye color, and a point of interest. When looking at a headshot, the viewer many not realize this to the attention is drawn to the brightest part of the image. That means the catch light is going to get the attention.
ABOVE; I shot this South Florida headshot at a beach park in Boca Raton. With the sun setting in the west, I positioned the model so that the sun created a natural hair light. Her blond hair with the addition of the hair light created a bit of frame in this image. During the photo shoot we shot a wide range of images ranging from full length, to sitting, and waist up. Taking a headshot image is a no brainier because I’m already shooting, and chances are she will need to have a headshot at some point. If you need a headshot and are searching for a South Florida Headshot Photographer, call me. I’m based in Boynton Beach and travel all over the area. In the past I have taken headshot all over Palm Beach, Broward and Dade Counties. If you are in Wellington, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Palm Beach, Jupiter, Fort Lauderdale, Stewart, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Lake Worth, Palm Beach Gardens, and Coral Springs.
UPDATED BELOW NOVEMBER 2020 – The headshot below is of the famous event planner, Linzi from Linzi Events If you are planning a Bat / Bar Mitzvah or a luxury wedding than Linzi is someone you should talk with. When it comes to South Florida event planners, there is no question that Linzi is the best around.
I’m not just a South Florida headshot photographer, I’m also a photographer who photographs weddings, corporate events and even Bat / Bar Mitzvahs. Working in the event industry, I find that it’s very important to have several professional headshots at your finger tips. Having a collection of different types of headshot is handy for an event photographer because there are lots of different types of events that take place in South Florida. In my business, I have found myself covering corporate jobs, weddings, and some fun party type events as well. In the case of a website, a different type of headshot could be used for each different category. For example, the website section for parties should feature a headshot that conveys a fun, relaxed happy expression. In the case of a corporate website page, a different headshot should convey a friendly professional attitude. For a wedding page, the headshot could have a more natural look. In addition to expression and choices of cloths. A headshot could be taken in the environment that fits the industry. A corporate executive, could have a more impactful headshot if the picture is taken in a corporate environment. If you are selling wedding related services then having your headshot taken at a wedding only makes sense.
What are some of the best ways to use your headshot?
For me as a business owner, I always find new ways to use my headshot. Yesterday, I submitted an article talking about a business book I recently read. The writer asked everyone responding to include their professional headshot. I keep several headshot in folders on each of my work computers. This way when I need a spur of the moment headshot, I have one at my fingertips. I have found that may people use their headshots on their social media posts, or on their profile. If you have an account on Linkedin then having a headshot on your profile page is a must. In the case of my headshot, I’m holding a camera. This one makes sense since I’m a photographer. Click the previous link to see my home page. If course, you can also use your headshot on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and any other social media platform. You can also use your headshot as part of your e-mail signature or on your e-mail account profile. Have you ever noticed the lines of business related information at the bottom of some e-mails. Including a photo in your e-mail is a great way add a personal touch to a business correspondence. Today we are living in a world in which Covid is making it’s mark on many different industries. As a result of covid, platforms such as Zoom, Skype and What’s App have become popular. Adding your headshot to your virtual meeting platform is a great idea. Doing this is a great way to build your brand identity. If you have a website with a blog, or if you are a blog author, then including your headshot along with your blog posts or articles is another way readers could put a face with the name and article. I recently received a call from a Real estate agent who sells and leases mobile homes. They needed headshot for everyone in the company. Their headshots were taken for use on each person’s business cards. How about having your headshot appear in your potential clients mail box? I know that my mailbox has seen a crowd of different faces showing up inside my mail box. These faces arrive in the form of postcards, newsletters and other direct mail pieces. Some headshots have even appeared as part of a coupon.
Updated November 2020
I was recently asked to provide helpful information for models, actresses and actors on getting the best headshots. Below is some information you may find helpful.
For a model, actor or actress, a headshot is one of the most important factors that determine getting the part, or being passed over. When casting for a television show, movie, and photo shoot or for live production your headshot is what usually gets looked at first. Sure there are cases in which the talent scout or a director personally knows the model, actor and actress, however if you follow the relationship back through history, chances are the first contact started with a headshot. As a South Florida headshot photographer, I have hired many models for different assignments, some of the models I knew from past jobs, other times look through headshots.
Always hire a pro, when looking through headshots; it takes me two seconds to tell if the headshot was taken by a pro or by an amateur. Using a poor quality headshot sends the message that the model, actress or actor isn’t serious about being successful. A headshot photographer is required to own all the specialized camera gear needed to produce attractive professional headshots. This type of equipment isn’t cheap. Rather than just saying the equipment is expensive, I’m going to include some numbers. First, headshots should be taken with a camera that has a full frame sensor. The current least expensive full frame camera is the Canon EOS RP Mirrorless Digital Camera cost is $899.00. Your photographer should also own a professional F2.8 lens. For the Canon brand, the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens is the best choice. $2599.00 you may be asking, why such an expensive lens? More on this later. Your photographer will also need lighting, this could be in the form of a studio strobe or an on camera flash, these vary in price from under $100.00 up to $1000.00 Of course, I would not recommend a $100.00 flash. So when you add everything up a professional headshot photographer should own camera gear valued at a minimum of $3500.00 Most true professional headshot photographers have must more invested then $3500.00
Why does a headshot photographer need such an expensive lens?
One measure of a camera lens is the F-Stop A smaller the F-Stop means more light passes through the lens. In addition a smaller F-stop means that the focus point is shallow. This means that everything past the focus point is out of focus. This is referred to as bokeh. A more expensive lens produces a more pleasing bokeh effect. In addition a telephoto lens also produces compression. Compression in a portrait means that all the facial features are compressed. The result is, the eye sockets do not appear as deep, the nose appears smaller, and the chin is more compressed. All this makes for a more pleasing portrait. When you career is on the line, wouldn’t you want every extra benefit possible?
Next there is the question of lighting? Does you headshot photographer understand lighting? Are the photographers portfolio pictures lucky shots? When hiring a headshot photographer, it’s important to hire a photographer who understands lighting, posing, and directing to get the best results. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people have hired me, after shooting with another photographer who offered no direction. For the photographer, the ability to pose is critical, for the model the ability to provide facial expression will make or break a headshot. If the photographer can’t pose, the actor, actress or model will sense that and the facial expressions will convey insecurity.
The photographer must understand facial lighting. Harsh shadows may work well for a guy, but not for a girl. I always as, a shadow on a guy is character, for a girl, a harsh shadow is a wrinkle. Of course there is much more to the art of photographic lighting than highlights and shadows. The photographer provides the lens selection, the lighting and some of the direction. It’s up to the actor, actress or model to provide the expression and some of the posture. Working as a South Florida headshot photographer I find myself shooting in many different types of lighting conditions. Because the weather here changes often, I always need to be ready for changing clouds which can shift me lighting at anytime. Headshots should be vertical. In almost every case a headshot should be in the vertical format. I get the concept that rules could be broken, however if you are an actor, actress or model, and you really want to job, submit a vertical headshot.
Colors should be accurate. A headshot should include accurate eye color, hair color, and skim tone. Using image enhancement filters may make a picture more interesting, but the image enhancements should stop where the head begins. Keep enhancements limited to the background only. None wants to blow an addition because the headshot picture doesn’t accurately convey the look of the talent.
Crop correctly, I headshot should be cropped a chest and should include the head. In addition when the headshot it taken the camera should be shooting from an angle just above the eyes. Imagine a straight line that leads from the camera lens to the subject’s face. That line should hit the person’s eyes from a slight higher angle.
By photographing someone from the correct height and distance, your headshot photographer will produce the most attractive picture.
Once you decide to hire Jeff as your South Florida headshot photographer he will arrainge a pre-photography phone meeting may be in order. During our phone conversation Jeff will speak with you to prepare you for your photo-shoot. By talking about clothing selections, hair and make-up, location selections and other important portrait photography decisions we will help your look your best.
