The Headshot: The Secrets to Creating Amazing Headshot Portraits
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-03 09:55:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Peter Hurley
- ISBN：0133928519
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Summary
It used to be that the only people that needed professional-looking headshots were actors and models， but now thanks to Facebook， Twitter， LinkedIn， and social media in general， headshots are hot！ They've never been more in demand than they are today， and Peter Hurley's unique headshot style and trademark look have made him the most sought-after headshot photographer in the world today。 Here's your chance to learn exactly how to create the look that everybody's after。 This is bankable stuff！ If you're not adding headshots to what you offer as a photographer， you're leaving a lot of money on the table。 Peter knows first-hand the secrets to not only lighting your headshots like a pro （there's a whole chapter on that alone）， but in this book he reveals， in the very same fashion that made him a famous name with photographers everywhere， how he gets authentic expressions and incredibly flattering positioning that will make your clients look better than they ever have in any photo--period！ It's all here: he shows you his positioning techniques， his secrets for getting genuine smiles and images that look so natural you won't believe they're posed （but of course， they are）， and you'll learn the very same techniques that Peter uses to create amazing headshots for everyone from execs at top Fortune 500 companies， to Silicon Valley startups， to actors and public figures who know all too well how important a great-looking headshot really is。 Peter doesn't hold anything back。 He reveals all his tricks of the trade， from his trademark lighting look， to how to create good-looking backgrounds on location， to positioning tricks you won't hear anywhere else， and it's all written in Peter's fun， quirky， inspiring style that lets you know， right from the beginning， you can do this， and you can do this big！ These are the techniques that Peter has crafted from years in front of the lens， as a model for top brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Guess， and years behind the lens， giving him an insight few photographers will ever possess， and he's willing to share every bit of it--every trick， every technique， and every nuance--in this book that will pay for itself at your very next shoot。 Yes， it's that good。
Reviews
Newly Wardell
，
I didn't finish this book。 Because I lost it。 I lost it because I chunked it。 I chunked it because I swore if he went on another irrelevant self aggrandizing narrative I would and the very next page he did so I did。 So please take this review for only half of the book。 For all I know in the latter half he became that guy from the YouTube vids that truly wanted to help others improve their photography。 The first half of the book didn't reflect （photo pun） this desire。 I get it。 You're talented an I didn't finish this book。 Because I lost it。 I lost it because I chunked it。 I chunked it because I swore if he went on another irrelevant self aggrandizing narrative I would and the very next page he did so I did。 So please take this review for only half of the book。 For all I know in the latter half he became that guy from the YouTube vids that truly wanted to help others improve their photography。 The first half of the book didn't reflect （photo pun） this desire。 I get it。 You're talented and crazy hot。 Peter Hurley takes incredible headshots。 Seriously。 Getting him to help you improve seems to be outside his realm of expertise。 I hate to leave a book half read but all thoughts of replacing it died when I saw the hardcover for $1000 on Amazon and that doesn't include shipping。 。。。more
Abbie Miller
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This was the absolute most thorough， detailed and beautifully photographed book on headshots that I've read。 Worth every penny！ 。。。Provided you want to emulate Peter Hurley's style of shooting precisely。 You could， in theory， read this book， put the lessons into practice and have a headshot business。 （Although， come to think of it， he doesn't talk at all about the business side of headshots whatsoever。）The reason I didn't give his book 5 stars was for one big SHA-BANG of a reason: it was poorly This was the absolute most thorough， detailed and beautifully photographed book on headshots that I've read。 Worth every penny！ 。。。Provided you want to emulate Peter Hurley's style of shooting precisely。 You could， in theory， read this book， put the lessons into practice and have a headshot business。 （Although， come to think of it， he doesn't talk at all about the business side of headshots whatsoever。）The reason I didn't give his book 5 stars was for one big SHA-BANG of a reason: it was poorly written。 All he needed to do was hire an editor who wasn't afraid of him。 It's a terrible shame， actually。 If you know Peter Hurley or have heard him speak， it'd be a good bet that he dictated the entire book。 It sounds like him， to a tee。 Usually that's a good thing - most writers dream of this as the highest compliment they could receive about their writing。 In this case it's NOT a good thing。 It made the text run on and on and on。。。 paragraphs never ended。。。 and the content was sometimes downright difficult to follow。 There was an entire section （"hold the sub"） that I had to Google because I simply couldn't understand what on earth he was trying to say。Overall， I highly recommend this book if you want to up your headshot game。 Just know that you will have to concentrate while you're reading to be able to follow along。 。。。more
Ted
，
Peter Hurley is a very successful headshot photographer。 He does one thing， one way， and is very good at it。 He teaches workshops and has plenty of training videos。 This book covers all the basics。 And， you don't have to hear him shout SHA-BANG all the time （which gets tiresome）。 This is a particularly good book if you are shooting good-looking people。 Because that's all he shoots。 You won't find any examples of how to take a great image of someone who may not be particularly photogenic。 But if Peter Hurley is a very successful headshot photographer。 He does one thing， one way， and is very good at it。 He teaches workshops and has plenty of training videos。 This book covers all the basics。 And， you don't have to hear him shout SHA-BANG all the time （which gets tiresome）。 This is a particularly good book if you are shooting good-looking people。 Because that's all he shoots。 You won't find any examples of how to take a great image of someone who may not be particularly photogenic。 But if you read his book with the understanding that his is not the only way to shoot， and skip past the self-congratulatory passages， there are a number of good tips here。 。。。more
Bryan
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Much of the information was a review for me as I have watched many youtube videos where Peter talks about many of the same topics or webinars。 I did manage to pick up a few tricks and tips here and there。 It was a bit difficult getting through the book at times since I imagine my way of doing things is different than Peter's and that should be understood by anyone reading this book。 This is the way Hurley has found success and that will not be the case for everyone。 At times he comes across as a Much of the information was a review for me as I have watched many youtube videos where Peter talks about many of the same topics or webinars。 I did manage to pick up a few tricks and tips here and there。 It was a bit difficult getting through the book at times since I imagine my way of doing things is different than Peter's and that should be understood by anyone reading this book。 This is the way Hurley has found success and that will not be the case for everyone。 At times he comes across as arrogant and that can be a real turn off。 All in all， approach everything he says with a grain of salt and find what works best for your sessions。 。。。more
Keith Ammann
，
Roughly half of The Headshot is about producing good headshots; the other half is about being Peter Hurley。 His hyperactive， grandiose， self-promoting showoff personality is on prominent display throughout。 So is more than a touch of defensiveness， as he talks about how some subjects and agents have expressed a dislike for his style but he's an artist and that's just how he does it， man。 What he calls "Sherlock Holmesing" bears a troublesome resemblance to what pickup artists call "negging，" and Roughly half of The Headshot is about producing good headshots; the other half is about being Peter Hurley。 His hyperactive， grandiose， self-promoting showoff personality is on prominent display throughout。 So is more than a touch of defensiveness， as he talks about how some subjects and agents have expressed a dislike for his style but he's an artist and that's just how he does it， man。 What he calls "Sherlock Holmesing" bears a troublesome resemblance to what pickup artists call "negging，" and there's a distasteful incident in which he expresses a desire to smash an insecure subject's boyfriend's face into a C-stand。 （This book's release date was pushed back twice—seven months altogether。 It makes me wonder what shape it was in at press time。 Did it contain an even higher Hurley-to-technique ratio than it does now？） He goes off on so many personal digressions that I often needed to refer back to the chapter subheadings to remind myself what information I was supposed to be receiving。The upshot is that this book is intermittently informative but not well-written。 If you take all the tips in this book at face value， all you're going to learn is how to shoot like Peter Hurley， and Peter Hurley is probably better at being Peter Hurley than you are。 The challenge is to pick your way through all the puffery to find the actual useful information， of which there's a good amount; practice with it for a while; decide how much of it suits your own visual style and way of working and how much doesn't; and disregard the rest。 Only about 30 to 50 percent of the content is genuinely useful。That being said， having practiced shooting headshots since buying this book， I'm certainly appreciative of some of the details that are buried in Hurley's rambling， which I didn't think about until the issues came up—things like checking hair with each shot， and how to get through to "avoiders，" "diminishers" and "posers。" I do find myself wishing， however， that he'd given more attention to shooting subjects with eyeglasses: he talks about how to avoid glare but neglects to discuss lens distortion。One other way this book is useful: the sheer number of examples。 Hurley never talks about it at all， but by systematically going through every headshot in the book， categorizing each one by mood， and noting the positions of the subject's chin and collarbone， I was able to create a posing guide for myself， which improved my workflow dramatically by keeping me from wasting time on poses that aren't going to work。 。。。more
Trish
，
Wow！So much information， but what a basis for getting your headshot game on。 I can't wait to start putting what I've learned into place！ Guess I need to save up for the Intensive workshop！ Now if only Peter Hurley would bring it to central Florida。 Wow！So much information， but what a basis for getting your headshot game on。 I can't wait to start putting what I've learned into place！ Guess I need to save up for the Intensive workshop！ Now if only Peter Hurley would bring it to central Florida。 。。。more
Douglas
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I hope to use these techniques to improve my photos。 Easy to read and plenty of examples。 We shall see。。。
Kathleen Messmer
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This was a really fun book to read。 While I don’t do headshots often there are plenty of little nuggets to take away here。 Everything is done with humor and compassion。 It’s time well spent。 Read it。
Mario Leal
，
If you're into headshots， this book is must read。 But， I don't think it gives Peter's method justice。 Getting active and engaged headshots is all about the schtik--the in the moment work to get the reaction from the model。 To really get Peter's method， you have to watch him work。 Read this book and decide if this style is for you。 If so， go to fstoppers and buy Peter's videos。 You'll see him use the method in actual shoots and you'll see how to put this method into practice。 If you're into headshots， this book is must read。 But， I don't think it gives Peter's method justice。 Getting active and engaged headshots is all about the schtik--the in the moment work to get the reaction from the model。 To really get Peter's method， you have to watch him work。 Read this book and decide if this style is for you。 If so， go to fstoppers and buy Peter's videos。 You'll see him use the method in actual shoots and you'll see how to put this method into practice。 。。。more
TROND KNUDEGAARD
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It is what it says it isThis is the most comprehensive yet easy to grasp book on the subject available。 It inspires me to do more and aim higher in my photography and gives me gumption in taking pictures of people - not just headshots。
Neil Gaudet
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There are some good tips in this book。 Hurley is a talented person and appears to be a big personality。 The book though feels like it could have been covered in 1/10 the pages。 There is a lot of repetition and self congratulation。 This is likely well deserved， he's a successful artist but it gets in the way of a well delivered book。 It took me nearly 5 months to plod through this book if that at all illustrates my point。 The images are similar， the techniques repetitive so it begins to feel like There are some good tips in this book。 Hurley is a talented person and appears to be a big personality。 The book though feels like it could have been covered in 1/10 the pages。 There is a lot of repetition and self congratulation。 This is likely well deserved， he's a successful artist but it gets in the way of a well delivered book。 It took me nearly 5 months to plod through this book if that at all illustrates my point。 The images are similar， the techniques repetitive so it begins to feel like you are reading the same book 10 times while going through it。 Having said all that， I absolutely had some solid takeaways from the book。 。。。more
Jeffrey Lee
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Useful tips， less on the technical side and more on how to interact with clients / tips on posing。
Andrea
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Overall， I have learned a lot from Peter Hurley。 I like his tips on how to teach people how to be more photogenic and how to help people overcome their fears of being in front of a camera。 He has some great advice on how to improve your photography。 I don't like the idea of making crude comments in order to get a reaction from people or swearing so this book rubbed me the wrong way a few times。 Even so， I felt like I was still able to glean quite a bit from this book and it was easy to read。 Overall， I have learned a lot from Peter Hurley。 I like his tips on how to teach people how to be more photogenic and how to help people overcome their fears of being in front of a camera。 He has some great advice on how to improve your photography。 I don't like the idea of making crude comments in order to get a reaction from people or swearing so this book rubbed me the wrong way a few times。 Even so， I felt like I was still able to glean quite a bit from this book and it was easy to read。 。。。more
Becky
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I am so surprised at the high ratings on this book because I am so disappointed with it。 The sample portraits are 90% young， thin， good looking people。 There is a smattering of middle-aged men， and significantly less middle-aged women。 I don't think anyone in the pictures had a double chin。 So give me those clients， and I can rock the headshot too。 However， I was hoping to see life in the real world headshots and how to accommodated for some of the things clearly not addressed in this book。The o I am so surprised at the high ratings on this book because I am so disappointed with it。 The sample portraits are 90% young， thin， good looking people。 There is a smattering of middle-aged men， and significantly less middle-aged women。 I don't think anyone in the pictures had a double chin。 So give me those clients， and I can rock the headshot too。 However， I was hoping to see life in the real world headshots and how to accommodated for some of the things clearly not addressed in this book。The other things that bugged me were the self bragging and the sales pitches for his brand of gear。 Don't waste your money。 Fortunately I borrowed my copy from the library and back it goes。 The second star is only because he does tell you how he sets up to take lovely portraits of lovely people。 。。。more
Rajiv Chopra
，
Good Book。。。 But。。。Overall， I like this book。 There's a lot going for it。 I like his personal story。 I like many of the tips he gives you。 What I would have liked， is some line drawings of his lighting set up， unless that is a secret。 The style of the writing is good and casual。 Maybe， at times， too casual because you have to read and re read to understand what he wants to say。 This is the only reason I give it a three star and not a four。He is a good businessman and promoter。 It shows。 Nothing Good Book。。。 But。。。Overall， I like this book。 There's a lot going for it。 I like his personal story。 I like many of the tips he gives you。 What I would have liked， is some line drawings of his lighting set up， unless that is a secret。 The style of the writing is good and casual。 Maybe， at times， too casual because you have to read and re read to understand what he wants to say。 This is the only reason I give it a three star and not a four。He is a good businessman and promoter。 It shows。 Nothing wrong with it。 In fact， I like it， because it gave me ideas，But， buy the book。 It's good。 。。。more
Mark Dust
，
THE Headshot Book to Own！My photography business swerved into headshot land about a year ago and I haven't come across anything that will grow my business more than the skills I have learned from this book！ THE Headshot Book to Own！My photography business swerved into headshot land about a year ago and I haven't come across anything that will grow my business more than the skills I have learned from this book！ 。。。more
Damon
，