Portrait of Writer – Jerry Manas
I had the pleasure of working on a portrait of writer – Jerry Manas the other day. J. B. Manas (aka Jerry Manas) is a Philadelphia-based author of fiction and nonfiction, as well as a graphic novel and comic book writer. Currently, he is working on a Hitchcockian thriller titled “The Mirror Man” as well as continuing his work on the sci-fi fantasy series COR, collaborating with legendary artists and creators from the world of comics.
Jerry was referred to me by a previous client Jeff. Jerry really admired the work I did for Jeff and he very much needed to update his own portraits.
Every 3-5 years, I find everyone needs to update their headshots. There are too many people who wait 5-10 years to replace their images. It’s okay I get it, we age, we change, and most of us are not models. Thing is, in today’s world people want to see and talk to someone who is relevant and genuine. If you look nothing like your image because it was so long ago, people will wonder what else they need to question. So let’s take the questioning out of the equation and be present.
I treat all my clients the same. When they arrive I greet them and show them around the studio. I help them hang their clothing, layout any items on a flat surface, and get the streamer running etc. From there I help narrow down the looks and explain the rundown on my set up and ideas to push the session forward.
Once the client is on set, I always like to start by photographing them straight on, then right side and left side. This way I cover all the angles and finesse the lighting to compliment the persons best features. The first couple of test shots I look for the right formula of lighting. After that I just start flying with my creativity and giving direction.