I met Douglas Greene this past summer over lunch with my client Douglas Herring. We were “fueling up” for Doug Herring’s branding photography for his law firm. A couple of months or so later, Douglas Greene calls and says that he had just moved into his new office and needed professional images taken for the website SSDI Lawyers of NJ and social media.
Doug is a lawyer who specializes in Social Security, Disability and Landlord/Tenement cases. He’s very personal and cares for his clients.We wanted to show that anyone, no matter what age could be a client of his.
Many people who come to him, need help going through the process of filing for SSDI, and or need their cases to be appealed and reconsidered. Doug is a very understanding person because these clients need their benefits, and while they want to work, they are unable to. Doug helps them throughout the process and is excellent at it.
We first started off with headshots of himself, then we moved on to the other shots that we had pre-discussed earlier. Showing off the new office, pictures of him in his office, then interacting with a client.
The key here is to make Doug look friendly, and relatable so that the many who need his help, will feel comfortable and know that he is the lawyer to represent them.
Scroll all the way down to see a behind the scenes video and pictures!
I have found that throughout my career, what makes me stand out is getting everyone comfortable with me with my gift of conversation, empathy, being understanding and taking care of my clients. It’s not easy to be in front of a camera, with lights, and having someone give you some directions to make sure that you look your best. By listening, being observant and paying attention to the details and your surroundings, I have always found by doing these simple things, makes the pictures I create relatable to the people who view them.
Thank you, Doug, for everything that you’ve done. I look forward to seeing what happens next!
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/IMG_4731-1SSDILaywersofNJ-1.jpg600900Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2019-04-04 15:13:442020-09-14 16:15:41Branding Photography For A New Law Firm-SSDI Lawyers of NJ
Denise and I have known each other for some time now, networking within the same circles since about 2010 with W.I.N. (Women Interested In Networking) with Terri Petri. The group used to meet once a month at Villa Mannino’s in Bordentown, NJ and the entire banquet room would be filled up with women just networking. It was a lot of fun, I’ve made many contacts and friends through that group.
Denise and her husband own a place in Mercer Mall on Route 1 called Great Looks For Less. We’ve been following each other on Instagram and we’re friends on Facebook, etc. One day she contacts me to contribute for an event and then asks about my photography for rebranding. She’s not not only rebranding her salon, but she’s franchising it. The new name is now called Diverse Style Salon. Their new website will be launching soon, for now please follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Before we did any shooting, we met up to discuss what she wanted for her business. Her branding, colours, logo, vision, etc. This was going to be two days of shooting. The first step was to get updated business portraits of her and Chase. We chatted about clothing and jewelry, hair and makeup was a no brainer of course! And they know how to pose, I didn’t want them to look un-natural, but I did want them to look their best and to bring out their beautiful personalities that they’re known for with their clients.
When it came to photograph the two together, I didn’t want something really typical or boring. Chase had an idea that he wanted to try, so we went with it.
And then I suggested a few other ideas…
This is the last shot and it’s actually my favorite of this gorgeous husband and wife team together.
They also requested one with the front desk and their new logo and signage. The one below is my personal favorite.
Once they get their new website up and running, then I’ll post the other images from Day Two of this wonderful branding photoshoot!
If you’re interested in having me as your photographer, please contact me and let’s get together to chat about your project. Thanks!
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/DiverseSalon0404-1DiverseSalonby-DeirdreRyanPhotography.jpg595900Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-11-13 14:40:432019-10-17 17:43:56Rebranding Photography For Diverse Salon Day One
As we begin 2017, I want to acknowledge all of my clients who helped make 2016 a success. First, thank you for your business and for the opportunity to help in creating and presenting your business brand. Here’s to your continued success. For my future clients I look forward to working with you and doing the same.
Happy 2017!
These are in no particular order, just my favorites from 2016.
This was for a husband and wife team, they needed images for their website and branding for their new business. One is a personal trainer and the other is a therapist and life coach. Working with them beforehand, they knew what they wanted, and it ended up being an amazing environmental photoshoot!
Christine who is a sleep consultant, photographed in her home office and in her yard. In her home office, her true personality shone with her witty sense of humor. Click here to see the full session.
My dear friend, Roseanne, let me photograph her one day, trying out some new techniques that I wanted to try. They show off the two sides of her, both are strong women, but in different ways.
A real estate salesman needed his headshot like “yesterday”. This is his second career after many years doing something else. I didn’t have time to get set up in my studio, so I did this in my living room/foyer. He loved it, and so did I, it shows his true awesome personality.
Our daughter ran her first 5K with Girls on the Run(GOTR), when she was in the 4th grade. They work with the girls each week to empower, embrace, and create a positive place for the girls to achieve something that they may have never done before. Here you see my husband spraying her hair purple, and then later they had facial paint and accessories to have fun with before the race. She finished, even beat her practice run time, we were so proud of her!
My friend Dr. Sarah Meanor is a Chiropractor and hired me to photographer her and the office for her website. I love this image as she is working on a patient’s back and shoulders.
The day before the 2016 Presidential Election, I was fortunate to drive down to Philadelphia, PA with some friends to see and hear President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and Madame Secretary Hillary Clinton speak in front of Independance Hall with roughly over 30K people. We couldn’t get very close, but I did capture this image of a child singing how we were all going to Hell as sinners, etc., with an extreme “Christian” group. You see plain clothed PPD officers guarding them. I can only assume the man with her is her father. And I say it like that because as a liberal Catholic, I don’t believe God would like this at all.
Every morning in Ocean City, NJ I woke up early, got my coffee at OC Coffee Roasters on the boardwalk and read my book on the beach. This one morning, the sun and the clouds made it look “almost” like the afternoon golden hour sunset.
Another collaboration for marketing and branding. I love this because she is sitting in a bronze statue on Princeton University campus, the colours, her expression, she is such a free spirit! Click here to see the full session.
We went canoeing on the Delaware River and Crosswicks Creek with our daughter’s 2nd grade teacher. I love how the light hits them both, so peaceful as we were rowing back.
I shot these headshots during a workshop and I just love how they turned out. All natural lighting, indoors, and working with these gentleman turned into great images, and I can work anywhere.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came to my hometown and did his town hall meeting. He was there to discuss his Fairness Formula to NJEA teachers, staff, residents of Bordentown, and those from other towns. I love this because it shows how he sometimes talks to people, there was another person who asked hard questions that he didn’t seem to like either. But when he talks, he asks for no interruptions.
The day after the Presidential Election, I was really feeling down and depressed. I’m still not okay, but that day I went for a walk shot some images…. The woman just happened to be jogging right past me and I found it perfect. Reminding me that we need to move, and make a difference in our own ways to get things done. I was bored one day, and needed to get out of the house. I did a model call on Facebook, and my clients gave me a call to photograph their new puppy. I had done their portraits before with all three of their Great Danes when they had their oldest, but unfortunately he passed away. They knew that his day was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier…I used two kinds of lighting with each image. The first, I adore the look George was giving his owner in the golden sunset light. In the second, I used 2 lights and in post I Photoshopped the leash out of the image, it gives him a regal look. My dear friend Randy brought one of the Ghostbuster’s ECTO – 1 that was used in the new movie that came out over the summer. I love the look of the these headshots that I did in the park for my fellow networking business colleagues. They are bright, pleasing and make my clients look amazing. Click here to see the full post! Our daughter is a Junior Girl Scout and every year, she and many other troops as well as Boy Scouts from all over, come together to place flags on the graves of veterans at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, NJ. The image below is with my father, her grandfather, a Ret. Lt. Col. Army.
My clients, NJPAC, invited me to photograph their Martin Luther King event. I had been there before for their Kwanzaa event, and each time I’m there, I have such a good time! The energy of the choir director for the children’s choir is amazing.Randy Now brings a lot of great acts and musicians to our area. This was the Killer Triple Bill Concert at the Performing Arts Center in Bordentown, NJ. Here you see The Doughboys, Jet Weston and His Atomic Ranch Hands and The Sharkskins. I get my rock photo influences from the 60’s and 70’s and I like to work this into my work.
These in yellow I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph these beautiful women in pin up genre, it was full of playing dress up with the clothes, makeup and hair. This was in a local store in my town and I hope to do this again as it was a lot of fun and the women all enjoyed themselves.
This is my dear and one of my best friends, Lisa. We have known each other since HS, she was a Freshman, I was a Sophomore and now lives in Austin, TX. She was in town for barely 2 days, but made time to see friends. We took a few moments for a fun shoot, this was right before a bikini body competition, and I had to spray her with a lot of bug spray LOL!
The Bordentown Board Of Education asked me to photograph their Annual St. Patrick’s 5K Run. I love this because it shows my friend helping his daughter with her shoelaces right before the race is about to begin.
I was invited to photograph the NAWBO-NYC Chapter’s 3 Hour Boot-Camp-Full Morning To Grow Your Business at the Microsoft Building in NYC and they had a fabulous guest speaker, Stephanie Breedlove. She had just sold her company care.com and hearing her speak as a woman entrepenuer was inspiring.
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/GOTRDeirdre-Ryan-Photography08.jpg748500Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-01-05 16:44:032019-10-17 18:16:39My Personal Favorite Images of 2016
Jen and Joe came to me needed photos to go with their new business that would not only go well with their marketing, but show everyone what they’re about.
The business is called JKORINTEGRATIVE FITNESS & WELLNESS and are located in Bordentown City, NJ. What they are and I quote from their website,” a grassroots husband and wife team seeking to make a difference in people’s lives through our commitment to integrative fitness and wellness.” They are a husband and wife local business that compliment each other. Jen is a licensed therapist MS, LPC, BCC (Eligible) has been in the field of Behavioral Health for 19 years. What she does is focus on the well being of the mind. Joe is a licensed NASM CPT, TRX Qualified Personal Trainer (STC, FTC ,GTC, RTC), and he focuses on the physical side of things in terms of your body.
They have a tremendous space for everything that you could think of. A calm, relaxing area where Jen meets her clients to get them mentally fit. And for Joe, he has an awesome space for working out with his clients using all sorts of what I call workout “toys” to help them get in the best physically shape of their life.
I think that they have found the perfect niche market for a huge need, a place where you can find everything in one place for this type of training and coaching.
Below are some behind the scenes look that my husband/assistant/business partner took for me. I decided to use wireless flash for this shoot. Combining them with a Photek, a Westcott reflector and a homemade beauty dish(made out of an Ikea metal light fixture and a mixing bowl) for some additional “punch”. Normally that dish is on my Dynalite 4040 flash head(now replaced by the SH2000). However I was already using the one with the umbrella and love the freedom of no wires for once.
Thank you both so very much for letting me photograph you. You guys were a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see you again!
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/JKORL_IMG_8778Deirdre-Ryan-Photography-e1479497591733.jpg900601Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2016-11-18 17:13:002019-10-17 18:16:55Husband and Wife Grassroots Business For Wellness
About once or twice a month I get a phone call from a young lady needing new photos for their modeling portfolio. After asking a few questions it always comes back to what happened:
They fell for John Casablancas. If you have heard this name, they have been around since about 1987 and yes, they are still in business. This is a modeling school that you are asked to pay thousands of dollars for classes on makeup, hair, modeling, clothes, and other aspects of this industry. And you also have to use their photographer, and each time I hear how terrible the pictures came out. Either they don’t like how they look, or the photographer was mean, the lighting was bad, and “the camera looked professional, but the photos don’t look like they are”.
A little history first, John Casablanca founded Elite Modeling Agency back in 1971, however by going to this school, doesn’t get you into Elite.
Sometimes they set up in the malls, on college campuses, or do cold calls for interviews. They show you photos, videos, testimonials and how successful some of their past students have been. Then they ask you to sign up with a credit card for classes. And if you don’t do it at the very moment, you’ll lose your chances of getting into the industry.
However, before you do anything, do your research, here these are just a few articles:
Time and time again I hear how these women paid for the classes, and then they were send to auditions or agencies. Only to be told that their portfolios were not what they were told it should be or that the auditions were never a sure thing. Too much makeup, the photographs were over done, or terrible, the list goes on and on.
I always tell these ladies this:
1. A real agency never asks you for money. Instead they invest in you because YOU will make money for them. If and when you get represented, come back to me with what your agency wants for your portfolio.
2. Acting and modeling is hard work. If an agency tells you about their success by testimonials, pictures and doing a hard sell, walk away…fast!
3. If anyone wants an answer right away, once again…walk away….FAST! Don’t sign anything!
If you think that I’m turning clients away, then perhaps you’re right. But I don’t see it that way at all either. Instead, I’m trying to help them out because, they have already been “taken in”. I don’t want to photograph their modeling portfolio for agencies unless they are signed and I know what they are looking for. They want to see how you look clean, natural, as you are, think of yourself as a canvas, ready to be painted on. Because that’s what will be happening if you’re signed on 🙂
Here is another thing these modeling schools may not tell you. Height requirements for certain types of work.
High Fashion: This is for the runways and fashion houses. Height starts at 5”8 to 5”11 with a dress size of 4-6, bust starting around 34. For guys, 5”11 to 6”2, in really good shape, chest size 37” to 42”.
Editorial Print: These are the magazines, think of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, etc. The size requirements are the same.
Commercial Print: A big market that can fit almost anyone, but the height starts around 5″8 usually, but I believe depending on what the client is looking for they will take on any range in height.
Cataloge: Same as above.
Plus Size: Height requirements start at 5”8 and between the sizes of 12-16.
Glamour/Lingerie: Some women who are very curvy and don’t fit the high fashion/editorial requirements. Think Victoria’s Secrets and swimwear.
Body Parts: To use your hair, eyes, lips, hands, legs and feet for print, tv, or film. This is to help advertise products like lipstick, shampoo, or shoes as examples.
TV Commercials: This area is dependant on what the producers and directors are looking for, so it’s wide open.
Real Life People Models for TV/Film Extras: This area is dependant on what the producers and directors are looking for, so it’s wide open.
Petite Models: There are some agencies that do take on women that are under 5″5(that’s what petite starts at).
Now, if you need a headshot for acting, this includes children, teens, and adults. That I can do, because you need those for when you go out on auditions along with a resume, and for your online site.
Please don’t fall for this same old song and dance, and this goes out to the parents of children as well. If anyone is interested in modeling for me, contact me here, in between my clients I’m always looking for ways to further test my creativity.
I hope that these tips help you or someone you know. And don’t let any of this discourage you from your dreams! If you truly want something, work hard, make yourself unique, special and THE person that agencies and reps MUST have!
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Woman-Wearing-A-Handmade-12-Foot-LongKimono1.jpg497500Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2016-10-13 16:10:582019-10-17 18:20:14Do You Want To Be A Model? Read This!
I network a lot in person, and I was approached by Dr. Sarah Meanor, my chiropractor. She was re-doing her website and needed to have new business branding photos of her location and headshots. So I brought my gear, along with my assistant, a.k.a. business partner, a.k.a. my husband, and we had a list of shots that she needed for the site. Interior shots, her working on a patient, and a headshot.
Once we arrived, we got to work, setting up what we needed. First I did the shots of the office hallway, the 2 rooms, some details of the instruments she uses, and then the waiting area. While working on the hallway, I wanted the end room doorway to be opened, but it needed “something”, so I adjusted the room decor that was already there to give it a little depth and color. For those I used available light and my fast Canon L lenses. Then David assisted with setting up the headshot area and a light for me while she worked on the patient.
I only needed one light while Sarah worked, and while she worked, I moved my light with the white satin umbrella around her as she moved. Asking her to stop only so that I can get a few shots, and then we moved again. It was like an intricate dance. I used a Dynalite D805 Power pack and a 2020 head in a very small room, and this is not a battery powered system. The power supply was plugged into a socket in the hallway. David was using my other Dynalite M1000 power supply to set up for the headshot in the hallway.
You make things work.
With set up and break down, we were done in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. AND we made it back to watch our daughter’s basketball team win to get into the championship finals!
Thanks Dr. Sarah for letting me photograph you that day. The site looks great!
So I’m always looking to expand and find new and different ways to photograph my clients other than the standard headshot on a white or grey background with a strobe set up. I’ve been wanting a Kino Flo set up a few years, but, hey. Those things are uber expensive, but I understand why. They’ve been used by the tv and film industry for a long time, I know because my husband is an editor, and also he’s uber handy. Did I use the word uber again?
Okay, so Kino Flo is actually a company based in Burbank, CA, which is close to where we used to live and they started around 1987. They’re main lighting are fluorescent tube lighting that don’t flicker because of a high-frequency ballast tubes, and which contained a number of special phosphors designed to eliminate tints in the magenta-green spectrum which are present in most domestic fluorescent lights. So basically they are daylight balanced lights that are lightweight, and easy to carry around that are perfectly suited for filming. If you go on a tv set, you’ll see them hanging.
Now, LED lighting is all over the place, they last longer, and aren’t made of glass. So, David, the handy guy I married, made one panel of LED “Kino Flo” lights that have a high-frequency ballast type of system. I don’t know too much of all the work he did with it, or the technical details, but he and I are pretty happy with the results we got. We still need to tweak the system a little, but here are some test shots:
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_5712.jpg1348900Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2015-12-08 19:47:562019-10-17 18:08:31Testing, Testing, 1,2,3, DIY LED Lights
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The day after the Presidential Election, I was really feeling down and depressed. I’m still not okay, but that day I went for a 
I was bored one day, and needed to get out of the house. I did a model call on Facebook, and my clients gave me a call to photograph their new puppy. I had done their portraits before with all three of their Great Danes when they had their oldest, but unfortunately he passed away. They knew that his day was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier…I used two kinds of lighting with each image. The first, I adore the look George was giving his owner in the golden sunset light. In the second, I used 2 lights and in post I Photoshopped the leash out of the image, it gives him a regal look.
My dear friend Randy brought one of the
I love the look of the these headshots that I did in the park for my 
Our daughter is a Junior Girl Scout and every year, she and many other troops as well as Boy Scouts from all over, come together to place flags on the graves of veterans at the 
