FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
In short, rather than forcing clients into a "One-Size-Fits-All" price, we offer options of our Service and Price. We do this from a genuine desire to meet every need and budget. However, some people are not accustomed to a business creating a price structure around their needs and will sometimes over-think and confuse themselves. If this is you, let me help. ANY Headshot is comprised of three components: 1. Session (we offer 4 Headshot portrait sessions) 2. Image (we off 3 digital formats, as well as paper photographs) 3. Retouching (we offer 4 differing levels, with ExPress being included). Since a One-Size-Fit's-All approach tends to serve the interests of a business and not its customers, our pricing structure is built around giving our clients choices. We also know that people are frequently pressed for time, and satisfied with the bottom-line. So, for them, we will just as frequently cite a price which includes all three components; a minimum and a maximum. BOTTOM LINE - All-In-One Packages The TOTAL COST for a Headshot created by Mark Jordan, INCLUDING all three components, Single-Look FasTrak Headshot Session, a Digital Web File (e.g. for LinkedIn, et al), and ExPress Retouching is as little as $125, Prime at $200, and Pro at $275. Regardless of our pricing being inexpensive and straightforward we'll still have people ask questions like: - "OK, so what does a headshot really going to cost?" - "What should I expect to pay, realistically?" - "I just want to know the bottom-line. What is it?" -"You say the price is between $125 and $250, but what's the total cost?" Rest assured, there are no hidden costs of any sort. Clients can, of course, pay more should they desire a more comprehensive session with multiple looks, or Premier retouching (Mark's interpretive/artistic styling of their headshot). However, these requests are far and few in between, compared to vast majority of our headshot requests, and most likely what you require. In summary, should you have any questions regarding your particular headshot need, have no worries - we're effortless to contact - no concern is too small.
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
Just in case you're unsure about any aspect of preparing for your headshot portrait, following are a few helpful portrait suggestions to keep in mind: 1) SHIRT/BLOUSE STYLE MEN: collared shirts are imperative for a professional look. Non-collared shirts (t-shirts) can work in certain scenarios and usually work best in conjunction with a sport coat. Turtlenecks are also acceptable. WOMEN: the most crucial element for woman is the necessity for sleeves - preferably to the elbow or longer. In general, a professional look equates to simplicity, forgoing froufrou (ruffles, frills and ribbons) is prudent. PATTERN A plain, non-patterned shirt/blouse always works best. If patterned, a very subtle one is acceptable. COLOR MEN: an off-white or color top is much preferred over white. However, white shirts are acceptable, especially when covered by a dark jacket or sweater. Regardless, if a colored shirt is available, it's your best option. WOMEN: unless a sweet, soft look is intended, it would be best to avoid pastels. Darker tones engender a greater sense of credibility, competence and trust. MATERIAL Shirts/blouses that work best do not easily wrinkle and bounce-back when scrunched. FIT MEN: the main concern is for collared shirts with buttons to the neck. The top must button easily, allowing for a loose fitting collar (i.e. skin must not be pressed tightly), making head turns a breeze. If a new shirt is not in the offing, it may be possible to remedy the problem in post-production retouching (i.e. Masterpiece Artwork). WOMEN: in general, a looser fit is preferable over tight fitting blouse. Choose a snug fitting blouse only when there are no weight concerns. If not, the tight look can easily add around 20 extra pounds of "visual" weight. Though some degree of cleavage is acceptable, too much can communicate a message one might not intend. 2) JACKET/DRESS STYLE Think "professional" and you should do just fine. Again, simplicity is the key. Also keep in mind the audience you wish to attract and narrow your focus to harmonize with your target market. PATTERN A plain, non-patterned jacket always works best. If patterned, a very subtle one is acceptable. COLOR By far, darker colors tend to be your best choice. Darker tones are not only viewed as being more professional (especially for women), but engender a healthier and slimmer persona. Black: stirs a sense of both creativity and protection, as well as power, seductive, authority and nimbleness. Navy: evokes a feeling trustworthiness, integrity, caring, credible, conservative, orderly, calm and loyal. Dark Brown: practical, solid, reassuring, reliable/dependable, friendly, stable, wholesome and genuine. Dark Green: masculine, vitality, dependable, tactful, family, nurturing, flexible, conservative, and wealthy. Deep Purple: feminine, romantic, luxurious, inventive, intuitive, mysterious, wealthy and sophisticated. Deep Red/Burgundy: harmonious, balanced, supportive, imaginative, spiritual, kind, non-conformist. Dark Gray: knowledgable/wise, classic, mature, sleek, refined, dignified, controlled, and contemporary. MATERIAL As with shirts/blouses, fabric that works best does not easily wrinkle and bounces-back when scrunched. FIT The primarily concern for any garment is tightness. While you cannot go wrong with a jacket/dress that is a skosh too loose, a garment that is too snug evokes negative attributes of disheveled and careless - both of which are not only non-conducive to evoking a positive sense of who you are and what your represent, but are decisions made about you at the subconscious level. You're rejected yet they cannot tell you why. Therefore, a comfortable, loose fit is vital. Where our clients are unsuccessful in this fundamental requisite, we are equipped to remedy the oversight in post-production retouching (i.e. Masterpiece - meticulous level). 3) TIES & SCARFS In either case, we recommend keeping patterns simple and colors subdued. Again, the idea is keep the viewer's gaze fixed upon your eyes/face, not an abundance of colors and patterns. TIES Colors to avoid are orange, pink, and iridescent hues. If interested in learning about tie color psychology and what sort of persona you're exuding to world, here's a link to a blog post I wrote on Tie Psychology. Need help in tying your tie? Here's a helpful link that'll get you up to speed in a hurry: Learn How to Tie a Tie, or How To Tie A Tie. This link, Expert Tie Instructions, will forward you to YouTube with numerous variations. SCARFS Scarfs, by their nature, tend to be heavily patterned. Therefore, unless you desire your headshot to be more about your scarf than you, please select a scarf pattern that is not only simple but the color is muted. Colors to void are orange, yellow and iridescent hues. If interested in learning about color psychology, following is a link to a blog post I wrote on Tie Psychology, which has applications relevant to scarf color selection. Need help in tying a scarf? Here's a helpful link that'll get you up to speed in a hurry: 37 Ways To Tie A Scarf, or for a simper version, check out 15 Ways to Tie Scarves. 4) EYEGLASSES ALL glasses present two essential challenges: 1. glass glare 2. distortion (eyes and temples). BOTH aberrations can be remedied with judicious retouching and is included in Masterpiece Retouching. However, for best possible results, we recommend either wearing Non-Glare glasses, or arranging with your Optometrist to remove your lenses prior to your session. Eye/temple distortion is much easier to restore than eyes being obliterated by glass glare. - Glasses without non-glare coating are problematic, at best - we do not recommend regular glasses for portraits. The resulting glare can be light (easy to remove) to severe, which may require a complete rebuilding of the eyes. Non-glare glasses work wonderfully and generally are no problem. However, non-glare can still present a challenge depending on the degree and where the soft-green glow appears, as well as distortion caused by thicker lenses. - NOTE: Contact Lenses work well, though they can cause a bluish ring to appear around the iris. 5) EXPRESSION Bring a happy heart and your smile will take care of itself. Remember, your session should only take a few minutes. It's a short enough time to turn off the outside pressures of the day and simply be present. - Smile Challenged? If so, practice in front of mirror, remembering the feeling of a natural smile. - Also, a helpful technique is something we call "Lifting Your Apples." The roundness of our cheeks are referred to as "apples." In those instances where a smile is required but it's challenging to do so on cue, simply "lift your apples" while placing your tongue in the roof of your mouth and a smile will emerge. - NOTE: my goal is to not only capture a range of expressions, from wide smiles to soft, but also capture both sides of your face. This way you can evaluate not only which expression you prefer, but from which side of the face you feel best expresses it. 6) SHAVE If a 5:00 shadow is a concern, please shave beforehand or you may opt to arrive early and take care of it here. We offer disposable razors with our complements - just be very careful to avoid razor burn... 7) MAKEUP WOMEN Whatever application of makeup you generally employ, we suggest a slightly heavier application for portraits. Lips and Eyebrows are especially important in portraits. Both should be defined nicely. However, please know that we are also happy to help with post-production Retouching if you feel they need more attention. MEN Generally speaking, men require no makeup. What issues do exist can easily be remedied with Artwork. MAKEUP ARTIST If you prefer to hire a makeup artist, please inform the artist we are using digital capture. Also keep in mind that unless you have very specific makeup needs, it's less expensive to request post-producti