A portrait of actor Miranda Shamiso. Distancing himself from popular culture helps headshot and portrait photographer Ivan Weiss avoid becoming starstruck. "I don't watch TV, don't go to the cinema and rarely go to the theatre. My ignorance works to my advantage because it's really none of my business if somebody is a talented actor. The point is a client's picture should present them as already being successful. Whether they are or not, that's their business, not mine." Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM lens at 1/320 sec, f/1.2 and ISO100. © Ivan Weiss
The headshot has evolved rapidly over the past few decades. An image that was once captured at a moment's notice – a quick face-on photograph shot against a plain background – has now become a way to convey who you are.
"Your headshot is arguably the most important part of your brand and therefore needs to express something about you, or something you want to portray to the world," says studio portrait specialist Ivan Weiss.
Based in London, UK, Ivan has been immersed in photography for as long as he can remember, thanks, in part, to his father's career as a press photographer. Childhood days spent in the darkroom instilled a creative drive that he still embraces today. "Portrait photography offers the benefits of being creative while working with somebody to achieve something useful that will be important to them," he says.
While there is no consensus on what differentiates a headshot from a portrait – "ask four photographers and you'll get four responses," says Ivan – he concedes that while all headshots are portraits, not all portraits are headshots. "A modern headshot involves finding out how someone wants to present themselves to their audience. A portrait is more of a subjective interpretation of that person," he concludes.
Here, Ivan explains how he encourages his clients to let their personalities shine through, and why the Canon EOS R System is ideal for capturing his striking headshots and portraits.