#188: What You Need to Know Before Getting Headshots and Branding Photos, with photographer Louis Tinsley

Today’s guest is Louis Tinsley, a DC-based commercial photographer. 

Louis has been working in the industry professionally for more than 10 years and sits on the board of the DC chapter of American Photographic Artists, where he runs the annual Photo Assistant Workshop. He also recently joined the Northern Virginia Community College Photography & Media Curriculum Advisory Board. His clients have included General Dynamics Corporation, the TED organization, local news station WTOP, and DASH Alexandria Transit Company in Virginia. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How Louis got into photography. 
• What he loves about being a freelancer — and what he finds challenging. 
• What a good headshot and branding photos can do for your business. 
• What we should consider before we hire a photographer. 
• What should be included in the conversation with a photographer you are considering hiring — how much retouching is done, what to wear, whether a makeup artist is included.
• How a photographer should work to put a nervous subject at ease. 
• What happens after we do a photography shoot and what might be included in the package and services.
• How often we should update our headshots and business photos.
• How AI is affecting photography. 
• Advice for freelance photographers about how to keep enjoying the work.

Biz Bite: Try to control the flow of time as best you can.  

Resources:

• Louis Tinsley website
• Louis on Instagram
• Louis on Twitter
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Episode #68 of Deliberate Freelancer: Yes, You Need to Build a Personal Brand, with Hilary Sutton
• Episode #106 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Use Video to Connect with Your Audience, with Anita Kwan
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group