“But…this is how I always look,” Butters meekly replies in his childhood Jimmy Stewart voice.

For so many people using photographs online or offline in their job searches and marketing endeavors, that’s exactly the problem: they look how they always look, and what someone viewing a photo expects to see isn’t you every day.

Who Cares About Your Picture?

The usefulness of picture-perfect, professional portraits cannot be overstated; this is the first impression you’re going to make on a potential client, customer, employer, or even significant other. Knowing that this is so important to my clients, I often spend late nights and early mornings hunched over my mouse, eyes bloodshot, hand shaking from too much coffee, after hours working on a single portrait.

No, that’s not hyperbole. Sometimes, retouching a single portrait can take up the good part of an evening just to make sure every line is smoothed, every spot covered, every hair in place.

Of course, if you’re not going to a portrait artist and are instead stopping at a big, chain studio like the ones I worked in while putting myself through college, then you’re not going to have that same attention to detail—many don’t even bother retouching at all, and those that do tend to just blur the photograph, say it’s “soft focus”, and call it a day.

But just because you go to a mall store doesn’t mean your profile photograph has to look like one of those awkward snapshots from picture day in elementary school.

Get quality sleep the night before.

Far too often I meet and greet a client only to be struck by a very fairy tale feeling of “My, what big eye bags you have!” A lack of sleep doesn’t just show up under your eyes, however—redness, deeper creases, and a general dull skin tone are all reflective of a night of poor sleep, so try to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep before your shoot.

Go teetotal for twenty-four.

Speaking of dull skin, want your skin to look ashy, pale, saggy, and otherwise add ten years to your face? Well then, why not drink more! Alcohol robs your body of moisture because it works as a diuretic, causing dehydration. The old college binge night trick of a glass of water for each glass of alcohol may keep the hangovers at bay, but I’ve seen too many people who look like a walking zombie in their portraits to know better than that. Just lay off the booze for at least twelve hours—you can always toast your efforts at sobriety afterwards

Put your best face forward

1. Wash, tone, and moisturize your face. Seriously.
2. Brush your teeth—especially if your shoot is after you’ve eaten. It seems so basic,  just like washing your face, but the number of times I’ve photoshopped away bits of broccoli or spinach is unbelievable. Just make sure that, if you’re not a regular brusher (ehem, Jessica Simpson) you brush with enough time before the shoot that your red, swollen gums can get back down to size.
3. Pack emergency supplies: comb, hairspray, mirror, blotting tissue/facial tissues, and hemorrhoid cream (pro trick: use Prep-H or another cream to shrink spots on the spot and take out the redness.) You’d be surprised how many mall studios and chain stores simply don’t have these items available to you and won’t bother telling you if your necklace is upside down or you have a strand of hair sticking straight up. Both have happened to me as a portrait subject, and it’s frustrating as hell to wait an hour or two only to find out that your forehead suddenly went BP on you.

Plan in advance.

Want a tan, new hair color or style, or a facial-fresh glow? Do it three days before hand, so you can make sure any swelling or redness is gone, any burns can fade, and a bad cut or color can be corrected.

You should also work out your wardrobe the day before, so that if you have problems deciding, you can ask a friend or two – or two thousand via webcam – for help picking your most flattering outfit. As a bonus, you won’t be stressing out the night before and morning of the shoot, making a sleepless night or morning breakout much less likely.

Make up? Shaving? Make it a professional.

This tip is for those of you who, like myself, don’t wear make-up on a daily basis, or the lads like my husband who prefer a Greg House-level of stubble on their faces (and no, I’m not complaining). If you don’t do it every day, you’re not going to really know what to expect, and you’ll end up like me with blotchy blush or like my husband with red razor burn right when you don’t need it. So please, if you’re going to invest in some professional photography, let the professionals prepare you as well where it matters most: your face!

With enough preparation, you can take control of your portraits so that at least you are putting your best face forward. After all, this is the first impression most people are going to have of you: if you can’t afford someone who’ll retouch you to glossy magazine perfection, at least make sure that there’s not much imperfection left for the high school kid behind the camera to capture at Sears.

Ready for your close up? Book an appointment with M. Elizabeth Williams now!

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Same question. Which of these salads was created by a culinary professional for one of the most popular places in Princeton? Which was created by a twenty-something in her house using just a George Forman grill, a cheap pot from Target, and a dull chef’s knife? (Answer at the end of the post!)

More importantly, which one would you rather eat?

I am the cook behind the zuchini-turkey burger with brioche bun (a recipe I copied out of Real Simple magazine) on the left and the nicoise salad on the right (a recipe I copied out of a Jaime Oliver cookbook.) The sandwich on the right and the salad on the left are original creations by the highly-trained chefs at the Nassau Inn. Yet, I imagine the more appealing sandwiches were the ones cooked up in my kitchen, even if they didn’t taste as delicious as those from the Nassau Inn.

If it isn’t obvious by now, the problem with the Nassau Inn’s photographs — which are splashed on their Facebook page daily to entice patrons with succulent seafood and braised beef — is that they’re simply not professional. Someone who works there, with a point-and-shoot camera they bought at Best Buy, is probably doing his or her best to capture the food in the dimly-lit restaurant. The problem is, photographs like that don’t sell food. A professional photographer who can expertly light food with minimal equipment and a good eye for light and resources on hand does.

Please note: I didn’t have a lot of fancy equipment for my food photographs when I made them. They were taken with a high-end camera and a single strobe with a bounce card. That’s it. Nothing complex. Just the essential equipment (and some basic correction in Photoshop and Lightroom) and a trained eye.

I can tell you, for a fact, that the Nassau Inn makes terrific food; I’ve eaten there a few times and enjoyed drinks at the Yankee Doodle Tap Room more often than I can remember. They’re professional chefs; their food is on a different stratosphere from my home cooking. But notice that a homemade meal can look BETTER than something that tastes a million times more appetizing simply with the help of a professional. And when I’m looking for a place to eat while I’m online, I can’t smell the aromas of curried chicken, cannot taste the subtle flavors of hummus and fresh pita bread with olives. All I can do is see what I want to eat; going by the photographs alone, I might have a few more patrons coming to me than the Nassau Inn.

PS: Hey Nassau Inn! Want to hire me as your photographer? Email williams.melizabeth@gmail.com or call 609-353-7646

Edited to Add: Due to some confusion, I feel compelled to add that I am the “schmuck kid” who cooked a hamburger from a Real Simple magazine recipe and made seared tuna on a Foreman Grill, then sliced it with a dull knife from Target.

Whenever I host a professional portrait day and invite potential clients, I get the same basic question: “Why do I need a professional portrait? I’m just a _____.”

With the proliferation of social media websites, and with more and more hiring professionals checking out the sites you list (and googling to find the sites you don’t) you can’t afford to have a mediocre photograph on social media websites.

But, don’t take my word for it. From Social Media Examiner’s “12 Ways to Market Your Event With Social Media”:

#10: A Picture Says a Thousand Words

Although Twitpics and iPhone photos are great and shareable, hire a photographer for the day. If you can’t afford one, consider an in-kind trade of a free pass. Make sure you come to an agreement on who owns the photos and how they can be used online to promote this and future events.

Want your professional portrait taken sooner rather than later? There’s still time to Register for a Professional Portrait with Girl + Camera

Enjoy a day down at Belmar’s beautiful beach and have a full half-hour portrait sitting during the last days of summer with Girl Plus Camera!

Girl Plus Camera is closing out the summer season with a one-day photo shoot at the shore. All ages, groups from individuals to couples to families, and portrait styles (engagement, senior, family, modeling) are invited to stop by for a thirty minute portrait sitting with Elizabeth Williams.

All sittings will include thirty full minutes (no set up or break down) and images posted to a personalized, password-protected website for your viewing within one week of the event; any senior portraits or children’s portraits will also automatically enter your child(ren) into the recently-extended Girl + Camera “Be the Face” contest! (Surf, Sun, and Sand summer sittings do not include portrait credit.)

Girl + Camera is also offering a special Sunrise Portrait Sitting for $95.00 for one hour. Have your portraits taken in the early morning hours, known by photographers as “The Golden Hour” for the spectacular light and incredible images that come from the rising sun over the glorious New Jersey coastline.

Rain Date: September 12, 2010

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. It is understood this Studio/Photographer is the exclusive official photographer retained to perform the photographic services on the date and time of the appointment booked.

2. The Studio/Photographer reserves the right to use images created under this contract for advertising, display, publication or other purposes.

The Client purchasing this sitting warrants that he or she has actual authority to agree to the use of the likeness of all persons included in the portrait in this manner and shall indemnify and defend the Studio/Photographer in the event of litigation arising out of such use. Negatives, digital files and previews remain the exclusive property of this Studio/Photographer.

3. All sitting fees are non-refundable.

4. If the Studio/Photographer cannot perform this Contract due to fire or other casualty, strike, act of God, or other cause beyond the control of the parties, or due to Photographer’s illness or emergency, then the Photographer refund the payment IN FULL to the Client but shall have no further liability with respect to the Contract. This limitation on liability shall also apply in the event that photographic materials are damaged in processing, lost through camera or media malfunction, lost in the mail, or otherwise lost or damaged without fault on the part of the Photographer. In the event the Studio/Photographer fails to perform for any other reason, the Studio/Photographer shall not be liable for any amount in excess of the retail value of the Client’s order.

5.NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT: All images created by Girl + Camera LLC are protected by Federal Copyright. It is illegal to copy, scan, or reproduce photographs elsewhere without Studio’s/Photographer’s permission.

Purchase of a Ticket through EventBrite will be considered an agreement of these terms and conditions and incorporates the entire understanding of the parties. Any modifications must be in writing and signed by both parties.

Leland E. Rainier was a United States Marine who served with the 6th Marine Division during World War II. He was a reserve police officer; a custodial and maintenance worker for the City of Burlington, New Jersey; a member and former President of the American Legion, Post 79; and a survivor of both prostate and skin cancers. He is a husband, father, and grandfather. He is, in fact, my grandfather.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1996, Lee Rainier suffered a stroke — he stubbornly waited until after the last of the pumpkin pie was cleared from the table before he would allow his middle daughter to drive him to the hospital. It was soon after that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

For fourteen years, I’ve watched my grandfather deteriorate from a loving but hard-as-nails Marine (Semper Fi) to a man so broken that he would cry and beg God to “take me home”. This past week, my husband David and I were called to the nursing home where he and my grandmother are living out their remaining days, as he’s gone unconscious and is on oxygen, an IV, and morphine.

As a family, we’ve been here before; he refused food and slowly slipped out of consciousness earlier this year, only to pull through and make as full a recovery as someone in his mental condition can. He was at least speaking words again, even if they didn’t always make sense, and he could sometimes recognize me and my husband–or at least my husband’s curly head of hair, which my grandfather adored. So we’re faced with a situation that is not unfamiliar, but for which the inevitable seems to be once again reminding us of its omnipresence.

On our visit this Sunday, I took some basic camera equipment with me to document what was happening as the family–his sisters, his daughters and grandchildren–trickled in and out of the room. This was a man who once was able to walk down the street of Burlington City and know everyone on the street by name, who walked around the diners before being seated greeting most of the patrons he knew (and introducing himself to those he didn’t) as if he could have run for mayor and won, even though he dropped out of high school to defeat the Axis powers when he was only in 10th grade. I don’t know if any of the many members of his various organizations, his church, or his community will see this before the time has come–if they do, I hope they see him soon. Sadly, the truth seems to be that someone so well-known and well-liked can be destroyed by this terrible illness, left isolated and alone by a disease that frightens away others because of the way it ravages the victim’s brain.

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On 7/7/10, I took some instructor photos at Sphericality LLC in Flemington NJ. I’m doing a reshoot on some of the photos, which will be revealed at a gallery opening on August 27th, 2010 — in the meantime, here’s an outtake from the sitting that didn’t quite make the cut.

On June 26, 2010, Girl Plus Camera LLC held its first “Headshot Day”, where individuals could stop by the studio and have professional headshots for social media, websites, business cards, or whatever other marketing and promotional use they wish taken for $15.00. Thank you to everyone who participated in that day!