Studio Sura

12/12/2024

11/28/2024

Munya is releasing a new single tomorrow, November 28th! When he came into my studio for this photoshoot, we talked about his hopes and inspiration in his music.

I spent half my life performing Arabic music professionally, so we had a lot to talk about! Music is the great communicator and a window into all we have in common, no matter where we come from around the world.

I hope you like this short little take on one of the many things we talked about!

11/21/2024

Introducing Alyeesa - a fresh face in the modeling world who came from Portland to my studio in Eugene. It's extra special as I've had the pleasure of working with her mother on a few photoshoots in the past!

Teaming up with Anna Maria Bursoftsky, we created some exciting looks for Alyeesa's portfolio. We call this one the Avant Garde Doll. Stay tuned for more looks we captured that day!

Model: Alyeesa
Hair and Makeup: Anna Maria Bursoftsky

11/13/2024

Maren! I hope you are enjoying MA!

Maren (.nixon) is an actor from Oregon, continuing her BFA musical theater degree at Nazareth University. She came over for a headshot for her acting profile. We loved this blue background with her blue eyes. She is an outgoing and happy, but we also loved the more serious look in the second image.

Sometimes you just need a photo of your face and a range of expressions. If you are an actor, a headshot is great for showcasing your personality and ability to portray different roles. You'd use it to submit to casting directors, agents, and potential employers when auditioning for roles. It highlights your look and potential for a role.

A "this is me" headshot is different from a portrait.

A portrait can have creative lighting, incorporate hands, show just part of your face, in action, be just your head and shoulders or show you from head to toe, 3/4 or 1/2. Portraits have a wide, wide range of options.

A headshot is a headshot. It shows people what you look like. And it is part of the growth of your career. If you need people to recognize who you are, then a headshot is probably what you need.

Who needs a headshot?
Actors, dancers, therapists, attorneys, coaches, authors, business owners of all kinds, anyone who needs to assure anyone that you are a real person who can be trusted to deliver a solution to another person who needs it.

Let me know if you need a headshot or portraits, I love creating both. I just like to make sure people know what they're asking for when they request one or the other. 🙂

11/12/2024

October was a busy month, and I can't believe it's almost the middle of November already!




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11/06/2024

We had a blast capturing a fresh headshot for the talented David Connor at the Eugene Beauty Expo a while ago! He's an expert educator with and master of haircuts with . If you're in New Orleans, you're lucky to have his salon there. If he visits your city, don't miss the chance to learn from him! :-)

This kind of headshot is more of a branding project than a corporate headshot. Oftentimes people ask for a headshot without knowing how to describe the type of headshot they need. This is SUPER important when you're investing in images that help grow your business brand, and create your marketing materials. Do you need an outward-facing image so people know what your face looks like on your LinkedIn or website About page? This might be a business headshot and much of the emphasis is put on expression, connection, and appearing confident, approachable, and competent. Do you need an image that has a little more character? Maybe has lighting that gives a feeling about you or your values or incorporates a little more about place, context, brand colors? This kind of headshot would be part of a custom branded photoshoot. There's a lot of more flexibility in how I use light, where we go, and including your surroundings into the image.

11/05/2024

Munya Mambira came to the USA in 2020 - just in time for the pandemic to shut everything down. His dreams of making music here were temporarily put on hold. But listen to him describe how his feelings of homesickness transformed once he was back in his element.

We're excited to work with Munya as he prepares to launch a new single at the end of November. He brought specific ideas and styling to his photoshoot and we contributed a few ideas. After picking off all the seeds stuck to our clothes from this location, and lucking out with a beautiful early autumn day, we got some pretty decent shots. :-)

The key to a successful press shot is to research past successful concepts and avoid cliche setups. (Hint #1: no brick walls allowed.)

About the set:

Assistant: .efferyjay (thank you!)

- silver backdrop painted by me,

- location: Springfield, OR

- interview recorded in-studio: Eugene

11/01/2024

I enjoyed working with Cheri Vaillancour to create headshots that would reflect her expertise and warm personality. Cheri is a consultant and certified professional coach for lawyers and firms. She helps develop leadership skills and enhance professional effectiveness. She also conducts firm-wide culture audits, improves onboarding & integration programs while keeping a big-picture focus like boosting productivity.

I love working with professionals because sometimes it's the first time they've had a good experience in a photo studio. Many times the only photo experience they've had is when someone points the camera and says "smile!" and because that's a hit-or-miss experience, most people assume they're just not photogenic. So put off headshots and branding, believing that nothing good could come out of it. And even if they do take the plunge, there's a lot of anxiety there. So they arrive thinking that it's their job to know how to look good on camera.

But if you are reading this, I want you to know that it's MY job to coach you into looking confident and approachable.

I'll say that again: it's my job to coach you into doing things with your face that are appealing. Your job is to be good at what YOU do.

Lawyers, lawyer.

Consultants, consult.

Photographers... well, this photographer does more than just snap a shot. I help you build your brand.