She wanted an avatar. We made something else.
She came for a new avatar. She left with a new version of herself. What started as a quick headshot turned into a full reinvention — and one of the most honest sessions I've done this year.
She booked what she called "a quick session." "I just need a new profile picture. Something nice for LinkedIn." Thirty minutes, one outfit, done.
She showed up with three outfits and an energy I wasn't expecting.
The first set was what she came for — soft light, natural background, a cream dress, shoulders relaxed. The LinkedIn picture. Twenty minutes and we had it.
Then I asked: "Want to try something different?" And she did.
We moved into the studio. Green backdrop, a harder light, a pattern projected behind her. Tank top. Jeans. A grin that I'm pretty sure wasn't in her LinkedIn plans.
Somewhere between frame 80 and frame 120 she stopped checking the back of the camera. She just started moving. Hands, hair, shoulders — nothing rehearsed. She was photographing herself through me.
