For an in-depth look at the delivered image portfolio, see it here.

Who is the client?  

Jason O. Harris is a leadership and teamwork expert who draws on his experience as a former U.S. Air Force and current American Airlines pilot to teach others about trust, collaboration and leading with excellence. 

Our relationship began in 2020 when I photographed one of his virtual keynote presentations. Since then, we’ve kept in touch, and when the opportunity arose for an in-person session, he reached out to book it.

Why did he need photos?  

Jason hadn’t updated his professional photos in a few years, and his existing images didn’t fully capture the authoritative presence he wanted to convey. 

He needed new promotional photos to help him earn more stages at an increased rate. He also wanted lifestyle portraits that showcased his leadership expertise, as well as a large collection of diverse and versatile photos to support his goal of a more comprehensive social media presence.

How did we prepare for the session?

Jason opted to skip the typical co-working space and instead hold the session in his home in Colorado. 

During our strategy call, we mapped out a series of promotional and lifestyle shots that would take place both in his home and at Denver International Airport, where we planned to capture him in his American Airlines uniform. This atypical location added a unique, fun twist to the session. 

For a detailed breakdown of the planned shots and how we organized them, take a look at the shot sheet.

What camera gear did you use?

I used the Nikon D5 for Jason’s session, rotating between my “Big 4” lenses: 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 85mm, and 60mm Macro.

The 85mm lens was used exclusively for headshots, while the 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses were used for the lifestyle and promotional portraits.

I leveraged the Profoto B1X with a 2-foot Octa and 40-degree grid for most of the shots, except for the virtual fireside chat photos, where I relied on ambient light.

It was weird carrying that B1X through the middle of the airport, I have to say.

What challenges were faced?
How did you overcome them?

Speaking of the airport, one of the big challenges from this session was shooting portraits in a busy terminal. While I had initially envisioned having access to special areas, the reality was that we had to work in a crowded public space with zero control. To overcome this, I found a couple of spots and had Jason positioned carefully, then waited patiently for passersby to clear the background before taking the shot, while keeping Jason present and engaged the whole time. It was a real juggling act. 

Additionally, recreating a boardroom training environment in his dining room required some on-the-fly, figure-it-out magic. We moved furniture, added laptops, coffee mugs and water bottles, and used a whiteboard from his basement to help recreate a live facilitation environment. By shooting through the objects on the table, and positioning him in the right spots, we were able to pull it off quite smoothly.

how was visual variety achieved?

Jason’s portfolio includes a wide range of visual elements, from 360-degree coverage of him working at his desk - after we moved his desk off the wall - to detailed shots of the mementos and memorabilia related to his military and airline pilot history in his office. 

We also created visual variety by having a neighbor sit in as a "client" during a recreated 1:1 coaching session, which allowed for candid shots of Jason interacting with the “client” from various angles. The goal was to show him working with someone in person, but keep him anonymized in order for the viewer to visualize themselves sitting across from Jason, which helps in the buying making decision process.

Describe the post-production process.

Since the airport photos were the last part of the session, I was already in the terminal and able to start the culling, cropping, and coloring process in the airport lounge while waiting for my flight. 

By the time I landed, I had finished exporting the low-resolution versions. The high-resolution images were delivered the following day. 

In total, the portfolio contains 456 photos, completed with 3 post-production passes.

At the end of the day…

Jason was very pleased with the final images and has been an enthusiastic advocate for my work ever since. He has introduced me to potential clients and strategic partners, helping to extend my network. 

While we didn’t get to shoot in the cockpit this time around, I’m hopeful that we’ll have the opportunity to capture that in the future!