I don’t do a lot of studio-type portraiture but I very much enjoy taking headshots when I have a chance. Last year, as part of my UT Longhorn Band volunteering, I produced headshots for all the band’s graduate teaching assistants. We took portraits in both burnt-orange casual and formal black outfits and, while shooting the format outfits, we all had a laugh and took a few funny poses, aiming for the “pretentious soloist” look. At the time, these were basically for fun but afterwards some of the best images from the session were these.
This picture shows Cheldon Williams who was definitely game to try different expressions. Most of his portraits sport his signature beaming smile but this serious one stood out to me.
Since we took these pictures, Cheldon has been hired as the director of the marching band at West Virginia University so he’ll be heading east very shortly. I wish him all the best and hope that I get a chance to bump into him on the sidelines at Texas Memorial Stadium some time in the future.
For the technically inclined...