Behind The Lens
Hi. I’m Donald - your photographer. I create modern and engaging professional headshots for individuals and businesses looking for a new and improved image for their brand.
I opened my studio in 2010, shortly after my service in the U.S. Coast Guard. Since then, I have created thousands of headshots for individuals and organizations in many industries throughout San Diego and Southern California. You may have seen some of my work on LinkedIn, magazines, advertisements, book covers, or billboards around Southern California.
When quality and service matters most, you can put your trust in me. With over twelve years of headshot photography experience, a degree in marketing, and knowledge of the psychology of headshots and advertising, I bring a creative and strategic mindset to creating headshots that enhance your brand and image. My experience gives me the confidence and competence to show up and produce my best work with efficiency. Other photographers and portrait studios may offer similar services, maybe even lower prices, but when you work with me, you get my personal dedication and expertise, flexibility, and high standards for photographic quality and customer service.
In 2012, I co-founded a local photography workshop and I’ve been teaching and mentoring beginner and enthusiast photographers ever since. When I’m not creating photos for clients and teaching workshops, I enjoy playing guitar, traveling, and getting outdoors hiking, backpacking, and taking landscape photos. You can view my landscape photography at donaldcarlton.com.
I look forward to working with you.
Our Team
Our Process
If you have any questions, please email us at info@sandiegoprofessionalheadshots.com or call us at (619) 618-8003.
Our Take On Headshots
First Impression
Your headshot is an important investment in your career and your personal brand. Whether on your website, business card, advertisement, or social media profile, a headshot is often your first impression to potential clients, employers, or casting directors.
Non-Verbal Communication
Research has proven people form immediate impressions about a person based on their appearance alone. A 2007 experiment by psychologists at Princeton University showed that 70% of the time, we can predict the winners of elections based only on looking at photos of the candidate's faces, and candidates who appear more competent and trustworthy are more likely to win elections.*
Headshots are often published in places you cannot physically be to introduce yourself, so a headshot's job is to communicate important characteristics about you in a single image without words. Non-verbal communication plays a big role in how people perceive you before they even meet you, so if you want to make a great first impression, it is crucial to have a headshot that communicates you are confident, approachable, professional, and trustworthy.
The Photographer
Unlike many other photographers, we don't shoot everything we can get our hands on like weddings, events, and family portraits. Our experience and training is focused mostly on professional headshots. We go way beyond just snapping a quick photo of you; during the session we work one-on-one with you and help you look and feel comfortable in front of the camera. Each person who steps in front of the camera is different, and therefore requires a unique combination of posing, lighting, and camera techniques to emphasize their best features and minimize others. We understand most people don’t like being in front of the camera and don’t know what to do - that’s why we coach you through body language, posing, and facial expressions to give you a confident and approachable impression and a flattering headshot you will be proud to use.
The Image
A camera is only a tool to a photographer, but we don't disappoint when it comes to image quality - in fact it’s one of our top priorities. Your headshot will be shot through a some of the sharpest and most beautiful quality lenses on the market mounted on Nikon's top professional-level DSLR cameras. Our lighting is one of the main factors that puts our image quality a step above our competitors. We use a variety of lighting equipment and techniques for different styles, but our most popular is our large lighting modifiers that provide a soft and flattering light for any subject. During the session, we shoot tethered to a computer for immediate image review and to ensure you’re satisfied with your images before you leave. Your final selections are then retouched by our professional photo retoucher to enhance the overall image and clean up unwanted hairs and blemishes.
Take this small step to improve your brand. Book your session today.
Owner | Photographer