Ten Minutes, No PowerPoint: Live Portraits at SAM Networking

Ten minutes. That's what you get when it's your turn to present at SAM Networking. Ten minutes to explain what you do, why it matters, and why anyone in the room should remember you by the time they've got home.

The obvious move is a slideshow. A logo, an "about me" slide, a nice wedding photo, maybe a pie chart if you're feeling brave. I've sat through plenty of those, and I'd bet you have too. Death by PowerPoint is a real thing, and nobody has ever been talked into hiring a photographer by bullet point four.

So I didn't do slides. I just did the job, live, in front of everyone.

Making pictures from practically nothing

People tend to think good portraits need a studio, a van full of lighting and a morning of setting up. Sometimes they do. Mostly, they don't. What you need is a bit of decent light, a background that isn't fighting for attention, and a person who's stopped worrying about how they look.

So I worked with what was already in the room. A big window became my light. A plain dark wall became my backdrop. No studio, no fuss. Just looking at the space properly and putting someone in the right bit of it.

That's what "I see what you don't" actually means in practice. It's not some mystical gift. It's noticing that the bit of wall next to the fire exit has lovely soft light on it at half ten in the morning.

The real job: getting people to relax

Here's the honest bit. Lighting is the easy part. The hard part is the person in front of the camera, because almost everybody tenses up the second a lens points at them. Shoulders creep up, the smile goes rigid, and you end up with something that looks like a passport photo with ambition.

So most of what I showed the room wasn't about the camera at all. It was about the chat. Talking to people, having a laugh, taking the mick a little, and giving them something to think about other than "stand there and smile". Take the pressure off and people start to look like themselves.

You can see it happen across a few frames.

Serious faces, then the giggles

I also roped in three volunteers at once. First, I asked for their moodiest album-cover stare. They gave it everything.

Portraits on white (which isn't really my thing)

Afterwards, a few people asked if I'd grab a portrait for them, so I set up a clean white background. Honestly, that's not something I usually do. My work is normally documentary: weddings, events and brand shoots, with people getting on with things while I quietly get on with mine.

But I enjoyed it far more than I expected. White strips everything away. There's nowhere to hide, so personality has to do all the work, and there was no shortage of that in the room.

What I hope people took away

If the ten minutes had one point, it was this: you don't need to be "photogenic", and you don't need a fancy studio. You need someone who'll take the time to get you comfortable and who knows what to do with the light that's already there.

Thanks to Sam and everyone at SAM Networking for being such good sports, and for laughing in all the right places.

If you're a business in Huddersfield, Kirklees or anywhere across West Yorkshire and you need headshots, team portraits or event photography that actually looks like your people, get in touch. People, honestly.