Authors in Tweed Jackets

Another first for me yesterday. I had a wonderful portrait sitting with two local authors for the book jacket of their upcoming book called The Belated Baby. After their personal struggles with infertility, Kelly and Jill decided to write this book to help other women going through this life-altering time in their lives. We brainstormed ahead of time to go over wardrobe and the usual things. But, given the subject matter of the book, and the message of hope the authors are bringing to it, how do we convey this in a picture?

We all agreed that warm, friendly smiles that engage the viewer are a must. But, we also wanted a professional appearance and wardrobe, rather than, say, an outdoor shot with their kids. I decided on the background. I wanted an open, bright, airy background to match the look and message of the book, so a backdrop was out of the question. So was an academic setting with books and typewriters and the like. For a pose, I wanted an arrangement that showed that they were both colleagues and friends.

Well, you can see the results and judge for yourself if we achieved our goals. I think we did, and I wanted to share with you a bit of the thought process behind an "environmental portrait." And, best of all, we avoided the "authors in tweed jackets" cliche.