04/25/2026
The number one issue I have in portrait/headshot photography is posture. People do not sit up straight. Males more than females.
October 1971 Senior portrait. I was 16 years old when this was done. And when I look at my work now, some things from 1971, when I was 16, still come through. But I was not a photographer back then. Posture was the big thing back then.
This shoot I was half drunk, drinking Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill Wine. But I remembered everything that the photographer did. He shot with a flash against a grey background. If you look into my eyes, you will see where the lights are. He was shooting straight down with a reflector below my chin. He said to me, "My God, you have a great smile."
Now, officially, photography sought me out by accident in 2007. This was shot in 1971. The only person I positioned like me was Alicia Taylor, and that shoot was, oh, I forgot, 3 years ago. The photographer was very stern about posture. I remember he said, "Are you drunk? I don't care, sit up straight, young man."
Michael W. Rogers
