A little trick that has gone a long way

It’s funny how one word has created such a large impact on my directing style.

It’s all Peter Hurley’s fault…

In 2011, I joined an online photography community to learn how to take better headshots. 

While working full time as a TV Producer, I wanted to build a side business photographing actors and real estate headshots, and knew that I needed help.

At the time, it was called PH2 (now Headshot Crew), and it is run by headshot and portrait photographer, Peter Hurley. 

He is equal parts brilliant behind the camera and charismatic in front of it.

He’s a Jersey guy, so, you know, he leverages that Northeast flavor to his advantage…

…I can relate :) 

While reading the articles on the site, watching the tutorials and sitting in on the livestreams, I learned the fundamentals of crafting aesthetically beautiful headshots that conveyed a sense of confidence, approachability and likability. 

And I also learned a bag of tricks to set people up for success in front of the camera in the process. 

One of the many takeaways was the turtle. 

For those who’ve been in front of my camera, you know exactly what that means. 

But for those not in the know, turtling is when you jam your forehead towards the camera without moving the rest of your body, mimicking the pathway of a turtle’s head popping out of its shell. 

The intention is to accentuate your jawline, and flatter your overall presentation, while also bringing the most important information of the photo - your facial expression - closer to the audience for them to process and qualify. 

When I first heard Peter use this term, I thought it sounded ridiculous. I mean, is this how to properly direct a client in front of a camera? 

And then, I tried it out on a test subject one day, and I saw how it magically flattered the subject’s face instantly. 

From then on, I became a member of Team Turtle, and now, I use it in every single branded lifestyle portrait session I conduct. Over and over and over again…

While the technique itself is a brilliant little trick to create a more flattering presentation of the subject’s face, it’s also an easy way to inspire an interesting reaction through their expression by simply saying turtle.

So, the technique itself and the baked-in humor offers a two-fold benefit to capture unique portraits and headshots. 

It’s also become a running joke amongst all the speaker clients that I’ve worked with over the years. 

When they see me out and about, I’ll hear them shout out “turtle” randomly in my direction. Or, when taking self-portraits, they’ll remind me to turtle before I hit the shutter button. 

It’s cute and funny - but it’s also awesome because it means that they’ve internalized the lesson and execute it every time they’re in front of the camera.

And that means the pictures they take will ultimately benefit, which is the goal, after all. 

I don’t even know if Peter even uses that phrase anymore during his sessions, but I sure do, and plan to as long as people stand in front of my camera. 

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 

Tuning to you…

Is there an insight that a mentor taught you that you, at first, seemed silly and unnecessary, but now, you use it in every client interaction because it’s highly effective? If so, share your story in the comment section below.