The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken a toll on us all and life as we know it has changed to a new normal. Now the world has become increasingly virtual and Photographer Paul McDermott wants to make sure we all look our best while online.
Giving Back to the Community
As a way to give back to the community during these uncertain times, McDermott is offering free headshots to interested participants. His initiative’s main purpose is to give workers who’ve been laid off due to the coronavirus a picture-perfect image that they can use in their efforts to retain new employment: “Since everything is virtual right now, the first impression is more important than ever,” remarked McDermott. “I want people to feel empowered and inspired that there is hope and opportunity for them.”
The gracious travel photographer isn’t just an onlooker to the increase number of unemployment these days, he himself has also been out of work for some time now due to the pandemic. A career that he has enjoyed for his entire adult life has stop dead in its tracks with no set date on when things will start to get moving once again.
In his downtime, McDermott has helped with other Oakland Park community projects like food delivery and aspects of organizing masks for the community, but it is through his free headshots initiative that he thinks he can best serve his community as a whole while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disturb and transform people’s lives.
Learn How You Can Participate
In order to take advantage of this initiative, interested participants only have to provide some basic information like name, email and phone number along with answering a few simple questions on the initiative’s online registration form at https://forms.gle/kwcmFBcRiJLrrLah6. It’s a quick and easy process that only takes a few minutes to complete.
Once you fill out the form and click submit, McDermott will be in contact with you to provide you with a scheduled date and time of your photoshoot. Since McDermott is providing the service free of charge and wants to give as many individuals as possible an opportunity to take advantage of the service. The scheduled time slot offered will be set in stone and cannot be changed.
Keeping Safety in Mind
To guarantee the safety of all the participants, McDermott will be conducting the photoshoots in the back open area of his Oakland Park photography studio. The outdoor space is equipped with photography lighting and one professional photography backdrop used for headshots. He asks that all participants wear a protective mask before and after their shoot.
Make sure to come to your session photo-ready with your hair and makeup already done if you so choose because it won’t be provided onsite in accordance to social distancing guidelines. The actual photoshoot for each participant will only take a couple of minutes according to McDermott. Thereafter, a few headshots of your session will be available to retrieve online at the designated link provided by the photographer.
No retouches will be done to the photos unless you request it, which will accrue a charge set by McDermott. Remember, all the initial photos you receive from the photoshoot are free of charge thanks to McDermott’s Free Headshots initiative. And with his experience in the field, your headshots our bound to be images that you can be proud of.
A Clicks-Based Career
“It’s been my only career,” the experienced travel photographer proudly mentioned. “Headshots are easy but to dance with a sea horse 60 feet down as a guest in his home, orient your lights perfectly, frame your shot, determine the best background, and make sure the camera settings are on point is a bit more challenging and trickier.”
The 32-year-old McDermott has been a photographer for 14 years. It is a childhood passion that he has cultivated throughout his life. He graduated from college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Photography and received on-the-job training with photographers and mentors that he still greatly admires.
McDermott’s Free Headshots initiative will last as long as he is available to offer it to the public. To take advantage of the service make sure to register online. And to learn more about McDermott and view some of the work he has done throughout the course of his photography career visit his website at www.paulmcdermott.com.
One Response