Specialist Portrait Photographer

Job DescriptionWe’re looking for an exceptional portrait photographer to join the team at Hero Shot. This is a senior role, and we’re deliberately setting the bar high.We’re looking for someone with a minimum of five years of solid portrait photography experience who is genuinely expert at photographing people. Not someone who has shot a handful of headshots here and there, but someone who has devoted real time to their craft.You might come from corporate portraiture, editorial, commercial or fashion photography. You might even run your own photography business and have reached the point where you no longer want to be bogged down by administration and would rather spend more time doing what you actually love.Whatever your background, you need extensive experience photographing people with little or no modelling experience.Our subjects are often everyday professionals who may feel nervous or uncomfortable in front of a camera. Photographing a professional model beautifully is one thing. Bringing out the best in someone who would rather be at the dentist is another.QualificationsYou should be highly competent in:• Lighting people beautifully in the studio and on location• Posing and directing different body types, ages and personalities• Coaching expression and noticing the small details that make a portrait work• Making nervous or camera shy people feel comfortable quickly• Producing consistently excellent work, not just occasional standout images• Working efficiently without making people feel rushed• Solving lighting and location challenges confidently and independently• Maintaining an extremely high technical standardTechnical ability is only part of it.We’re looking for a good human who genuinely cares about people and outcomes. Someone emotionally astute, curious about people and who values kindness, honesty, transparency and collaboration.You need to be able to follow a proven process and deliver consistently, while still being curious, creative and willing to push what professional portraiture can be.Ultimately, we want someone committed to being one of the best at their craft, who keeps learning and raising their own standards rather than becoming comfortable with simply being good.Video experience is an advantage, particularly lighting and filming interviews or other people focused content.Company DetailsHero Shot is a specialist people photography and video company built around a simple idea: the person in front of the camera should be the hero.We work with individuals and organisations across Australia, creating professional headshots, portraits, workplace photography and video that help people and businesses present themselves at their best.Since 2014, we’ve built a team of photographers and creatives who care deeply about both the craft and the experience we give our clients. Many of the people we photograph aren’t comfortable in front of a camera, so our job goes well beyond lighting and technical ability. We create an environment where people feel understood, confident and genuinely well looked after.We take our work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. We value exceptional craft, kindness, honesty, collaboration and continuous improvement, and we’re always looking for ways to push professional portraiture beyond the expected.A quick reality check: this probably isn’t the right role if you’re early in your photography career, primarily an event or product photographer without substantial portrait experience, or still developing your lighting, posing or people direction skills.We’re looking for someone who already operates at a very high level, cares deeply about the craft and can represent Hero Shot with confidence and consistency.If you recognise yourself in that, I’d like to see your work.Please send through a portrait portfolio, including plenty of people who aren’t professional models, and tell us a little about what you’ve been shooting over the past five years and why.And if someone exceptional comes to mind while reading this, please send it their way.