Before your session, I ask what you actually need — preferred lighting, specific looks, how your subject behaves in front of a camera. During the session, you see the images as we go. You leave knowing it worked.
Most of my senior portrait work comes through Algonquin Regional, Shrewsbury High, Westborough High, and Marlborough High — schools I have been photographing for close to a decade. The students I work with want photos that actually look like them, not a studio template. I match the location to the person: the arboretum in October for one student, the Worcester graffiti alley for another. By the time we are done, families routinely end up wanting most of the gallery.
Many people come to me having never had a professional headshot taken. The anxiety is predictable and understandable. Within the first few minutes, that tends to lift — partly because you can see on screen whether something is working. When you know the image looks right, you stop worrying about whether it looks right. That change in posture and expression is visible in the final photos.
I have worked with enough toddlers to know that directing a two-year-old is not a viable strategy. What I do instead is set up conditions where genuine moments can happen — a specific prop, a sibling interaction, a location that holds a child’s attention naturally — and stay ready. Multi-generational sessions require the same flexibility. The photos that end up on walls are rarely the ones where everyone was posed exactly as planned.
For medical professionals, corporate executives, and anyone building a LinkedIn presence they will rely on for years, I treat technical specifications as part of the brief. Tell me your preferred background color, lighting preferences, and what the image will be used for. I will confirm the shot list before we start, and you will review on-screen during the session — no guesswork about whether the lighting or angle is right for your field.
I ask questions before you commit. What is the purpose of the photos? Who is in them? What have you tried before that did not work? This makes sure the session is built around your situation, not a standard package.
I select or scout the location based on your subject and what you want the photos to convey. For senior portraits, that might mean the arboretum in peak October light or a location that reflects something the student actually cares about. For professional headshots, I ask for your background and lighting specifications in advance. By the time we meet, I have a shot list, not a general idea.
I review images with you in real time. If the lighting is not right, we adjust. If the pose is not working, we change it. When a teenager can see a photo actually looks good, they stop fighting the process. You leave knowing you got what you came for.
I deliver the full gallery of edited images. Most clients find they want most of them — which is the point. You should not have to guess which three a photographer decided were worth your time.
Before our session, Emma asked me to share my lighting and background preferences — and even provided a piece of jewelry as a prop when I mentioned I wanted a particular look. She showed me the images on-screen as we worked, so I could weigh in on what was right for a medical residency application. I left with exactly what I needed, and I am still using those photos.
Richa Chhaya — medical professionalThis was my first time having professional headshots taken and I had no idea what to expect. Emma made the whole thing feel easy from the start. By the time we finished, I had photos I was actually glad to use — which was not what I was expecting to say going in.
Katherine SarrasinI have hired Emma for two separate sessions now, and both times the final photos went well beyond what I was hoping for. I am always hesitant about some of her suggestions in the moment, but she has been right every time. The second session confirmed that this is just who I call.
Yamila Mustafa — photographed twiceI have been photographing people for more than 13 years. I am based in Northborough, and most of my work stays in Central Massachusetts — Northborough, Shrewsbury, Westborough, Marlborough, Grafton, Southborough, and the broader MetroWest area. I started with families and kept going because the problems I had to solve kept getting more interesting: how do you get a genuine expression from a five-year-old who is done with the whole idea? How do you make someone who hates being photographed look like they do not hate it? Those questions have kept this work worth doing for over a decade. The sessions I find most rewarding are the ones where someone arrives skeptical and leaves with photos they actually want to show people.
I will tell you honestly whether and how I can help.
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