Make your online profile stand out with outdoor portraits in Boston's Seaport & Fort Point districts!
Boston photographer for online dating pictures, tinder, match profile

Personality Portraits

Modern snapshot-style casual outdoor portraits capture your active personality for editorial, social media, dating profiles. Weather-dependent.

Your personality shines naturally in a casual outdoor portrait session. In the pictures, you can breathe the fresh air, feel the space on the ground to walk around, see the soft skylight, and almost hear the street noise. Those elements all contribute to modern snapshot-style photography. Unlike precisely crafted studio portraits, personality portraits are characterized by an engaging, dynamic, kinetic, fluid, and unpolished authenticity. Personality portraits look like a candid photo that your friend might have taken.

Who this is for

Personality portraits are ideal for personal branding, social media, newsletters or editorial stories about you as a person (rather than as a specific job function or achievement), and online dating profiles. You have ample space on a page for your pictures, where a context-rich portrait will have life. (In contrast, headshots frame tightly around the face and chest, and they are best for small bio photos.) Personality portrait became very popular with the rapid expansion of those platforms where the focus is on the story.

It is also perhaps the best option for camera-shy people who dislikes having photographs taken but want to reset their online identity. Many of those people suffer from anxiety, insecurity, awkwardness, being too self-critical, serious, unfriendly, stiff or trying too hard. If you have no photograph of yourself that you like, this is probably the best bet. People have an automatic switch that turns off the personality and stiffens the face once the camera aims at them. That effect won’t vanish entirely, but the outdoor environment helps in many ways. Quite some of the people I photographed were in this category. (The sample image gallery shows a fair sample of the top picks from many sessions, and not cherry-picked. So, some are of the people in this category, but you probably can’t tell.) If you are well prepared, without any such concerns, your session may end sooner or with better results. Either way, like many things, there are practical limits. I’m not overselling optimism, so please adjust your expectation realistically.


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Why snapshot style still photo is effective

Still pictures activate the viewer’s fast visual filtering process. When people flip through pages, they look at the pictures first and decide whether to proceed to the text. If the picture is not effortlessly engaging or intriguing, the viewers will move on. People don’t have the patience to watch a short video or read the text unless there’s a known incentive, like a compelling picture that stands out in the sea of many options. Once past the filtering stage, people often associate the story with the photo and remember it for a long time.

This is opposite of selfie

Take many selfies, and you’ll realize most pictures have the same facial expressions or look awkward. People get obsessed about concealing little unimportant flaws in their faces and forget to project personality outward. That can happen any time you are micromanaging yourself, or trying too hard, even when your friend is taking the picture. But then what you are trying to hide becomes more evident, revealing the insecurity. Personality portraits make little effort to control for little things that don’t matter much but emphasizing on releasing your mind from that counterproductive desire.

Good weather is crucial

Personality portrait sessions take place in the last few of the daylight hours so that the starting time can be as early as 2 pm in winter, or as late as 6 pm in summer. Lighting is too harsh any earlier unless there’s heavy overcast.

All outdoor session booking is subject to weather condition. If there’s any availability in the next few days (for which weather forecast is somewhat reliable), that is the best bet. If not, we’ll have to pencil in a future date and make the final judgment on the day. (The weather is the only acceptable reason to reschedule without penalty.) As forecast further into the future is unreliable, scheduling can be frustrating, especially during winter and mid-summer, where good days are far apart, and people are on a waiting list, but patience is a part of the game. You can’t fight against nature and still produce good photographs. Nature doesn’t care how strong, confident, or desperate you are.

The best season to photograph is late summer to early fall, when the temperature in the evening is 15 to 25C, the wind is usually low. September gets the least amount of rain in Boston. Not only is it more comfortable to shoot, but also you’ll make relaxed expressions effortlessly and yield more quality pictures in the final selection, a better value. However, Fall is also the busiest time of the year, with the new people moving to the city, and the pressure from upcoming holidays to have pictures. The online dating sites are most active this time of the year. Then late fall to winter, people who procrastinated will regret how bad the weather becomes, and quickly. Cold air will make you stiff and the strong wind squint. During the winter, we’ll drop the standard a bit and may shoot as cold as afternoon temperature of 8C if there’s little wind. Spring is warm enough to shoot but beware of the dusty, strong wind that can irritate your eyes and mess up your hair. Mid-summer can be very hot and humid, which can mess up the makeup and hair, and you don’t want sweat in the photo, either. An evening temperature exceeding 27C is too hot. Weather forecast is unreliable, and there’s unpredictable thunderstorm risk.

Please do not pressure me to shoot in bad weather or earlier broad daylight hours even if you are confident or by promising to accept a lower standard. You will not like the outcome. This weather section may sound too serious, but that’s because a few people desperately and tenaciously request to shoot in an unreasonable way.

Who this is not for

Personality portraits may not work well for people who have a rigid schedule. There is only a narrow window of time every evening when the natural light is ideal for a portrait. Then, we need to coordinate with the weather forecast.

This portrait style is also not for micro-managers who obsess over exacting control of anything, because it is philosophically incompatible. Those people may adapt to give up some control and still be happy with a less rigid style. If the wind messes up your hair, fix it the best you can but then enjoy the messy hair. Or, they should check out indoor natural light portraits and professional headshots instead.

If you want to wear any fancy outfit, check out spotlight portraits instead, although a bit more formal, slower-paced and polished. Personality portrait may not work, because I will have to carry all changes in a backpack, and the clothes must be safe to fold or roll up without wrinkles. Both of us need to have all hands free for a fast-paced shoot. However, you can wear a fancy outfit as the first look, as long as everything else fits in a backpack (which can be a challenge during cold seasons).

I have not figured out how to produce good results with negative thinkers (people who anticipate or interpret things negatively) and disengaged people. Disengaged people are unlikely to read this far, but if you are trying to help someone, this may not work.

Outfit selection and preparation

Think about how you dress when going to a museum or upscale but casual restaurant, but not work. Something interesting, personal, casual, and makes you look good. Also, the clothes should be fitted and not too large or small. Men wearing a dark suit may look like their entire life is about corporate work. Try doing a little research by googling phrases like “fashion advice for men in their 30s” and find out what makes you feel excited.

Start choosing your outfits early. Keep them clean and wrinkle-free. In mid-summer and winter, when the weather is challenging, be ready to shoot in a short notice when the forecast improves.

Personality portraits are a long session that requires cognitive and physical coordination and will use a lot of energy. So, please make sure to have plenty of sleep and avoid stress.


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How this works

Imagine going for a walk with a friend who happens to be a personality photographer. Usually, we meet in the studio where we can check out the outfit options and make a quick battle plan. We’ll walk around the Fort Point and Seaport districts while snapping some pictures. I’ll give some coaching along the way, and it’ll be a casual, relaxed session. We’ll check out the pictures on my iPad from time to time. You’ll jump into a cafe bathroom to change. We’ll walk back to the studio on a different route, taking some more pictures.

Back in the studio, we’ll review images and pick out a handful of good ones. Most of the time, this will be a mix of your favorites and mine. The selects will be corrected for color, exposure, and contrast. You’ll get JPEG files of the finished images via a download link. The package includes all the essential features needed so that you can add your new pictures to your photo library or update your profile right away.

A standard scenario is to do the above in Fort Point/Seaport districts, where the studio is located, in the last daylight hours of the day, taking 2.5 hours or a bit longer. The fee is 800.

One advantage of personality portraits is that the equipment required is modest so that the logistics can be flexible. If you like to shoot outside of Fort Point district or a more extended session, the request will be considered as long as the plan doesn’t constrain the photography work. However, make sure the location you are thinking of is suitable for a photoshoot (practicality, access, legal issue, and safety). The fee for a customized session will be estimated individually.

Detailed skin retouching and special effects are optional at an additional cost, charged per image, but retouching is usually non-essential for personality portraits.

Many people need a LinkedIn style headshot or a bit more polished indoor portraits/headshots in addition to personality portraits. These popular combinations are priced lower at 1000 than booking two separate sessions.

Booking requires a 50% advance payment to secure your appointment.


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Signing up

To sign up, please use the inquiry form to tell us a bit about yourself. We’ll follow up with a brief phone consultation, and book your session.

Now is the best weather

Personality portrait is always done in the late afternoon, and we can work with only one shoot per day, at most. It is also weather-dependent, and we avoid excessively hot temperature, thunderstorm risk and rainy days. Late August to September is the best time of the year, and the weather quickly deteriorates after October, and everything turn into gray color. It’s also the busiest time of the year for personality portraits (new people in the city and anticipation of holidays) so please plan in advance, and certainly do not delay if you want to make it happen. There will be few good days between November and March.

Sample Work Gallery

Click on the first thumbnail below to start a full screen gallery. Use left/right arrow keys to navigate, or swipe on iPad screen. To return, click on the (x) button in the lower left corner, or hit an ESC key.


Testimonials

A friend of mine went to Ryuji to get photos for his online dating profile. He told me that after switching to Ryuji’s pictures, he started having a lot more success. Based on his recommendation, I went to Ryuji to get my own profile pictures. From his website to the preliminary phone discussion and on to the photo session itself, I was astounded by how much care and sophistication he brought to the entire process. He provides an incredible amount of information up front to help you prepare for the session and ensure that you get what you were hoping from the shoot. He’s an engaging and fascinating person to talk to as you work with him, which makes the session fly by, but looking back on it, I can see how his deep experience and professionalism went into making the session efficient, productive, and effective. – Evan Busch 6 Feb 2019

I don’t like taking pictures, unless Ryuji is behind the camera. I highly recommend him if you would like to have your photos taken and enjoy the process. He helped me tremendously to update my dating profile and bring new life to my LinkedIn. Thanks again Ryuji ! – Jonathan Epstein 24 Sep 2018

I hate having my picture taken. Every time I try to smile for the camera the resulting photo always comes out looking fake or stiff. My dating profile was full of selfies and badly taken photos with various cellphones. I was in desire need of some good pictures. Ryuji to the rescue. Besides being a talented photographer, Ryuji is amazing to work with. He has a way of putting you at ease while he shoots. The resulting photo’s come out looking vibrant and relaxed. Your personality shines through the photos. – Eric J. Pawtucket, RI, on 9/28/2016
http://business.google.com/u/0/b/114236352087781644548/reviews/l/08547169318805355871/r

I found Ryuji on his Beaupix website when I was looking for a photographer to take good photos of me for a dating website. Working with him was a delight. He has a great, dry sense of humor and is a fantastic photographer. He spent over 2 hours with me taking photos both in his studio and outdoors. I was nervous at first and uncomfortable in front of the camera but he worked with me so well and we got numerous shots that I was proud of, that showcased the “authentic” me. I have since used the photos both on Facebook and Linked in. Highly, highly recommended! – Leslie K. Marlborough, MA on 10/25/2015

I had an amazing experience getting pictures done for dating profiles. This is the first time that I’ve seen pictures of me that look the way I think I look. I’ve always hated looking at pictures of myself. they never seem to show what I see when I look in the mirror. I’m so excited to finally have photos of myself that look like me. I’ve had headshots done by professional photographers and still ended up disappointed. The process was seamless. Everything happened exactly the way Ryuji said it would from the initial inquiry to downloading my pictures. I cannot recommend Beaux Studio enough. – Deanna L. Dennis, MA on 30 Jul 2015

Eric W’s yelp review on 5/14/2014

I had never had professional headshots done before. Ryuji did an excellent job preparing, advising on wardrobe and guiding me through the process. I left with 30+ excellent professional and casual shots from several locations with 3 wardrobe changs. He carefully selected the best shots from hundreds. Very worthwhile experience. Excellent photographer. Easy manner that made me feel comfortable with the whole process. Highly recommended.

Andie N’s yelp review on 4/14/2014

Before going to Ryuji, the only professional photos I had featured me as a bridesmaid or maid of honor. I went to his studio with a desire for high quality multipurpose [read: dating] photos and a conviction that everyone deserves pro treatment. I was not disappointed. Being a nerd, I prepped with tons of google searches, everything I could find on Ryuji as well as how to prep for headshots. I went in with reasonable expectations and several choices of outfits. Ryuji put me at ease, making conversation and building rapport. He has a very disarming style, and that came in handy because I was somewhat nervous/unsure what to expect. We took some professional-type shots in his very industrial-chic studio and then went outside and around the neighborhood for more casual shots. I was worried the casual shots would look too composed, but he has a very smooth way of taking photos when you don’t even realize he’s taking photos, thus capturing really natural moments and expressions. It also helps that he’s fun to hang out with. He likes to talk about food and beer and movies, as well as whether or not you should stand that way or look over there. He takes the process very seriously, and he’ll explain anything you want him to explain. When we got back to the studio to look over the shots, he was patient and helped me make decisions. Above all I valued the transparency of the process; there was never a time I felt things were happening behind a curtain. Ryuji shows you results during the shoot so you have a sense of what you’re getting, and together you figure out which ones are truly keepers at the end of the day. Great experience.

A female client from Somerville, MA in spring of 2012

I recently had photos taken by Ryuji at Baupix Studio. It was a great experience and I would recommend him to anyone. I went in with the delicate task of getting a good shot for dating websites… I was pretty embarrassed. Ryuji made me feel very comfortable and he knew just what I was after – a shot that made me look my best but not too polished! He was also very patient while I went through the grueling exercise of choosing my favorite shot. Brilliant idea, why not put your best face out there!

Everything I read in the reviews was absolutely true. Ryuji is professional, interested and a master photographer. Not sure how easy it is to make a first time subject (me) relax and look good, but he pulled off the impossible. I was uncomfortable and embarrassed upon going, but I began to relax and actually enjoy myself (I got to play movie star for the day). We took great care choosing the photos I came home with, he was so patient as I hemmed and hawed about which I liked best. Then he touched them up perfectly – they look good, but not overly polished. It was such a nice afternoon, and I came home with some great shots. Thank you Ryuji!

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