Ye Olde Author Photo
October 22, 2009
For the record, I hate dealing with author photos. I'm sure I'm not the only person out there, male or female, that finds some dissonance between how I think I look, how I wished I looked, and how I actually look in a photograph.
Anyway, the publisher wanted a new author photo. A friend of mine's daughter just started college as a photography major, so I hired her to take some photographs. She narrowed them down to 11, then my wife and I narrowed them down to 4, then I sent them off to my publisher to decide on the 4. Which they sort of did. Anyway, here are the 4. Let me know which one you'd recommend. We'll call them #1, #2, #3, and #4, moving left to right on the top row with the bottom picture being. And then I'll tell you which one the publishers wanted later today and what they asked me and I'll let you know, with as much certainty as I currently have, which one we're actually going to use. Oh, and by the way, the photographer's name is Hadley Ashton.
Cheers,
Mark
posted by Mark Terry at 7:04 AM
22 Comments:
Put me down for number 1. Numbers 2 and 4 aren't bad. I don't like number 3.
I'd buy a book from this guy.
The one in color with your arms crossed. You look most authorly in that one.
I'm with Stephen. Authorly.
And how is it that you manage to smile and frown at the same time? That's a Talent, Marc!
SSAS,
I blame the goatee.
WOULD IT KILL YOU TO FRIGGIN' SMILE?????
#4. You look thinnnest in it AND authorly AND interesting. And genius-like. ;-)
E
P.S. A TWINKLE OF A SMILE? Something?
#2, but for different reasons than Stephen and SSAS mentioned. To me, you look like a badass in #2, like you're about to smugly beat the living shit out of someone.
Like a writer who could convincingly tell the story of another badass named Derek Stillwater.
Definitely #2.
Erica,
Y'know, that's a possibility, but like Jude says, er, I'm not writing about kids and magic, or, y'know, chick-lit (er, women's fiction, or, uh, oh hell, comedies, or... what do they call your genre, anyway?)
I was thinking something like this:http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/16503/GM_Ford/index.aspx
but didn't have time to get the tats.
Jude,
I bet you could pull of that look, too. It's the shaved head. I was going to have a shot wearing a black muscle shirt and wraparound sunglasses, but... oh well.
Number 4, definitely. You seem more approachable and friendly. You're more relaxed and natural and at ease with the camera in that photo.
My publisher liked the 4th one--but they wanted it in color. We didn't have it. They prefer color, but are willing to go with black-and-white. I suggested they then use #2. I'm guessing they'll go with #2, although I don't know that for a fact.
Out of the 11 Hadley handed over, there was only one I didn't like because it had a goofy expression on it (probably more appropriate than the badass, but I'm trying to sell the damned books here). There were a couple really terrific pics out of the 11 that I liked a lot, but didn't feel quite worked as an author photo.
And yeah, Erica, #4 makes me look thinner.
None of the photos, I think, make small children run in terror or birds to fall from the sky.
Now, Natasha, I AM friendly and approachable. Sort of. When I'm not eating small children for breakfast.
To me, the lighting is all wrong in #4, especially for B&W. The top of your head is too bright, and the eyes are too dark, making you look a bit like Uncle Fester.
Thanks, Jude. You just made my wife's day. Hey... are you saying my forehead is too big?
I like #2 or #4. I like #4 best, but if you have to go with a color one, then 2.
Well Christine, you're in line with my publisher and me, as well.
And my brother, Pete, left this message on Facebook: "I like the one posted here but I like the the other color one with your arms crossed and scowling like you are going to bite the neck of a Lone Star off and spit it at your readers."
Really, people who know me probably think the "Mark Terry Is A Badass" thing is pretty comical.
I can hear my wife just saying, "Being grumpy doesn't make you a badass."
I like #2. Now I'll go back and read everybody else's opinion.
LOL! I just read Jude Hardin's comment on #2. He likes it because it makes you look like a badass. I like it because it has a kind of wistfulness about it. I guess badass is in the eye of the beholder.
Wistful? Maybe #3, where I'm dreaming dreams while staring off into space (a fairly natural part of my appearance, probably).
I'd say # 4.
Those are great photos! I like the first one the best, I think. But I don't think you could make a bad choice with these.
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