A persistence of random friends and peers wanting to have their portraits professionally taken by Manila-based fashion photographer, Niccolo Cosme, so as to bask into the glory of having a glamorized primary picture in their social network web sites. In the beginning, the notion was simply over-the-top preposterous. However, with the cyber uprising of Friendster, MySpace, Multiply, Facebook, and other social network sites, one cannot deny the fact that these avenues foster communication and fortify relationships exponentially that decades past could not have yet accomplished.
Headshot Clinic was born to give tribute to this cause. It became a social force fueled by the desire to be catalysts of inter social building, accentuating the immersion of the digital age to its catalytic effect on building human relationships. An advocacy is finally born: The development of one's identity in the Global Village.
The First Wave
Invitations + 60 people came + 5 minutes of shooting each = Headshot Clinic
The event was simply a success. Individuals from an entire range of disposition heed the call and had their images captured and processed in a creation significantly unique from any other photos.
The digital world felt the tsunami of this pandemic cyber revolution on the 27th of January 2008, as 62 individuals uploaded their portraits on their social network sites as their profile photo, which created a stir on the online communityThis simply opened the floodgates of what soon to be our next goal. .
HSC saw the potential of these profile photos to convey a message, a statement, an advocacy. It was then realized that HSC can be a good marketing tool for online advertising — it is viral — and with its huge number of participants, this will create great impact and curiosity. We see online profile photos as online billboards, it is indeed a new and unique concept, and definitely hard to ignore.
The One World Series
The One WORLD series came up as photographer, Niccolo Cosme, thought he needed something more profound than vanity for HSC; he realized that the primary root of all this project is the social network sites. These sites bind us, making the world much smaller than it is; they bridge gaps and infuse cultures, letting us
co-create with everyone else.This then inspires the goal of the series: to convey the message of oneness, of unity, and peace; that whatever race we are from, whatever skin color we have, we all belong to the same world that we know of, thus having it as our common ground. We all belong there... it's our cyber world.
The goal was not simple as it involved traveling in different countries in Southeast Asia. Its first leg took place in Saigon last May 9, 2008 where 30 plus participants had joined; Manila had the 2nd leg with 200 plus participants; the 3rd leg was in Macau with 50 participants; and Cambodia last June 7 with 50 plus.
The One WORLD series is set to run until August (Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok, and Australia). An exhibition of all the headshots taken all over these countries is planned for September this year to commemorate the International Day for Peace.
Go GLAM!
Go GLAM! is the first free clinic, and the first branded series. "Living it Up," a lifestyle show on QTV channel 11, saw the potential of HSC and what it can do to hype up their 1st year anniversary on air. It is targeting 400 participants for this series — the biggest so far. This is also the very first clinic where photographer, Niccolo Cosme, is involving other photographers from his team as it is rather difficult to finish that huge a number with just one photographer. The series will have 4 unique different backdrops (each unit having 2 photographers) contrary to the One WORLD series that only has one unique backdrop for all different countries. To register, please click here.
Soon to come...
HSC is currently talking to different companies and brands for other clinics this year. If you are interested to advertise with us by having your own series, please e-mail us at shaotrinidad@headshotclinic.com. For individual or group shoots please e-mail at info@headshotclinic.com.
