Wednesday afternoon, I arrived to the Adolphus Hotel clad in my best fall attire, ready to smile for the camera. I’ve been in the journalism world for a few years now, and in this age of digitalization, I was in desperate need of new headshots. As a proud Instagram-generationer (er, millennial) you can imagine my excitement when I received an email announcing the launch of Shoott, which is essentially a hybrid between Nordstrom’s Trunk Club and Uber, but for photography.
Book your 30-minute session up to 36 hours in advance. A photographer will meet you at a designated location. Only pay for the photos you want. How has this not been invented before?
I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Tsay, co-founder, and Rachel Wasserman, lead photographer, who were wrapping up a national tour launching the company in several cities. When I arrived, they sat nestled in a corner booth at Otto’s Coffee Shop with their nose to the grindstone, continuing to work even through their down moments. Both from the New York area, the first stop on their tour was San Francisco. From there they traveled to L.A. and San Diego, then to Austin, and finally ended in Dallas.
Personable and so clearly invigorated by her work, Jennifer explained to me the basics of Shoott. Not only can you hire a Shoott photographer for headshots, you can also book them for family portraits and even events. Think engagement sessions, engagement parties, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, even maternity photos. And while weddings might not be their main focus, Jennifer and Rachel assured that for an elevated rate, they could even do those, too.
“Our mission is to bring professional photography to everybody—to make it more accessible to everybody—we thought Dallas would be a good place for a couple of reasons,” Jennifer says. “There’s a ton of influencers here, families, and people who are doing startups and who are entrepreneurial. We’re great for personal branding, social media, and family photos, so it seemed like a really good convergence of our target market.”
Once I learned a little more about this innovative concept, Rachel and I went outside to test it out. In the vibrant streets of Downtown Dallas, she snapped my photo in several different spots, directing me on poses and expressions, because while sometimes I might think I’m Gigi Hadid, I clearly am not.
As promised, I received the edited photos within five days, and my LinkedIn photo has never looked so fresh.
A few of my favorites are below. Right now, Shoott is only booking on the weekends, but with increased demand, Jennifer says they will expand into the week, so grab your slot before it fills up.
