Help wanted
Unemployed job hunters in Dallas-Fort Worth can snap up free headshots on one day only
Several Dallas-Fort Worth photographers are helping unemployed workers gain a little more exposure in the job market.
On one day only — Wednesday, July 22 — photographers Emily McClure, Judy Babinski, Marcus Kaiser, Peter Szpakowski, Terry McCranie, and Traci Showomeyer will open pop-up studios to take free, professional headshots that local job seekers can post to career sites such as LinkedIn and include with resumes, if needed.
They're part of a national initiative called 10,000 Headshots spearheaded by the website Headshot Booker and real estate giant Brookfield Properties.
A high-quality, professional headshot can cost at least $250.
“The DFW Metroplex communities, like so many others, were hit hard by COVID-19 and we were looking for ways to help our neighbors get back on their feet," the participating photographers say jointly in a release. "We know that, according to LinkedIn, people who include headshots receive 21 times more profile views and nine times more ‘connection’ requests. We heard about what Headshot Booker and Brookfield Properties were doing across the country and wanted to be a part of it."
The photographers will take photos from 10 am to 7 pm July 22 at the following locations:
- Dallas: Marcus Kaiser Photography Studio, 400 N. St. Paul St.
- Frisco: Stonebriar Centre, 2601 Preston Rd.
- Fort Worth: Hulen Mall, 4800 S. Hulen St.
- Southlake: Metroplex Headshots, 280 Commerce St.
The rule is: Complimentary headshots are available to anyone currently unemployed, but participants are asked to visit HeadshotBooker.com to schedule a time to be photographed. Each location is limited to 50 appointments, and each session lasts 10 minutes.
Each photographer will follow specific protocols (including mask wearing) to ensure safe distancing and hygiene practices throughout the day, the organizers say. Headshots will be provided to participants through contactless delivery via photo sharing platform SpotMyPhotos.
10,000 Headshots is the idea of Tony Taafe, who co-founded Headshot Booker with portrait photographer Peter Hurley and event photographer Lauren Lieberman. Taafe recalled the struggles his dad had with unemployment and the impact it had on his entire family.
“Unemployment impacts everyone and everything associated with that person,” Taafe says. “Headshot Booker is in a unique position to provide out-of-work Americans with an important element of the job search process — a great, professional headshot."
More than 200 photographers will participate across all 50 states on July 22. For more information and additional locations, visit the website.
