Who's in the Crew? - Spotlight on Olli Tumelius

NAME: Olli Tumelius - https://seattleheadshotpro.com/
http://www.tumelius.com/
https://www.instagram.com/seattleheadshotpro/
https://www.instagram.com/ollitumelius/

WHERE DO YOU LIVE? I live in Seattle, WA. I am originally from Finland. I moved to Seattle in 2014.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SHOOTING HEADSHOTS? I have been shooting headshots for about five years. I started around 2012 and I did not have any previous photography experience besides some casual photos here and there. I was about to go on a long cycling trip and I figured that it would be nice to have a better camera to document the trip. I started doing some landscapes and random travel photos. Then I found that there's something magical about making portraits of people. Especially people I didn't know. Something about that connection felt exciting. I got into street photography and street portraits and that's where I got hooked and started learning more about photography. I was still traveling full-time so I was mostly "studying" online.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU LIKE TO SHOOT? I still like to shoot different types of portraits. I've done some small advertising projects and editorial work and hoping to do more in the future.

WHAT IS YOUR LIGHTING SETUP FOR HEADSHOTS? Right now I shoot constant light at the studio and strobes on my location gigs. I use the triangle set up most of the time. Sometimes I use bigger modifiers if I know I have to shoot a bit wider.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE SPACE YOU SHOOT IN - DO YOU OWN IT, RENT IT OR LIVE IN IT? I am renting a studio. I was in a shared studio for a while and managing the calendar started to get difficult, so I thought it was time to get my own space. I have about 720 sq ft in an old industrial building that is now used for mostly creative spaces. I like my studio even though it is pretty basic and I haven't done any work on it. I just moved in and started working right away. The space is divided into a shooting area and makeup/changing/storage area. There's definitely more that could be done to make it more client-friendly and less like a photo cave. I have been in this space for almost two years now and I have learned that there are pros and cons of being in an old building, but the location is pretty good close to downtown and it's what I can afford at the moment.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER PH AND THE HSC? It must have been some time in 2015. I had moved to Seattle and I had gotten into lighting. I was researching lighting styles and I was also interested in learning how to direct people. As soon as I saw Peter's videos, I knew that that was the whole package and I could learn a lot from this guy. I watched all the videos I could find and tried to get as much as I could out of them.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO JOIN THE CREW AFTER YOU FOUND IT? I think I joined in late 2016. So probably a year and a half after I had found Peter on YouTube. I did not know what was behind the paywall and I wasn't sure if it was worth the money. After I joined I was kicking myself that I hadn't joined sooner. I found the community to be very supportive and my work got better much faster with the feedback on the forum. Listening to the weekly live critique was super helpful, too. Since then I've taken the Headshot Intensive and I went to both Headshotmania events. Very cool to get to know some of the crew members. I've worked together with four different crew members in my area. Last but definitely not least some of you guys have sent me work. I really appreciate that and will return the favor whenever possible.

WHAT IS ONE THING ABOUT YOU PEOPLE WOULD NEVER GUESS? I have never had a driver's license. Should I get one before I turn 40?

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT YOU? I wish people knew that they can always reach out to individual members for help. I was fortunate to be around when the wingman program was active and got a lot of help from that. I have also talked to other members about photography, business, and other things getting a lot of knowledge and inspiration. I am definitely willing to share what I have learned, so feel free to reach out any time.