Who's in the Crew? - Spotlight on Joel Maisonet

NAME: Joel Maisonet

WEBSITE: www.joelmaisonet.com
CREW PROFILE: https://headshotcrew.com/joelmaisonet
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/joel_maisonet
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/MaisonetPhotography
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-maisonet-2722b86…


WHERE ARE YOU FROM AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?

I was born and raised in Chicago. We live just outside the city in the near-north burbs now but being a city boy, I’m itching to move back once my wife and I are empty-nesters.


HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SHOOTING HEADSHOTS? I started taking headshots in 2012 right before I took the Headshot Intensive.

WHAT IS YOUR LIGHTING SETUP FOR HEADSHOTS? I shoot strobes at the moment and have two setups I use. My corporate/travel setup is a one-light triangle keyed with a 6’ parabolic umbrella and two silver reflectors. For my actors, I try to mimic window light by bouncing two large softboxes into a white wall behind me and I use a 36” octa box overhead to contour the face a bit.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR STUDIO. DO YOU OWN IT? RENT IT? OR LIVE IN IT?

I rent a studio space 10 mins from downtown Chicago in the Pilsen Arts District. I’ve been in the building for just over 8 years. My first spot was about 500 sq. feet with no windows. It’s fun when you’re forced to make a small space work, but now I share a much larger space in the same building with Mike Sansone.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU LIKE TO SHOOT?

I absolutely love shooting poster images for theater companies. When I got my first gig, most theater promos looked like old paperback novel covers with big block text and generic images that rarely featured the actors in the production. Movie posters were something that I would stare and marvel at as a kid and I knew I wanted to take these promos in that direction. So far they’ve been a hit and the trend caught on.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER PH AND THE HSC?

Back in 2012 when I decided I wanted to take headshots I sought out a mentor and it didn’t take long or much searching to come across anything with Peter Hurley’s name on it.


HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO JOIN THE CREW ONCE YOU FOUND IT?

There was no hesitation in joining the crew once I found it. If I remember correctly, I joined the crew and was devastated to find out that Peter just had an Intensive in Chicago the week before I joined. My brother let me know he was coming back for another Headshot Intensive just a few months later and I knew I had to take it no matter what!

WHAT IS ONE THING PEOPLE WOULD NEVER GUESS ABOUT YOU?

That’s a tough one! In 8th grade, I randomly auditioned for a Flamenco dance company and got in. I spent the following 13 years performing, teaching, and traveling with the company. I now shoot their headshots, promo images, and live performances.

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT YOU? I’m always eager to help people. It’s something that was drilled into me as a kid, but the flip side of that is I tend to forget or neglect to ask for help when I need it.