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Alexandria Photographer Helping Out-of-Work Residents Create Headshots

Fatima offering free sessions at Tysons Galleria on Wednesday, July 22

Photographer Sam Fatima (Photo: Sam Headshots)

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The pandemic hit everyone hard. In this area, and all over the country, many people are out of work. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 11.1 percent. In Virginia, as recently as May, the unemployment rate was 9.4 percent.

Alexandria photographer Sam Fatima wants to do his part to help turn things around. He has partnered with Headshot Booker and Brookfield Properties for a new initiative aimed at helping the unemployed have a fresh start.

He shared that on LinkedIn, people who have a headshot are 21 times more likely to receive profile clicks, and nine times more “connection requests.

Fatima’s own studio, Sam Headshots, is in Franconia. The business is geared toward helping clients have that perfect picture for social media and business branding.

“We heard about what Headshot Booker and Brookfield Properties were doing across the country and wanted to be a part of it,” said Fatima. “We are excited and grateful to be able to contribute to such a great initiative.”

On Wednesday, July 22, Fatima will participate in 10,000 Headshots. He will take complimentary photographs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Tysons Galleria on the Brookfield Property.

Tony Taaffe, creator of the 10,000 Headshots initiative, is also a co-founder of Headshot Booker.

According to its website, Headshot Booker has elite photography professionals around the world who specialize in headshots. They are all trained by Peter Hurley, Taaffe’s business partner. And Lauren Leiberman, who is also a co-founder, relies on technological innovation to keep the company running smoothly.

The reason Taaffe created 10,000 Headshots is because he remembers the difficulty his father had finding jobs. He knows that unemployment affects the whole family.

“Headshot Booker is in a unique position to provide out-of-work Americans with an imporant element of the job-search process – a great, professional headshot,” Taaffe said. “And thanks to our partners who share a similar vision, we will be able to help thousands of unemployed Americans put their best foot forward and help them get back to work.”

Additional support is provided by Canon USA, Tether Tools, and PhotoFlashDrive, and SpotMyPhotos.

The Brookfield Property is located at Tysons Galleria on 2001 International Drive in McLean. Photos are free!

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Kevin Dauray

Kevin is Publisher's Assistant with The Zebra Press. He has been working for Alexandria's "Good News" newspaper since 2019. A graduate of George Mason University, he earned a bachelor's in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. He also studied at the Columbia School of Broadcasting and holds a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marymount University. He is an alumnus of T.C. Williams High School. Go Titans!

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