Question: How important is the headshot to the
actor?
99% of the time, the actor will get the interview through their headshot. So, it's pretty obvious that the actor needs a good one. Or, more accurately, a great one. Show business is too competitive to attempt to break into it with a cheap and unflattering headshot.
Question: Which is better? A 3/4 length photograph, or headshots?
There seems to be an ongoing debate on this subject. Some folks seem to think that one style is better than the other, but I disagree. I feel both are useful for different applications. The good thing is that, with digital photography, you can take a 3/4 shot and crop to the necessary headshot. So nothing is really lost.
Question: There are many different kinds of photographers doing headshots for actors... which kind should I select to do my next headshot?
There is a dizzying array of photographers in the marketplace claiming to do good headshots. It is extremely important to know that there are two basic groups of photographers doing the majority of headshots today. There are the Fashion/Print variety who, as the name implies, specialize in shooting models for clothes and catalogs. Then there are the Theatrical/Headshot variety, who specialize in photography for performing artists. What every actor should realize is, THEY ARE BOTH TOTALLY DIFFERENT IN TECHNIQUE, APPROACH, AND EXPERIENCE.
A typical fashion photographer knows absolutely nothing about what is needed to successfully market an actor, much less what the acting process is all about. And the average headshot photographer is woefully ill-equipped to shoot vastly different fashion layouts. There may be exceptions to this rule, but they are few and far between. Would you go to a brain surgeon to have your teeth drilled? Probably not. But I routinely see actors having their headshots done by fashion photographers who know nothing about what the typial actor requires. How can you tell if you're looking at a fashion, or a headshot portfolio? Simple. If you see nothing but perfect, gorgeous men and women wearing fashionable clothes looking back at you, you can bet your union card that this photographer is a fashion expert. My experience says, look for someone else.
Question: How does the actor choose the best photographer?
Here's a good place to start: Compile a list of the photographers that you want to see by asking fellow actors, agents, managers, acting coaches, and casting directors. Then make an appointment to see their books or view their work online. Only then can you make a truly informed decision on whether or not you want to shoot with them. When you visit or speak with a photographer in person, it also helps to see that you have a rapport with them. The last thing you want is to shoot with a photographer that doesn't like you!
Question: What about price?
This is the number one most commonly asked question by actors. Their first question should be, "How much is your career worth?" Price is an important thing to consider, since most aspiring actors aren't all eccentric millionaires. You could always go with the cheapest photographer you could find, but you could also be throwing away an entire acting career - yours.
You've probably heard the phrase, "You get what you pay for." Not always. I've seen scores of actors spend exorbitant amounts of money on so-called "Superstar" photographers only to have their expensive new headshots wind up lining a casting director's trash can. That doesn't mean that going to one of those bargain basement photographers is any better. That could virtually guarantee you a lifetime of waiting tables and doing extra work.
Cost doesn't really mean much, quality does.
Question: What are some additional things to look for when selecting a qualified headshot professional?
Even before you look at a potential photographer's book, always ask him if he uses Polaroid test shots prior to shooting. If the answer is "No," I'd simply walk out of this studio, no "ifs ands or buts". Why? Because no self-respecting professional would ever take a headshot without them, period. That would be like having major surgery without getting X-rays taken first. Less expensive, but extremely foolhardy. The only plausible reason for not using Polaroids is that the photographer is either too ignorant to know better, or too cheap to include them in your shoot, both of which are pretty poor alibis not to use them. My studio is now fully digital, which has totally eliminated the need for Polaroids. You can see your new headshots in seconds.
Question: Which is better, Natural Lighting or Studio Lighting?
The answer to this question, in my opinion, would be the first thing that would determine whether or not I'd use any photographer. Why? Because lighting is the single, most important element in creating a great photograph. Whatever else a photographer does right, if the lighting isn't perfect, your photograph will suffer. I believe that Studio has Natural lighting beat by a substantial margin. There's a huge difference between the two, and when compared with a good studio shot, there is no comparison. "So why," you may ask, "do so many headshot photographers shoot with natural light?" Mainly because they either cannot afford to buy the expensive equipment required to take great photographs, or they simply don't know how to use studio lighting. It takes an enormous amount of time, money, and experience to use studio lighting effectively. Why should they have to take all that effort, when they can just open a window, or take you up on the roof and let the sun do all the work for them? Try this easy test: Simply compare a headshot done with natural light, beside one done with studio lighting. The differences are immediate and dramatic. Everything being equal, studio shots are vastly superior to those done with daylight only. Just ask anyone who is sensitive to bright sunlight, or someone who has nearly frozen to death on a frigid day, or roasted under a blistering summer sun. And just try to shoot your next headshot in the dead of night, in a snowstorm (which I've had to do)! It just isn't possible using natural light. When you compare the hundreds of headshot examples at my studio done both ways, I think that you'll agree. When it comes to creating dramatic, reliable results, studio lighting wins, hands down.
Question: Okay, I've put together that list of great photographers that I want to see. How can I determine who's the best?
With all of the photographers out there all claiming to be "The Best," it can be a confusing and sometimes frustrating experience. I know. I've been a Hollywood actor for more years than I'd care to count. But with all the choices available today, you can't possibly see them all. Or can you? Most actors will typically visit one to six photographers before making a final decision. In my years of shooting actors' headshots, I've compiled the work of over 1,000 of the top photographers in the world, so you can compare my work directly with the best headshot professionals in the industry, all at one time, all under one roof. I try to eliminate the inevitable confusion that most actors encounter while choosing a competent headshot photographer, by utilizing the only tried-and-true method of determining a photographer's ability – an honest, side-by-side comparison.
If a photographer offers to give you ownership of the negatives, don't just walk away, run! He's not doing you a favor, just the opposite. He's doing you a huge injustice. Taking your photograph is just the first step in a multifaceted and often very complicated process. If your photographer isn't willing to help you to get a perfect, ready-to-submit headshot into your hot, little hands as part of the purchase price, he's not a true professional, he's someone who desperately wants your money and will do anything to get it, up to and including giving away all of his work. Steer clear. I hope that these guidelines will be of some use to you in your search for that "perfect" headshot. Best of luck to you in all of your career goals.
99% of the time, the actor will get the interview through their headshot. So, it's pretty obvious that the actor needs a good one. Or, more accurately, a great one. Show business is too competitive to attempt to break into it with a cheap and unflattering headshot.
Question: Which is better? A 3/4 length photograph, or headshots?
There seems to be an ongoing debate on this subject. Some folks seem to think that one style is better than the other, but I disagree. I feel both are useful for different applications. The good thing is that, with digital photography, you can take a 3/4 shot and crop to the necessary headshot. So nothing is really lost.
Question: There are many different kinds of photographers doing headshots for actors... which kind should I select to do my next headshot?
There is a dizzying array of photographers in the marketplace claiming to do good headshots. It is extremely important to know that there are two basic groups of photographers doing the majority of headshots today. There are the Fashion/Print variety who, as the name implies, specialize in shooting models for clothes and catalogs. Then there are the Theatrical/Headshot variety, who specialize in photography for performing artists. What every actor should realize is, THEY ARE BOTH TOTALLY DIFFERENT IN TECHNIQUE, APPROACH, AND EXPERIENCE.
A typical fashion photographer knows absolutely nothing about what is needed to successfully market an actor, much less what the acting process is all about. And the average headshot photographer is woefully ill-equipped to shoot vastly different fashion layouts. There may be exceptions to this rule, but they are few and far between. Would you go to a brain surgeon to have your teeth drilled? Probably not. But I routinely see actors having their headshots done by fashion photographers who know nothing about what the typial actor requires. How can you tell if you're looking at a fashion, or a headshot portfolio? Simple. If you see nothing but perfect, gorgeous men and women wearing fashionable clothes looking back at you, you can bet your union card that this photographer is a fashion expert. My experience says, look for someone else.
Question: How does the actor choose the best photographer?
Here's a good place to start: Compile a list of the photographers that you want to see by asking fellow actors, agents, managers, acting coaches, and casting directors. Then make an appointment to see their books or view their work online. Only then can you make a truly informed decision on whether or not you want to shoot with them. When you visit or speak with a photographer in person, it also helps to see that you have a rapport with them. The last thing you want is to shoot with a photographer that doesn't like you!
Question: What about price?
This is the number one most commonly asked question by actors. Their first question should be, "How much is your career worth?" Price is an important thing to consider, since most aspiring actors aren't all eccentric millionaires. You could always go with the cheapest photographer you could find, but you could also be throwing away an entire acting career - yours.
You've probably heard the phrase, "You get what you pay for." Not always. I've seen scores of actors spend exorbitant amounts of money on so-called "Superstar" photographers only to have their expensive new headshots wind up lining a casting director's trash can. That doesn't mean that going to one of those bargain basement photographers is any better. That could virtually guarantee you a lifetime of waiting tables and doing extra work.
Cost doesn't really mean much, quality does.
Question: What are some additional things to look for when selecting a qualified headshot professional?
Even before you look at a potential photographer's book, always ask him if he uses Polaroid test shots prior to shooting. If the answer is "No," I'd simply walk out of this studio, no "ifs ands or buts". Why? Because no self-respecting professional would ever take a headshot without them, period. That would be like having major surgery without getting X-rays taken first. Less expensive, but extremely foolhardy. The only plausible reason for not using Polaroids is that the photographer is either too ignorant to know better, or too cheap to include them in your shoot, both of which are pretty poor alibis not to use them. My studio is now fully digital, which has totally eliminated the need for Polaroids. You can see your new headshots in seconds.
Question: Which is better, Natural Lighting or Studio Lighting?
The answer to this question, in my opinion, would be the first thing that would determine whether or not I'd use any photographer. Why? Because lighting is the single, most important element in creating a great photograph. Whatever else a photographer does right, if the lighting isn't perfect, your photograph will suffer. I believe that Studio has Natural lighting beat by a substantial margin. There's a huge difference between the two, and when compared with a good studio shot, there is no comparison. "So why," you may ask, "do so many headshot photographers shoot with natural light?" Mainly because they either cannot afford to buy the expensive equipment required to take great photographs, or they simply don't know how to use studio lighting. It takes an enormous amount of time, money, and experience to use studio lighting effectively. Why should they have to take all that effort, when they can just open a window, or take you up on the roof and let the sun do all the work for them? Try this easy test: Simply compare a headshot done with natural light, beside one done with studio lighting. The differences are immediate and dramatic. Everything being equal, studio shots are vastly superior to those done with daylight only. Just ask anyone who is sensitive to bright sunlight, or someone who has nearly frozen to death on a frigid day, or roasted under a blistering summer sun. And just try to shoot your next headshot in the dead of night, in a snowstorm (which I've had to do)! It just isn't possible using natural light. When you compare the hundreds of headshot examples at my studio done both ways, I think that you'll agree. When it comes to creating dramatic, reliable results, studio lighting wins, hands down.
Question: Okay, I've put together that list of great photographers that I want to see. How can I determine who's the best?
With all of the photographers out there all claiming to be "The Best," it can be a confusing and sometimes frustrating experience. I know. I've been a Hollywood actor for more years than I'd care to count. But with all the choices available today, you can't possibly see them all. Or can you? Most actors will typically visit one to six photographers before making a final decision. In my years of shooting actors' headshots, I've compiled the work of over 1,000 of the top photographers in the world, so you can compare my work directly with the best headshot professionals in the industry, all at one time, all under one roof. I try to eliminate the inevitable confusion that most actors encounter while choosing a competent headshot photographer, by utilizing the only tried-and-true method of determining a photographer's ability – an honest, side-by-side comparison.
If a photographer offers to give you ownership of the negatives, don't just walk away, run! He's not doing you a favor, just the opposite. He's doing you a huge injustice. Taking your photograph is just the first step in a multifaceted and often very complicated process. If your photographer isn't willing to help you to get a perfect, ready-to-submit headshot into your hot, little hands as part of the purchase price, he's not a true professional, he's someone who desperately wants your money and will do anything to get it, up to and including giving away all of his work. Steer clear. I hope that these guidelines will be of some use to you in your search for that "perfect" headshot. Best of luck to you in all of your career goals.