How to Choose a Headshot Photographer
As an actor one of your most important tools is your headshot, and so choosing a headshot photographer is one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your career. Here is some advice for selecting the headshot photographer that is best for you and your needs.
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- Make sure you choose a photographer that specializes in headshots. Headshots are different from other types of photography and have a specific, unique goal in mind. Someone you know who is a great photographer may not be a great headshot photographer.
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- Realize that there are a number of expenses involved in getting your headshots. In addition to having your picture taken, your session fee may or may not include a hair and makeup artist, which is something you want, even if you're a guy. Additionally master prints of the photos you ultimate select may cost more (or may cost more after a certain number pre-included in your package). Additionally, be prepared to expend money on retouching, and then ultimately reproducing your photos.
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- Headshots are expensive, especially in major markets like New York and Los Angeles. You may see fliers for $99 headshots all over your city, but these are not headshots you want. $99 headshots look like $99 headshots in a world where people generally spend between $200 and $600. It is important you view your headshot as an investment. Your headshot is used not just to gauge your appearance and personality, but to ascertain your professionalism and committment to the business.
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- In the past, headshots were always exclusively black and white. This is changing, although more so in Los Angeles than in New York (where color is acceptable, but black and white remains the standard, unless you are a redhead and black and white photography is ineffective at showing your coloring). With more photos being done digitally, you can now make this decision after your headshots are taken. Remember that for many, black and white has a stronger visual impact.
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- When selecting your headshot photographer look at examples of other headshots they have done. Use this, not just to judge the quality of their work, but to see what type of faces they excell at photographing. I have high contrast coloring and a strong ethnic look; when I chose my headshot photographer it was largely because the women she showcased on her site were women who, like me, had strong features and were in my age group. That told me she knew how to photograph someone who looked like me, and that this was something she was proud to use to showcase her work.
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- Reproductions, a photo reproduction house with offices in New York and Los Angles, has a book of headshot photographers' work. You can look through it in their offices or pick one up there. It's a valuable resource for choosing the right photographer.
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- Find out how your potential headshot photographer works - this includes whether they listen to their music when shooting, or if you can bring your own, how long you can expect the session to be, whether they use natural lighting, whether you can bring your hair and makeup person to their studio with you, etc. It's important that you be comforable with the logistics of your headshot experience to get the best results you can.
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Getting your headshots done can be a stressful experience. Your headshots represent how you will present yourself to casting directors for a good period of time, and they are a major investment. The important thing to remember at your headshot shoot is to have fun and relax (strain can show in teh eyes and mouth). Remember, all you need is one perfect image, and with the right headshot photographer, you'll get it!
Published by Racheline Maltese
Racheline is an actor, writer and director with a journalism BA from GWU; she studied at the Atlantic Theater Company and NIDA. She lives in NYC with her partner and is the author of The Book of Harry Potte... View profile
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- Taking Good Theatrical Headshots: A Must for Any Serious Actor
- Reproductions www.reproductions.com
- Choose a headshot photographer who can show you examples of photos of people who look like you.
- All headshot photographers work differently. Find out how they run their sessions.
- Headshots are a major investment.
5 Comments
Post a CommentOops, read these backwards, from my first post, two down :)
our headshot business:
www(dot)zampanophoto(dot)com
ed to pay those rent charges and film processing, and unfortunately pass the cost onto you! Never, pay more than $200 for one look, and even that is too much by most standards and market demands. The person who wrote this is clearly an old time actress as well. She's used to paying for headshots that are outdated and over priced.
Do your research. Look at the quality and match it with the price, that's all that matters. If the quality rocks and they're charging one hundred bucks for it, then it's worth investigating. As you're researching photographers be sure to check us out too. You'll find out quality superior and our rates at half the cost of most headshot photogrpahers in LA and NYC.
But again, don't just look us over, compare, compare, compare! Remember, price is irrelevant and changes all the time based on supply and demand. Headshot rates have plummeted in the last two years, NO ONE should be paying more than $200 for one look, EVER.
Our headshot business:
www(dot)z
Some of these headshot articles are misleading. There are still excellent headshot photographers that do not charge over $200 for high-quality headshots. The market dictates the price. If you are paying more than $300 for actor headshots you are being fleeced! This stands for both the LA and NYC markets.
I'm a professional headshot photographer and I know this market like the back of my hand. Those guys charging over $3, 4 and 500 per session are most likely the old timers that are out of touch with what the industry demands right now. They hold onto old-school shots and styles that rarely get you in the door, and that's all that matters here! There's a new breed of innovative, fresh and affordable headshot photographers like myself that understand current trends, have developed relationships with agents and casting directors and don't need to charge ridiculous rates!
It's a digital world, folks, those old-school guys still shoot in their high-end studios and use film. They ne
As long as a subject is adequate in doing their own make-up, make-up artists are not necessarily recommended for headshots shoots. The reason being, the photos are supposed to represent the subject. They are not glamour shots. It is very important that a subject be able to look exactly like their headshot in the event they get called into an audition. Your headshot is supposed to represent you. Not a glammed up version of you.
Great advice. I would add, take a friend. A friend of mine fresh from North Carolina had a creepy experience with her first headshot photographer. Be leery of those $99 deals.