AN EXPERIENCED PHOTOGRAPHER WILL RELIEVE YOU OF YOUR ANXIETIES ORGANICALLY.
You may not notice that it’s happening, but it will happen, freeing you to be at your best. (Pictured: the fearless actor/improviser Edi Patterson, who didn’t seem to have anxieties to shed.)
DON’T BARGAIN HUNT FOR A PHOTOGRAPHER!
I’d like to be able to say you can get good results from a headshot photographer who doesn’t charge a substantial fee for a session, but I’ve never known it to be true. Worse: photographers who charge a lot for mediocre work.
BEFORE BOOKING A SESSION, SPEAK WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER.
Make sure you feel absolutely comfortable with what he/she/they have to say. It doesn’t guarantee a great result, necessarily, but discomfort is a reliable negative indicator. Examples follow in the next two posts…
A YOUNG ACTOR…
…recently told me about a shoot with a headshot photographer chosen by her friends, who paid for the session. During the shoot his sole direction was a form of peek-a-boo. “Hi!”, he said over and over, darting back and forth behind his camera, causing her to panic. Imagine what the photos looked like. THIS ISN’T HER. It’s the talented, delightful original Saturday Night Live cast member Laraine Newman.
ANOTHER ACTOR FRIEND…
…at his very first headshot session, found himself captive to the photographer’s comments about my friend’s “type”, and how he reminded the photographer of other people, including — strangely — “someone from the future”. Unsettling. Disrespectful. Counterproductive. This is that friend: former Groundlings Theatre Sunday Company member Navaris Darson, photographed — later — by me.
ON A SHOOT…
…the photographer should NEVER let the narrative be about him/her/their self. The focus needs to be on the subject.
DON’T FEEL YOU HAVE TO “POSE”
If you pose, unless you’re used to being photographed regularly, this is what it will look like: you, posing. Breathe and relax. Let me guide you to an organic (and naturally great) state of mind. Pictured: Mindy Sterling, known for her role as Frau Farbissina in the Austin Powers movies. Mindy’s a veteran (and a friend). She didn’t need guidance on her performance.
FIND A PHOTOGRAPHER…
…who’ll be in touch with you throughout the entire process – before and after the shoot. Following your session I’ll review the take several times on the way to a final edit, and basic adjustments will be made before the edit goes to you. After you’ve looked at it, we’ll have a conversation to review your choices. I want to help you choose the best of the best.
MY SESSIONS ARE FUN!
I haven’t mentioned this, but it’s so – they’re joyful, which naturally leads to great results. Pictured: the extraordinary Stephanie Courtney, a Groundlings Theatre alum and “Flo” in the Progressive Insurance commercials, from a PR session with the cast of the Groundlings’ “Crazy Uncle Joe Show’. (It’s a gift to have talent like Stephanie to photograph.)
CAN YOU DO YOUR OWN MAKEUP FOR HEADSHOTS?
Not a good idea. Can you hire your own makeup artist? Yes. But your makeup artist must stay for the entire session, as mine do, keeping an eye on you as we shoot. You can’t possibly do this yourself. (headshot photographers LA)
