Headshot Photographer Los Angeles

Headshot Photographer Los Angeles

You need new acting headshots and you don’t want to screw it up.

After reading this you'll be ready to go for your acting headshot session

You might have started by searching for headshot photographers in Los Angeles. You’re getting ready to make your appointment and you want to get it right.  There’s lots of Headshot photographers in Los Angeles. Are you picking the right one? Did you do headshots 9 months ago and now you're updating and you want to make sure you’re getting the headshots that are going to get you called in.  It’s big puzzle that you need to solve.

Keep reading and I’ll tell you how to get great headshots.

The shots that get you called in. Some actors just call up a headshot photographer and make an appointment. Then the day of their headshot appointment the go to their closet, grab a few shirts, jump in the car and then it’s off to their appointment. You don’t want to be that guy/girl. Is that the level of professionalism you want to have for the most important part of the audition process. I don’t think so. You need to take this seriously.

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Plan out your Headshot Session.

You’ve decided to do 3 Looks. What are those looks? What wardrobe best defines those looks. Do I need to go shopping or is it in my closet. If it’s in my closet is that piece of clothing in photoshoot shape? Is it faded, has a few stains or a few little holes in it? Then it’s probably not ready for a photoshoot.

Good lighting for Acting Headshots what is it?

You absolutely must have great lighting for your headshots.  This is the difference between looking like a professional actor and looking like an amateur actor.  In order to be a professional actor you must present yourself as a professional actor. You acting headshots are your first step in looking professional.

So what is great lighting? Great lighting just makes you look good. It's as simple as that.   sometimes it's a soft even light with no shadows on your face. Other times it's a slight Shadow on one side of your face that gives you an edgy look.  Here are some samples of photos with great lighting.

Am I bring the right wardrobe?

This is the place you yourself have the most impact on how good your headshots look.  You really want to spend a lot of time putting together great wardrobe for each of your looks.  You should have already researched your character types and have them well defined. For example let's say you're doing a nerd look.  Obviously, you want to wear glasses. Find a cheap pair and pop out the lenses so there's no reflections. Then maybe a colorful T-shirt with a cardigan sweater over it.  That's a great example of a nerd wardrobe. Or, you're the leading man type. You could wear a dark T-shirt with a black leather jacket. That's going to come across as strong and dramatic.  As you can see from these two types you couldn't wear a cardigan sweater and glasses and expect to come across as strong and dramatic. On the other hand you couldn't wear a black leather jacket and come across as a nerd.   You can see your clothing selection is very important to the outcome of the final product of your headshots. Put a lot of effort into this. It’s the place you can have the greatest impact on the success of your headshots.

Are you nervous? How to stay calm.

We all get nervous when we think about doing our head shots.  One way to stop being nervous is to be very prepared. Get your character's together. Get your wardrobe together.  Get everything you need together to do great photos. If you know you're prepared you'll be less nervous. When you show up at the photography studio it's okay to feel a little nervous.  Remember you'll be taking a lot of photos and you only need one good one so you can screw up a lot and it's okay. The headshot photographer should be showing you pictures as you go. You can see what's working and what's not working.  This is a great way for you to get feedback and make changes if you need to.

How to choose the right acting headshot photographer?

You can start by asking all your fellow actor friends.  They’ve had headshots taken many times and I'm sure they'll give you great recommendations.  You can always do a Google search for headshot photographers in Los Angeles. You'll find countless websites where you can research their style and see what you like.  Weigh all your options from what your friends say and your own research and decide who is the best acting headshot photographer for you.

Headshot Photographer for the Newbie Actor

Headshot Photographer for the Newbie Actor

So you're about to get your first headshots

This easy-to-follow guide will tell you everything you need to know.

Did you move all the way to LA to be an actor?

You saved up your money and moved to Los Angeles and you want to be an actor. The very first step to being an actor in Los Angeles is getting your acting headshots taken by a professional headshot photographer.

Ok how do I even get started?

The first thing you need to do is select a headshot photographer.  Start doing your research using Google,  Actors Access,  LA Casting, and ask your acting friends if they know a headshot photographer that they recommend. However, select the photographer that’s the best fit for you.

Am I Ready?

After you've selected your headshot photographer now it's time to get yourself ready to take your headshots.  The first thing you need to do is get your outfits together (also known as looks). This is an important step. The clothes you wear follow a specific formula for acting headshots. I've written the complete post about what to wear for acting headshots here.

Should you get a makeup artist?

Getting a makeup artist for your first acting headshot is always a good idea. I know you’re a starving actor and you're trying to save money. If you think you can do it yourself go for it.  The main thing is you want your makeup to look nice, but natural, don't overdo it with heavy eye makeup or fake eyelashes.  Also don't want to wear red lipstick. Natural colors work much better.

Now it's time to prepare yourself.

You've picked a photographer, you got your looks together, decided on a makeup artist, now it's time to prepare for the actual day of your headshots.

You need to be completely prepared the day of your headshots.  Have your hair cut if it needs to be.  Be sure to have all your clothes cleaned and pressed.  Get a good night's sleep the night before your headshots.  that means no late-night partying! Also try not to be too nervous and worried about getting everything ready the night before your headshots.  this is a common mistake. People stay up late getting all the clothes ready and all that stuff and then their mind is racing when they try to go to sleep. They can't sleep and wake up really tired.  I recommend having everything together before 6 p.m. the day before your headshots.  Then spend the rest of the night relaxing and watch some Netflix. Or whatever.

Now when you show up to your headshot appointment be sure to tell the photographer this is your first time doing headshots.  I always like to tell newbies what to expect during their headshot session.  I’ll give them little tips and tricks so I can get the most out of their expressions.  If you have any questions be sure to ask the photographer. I’m always more than happy to help. If you feel a little nervous say so. Then I can make that extra effort to make t you feel more at ease and comfortable. Now we’re going to get some great photos.

Is that it? …Nope

After the shoot I need to select the headshots that you’ll be send out for castings. You'll have lots of pictures so you need to go through them with the eye of selecting headshots not of selecting a photo that you like.   Be sure to ask your acting friends to give their input on your choices for your selected headshots.

Yeah! It’s time to book your First Acting Gig.

After you have your photos selected you need to post your headshots and your profile on LA Casting and Actors Access.  This is a great place to get started with your acting career.  You can submit yourself for acting jobs and submit yourself to agents.

How I became a Headshot Photographer

How I Became a Headshot Photographer

From Business Degree to Fashion Photographer

This is my first blog post I thought it'd be interesting to explain to you guys my path of how I came to be a headshot photographer. I grew up in the state of Idaho.  Basically there's nothing in Idaho.  it’s really really boring. In highschool I was playing guitar in a band doing the standard “I want to be in a rack band highschool thing.  One day I had a camera I was taking pictures of my girlfriend. The photos turned out really good and I thought someday I might want to be a photographer.  After college, I got my degree in Business Administration, not photography, strange as that may seem.  Wanting to get out of Idaho I moved to Seattle.  One day at the beach I was looking at some fashion magazines and I thought I wanted to try and be a photographer.  I had no idea how I was going to do it, or what it took to become a photographer, or any clue of what to do.  I was just looking at the pictures in the magazine thinking to myself “if somebody else can do it, there's no reason why I can't do it.”  After I 100% decided to make the change to be a photographer I traded my guitar and some other musical equipment to a friend for his camera and started being a photographer. At this point I made a couple friends who are also interested in photography one guy was just getting started like me and we would take pictures and talk about them and share them with each other.  My other friend had been doing it for a couple years.  He was working with the local modeling agencies. We were all friends hanging out talking about photography.  One day the guy who was a photographer for a couple of years had a friend show up and was sleeping on his couch.  He was a male model and he had just returned from Milan Italy where he was modeling.  He said to us “hey you guys should go to Milan and shoot fashion photography there.”  For some reason, I don’t know why, we decided that was good idea.  So one of my friends and I started saving our money and made the trip to Milan.  I lived there for a year and a half shooting fashion photography for the modeling agencies in Milan. It was an awesome experience and I really loved it.  And of course the food and wine in Italy are really really good.

Transition to Headshot Photographer in Los Angeles

After a year and a half I move back to Seattle and was working as a photographer.  I don't know if you've ever been to Seattle, but it rains a lot, I mean it rains A LOT.  That's when I decided to move to California. I saved up my money, packed up my car full of all my belongings and drove to Los Angeles. I think this is why I can relate to all the aspiring actors who move to Los Angeles. When I first arrived in Los Angeles I was still shooting fashion photography.  After a few years I saw that there was a lot of the actors in LA and they all needed headshots. I thought it would be a good idea to start doing headshot photography.  It turned out to be a  really good decision.  After my background doing fashion photography the transition to headshot photography was very easy for me.  I understood about lighting and using natural light and catching people's expressions. I had some friends were doing acting and modeling and I decided to their head shots for free first. After about a year shooting headshots I got my studio in downtown Los Angeles.  I've been at the same studio for the past 10 years.  Everyday new actors come in to get their headshots.  I love meeting new people and hearing their stories and how they came to Los Angeles.  It's very rewarding to give people awesome headshots as they pursue their acting careers. I love to see people succeed in their dreams.

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Acting Headshots

Acting Headshots