How to Choose an Awesome Headshot Photographer
Let’s face it… headshots (besides the eternally wallet-opening get an agent One-on-Ones), are one of the most expensive tools in an actor’s career. They’re absolutely unavoidable, some can cost more than a month of rent, and they have to turn out absolutely, utterly fantastic. Easy deciding who to shoot with? Yeah right.
So… who are the big names in the headshot game? A few famous “actor headshot” photographers spring to mind (along with green dollar signs):
Peter Hurley
Hoebermann
Theo & Juliet
Jordan Matter
David Noles
Cost range: 700 – 1,400
And a few celebrity portrait photographers which are the go-to for the stars:
Michael Muller
Steve Azzarra
Paolo Mascatelli
Cost range – 2,000 – 12,000
_________________
If an actor shoots with one of the “big guys” above, it’s almost guaranteed that his or her headshots will turn out spectacularly. Right? Not always. Premier and celebrity photographers are masters of their craft — but if we, the actor, are so inexplicably stressed — it’s going to show up in our session. We’ll look worried if we’re counting how much each shot is costing us, we’ll look underslept if we didn’t get more than three hours the previous evening, and we’ll be stiff if we can’t relax and simply have fun during the session.
Keyword here, guys: You have to have fun!
Acting and performance (as according to the big Method masters) is all about releasing instilled inhibitions and play. So why should one of the most important parts of an actor’s career — the headshot session — be anything different?
*** TIP *** Fill your iPod with a playlist of at least 20 of your favorite songs. Change them up — high energy, sappy, sad — get yourself to dip into the gamut of your actor emotions. It will reflect in your shots.
If you have fun, your headshots can’t turn out badly.
That said, don’t immediately turn to Craiglist after reading this article and find the first second year photography student willing to shoot your stuff for $50 bucks. There’s a slim chance that your shots will turn out spectacularly if you end up trying to go the cheapest route possible.
Our answer? Find a happy medium. If you can’t afford the white-background, your-eyes-have-never-looked-so-bright Hurley — or if you can’t drop 6K to fly to Venezia, Italy to shoot with the celebrity lens of Mascatelli — look through the Reproductions book or check out our Photographer Resource Page.
*** TIP *** Find a photographer who has shot someone who looks like you. If you like what they’ve done with that person, chances are they’ll know just how to capture you, as well.
An actor can get away with spending as little as $300 bucks in Los Angles, and roughly $500-$600 bucks in New York, and will get a good — strong — headshot session.
TIP: If you’re shy or uncomfortable around a still camera, make sure to talk to your photographer of choice, or see if they’ll meet with you for a consultation before you shoot, to make sure you vibe. If you don’t, the aforementioned uncomfortability will set in, and your session will suck.
Most important of all… HAVE FUN!
Want more headshot advice?
– The Bean’s Photographer Resource Page
– Headshot Session: How to Shoot for Free
– Headshot Session: How to Choose an Awesome Headshot Photographer
[...] – The Bean’s Photographer Resource Page – Headshot Session: How to Shoot for Free – Headshot Session: How to Choose an Awesome Headshot Photographer [...]
Or come to me.
Please let me know when you have advertising information available!