This is a two part blog and Part I of this blog post can be found HERE.  This blog is about examples and would make more sense if you read Part I first.

To summarize Part I, a person’s attitude can pretty much make or break a headshot session.  A controlling attitude can stifle the creative process of a photographer while a trusting one can bring about the freedom to get more creative with exceptional results.

It truly does take two to tango and every once in a while, you dance with a partner that can do so exceptionally well.  Allyssa Schmitt (below) is a shining example of someone who had done her research and trusted the process of the photographer she chose.  Our dance was fluid and it allowed me to break out of the steps I’m accustomed to and venture into an exploratory and fun tango!  She had a great attitude, was sure her pictures were going to turn out well and truly embraced the process of getting her pictures taken with me.  Yes she had the same concerns as everyone else like for instance dark circles under her eyes but she was able to let go and have fun because dark circles are not something to fret over when there’s Photoshop!  Having her trust me gave me the freedom to play and from that freedom came some great spontaneous moments.  With Allyssa’s shoot if it wasn’t for the freedom she gave me, I wouldn’t have noticed the old car on our way back that then made me think of having her somehow use it for our shot, and I wouldn’t have noticed the wall we used for her edgier look for which we had to sneak onto private property!  It was a fun adventure!

I find that for the most part those who aren’t happy with the results for their session weren’t happy to begin with.  Having a negative attitude about how you’ve never taken a great picture and bringing that in on the day of your session isn’t going to help your results!  Showing up sick to a session and complaining about not looking good when you should have rescheduled in the first place, isn’t going to help either.  Complaining about how you hate the process, constantly stopping the momentum of a shoot because you are self critical, have baggy eyes, bad skin, or because you can’t make up your mind about clothing or feel the need to fix your hair after every shot will not only slow down the process but will completely deplete me of my creativity.  With such sessions I’m pretty much on auto mode waiting for you to be done fussing over yourself so I can shoot some pictures put down the camera and wait again.  That is not the way great moments are created and captured!  That is not a Tango!  When makeup becomes such a process that it takes two hours of changes for you to still not be happy with your face, then of course you’re not going to be happy with your pictures.  Fact:  In twelve years, I’ve cancelled two sessions for this very reason.  Regretfully I didn’t cancel a third which I should have.  If you’ve done your research, have studied your photographer’s portfolio which also showcases their makeup artist’s work, then when you hire him or her, you simply need to trust and let the professionals do their job.

The process of creating successful headshots comes from collaboration and input, not control.

Enjoy Allyssa’s photos and if you enjoyed this post, share it and subscribe!

Allyssa Schmitt: Edgy Bad Girl

Allyssa Schmitt: Girl Next Door / Sassy Best Friend

Edgy Love Interest

Sina Amedson: Best Friend

April Green: Edgy Detective / Young Mom

Hallie Jordan: Edgy CW / Quirky Student

Kelvin O'Bryant: Urban CW / Guy Next Door

Luanna Helena: Sassy Mom / Maury Zeller: Commercial Business

Amanda Tudor: Young Ingenue / Edgy Tomboy

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Speaking for myself, I find that my most  amazing sessions have a lot to do with a client’s attitude coming into the session.  I realize headshots are a large investment and that there is a lot riding on them.  And often by the time actors come to me, they’ve had one or more bad experiences, their agents haven’t been happy with any of their pictures and they are at a complete loss.  Regardless, assuming you have done your due diligence and have thoroughly researched photographers, once you make a decision, it’s important to trust your decision as well as the process of the photographer you chose to work with.  In other words, let the professionals do their job.

What I’m about to say can easily be misunderstood so I want to be very clear.  I’m not saying your input isn’t important and I’m not saying you shouldn’t voice your concerns or opinions. However, when  someone is overly controlling about every aspect of  the shoot from the largest detail to the smallest of details, it tends to stifle creativity.  Not only is the organic process gone, but I’m worried about making the slightest wrong move and failing to please my client.  I’m worried that what I do isn’t what they want so I’m extra careful to only do the things they ask me to do.  I refrain from offering my usual advise and typically end up confining myself to tight parameters which doesn’t leave room for spontaneous moments that make for great pictures.

Believe it or not a person’s attitude can become a self fulfilling prophecy and can literally make or break a headshot session.   The person who walks in with a negative attitude, constantly stopping the flow and the momentum because they are worried about what is going to go wrong because of what has gone wrong in the past, is very likely to walk away with pictures that don’t represent what I do in my body of work.  This is never intentional on my part but if I’m prevented from doing what I normally do how can my pictures turn out the way they usually turn out?  The person who comes in with a positive attitude, is free and open to new experiences, open to direction and entrusts me with the experience, will very likely walk away with exceptional results.

Part II of this post will outline some examples and show you the most amazing session of the year because of my client’s amazing positive attitude!  Stay tuned and share your experiences here!

Below are headshots wrapping up the last of the batch from 2011!

Jason Thompson: Casual College Student / Urban Hipster

Thomas Webb: Egdy Bad Boy / Quirky Office

Charleene Closshey: Upscale Wife / Carolina Adler: Girl Next Door

Tessa O'Toole: Silverlake Hipster / Quirky Office

Reza Mir: Casual Office / Edgy Villain

Jennifer Neal: Young Mom / Mischievous Girl Next Door

Sean Fagan: Young Student / Robyn Heller: Quirky Mom

Alexandra Hoover: Business Professional / Sassy Office

Alexandra Hoover: Upscale Wife

Jefferson Rogers: Edgy Bad Boy / Guy Next Door

Steven J. Oliver: Business Professional / Mobster Boss

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He said, speaking over me when I attempted to explain why I don’t give out all the high resolution images with my packages.  In a very antagonistic tone, he said it again after I attempted to explain a second time “No no no there is no copyright, who does that?” .  So I wished him luck and hung up the phone.  The actor will remain unnamed but I was a little perturbed by the hypocrisy of this fellow “artist” during this one way conversation which started as an inquiry of my services.  Musicians live on royalties, actors live on residuals,  and photographers live on licensing their images and most of us “do that”.

As my colleague Joe Henson from NY so eloquently put it…

“This issue is definitely one of the biggest struggles in our profession, the concept of licensing fees for the needs of different clients.  Because photography has been devalued by the explosion of talented amateurs who have no real need to protect the rights to their work and because original digital files are reproducible with no degradation of quality, we professionals have to dig in our heels and protect what little value we have left to the rights of our work.  I find it easiest to explain licensing fees to my clients by establishing a link between my rights as a photographer and the rights they retain in their given field.”

To establish that link with the acting profession, I would like to point out that as an actor your union protects the rights to your image in many ways one of which is by making sure you are properly paid for the different uses of your image.  If a show plays an episode you’re in x amount of times, you get x amount of residuals.  In addition, if a show plays an episode you’re in on network TV vs. basic cable, you get x amount of $.   Similarly if you book a national commercial, you get compensated differently than if you were to book a regional one or a straight buyout.

These laws are in place to prevent your image from being exploited without proper compensation.

The same goes for all artists, architects, painters, poets, novelists, filmmakers, and yes photographers.

The Copyright Act of 1976 protects the creators of content, visual or intellectual.

So to get to the point, when you pay x amount of dollars for a headshot session the images of which are intended to be used for your personal promotional needs, you get x included in your package.  For me to exercise some control over how my photographs are used and to prevent them from being used in a manner not intended or paid for, I don’t give out high resolution images.  Instead, each high resolution image is purchased separately and paid for separately with a small copyright mark placed unobtrusively in the corner somewhere.  I ask that you respect my copyright.

If Warner Brothers decides to use your headshot to promote their next show, then Warner Brothers will need to license the rights to that image from me.  The value of that headshot changes when used to bring in big bucks by way of exploiting it as advertising for a show.  Starting to see the similarities in what we do as artists?

I hope so because there is copyright.

-Vanie

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The following images are of my fellow clients, actors I’m grateful for because they support and respect my work as an artist.

Brian Palatucci: Commercial Business / Young Professional

Ellen D. Williams: Funny Best Friend / Girl Next Door

Victor Montero: Edgy Hipster / Young Intern

Eddie Ruben: Commercial Office / Guy Next Door

Tish Merritt: Hip Girl Next Girl / Love Interest

Check out Tish’s blog as she documents about her session with us here!

Stephanie Jackson: Young Mom / Casual Office

Charlotte Ubben: Girl Next Door / Disney

Jenny Garris: Girl Next Door / Urban Hipster

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Tell your friends!  It’s Halloween Weekend and we’re having a spooky sale!  Book your session on Halloween Monday (October 31, 2011) and receive a 10% discount on any package.  The bigger the package, the bigger the discount.  Happy Halloween!

*Fine print…not valid with other offers .

Hilliard Bain: Sassy Mom / D.A. Matzke: Quirky Dad

Christine Marie: Edgy Detective / Out on the Town

Christine Marie: Commercial Business / Sassy Love Interest

Sarah Gaboury: Quirky Office / Fun Best Friend

Marion Dunham: Love Interest

Melanie Ann Foché: Casual Office / Didi Banks: Girl Next Door

Nadia Dawn: Sexy Vixen / Quirky Young Mom / Business

Nadia Dawn: Leading Lady

3x returning client Gary Brintz: Edgy Love Interest / Detective

See Gary’s previous shots HERE.

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Blog written by Scott Frank

A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of sitting with Scott Frank, an anthropologist who specializes in studying Hollywood, to discuss Headshots.  When I read the paper based on his research, I was fascinated to read about my business purely from the perspective of a study.  I was particularly fascinated by the section on Casting Directors, part of which Scott agreed to share here.  Are headshots really not as important as actors think?  Judge for yourself!

Hi there.  My name is Scott Frank, and I’m a professional anthropologist (i.e. I have a Ph.D in it), who’s specialty is studying how Hollywood works.  The following is an excerpt from a paper I presented last year at a national Anthropologist’s conference.  The subject of the paper was headshots, and how different people in Hollywood interact with them in different ways: actors, headshot photographers, and casting directors.

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Casting directors are, in a sense, unusual in that they are the end users of headshots, and ultimately the eyes for which the entire process of actors and photographers regarding headshots exists.  It’s also the least precise group – technically, it’s probably better to use the term “casting professionals,” because many people can be involved in casting – there can be several levels of casting directors, casting associates, etc., or for a small production, the producer or director might even do it themselves.
In any case, the first thing to understand about these casting professionals is that they look at a LOT of photos.  One told me that for a standard smaller film role, looking for, say, a 22 year old female, they might get 7,000 submissions.  Another told me from his experience on network TV, for a minor guest star role, there would be between 1,500-3,000 actors vying for the slot.
The method through which most casting in Los Angeles works involves a complex series of events, but almost everybody at one point ends up using one of the online casting services, and eventually using the physical headshot artifacts themselves.  Very briefly, for example, a TV show would send a script to Breakdown Services (which everyone uses); Breakdown will pull all speaking parts, make a description, and send it back to the casting agency for approval.  Once approved, the descriptions get posted online, and they wait for the applicants to pour in.
The next stop is the headshot-intensive one.  Casting professionals will scroll through all these hundreds – really even thousands of headshots for each role.  Each shot is either passed over entirely, or rated a 1, a 2, or a 3, a ranking of how excited they are about each prospect.   And here’s the part that I personally find fascinating – the way they select from all of those thousands of photos.  For all the time and energy put in by the actors and the photographers to make each shot perfect, to make it really sing, the initial answer from casting people I spoke to was “I pick based on impulse and instinct.”  When I started interviewing casting professionals, I admit I was hoping to hear some hard-and-fast rules, some strongly guiding principles for what they can tell is a good versus bad headshot, but truth be told, instinct is the only way really to do it – when you have to look at 7,000 photos over the course of two days, you can’t spend time really looking at each one; a quick glance and an instinctual response is the only way to pore through all of that data.  Because that’s what your headshot is to a casting professional: data that is supposedly indicative of something they need: a good, working actor.
When someone casting a show says they go with their gut when selecting an actor based on a headshot, that can mean different things: one told me that he flashes “when you can tell who they are in the headshot” – he says that means you can tell they’re a good actor.  Another said he’s flashing on how the actor fits the mental image he has of a character based on the breakdown description.
All of the casting folks say that headshots aren’t as important as actors think they are.  Which is in a sense true – the selection is based on many factors – but in a sense also seems false: the casting professional is zooming through hundreds of shots – the only thing they are going on at first is your headshot.  As one actor said, “all a headshot does is get you through the door”, and the casting professionals agree – after that, it’s your resume, and your actual ability, as demonstrated during a readthrough or pre-read.
The other thing that casting professionals seem to agree on is that somehow, in a way nobody is quite able to explain, in a truly great headshot, the actor’s personality – not just their appearance – comes though.  One casting agent said that this happens in .3% of all headshots.  At first I assumed he was joking, but then I ran the numbers and it makes sense: if you have a pool of 2000 applicants, .3% comes out to six people you’d strongly believe are up for the role, which sounds about right.  In a sense, it’s shades of the old saw – that a photograph really can capture your soul; or at least an actor hopes it does.

Oh, and by the way, the other final rule I discovered in my research?  Nobody – successful actors, agents, headshot photographers, casting professionals – thinks that an actor can pick their own headshot.  When you’re selecting which one to use, ask for the advice of other people you know and trust.  Speaking as an anthropologist, it’s not about which photo makes you look the best, but which one transmits your personality to the viewer.

Beth Triffon: Edgy Girl Next Door

Caity Jane Mullen: Young Disney / Greg Roman: Young Intern / Jan Morris: Upscale Wife

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Recently Backstage West asked a few photographers to give their input in an article titled Los Angeles Photographers on What Makes an Effective Headshot.   This was my little bit followed by a couple of headshots.

“Your headshot should not simply be a pretty picture—a trap most novice actors fall into. Instead, your headshots need to market you specifically for the type you’re auditioning for. Your type, or what I call “marketing look,” is based on your age range. For example, if your age range is 18 to 23, your marketing looks may include “all-American guy next door,” or possibly “edgy hipster” or “edgy urban,” etc.

The two photos I chose—while full of personality, something I aim to draw from actors by directing them—also display very specific marketing looks. Sarah is clearly “the girl next door,” and Eduardo is clearly “the businessman.” When the casting community isn’t familiar with your work, a headshot that closely resembles the type in the breakdown gives them reason to believe you can act the part and to call you in.”

The following pictures are some examples of different looks!

Tom Krause: Young Grad Student / Kevin Shewey: Edgy Urban

Claire Crouch: Quirky Girl Next Door / Edgy CW

Mark Dippolito: Addict / Business

Drew Fonteiro: Bad Boy / Boy Next Door

Lenka Svobodova: Commercial Office / Leading Lady

Kyla E. Druckman: CW Love Interest

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Tell us your thoughts!  Over the years, I’ve heard all the nightmare stories as well as all the praises.  The men and women on my website have used the services of a professional makeup artist that I’ve provided.  Because I’ve heard it all, I have very specific criteria when working with a makeup artist to make sure you have the best experience possible.

For one, I look at their work and make sure they are talented and meet with them before trying them out.

During the meeting, I hand them a list of preferences for headshot appropriate makeup that agents want to see.  You’d be surprised how many people either overdo or don’t do enough makeup for headshots.  Little things like not using fingers to touch up under the eyes and prevent infections etc. are discussed as well.  You’d be surprised…

I like working with people who are professional and have an all around good attitude.  I look for artists who really enjoy what they do, like to have fun and are not eager for the shoot to end so they can leave.

Professionalism to me means being on time and not using your time to chat on the phone or to text.  Being attentive to your needs as well as being agreeable to your requests.  After all, we are providing a service for which you are paying, so you’re the boss!  After makeup is applied, if you request any changes, my makeup artists will not get offended or give you a hard time!

During your shoot, you won’t find my gals texting or wondering off.  When I’m working, they’re working as well.  They will be watching closely for a hair out of place or wardrobe malfunctions or touch ups that may be needed.

And for you dark skinned folk, I make sure to work with professionals who understand all skin types, won’t make you look ashy and are mindful of the tonal variations on your skin!

The following headshot examples display a range of makeup applied to all skin tones, old and young, male or female, white or black! Currently my very favorite go to gal is Tara Shakespeare!

Edgy / Commercial Business

Three time returning client Arae Murdoch has come all the way from Canada to finally call LA home!  Sassy or sweet, Arae is a veteran in front of the camera!

Fun Dad / Love Interest / Commercial Hipster

Will Brennan, Amy Blair, and Nicholas Downs know how to bring back this rustic look.  Whether a fun dad, a lovely leading lady, or a hip guy next door, these three sure know how to work plaid!

Sexy Leading Lady

You really can’t go wrong with fiery red hair combined with amazing talent!  Angela Gulner does this look with flawless effort!

Edgy Bad Girl / Girl Next Door

Kelly Lynn Washington was so much fun to work with!  With a Jodie Foster essence, she displays a full range from the girl we love to hate to our high school sweetheart!

Comedic Best Friend / Commercial Mom

I’m so flattered that Douglas M. James had his first headshot session with me!  He had such amazing talent and energy which really pulls through in this shot!   Andrea Meier displays a sense of understanding and comfort with those sweet eyes!

Theatrical Edgy / Commercial Business

Lawrence Lacey has a great personality and a chameleon!  I think these shots show how he can switch from sour to sweet in the blink of an eye.  thanks for protecting us in that alley Lawrence!

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Guest Blogger:  Kayvon Esmaili

A working actor as well as an amazing photographer, my associate, Kayvon Esmaili is a multi talented artist.  I asked him to guest blog and share with you three tips that have helped him book the job.   Of course I couldn’t resist sharing some of his headshot work taken for Vanie Poyey Photography.  Kayvon shoots for me for those on a tighter budget!  If you’d like to book with him, mention this blog and we’ll throw an extra outfit into your package!  To view more of Kayvon’s work, click HERE!

“In my 10+ years as an actor, I’ve starred in over twenty national commercials. I’ve come away with one certainty about auditioning: The sooner you stop trying to control the outcome, the more likely you’ll be to book. I spent the earlier years of my career attempting to control the booking, to will myself into the role. Turns out when you learn to change your attitude in the room (and once you’ve left), things seem to come to you a lot easier. The following three tips have become little jewels in my career, leading to increased bookings and having the side benefit of keeping me sane.

• Trust me it’s a numbers game. Give them your take on the role and leave the rest behind. I gave up guessing whether the role is right for me or not. Turns out the actor is not the best judge of that, and it doesn’t help much to waste energy guessing or hoping. The character you’re auditioning for already lives in the minds of the director and other creative decision makers. Most of the time it’s such a subtle quality they’re looking for that they couldn’t explain it to you if they tried, thus they bring in anywhere from five to sometimes a hundred different actors to find “the one”.

• Get in the habit of NOT needing the job. Train yourself. It’s seemingly going against the feeling in your gut, but try it. Often times the most preparation an actor puts into their character is that of neediness. Even when the character isn’t needy. Need, expectation, desire, the money, are all things that get in the way of your performance. Unless the character is needy, try to walk through the door NOT aiming to book the job. Booking a job is out of your hands, so why add the pressure of worrying about it to your audition process?

• Positivity goes a really long way. As actors, it can be easy to forget that this is a business, a job. Like in any field, nobody wants to be around let alone hire someone who’s giving off bad vibes. I’ve found being easy-going, agreeable, and being able to go with the flow during the audition process pays off. It’s a sign of an actor ready to be directed, which is a very attractive quality to a director.

And remember that if you’re not having fun, the people watching won’t be having fun. This lesson took me a while to learn. When it comes to performance time, you should be playing. I would say acting is closer to a recreational sport than a science. If there was no spontaneity, no creative exploration on the field, we’d all get bored watching the game. The same goes for acting.”

Love Interest / Sexy Leading Lady

Quirky Kid / Urban Student

Sibling Session

Fun Mom / Best Friend

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Keep a look out for the September 22nd issue of Backstage’s Spotlight on Headshots where I talk about marketing tips for headshots!  Can’t give away whose photos will accompany the article but your picture might be included!

The following images are all taken at or around our new studio in the Los Angeles Arts District!

Casual Office / Sassy Friend

Amy Tolsky was the first client in our brand new loft!  Here she shows off her quirky personality in both the professional look as well as in the friend look!

Edgy CW / Guy Next Door

Whether edgy like Beau Dawson or sweet like Will Hawkes, everyone needs someone to lean on.

Bad Boy

College Student / Young Professional

Danny Epstein did a great job displaying a range of his talent with all these fantastic looks!

Urban Girl Next Door

Musician / College Prep / Edgy Victim

Lauran Siegel brought so much variety to the shoot!  Is there any role she can’t play?

Sassy Girl Next Door

Marlene Sharp knows how to bring out some spunk!  She captures this look perfectly.

Upscale Wife / Young Mom / Commercial Professional

Husband? Kids? Work? All the way from New York, Elissa Piszel can handle it all!

Young Intern

CW Love Interest / Commercial Office

With a classic smile and these big brown eyes Daniel D. Kountz can win anyone over!

Edgy Detective / Young Professional

Patrick Quinlan can get to the bottom of any case and handle any client.

Casual Office / Blue Collar Worker

Three time returning client Jason Broad is always a pleasure to work with.  He can work any job from the office to the streets!

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Recently I was asked by one of my clients if he’ll be picking up a CD of images after we finished our session.  I thought technically he could, but the images wouldn’t be up to par if I handed them over straight from the camera in their RAW form.  So the short answer was no.  For the long answer, here’s what goes into your pictures after we’re finished shooting.

First, I go through all your images and edit the bad ones, like with the eyes closed, or where you have a double chin that shouldn’t be there.

Next I do what’s called a batch processing.  This is where I take all your edited images and color balance the average  skin tone as well as the contrast levels.  This global process somewhat prepares the images to look color balanced on monitors.  I say somewhat because we don’t really have control over how your images look through other people’s monitors.  Some monitors may be brighter than others, causing you to look washed out and other monitors may have an orange or magenta color cast causing your skin tone to look yellow or red.   For this reason we don’t fuss too much over your low resolution images batched for “web use”.

We then take these globally color balanced images and create 4×6 proofs.  Proofs are used to compare small 4×6 prints before making a final decision on an 8×10.  Proofs are printed on machine prints at photo labs.

We also take all your images and re-size them for the five major directories like LA Casting so you can upload with ease.  This is just a little extra something I like to include in my packages.

Lastly, we print your personalized CD label and burn your disc.  This entire process can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours depending on the number of images taken.  So unless you’re willing to hang out, we mail your CD the day after your session!

Urban / Quirky Best Friend

Returning client Lawrence Kao is always a pleasure to work with, and does a great job showing off his hip edgy look.  How could you not want to be friends with sweetheart Sara Jo Allocco?

Urban Bad Boy / Commercial Business

David Mate, owner of Hot Bartenders LA does a wonderful job revealing his dark side, and brown-eyed girl Michelline Coonrod, roommies with Vic D. proves beauty and brains come in one package!

Casual Office / Fun College Student

Glasses are such a great accessory for headshots!  Lisa Temple really warms up the workroom with this smile and Emily O’Meara seems to be the perfect college roommate!

Commercial Business / Fun Mom

Couple Cory Blevins and Stephanie Burden worked wonderfully in front of the camera.  Cory nailed the business look, while Stephanie perfectly displayed a fun loving mom.  What a great team!

CW Bad Girl / Edgy Sexy

Both of these girls know how to work an edgy look.  Hannah Lopez shows off her tough side, while Chess Brown shows some sass.

Young Professional

With dark eyes and a great smile, Brandon Weaver pulls off every look with ease.  Business in pink? No Problem!

Fun Mom / Quirky Office / Casual Business

A kid would be lucky to grow up with Pamela Cohen, Mark David Christenson proves that the office can be fun, and Jason Baladi pulls off the unamused co-worker!

Nerdy Guy Next Door / Fun Uncle

Matthew Morgan has a great look! Do you see the Steve Buscemi resemblance?

Comedic Office / Blue Collar Dad

Whether he is in the office or at home with the kids, Michael Halpin always remains fun and light-hearted.

Fun Best Friend

Even when she is caught off guard Jennica Chavez still manages to look like a sweetheart!

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