Three tips to help you book the job!

Actors’ Headshots by Kayvon Esmaili

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.”

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Can I pick up a CD immediately after my headshot session?

Headshots Los Angeles: Vanie Poyey

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!

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?

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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Hollywood Pitfalls: One Actress’s Story of a Lesson Learned

Acting Headshots by Vanie Poyey

Blog written by Sarah D.

I’m honored to have my returning client Sarah D.  as a guest blogger on this post!  I think her story is well written and an invaluable source of information for the novice actor.  Please enjoy and share!

“We have all heard it before: “It’s called show business.” Well, yeah, “duh,” we all say to ourselves, but the reality of it is that very few actors actually understand the business aspect of it. We’ve all taken classes, read books, drowned ourselves in plays—truly committed ourselves to the craft—but when it comes to the business of acting, it’s really learn-as-you-go.

Now I’m not here to tell you how it is. I wish I could say I’ve figured it all out and here it is for you, in a nutshell and on a platter. I can’t. But I can tell you about a recent situation I found myself in which didn’t end so pleasantly. I had a case of bad manager blues.

Ultimately, the relationship went south, I needed to end it. I discovered I signed a “bad” contract that left me no exit clause. In fact, according to the wording, if I went to my manager and said I wanted out, he could “fine” me for early termination. Yes, shame on me for signing that. After consulting a lawyer, it was determined that the contract was unenforceable due to the fact that it had no exit clause for me, and all the penalties were against me, none for him. Too bad that did not absolve me from walking away from the agreement without legal assistance.

Needless to say, it has been quite an interesting year. One filled with frustration and angst. But I have learned a lot from this situation. I have certainly grown, more critical and stronger as a businesswoman. Here are just a few tidbits you should keep in mind.

*It’s OK to NOT sign a contract on the spot. In fact, you SHOULD have a copy of it reviewed by a lawyer, be it friend or family. Not all contracts are alike, and it is your responsibility to protect yourself.

* Make sure you have an exit clause. If something is not working, you need to be able to get out of a contract, clean and fast.

*Your manager should have an office, an actual office. And no, the coffee bar at a fancy hotel does not count.

*If your agent or manager is legit, they will have access to the breakdowns and be able to submit you electronically via Breakdown Express. In order to get a Breakdown Express account, talent agencies must be licensed and managers must belong to the Talent Managers Association. Managers are not required to join the TMA, so be wary of those who are not.

*Remember, your manager and agents work for you and with you. This is a no-brainer, but in a town of people pleasers it’s good to remember, don’t let someone you are working with tell you that you aren’t good enough. You are good enough, and if they don’t agree then they should not be representing you.

*Keep a detailed diary of all your meetings and their content. If things go bad, you have a written record you can use to prove your case.

*It is ok to set boundaries. Some managers are more hands on than others, but they do not need to know who you are sleeping with or what you ate for breakfast. Really, they don’t.

*And one last thing: Never, EVER, pay an agent or manager unless you book something. Do not pay them for their “time,” advice, or whatever they may be claiming compensation for. They make money, when you make money; generally, 10% – 15% of whatever you book.”

Returning  client Sarah D. brings out a sense of adorable warmth and quirkiness in her headshots!

Steve Suh was able to go from quirky to edgy with such ease!

During our time together, Tom Lommel was able to bring through the CEO, the funny guy living in a cubicle, and our best friend!

James Hawthorn brought out that college heart throb and Teresa Tharp brought out the trustworthy professional.

I think this goes without saying, but Keston John was phenomenal to work with!  He brought out such a range of characters, I just had to share a little series from his session!

Here, Christian Pitre plays the role of leading love interest as Robbie Davis delivers a more rough-around the edges character.  This adorable couple also happen to be  husband and wife who took advantage of our “couple’s discount”!

Friend sessions are such a blast when you have amazing people to work with such as Karen Bennett and Michael Hansen who also took advantage of the “friend discount”!

Returning client, Kerry Wieder really understands the concept of producing headshots that target specific auditions!

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