Head Shots & Photography : Joanna Brooks

Not Being Boring in your Headshot

jobrooks — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:24:10 +0000

I just saw a young new actor’s website and he had some headshots on his home page (I will talk in another post soon about why I don’t think you should have your headshot on the home page of your website) and they are him in a sweater with a rather wrinkly white tshirt coming out the neck area. He was asking for advice about his headshots. Next to the headshots are “screen grabs” from student type films he has done and he is dressed in WAY more interesting clothes. A green army style jacket with a black t-shirt underneath, another shirt with a “I bought this tie for this job, tie” and a light plaid shirt kind of open .. ANYWAY… he looks like all kinds of people in his screen grabs. He looks like a student who is really smart and solving some problem, in another he looks like he could work in some boring office and flit with the cute girl, in another he looks a little troubled… so you get the picture. He is wearing a dark sweater in his headshots with a distracting t-shirt under it and then in the films he has done he has been dressed in all kinds of specific clothing that tells us not only his age range, but his class and maybe that he is a dramatic and intense actor.

SO… I wrote him some feedback and told him that those screen grabs were way more interesting than his headshots. He thanked me, and said he felt he should be a blank slate in his headshots, to let other people decide what kinds of characters he should play.

I wrote a fairly nice response back but I really want to say: WHY would you want to do that??? Why don’t you want to stand out? You are not a big star. There is no body of work for people to refer to so you need to define yourself and you don’t get very many chances to do that in this business so do it with your headshots! I am not saying that you can’t wear a sweater, but you do need GREAT headshots because otherwise you are just wasting a year of no one paying any attention to you. Don’t be VANILLA. Stand out but stand out in a way that makes it look like you actually know who you are and that you care about your career. If you are not a celebrity with a familiar face, if you are not a stunningly gorgeous human being, if you don’t have a killer agent who is calling casting to pitch and define you then you need an awesome headshot that says something about who you are.

I worked in casting, we never knew 100% what we were looking for, but we were always in the ballpark and I flipped through and ignored hundreds of headshots from actors who didn’t look like they were professional enough to bring in. We didn’t want to waste our time so we looked for actors that fit with in the pocket of the “type” we were after. Yes, we have huge imaginations, but we didn’t really need to use them because there are thousands of actors to look through. Why do I need to imagine that you could play a warm sweet character from your scowling submission photo when I have a thousand warm sweet looking photos. Unless you are already known, you HAVE to have specific shots that say different things. Why wouldn’t you want to???

Ok. Thanks for letting me vent about that

Who are YOU in your headshot?

jobrooks — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:00:19 +0000

I saw a posting of a young guy wearing a white shirt asking for feedback about his headshots. I wrote this and thought it would be a good thing to post today:

I would compare it to a singer on a talent show who would stand up and sing “happy birthday” for a record deal. Maybe you can see that they are a nice looking person and seem to have a good voice, but what kind of record would they make? What kind of artist are you? Does that make sense? Your headshots are one of your marketing tools that you have the most control over. You are telling people who you are. When you audition for a play, you walk in with your photo and stand in front of someone and do a monologue or scene and they can see your work but when you audition for film/tv your headshot is the thing that people use to decide if they even want to see you. You are selling a product, you, and you need to tell me what “you” is and where it fits in the world of tv&film. Since it’s a really competitive field, it’s important to be specific. So, I would say that these are just thoughtful photos of your face. I want to see who you are and tell me what kind of work you are perfect for. I feel like a broken record with this, but you need to stand out. How will you stand out?

Is this a good headshot?

jobrooks — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:24:39 +0000

I was just reading some message boards where a guy who wants to be an actor posted a photo of himself sitting in his house and asked: “Would THIS be a good headshot for movies”

I realized that a lot of actors don’t understand the difference between a headshot and a snapshot. I responded this:

No, this will not work to get started or be taken seriously. Snapshots are not headshots. Besides the shot being home-made, there is nothing going on in your eyes. You are not competitive and won’t be taken seriously if you don’t have a real headshot. Your headshot should look like you are a pro, even if you are not.
If you are at all interested in working in this industry, then it’s worth investing in great headshots. I recommend that you do a one look with a good headshot photographer and see if you actually want to be an actor. If you were a realtor, this would not be a good photo for being a realtor because you don’t look confident enough or professional enough. If you were using this for on-line dating it would not work because you don’t look energetic or warm. You couldn’t use this if you were a lawyer because you don’t look sly or aggressive or successful. If you were using this as a plumber it would not work because you don’t look trustworthy, If you were a teacher, you couldn’t use this because you don’t show any energy… etc… Your headshots need to exude personality and energy and draw people in. You need to say SOMETHING besides I am sitting in my house. it’s a profession and you can’t look like a beginner because there are thousands of actors who can do your job. What do you do for work? Would you use this for your job?
If I said to you “we have never met, I want you to send me a photo of your face that tells me who YOU are and what you are capable of”… do you send this photo?
Hope that helps,
Joanna
www.joannabrooks.com
Headshots LA

Casting Director Feedback

jobrooks — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:17:10 +0000

I get emails all the time saying that a casting director singled out an actor’s headshot that I had taken.

Here is one of those e-mails…

i went to an agent casting workshop tonight and after my scene, he turned to the class and said “this is a great headshot.” i just got the new one’s printed today. thought you would be pleased to hear that. and katie was there, so she can verify this really happened!

-Stephen Chang

Do I need professional On-Line Dating Photos?

jobrooks — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:36:06 +0000

Are you putting yourself out there, in the on-line dating world for the first time? Maybe you have tried on-line dating before and you are coming back to it? It’s so important, in this competitive market, that you stand out on-line.

Professional dating photos are just photos of you without all your friends in them. The photos you have may have been taken late at night, with a flash and they just don’t show you in the best light. I think your on-line dating photos should sparkle and show your personality. There is nothing wrong with getting great photos that represent you well and where you are wearing comfortable, casual clothes that tell someone exactly what kinda person you are.

Make-up for your photos is important too, and it’s not a bad idea to hire a great make-up artist that can help bring out your features without making you look over-done or too glamorous.

Here are some recent dating photos. These are not actors, but they look engaged and their personalities are showing 100% You want to put your best foot forward and stand out in a crowd.

How To Prepare for your Headshot Session

jobrooks — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:03:35 +0000

I do meet and do a consultation before a shoot, but I don’t always think it is necessary. The one thing I tell people is to watch TV to prepare. Watch the shows that you think you should be on.
Who is playing “your” role?
What are they wearing?
What is their story?

Watch movies and commercials the same way.
This is such a simple idea, but you will start to see a pattern with “type” and how they express that in a simple way through clothing.
When you try on clothes for your shoot, snap a photo (or have a friend help you) with your phone or camera and see what you think. You know what looks good on you. Colors can be trickier, but the basic headshot color rules will give you a good place to start.
The basic headshot color rules are:
No Pastels
Why? Because they can blow out slightly and look white. White takes too much focus in a photo and tends not to work for anyone.
No White?
Why? See above

What if I wear a white shirt under something?
Yes, that’s usually fine, although if it can be blue or grey or another color instead, I think it’s better.
No strong patterns
Why?
Ok, so this is a tricky one. It’s really no strong or distracting patterns. You just don’t want something else to pull focus. You are selling YOU, not a great top that you just bought. You are selling a whole package though, so you want your shot to be individual and stand out. I usually say, if you are not sure then bring it to the shoot and I will help you. Sometimes it can go under a cardigan or jacket and it looks great.

No Beige, tan…
In other words. No blah.

There is a lot more to this, there is a lot of psychology in what we were and how it defines us. Women will spend hours at the mall picking out something that they love, but then show up for their headshots with a few t-shirts. I will take another post to talk about suits and ties.

What makes it a “theatrical” headshot?

jobrooks — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:36:48 +0000

Your theatrical headshot is the headshot your legit (film/tv/theater) agents use to submit you for… well… film, television (& theatre if you live in NY.) While your commercial shot should be warm and approachable, your theatrical shot can be much more serious and/or edgy. If you have a great smirky or smiling commercial “mom” shot, it may be fine to submit for some sitcoms or multi-camera shows. You still need a shot for all the dramas and films that want something a little more substantial and serious.

I recommend that your hair be down (if you have long hair) for a theatrical shot. Clothing can be a little less specific for this shot, but it still needs to give an idea of class (are you struggling? Are you blue collar? Wealthy and out of control? etc). Look at where you fit in in the world of television and film. Would you be one of the doctors? One of the lawyers? Or, one of the victims? The more specific you are, the more successful your photo shoot will be.

I love it when actors come in and tell me exactly where they fit in that world. If you are not sure, then I love to brain storm with you and tell you my thoughts before we shoot.

Hope that helps.

Happy shooting…

Choosing the right photographer for your headshot

jobrooks — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:05:56 +0000

A great headshot photographer is focused on you. A great photographer should be talking about you, not their photography. I have said this before, in previous posts, but I think it’s worth repeating.

When you look at a photographer’s gallery, there should be variety in the shoot, but if the angles are too severe and the photo is too artsy, you lose. Even in modeling shots, the focus is you not the “style” of the photo. I look at photographers who are in this for making money and have no clue about lighting or composition. Headshots are a very simple idea, but when you don’t look like your headshot then it doesn’t serve it’s purpose.

Stay tuned and happy shooting…

Joanna

What makes it a “commercial headshot”?

jobrooks — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:05:13 +0000

I will take 2 small blogs to talk about the differences between commercial and theatrical headshots.

Commercial headshots are used by your commercial agents to submit you for… well… commercials. Commercial submissions are done very quickly, so your agent will never send a hardcopy of your headshot to a casting director. They will submit you on-line only. This is really easy for them. In fact, it’s so easy that there are many more submissions for one commercial spot now than ever before. This means your commercial photo has to stand out better than ever.

So… what makes it commercial? Well, commercials are seen nationally and internationally, so your commercial headshot can’t be too edgy or sexy. You have to appeal to a bigger audience than just Los Angeles or New York. It should also be warm, kind, agreeable, sweet, straightforward and accessible.

That sounds easy enough, but trends are changing. A top Los Angeles casting director recently told me they wanted their client’s commercial headshots with NONE of the following:

leaning

turning

hunching

profiling

peeking into the shot

over layering their clothing.

They want their actors to be looking straight ahead, warm and approachable. That’s what makes a great commercial headshot today, in the age of internet submissions with hundreds of other actors competing for one role. Granted, that is only one agency, however, it makes a lot of sense that the actor needs to clearly come through the headshot and it’s really never about the photographer.

Next, I will talk about what a “Theatrical headshot” is.

Best time of year to get new headshots

jobrooks — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:51:03 +0000

When is the best time of year to shoot new headshots? Your headshots are not relevant anymore when they don’t look like YOU anymore. I feel like actors forget that their headshot is for marketing them. You are selling a product and you have to get shots that tell us something about that product.

Get new headshots when you change your hair style or get a one-look if you start to grow facial hair and want to keep that for a while. Constantly updating your headshots is not smart either. You want casting directors to become familiar with you and you want to give the photos a chance to work. If you keep changing them too frequently, it also sends the wrong message. If your shots are over 2 or 3 years old or you just aren’t getting any auditions anymore, then it’s definitely time to update your shots or even do an overhaul.

Talk to your agents. Remember that they work for you and they like it when you are pro-active with your career.

So, the best time of year? Whenever it works for your budget and for your hair.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to update your shots, but if you really care about your career you will look into photographers that will take the time to work with you and know a little about marketing. If every shot in a photographer’s gallery is the same, then run!

Happy Shooting…

Joanna