What is a headshot session and what does it include is a question I’m asked by many actors looking to find a good headshot photographer.
How many shots do I get?
Can I change my outfit?
Do I need hair and make up artists?
Will you do any retouching/airbrushing?
Here’s a selection of the kind of shots I take in a ‘normal session’ although I think it’s incredibly imporatnt to tailor each and every session to the individual’s needs depending upon, age, castability and several other factors including the needs of their Agent etc. A headshot session is collaboration, I have the neccessary photographic skills, an actors has ideas and often an Agent has specific needs in terms of a headshot to market their client in a particular way. Part of the fun of shooting actors headshots is discovering this dynamic, then working together to produce a seriess of headshots that everyone is happy with but most importantly the actor is confident will help them to get into more auditions.
Although shooting headshots is fun it also comes with a huge responsibility and this is something that has to be understood at all times. A great headshot can have a fantstic effect on an actors career but conversely so can a bad headshot – missing opportunities, missing auditions etc.
ACTORS HEADSHOTS BY NICK GREGAN
– Andrea Nodroun Headshot Session
Well here it is the Korean crazy sweeping the planet, what does a headshot photographer in London have to do with gangnam style I hear you ask, well it looks like I’m off to Seoul very soon so I thought I’d better check out the culture, maybe I’ll even try the dance. Yee Haa !!
– Learn ‘Gangnam Style’ With Psy & Brittany Spears
A great actors headshot can really help your career, it’s job is to be your calling card, to create a great first impression and ultimately get you to an audition. Once this happens your headshot has done it’s job well. However a bad headshot can have an equally influencial effect on your career too, although it will be in a negative way.
Maybe these feelings can be put down to the results of a bad headshot. Simply put if your headshot doesn’t have the wow factor and stand out from the crowd then you’re never going to get noticed. If you never get to go to an audition then no one is ever going to see how good an actor, singer or dancer you are. It’s then easy for a poor situation to spiral out of control into doubting your own ability and challenging your beliefs about career choice and even in your talent.
Here’s an example of a bad headshot that commit’s several major mistakes:
Today’s world of casting is even more competitive than ever and every headshot you put out there has to give you the very best chance of making a great first impression and grabbing the attantion of a casting director, agent or produceer. Using a headshot like this say’s so much in a negative way and more importantly does nothing to grab the attention of the people who can give you work.
– How To Recognise A Bad Actors Headshot
Zach Powell Headshot © Nick Gregan
This is something I am asked more and more these days and I believe it is critical that actors don’t loose sight of the fact that they are, and always need to be taken as a serious professional in their career as an actor.
One thing I often hear actors say is ‘why can’t my girlfriend/boyfriend take my headshot – , they do a bit of photography or they have a nice camera?’
If you have tooth ache does your friend try to fix it for you, or do you see a professional!
If you need your haircut do you let your dad or your friend cut your hair – no you go to a professional salon!
And if you have an electrical fault in your house do you try to repair it yourself – no you call in a professional electrician because you could burn the house down.
The crux of the matter is; if you don’t use a professional actors headshot photographer you are probably not giving yourself the best opportunity to be taken seriously. If you approach an actors agent or casting director with a snapshot taken in the garden or against the living-room wall – what does that say about you?
It says I’m not really serious about acting, it gives the impression that you’re only playing at being an actor and nobody takes people like that seriously, time is too valuable to waste on unprofessional people. A lack of professionalism in one area may well and probably will spill down into other areas, perhaps being late or unprepared for an audition.
There are so many good actors out there doing things right desperate to get their break, why should agents and casting directors waste their time with those people who can’t be bothered to do it right?
Just about everybody has a good quality digital camera nowadays. Cameras with 4, 6 and 8 mega pixels or more are not uncommon these days and everyone thinks that they can take a good picture. To be honest a lot of people can take a good picture, but a good actors headshot has to be a ‘special kind of picture’. There are hundreds of free tutorials on the Internet and many courses available in just about every medium you can think of from home study to part or full time education. But simply because you’ve completed some form of study course, does that make you a photographer? I’m afraid the answer is no it does not.
There are many, many elements to a good actors headshot, composition, background, lighting, the pose, what the actor is wearing and most importantly what’s in the eyes.
Nick Gregan is an experienced actors headshot photographer and will control all of these elements making sure that they all work together well to give an actor a really stunning shot. But most importantly they will give you tips and techniques to get the very best out of you. An actors headshot photographer in London or any major city should be aware of current trends and styles. They will encourage you to express yourself and they won’t be afraid to tell you when something is not working. As your primary piece of marketing you should have your headshot on everything you send out, make sure it’s a great headshot that gives you every chance of being remembered for all the good reasons.
– Is A Professional Headshot Photographer Important ?
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NickGregan.com, Nick Gregan Actors Headshot Photography, Head Office: Unit 3,
10A Ellingfort Road, London Fields, London E8 3PA Tel: 020 85333003