Choosing Your Photographer:
The first step is to choose from dozens of qualified photographers (no matter whether you’re on the East or West Coast). The trick is to zero in and determine which photographer will work best for, and with, you.
To begin, you can find out about photographers from ads—in Back Stage as well as other reputable trade publications—but perhaps the most insightful and fulfilling way to gather information is through personal references and testimonials from other singers. To save time, and even make it a bit of a fun exercise, try gathering a group of friends for dinner one night and request that everyone bring along their headshots. When perusing your dinner companions’ images, ask yourself some questions: Do I like what I’m looking at? Are these images as flattering as they ought to be?
During dinner, casually ask how everyone felt at their shoot—did the photographer put them at ease, put them through their paces, or put them through needless tension? Did they achieve a friendly rapport with the photographer? Were they comfortable asking questions? Did they enjoy the shoot? Culling from their responses and your own research, you should quickly be able to assemble a short list of possible photographers. Preferably, this list should have no fewer than four and no more than about eight. Too few options may seriously limit your success. Too many options may feel repetitive and poised for overkill.
When you arrive for your appointment with a photographer, always remember to arrive on time. This sets a professional tone for the potential relationship, and indicates to the photographer that you are serious, studied, and ready to make a timely decision. After the obligatory pleasantries, the first thing you want to do is look at a photographer’s book. As you’re looking through it, engage them in light, but probing, conversation about the headshots you see. Notice the responses. Does the photographer discuss his work in a professional, non-judgmental, learned way, or does it become an opportunity for unwarranted gossip? Does this photographer make excuses for substandard work (which shouldn’t be in the book in the first place) or otherwise qualify some aspect of the images? Beware if you see a book in which the images all look alike. Notice lighting, pose, and overall style in order to discern this.
When you’re looking at headshots, the eyes will always tell the true story. Ask yourself: Do the subjects grab your attention with their eyes? Is there an honesty in their eyes? Look at the whole image: Is there a lack of pretense? Do you find a certain sense of warmth, of directness, of clarity, of appeal, of confidence? Are there needless, distracting qualities to the image, such as a too-sexy pose, a too-busy background, or hair teased as high as an elephant’s eye?
Also ask yourself: Are the skin tones realistic? Does anything about the lighting “burn” the skin or wash something out? Can you tell which singers are blondes? (It’s the hardest hair color to get right in a black-and-white photo.) Initiate a short but rigorous discussion about fees, number of shots, retouching, makeup, styles, poses, clothing, and the overall process of the shoot itself. This should help you make a decision in fairly short order. And remember, never, under any circumstances, give a photographer a decision on the spot.
Finally, after you’ve gone home with your brain swimming in details and sales pitches, you might want to ask yourself the following questions:
1. Do I like the photographer?
2. Do I like his/her workspace?
3. Do I feel like this photographer will respect my wishes?
4. Do I feel like this photographer wishes to collaborate with me to ensure the best possible headshot, or do I feel rushed and ill-considered?
5. Do I feel this photographer creates something interesting, eye grabbing, professional, and yet non-rigidified?
6. Do I like this photographer’s work ethic?
7. Do I feel physically comfortable around this photographer, or do I feel this photographer may hit on me?
8. Does this photographer explicitly offer a satisfaction guaranteed policy—and has it been demonstrated that he/she will do everything possible to make sure that such a policy will never have to be activated?
9. Do I like this photographer’s pictures?
Preparing for the Photo Session:
The more carefully you prepare for your photo shoot, the more relaxed you will be—and the more you will succeed in creating an image that can readily be identified as yours.
“The idea is to be relaxed, comfortable, warm, and open—this doesn’t necessarily mean smiling and showing every last tooth, but just something that stands out and invites the viewer to want to see the person, and to see what they’re about, and their talent,” said Renee Panichelli, a talent agent at EWCS & Associates. More than anything, be sure to give careful thought to the type and look of the photos that you want. Then select the clothes you will wear—no more than four changes preferred, for sake of both your time and your sanity—and be sure to decide in advance on makeup and hair (more on this in the next section).
One way to come to a decision about what to wear is to quiz yourself about what, sitting in your closet, will come closest to conveying and capturing your essence. For a casual look, women could try layering a favorite shirt and vest, or a jacket of some kind, over a body suit; textured sweaters can work well, without jewelry or props. Be very careful, however, with busy patterns, spangles, and frills. Remember as well that, by pulling things from your own wardrobe—clothes you genuinely love wearing and are quite comfortable in—you will set the stage for the successful shoot. It’s far better to do this than to feel that you are costuming yourself for the sake of an idealized image in something you would never actually wear and, in the process, spend far more than your headshot and resume budget requires.
For men, the clothing choices are very similar. Be sure to stick with what you have and what you feel represents you as a person. While similarly avoiding too-formal duds and crazy-quilt patterns, be very careful when you’re being photographed wearing T-shirts with necklines plunging deeper than Jane Doe’s décolletage, or wearing vests and nothing more. While your pecs and biceps may impress, so-called “beefsteak” outfits—or lack of outfits—threaten to accentuate your frame and soft-pedal your talent. Jewelry for men is discouraged as strongly as for women.
Hair & Makeup:
“I like makeup to be ‘non-fruity,’” said one casting director. “That means nothing overly exaggerative—no eyeliner on men, not too much cover-up, nothing that makes you look like a clown. Don’t ever—and I don’t care who you are, man or woman or anything in-between—be a glamour queen.”
From canvassing different people in the industry, it would appear that most singers take that advice and run with it. Women, of course, should always wear some makeup for the photo shoot, even if they wear little or none in their everyday life. In most cases, that means paying for a professional to do hair and makeup at the shoot. Follow a similar process with this professional that you did when first choosing a photographer, and never be afraid to ask the makeup professional to be specific in terms of what makeup choices they may potentially make for you. Inquire whether the images in the photographer’s book are reflective of the makeup artists’ work, or, if not, ask to see evidence of their work. Once you’ve selected a makeup artist (or, very likely, gone with the in-house choice typically recommended by your photographer of choice), you should carefully discuss in detail the photo style and how you see yourself.
Some women may feel that doing their own hair and makeup is a way to save money. And for some who feel completely competent and at ease with their own makeup, it is an option. If the least doubt about your capabilities on hair and makeup creeps in, better to have a professional do it, so that you can be completely relaxed at the actual shoot. Remember, saving the $75-$150 for a makeup artist isn’t a savings at all if the photos turn out poorly because of hair and makeup.
One of the things you are paying a professional for is their understanding of the special requirements in makeup for a black and white photo, in which color is seen as a shadow. This means cheek color should go lower to accent the cheekbone; if it is applied on the cheekbone, (as you would in your normal daytime makeup, to add color) it will take out the contour. Eye shadow works the same way-it will not read as color, but will deepen your eye sockets. Eyeliner should be soft, applied with a brush sparingly, with very little on the lower lid; apply mascara as you would use it normally. Lipstick is another example of color being meaningless—it’s the contrast to your skin, not the color, which will show. Unless a singer is aware of these differences between making up for an audition and for a black-and-white photo, and is practiced in the technique, she should use a professional.
Men have the advantage of generally not needing a professional makeup artist, though they will usually want to use a little bit of cream base to lighten a very heavy beard, as photos tend to accent dark beards. When arranging the shoot, ask the photographer what he/she generally suggests, and whether makeup is available at the shoot or if the singer should bring it.
The Actual Shoot:
When you first meet with your photographer, or when you arrive for the shoot, be positive. Do not announce that you do not like to have your picture taken, that you are nervous, that you have had horror stories with headshots and photographers in the past, and that all will be doom and gloom as soon as the clicking begins.
Moreover, if the photographer does not go out of his or her way to ensure that you are relaxed, get out of there immediately. If you think the photographer is exerting undue pressure to try a particular shot that doesn’t interest you or that, at worst, makes you feel as though something other than a headshot session is taking place, there is no reason to stay. This is your money, your investment, your career, and your headshot—and you have an obligation not only to do your research, but also to take responsibility for the quality of your photo shoot. Never be afraid to say no; never be afraid to ask questions; never be afraid to assert your wishes, and to enforce the legally binding contract between you and the photographer.
Also remember, the headshot must somehow “capture the verb.” It’s a funny, almost imperceptible thing, this notion of trying to capture a grammatical contrivance within a still image. Remember, above all, that a verb will always imply, connote, or command an action—to love, to hate, to run, to jump, to hide, to leer, to glance, to wonder, to dream, to defend, to mind, to stall, to petrify. If you just put yourself in the thought process of the verb, any verb, you will be sure to avoid the terrible trap of taking a “dead picture.”
Here as well, the photographer’s expertise and personal style will be crucial. Allow the photographer to coax you into jettisoning any remaining butterflies. Go for the accomplishment of that “verb” with your whole heart.
Finally, try the following technique at home before the shoot, perhaps even using a Polaroid for visceral effect. Let the camera eye become a person—a person the singer cares about, one that the singer is inviting into the action. The singer creates a scenario in his mind, one including the person the camera has become, and plays it out during the shoot. For instance, the camera becomes a close friend the singer hasn’t seen for a long time. As the singer goes through the actions of seeing and recognizing the friend, feeling a quick jump of joy at the surprise meeting, and then planning something fun that they can share together, the camera is snapping away, capturing real moments in time, not frozen facial poses.
Choosing the Final Print:
Always look at the contact sheets with a loupe (magnifier), and with a sheet of white paper that has a square the size of one picture cut out of it (to isolate one frame at a time). Also, use a grease pencil to make your preliminary and ultimate selections.
Trusting your first impressions, and going by the same criteria as when you looked at the photographer’s portfolio, make rough choices right away, then take them to a few trusted friends. It can’t be stressed enough, however, how important it is for you to be truly thoughtful and selective in those with whom you share these images. Make sure you value the opinions you’re going to receive, and you’re going to receive plenty of them, especially if you probe for them. Consider, if possible, including a director or a casting director among the people on this list.
The above article, excerpted from “Headshot Heaven, Resume Reality” appeared in Back Stage magazine, September 11, 2000 and has been reprinted with the kind permission of Back Stage magazine. Copyright 2001 BPI Communications, Inc.
