I moved to LA in 2001 and the first head shot I ever got was terrible. The photos that were taken were more than alright, taken by Nicol Ragland ( Alyssa Nicol Photography) but the printing was embarrassing. I didn’t know anything about printing my head shots, or how much to pay so I went to this little Armenian printing place in Hollywood. They told me they could just enlarge the 3″5″ into an 8″10″. Any idiot can guess that they came out blurry as hell. Fortunately for me they got me enough work so that I could afford new ones. I didn’t exactly have someone holding my hand so I had to learn these things the hard way. Today I get my head shots and zed cards shot by Lee Cherry. He is a great photographer. The mistake people often make in Hollywood is getting a “pretty” head shot. I can not advise against this strongly enough. What it seems that casting directors like are shots that have texture. People want to see a good photo that also shows who the person is that is being photographed.
It can also a mistake to bargain hunt. My friends who try to save a buck by going to a photographer who will give them 3 rolls for $100 are in for some bad shots. I had a friend once who was told he could get free head shots done if he came into a beauty institute and let them do his hair and make up first. They put him in a silk shirt and the black and white photos came out making him look like an Italian figure skater. It made for great bar teasing for years to come. Nothing is more emasculating than having makeup, a Miami Vice hair cut, a silk shirt, and the photos that your friends have confiscated and are holding for black mail. Any good photographer that you talk to should agree that before the shoot is done you will get the shots that you like and that your agent or potential agents would want. This is why digital photography is so perfect. You can see the shoot as its going so you can change what you need to adjust in order for things to come out the way you like them.
I don’t envy being a woman in Hollywood at all. It seems tremendously more difficult for women for a number of reasons. Its unfortunate that Hollywood requires a women to have perfect bodies and be comfortable selling a certain amount of sex appeal. That is certainly not the case for guys. We can do a photo shoot in jeans a t-shirt and get an agent and book a job. Most of the commercials you see on television are with an amazing looking women and often normal to quirky looking guys.
I know now that the only place I will take my head shots to get printed is Isgos, and the only people I feel comfortable shooting me are photographers who are friends or ones who I have seen their work and it’s amazing. Sadly for the struggling actor this can often cost up to $600 for the shoot alone. But if you want a photo or photos that are great and that will get you jobs, it’s a small price to pay. One commercial or Guest Spot will pay for more to come. In the case of finding the right photographer in LA it’s spend money to make money.