Teens can usually get away with getting headshots kid los angeles about once a year. But, since it has become such a competitive casting category, you usually don’t want to wait much longer than a year to update your shots. Our rates and 2 locations make it easy to keep your most important tool current!
See more of our work at our studio FB Page. For questions, contact Brandin’s cel through TEXT & she’ll call you back 310.622.5819
For years, it seemed like the word “Commercial” was a dirty word to actors. But, these days commercials have become a hip way to gain visibility and are honestly considered pretty cool by everyone in the industry. That’s because, for the most part, they aren’t cheesy anymore. They’ve become mini movies w/ a sketch comedy feel….and everyone wants in – even huge celebs like Matthew McConaughey are getting in on the action. And any actor who has been in LA for a year or more knows the phrase: “Commercials Pay The Bills”. So, when planning your shoot and wardrobe, be sure to keep commercials in mind and go for wardrobe that can work with BOTH serious expressions as well as Smirks & Smiles. Huge smiles with teeth showing still work amazing if you’ve got a really great genuine smile. But, if you don’t love yourself in a big toothy grin no worries….many commercial casting directors have said “Smirks are the new Smile” when it comes to commercial headshots.
To see more of our work, visit our facebook page. To set up an appt., call 310.622.5819 or visit our Contact Page.
Max Brandin Photography has a combine 28 years experience shooting teen & kid actor headshots. Not only will be help you prep for the day with extensive and specific wardrobe consultation, but we’ll make sure to go over everything the morning of your shoot and help you with those final details which can be so important in making your pics stand out in the sea of competition out there. Our headshots get actors in the door.
If your teenager is graduating from High School and already auditioning, you can combine your headshot session with a Senior Portrait session and get Double the bang for your buck….in one day, we’ll shoot BOTH senior portraits and actor headshots 🙂
Finding Cheap Kids Headshots in LA and Thousand Oaks isn’t easy! Understanding that your child’s headshot is the first and last thing the Casting Director (agent, etc) will see it must leave a lasting impression! But sometimes those can get ridiculously pricey..
At Max Brandin Photography we understand that, we have love and passion for what we do and because of that we give excellent rate for AMAZING and affordable headshots for your kids. We understand that your kids will need to get new headshots every 3-9 months because in these formidable years their appearance changes so frequently.
Check out our site for more info. And also take a look at our Facebook Page!!!
Happy Hunting 🙂
When searching for the right photographer to take your headshots in LA & Thousand Oaks, the key is to find someone who knows how to take your personality and make it shine through the images to catch the Casting Director (agent/manager, etc)’s attention. Above you will find a great example of that, a spritely young actress with excitement in her eyes. Advice for the day of your headshots; be yourself. Noone knows yourself better than you, so let your personality shine through the images. Be unique, that is your key to success. Let your kid be goofy and fun in front of the camera when getting Kids Headshots done! Whatever is special to them will make the pictures special. Max Brandin photography can share who you are with just one picture. For more information visit our site.
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This year, pilot season is expected to be bigger than it’s been in SO many years….and casting for kids is a HUGE part of that! If you’re looking to book Acting Headshots for kids, give us a call & we’ll be happy to help with wardrobe suggestions & find a date that works for you and your child. We have locations in Mid-City LA as well as Thousand Oaks.
To view recent examples of work, visit our studio facebook page. To book a session, go through our site contact page. Hope to see you soon!
Shooting headshots for kids is (for the most part) pretty straightforward. But, shooting headshots for teens in Los Angeles comes with a lot of “gray area”. Teens are still widely cast in Nickelodeon style types – big personalities & smarty-pants humor. BUT, when getting new headshots, teens should also remember to shoot for at least one “Gritty” type. Teens are cast in Superhero movies, dark edgy dramas, & realism driven episodics. A recent client, Piajae Marie, came to us wanting to explore more than just the “Cute Spunky Teen” type images. She was interested in getting some shots that would show her range. Above, you’ll see her version of Urban East Coast, Tough Action Star, & Ethereal Soul. We’ll be posting more from her shoot when her agent selections come in!
To see recent work visit our FACEBOOK page. To schedule an appointment, visit our CONTACT page.
A couple weeks ago, we posted a blog on kids headshots featuring our favorites from Natalie’s shoot….but, NOW her Agency Choices have come in & these are the finished product after removing a few stray hairs & cropping for Internet Casting. Natalie came to us from a pretty big & well known commercial agency, so we knew they’d appreciate some variety. Fortunately, Natalie has a great look for camera, since she can sort of morph into so many character types within an instant. With that long vibrant red hair & piercing blue eyes, we knew we could create several options for her reps. Below are some tricks that we used to change up the images as we shot – they’re simple concepts that you see used all over film & television….and there’s no reason you can’t use them too!
When you have long hair to work with, remember that you have SO many options at your disposal. Notice above, the pics with straight hair tucked behind the ears….immediate “Good Kid / Teachers Pet” So simple! Then take a look at the green top images – the surfer girl waves give her that “All-American Kid” look that’s so so popular. For the blue crushed velvet top, we started with fresh curls & pulled them forward on one side to show off all of her thick amazing hair – these felt very “Period Piece” to me & obviously Natalie would be amazing cast in one of those “Sense & Sensibility” type roles 🙂 For the shots in the turquoise tee we loosened up the curls to give her a totally girly “Disney” look. For the black tank top, we brushed our fingers through the curls to make a more relaxed casual look & get a perfect serious “Theatrical” shot. These tricks work not only for kids headshots, but also for grown ups 🙂
If you have any QUESTIONS please feel free to contact us through our contact form & we’ll be happy to help. For more examples of KIDS HEADSHOTS IN LOS ANGELES visit our portfolio and our FACEBOOK page.
We just finished up some final touches on Briana S.’s agent favorites. So, these will be the images she uploads to sites like Actors Access, LA Casting & the kid on the block, Casting Frontier.
Briana is in a really interesting age for casting – she’s still in her early teens, which means the other actors in her age range are starting to to develop some serious technique & on-camera skills. For kids 10 years & under, casting is often more concerned with the child’s look, their raw talent & their ability to take direction. Most young kids haven’t had a ton of acting coaching or experience, so everyone’s on pretty equal footing. HOWEVER, when kids start to hit the 13 & 14 year age range, if they’re serious about acting, they really should start taking a weekly class or at least get a couple on-camera sessions with a coach a couple times a month. Since they’ll be going up against kids who HAVE had some training, getting them to know the basics, such as “eye lines” for camera, how to hit a mark, & how to properly highlight & deconstruct their sides is pretty important. Most parents don’t have the time (or money) to spend on a ton of coaching & classes – but, making sure your child has at least the basics gives them a fighting chance – and helps ensure they won’t lose a role over something silly like basic audition etiquette. Another pitfall to watch out for, however, is not knowing what kind of class you’re putting them in. Is it more along the lines of a theatre/drama type class than one that specifically prepares them for on-camera acting technique? If your child is very shy & could use some help opening up in social situations, or if your child is more interested in community theatre, then the theatre/drama class is PERFECT. However, these classes aren’t going to help much if what your kid needs is some basic film/tv skills to nail an audition & get the role.
We’ll be posting on our favorite acting teachers in upcoming blogs, and we’d love to hear your ideas & comments on your favorite acting classes & coaches!
View more examples of our kids headshots
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One of the biggest issues since online casting truly took over is the demand agents put on their actors to get several looks. Actor Headshots used to be simple….remember? One serious. One smiling. Black & White. Super Basic. NOW, because you don’t need to get 8×10’s printed up of everything, your agent wants you to get a ton of looks….”Professional Commercial” “Professional Theatrical” “Girl Next Door” “Bad Ass” “Sexy” “Cute Sitcom”, “Midwestern / Country Girl”, “Quirky” ……the list goes on! If that wasn’t enough on your plate, now pretty much every photographer you talk to lets you know that these are all charged as separate looks….Yikes. And you can’t blame them for needing to charge extra for what is, in essence” 2 full photoshoots. From our perspective, a headshot session is 3 to 4 looks max. That’s what it’s been for years. So, when you have 8 looks, that’s double our usual work day. ….not to mention the hours and hours afterward to process your digital negatives….phew! It’s a fun job, but it’s still a job. ….So, what are you supposed to do? Spend a billion dollars every year on headshots?! No. There are lots of great ways to get the most out of your shoot & do so without depleting your energy by the 5th look & without depleting all the money from your bank account.
Above is an example of how we got Nikki’s Professional Theatrical AND Pro Commercial in one look. And we did it without compromising the quality & end result of the picture.
1. Lighting is NOT the same for commercial & theatrical. Make sure your photographer understands this & knows how to tweak light as you go to give you different vibes throughout a single look. Above, you’ll see we switched from purely natural light to a strobe when we went from theatrical to commercial. The strobes were set up….just not turned on….for the theatrical. This gives us a MOODY dramatic feel. Once the strobes were turned on, BAM! There’s an immediate commercial, high energy feel to the image. And not only was the light on Nikki’s face a strobe – we also had a mini strobe set up to flash on the background behind her to give a crisp white, where there had been a soft caramel faded background.
2. Wardrobe can speak volumes, even when very simple.
Theatrical Nikki is already a gorgeous & pretty sexy individual. SO, we didn’t go over the top on her Theatrical Professional when it came to wardrdobe. Of course, she looks like she stepped right off the set of Boston Legal where, no doubt, they’d have her in a totally hot cami with jacket over the top. That’s great for the show – but there’s something a little “icky” about dressing TOO sexy for your headshots. It feels like “trying too hard.” The blue shirt is serious – but we did allow for an extra button to come undone to show off her neck & a little collarbone.
Commercial Because Nikki chose a color that would work with both theatrical AND commercial – such as a medium blue, sage green, plum, etc. – we were able to just remove the jacket, exposing MORE of the vibrant color & giving the pick a more relaxed, casual, friendly feel – which is key to a commercial “Professional” headshot.
3. Hair is super important, of course. By keeping the hair in the theatrical around Nikki’s face, we get a character that’s a little more “shadowy” – someone who has a secret. Then, when we switched to commercial, we let the hair come off the face a bit – opening her up as someone who’s more fun & friendly. It’s such a small change – but you can see what a difference it makes.
One of the biggest differences in LA Senior Pictures & LA Headshots is where the subject is looking. Are they looking into camera? Are they looking away? For headshots, it’s pretty much an unspoken rule that the subject (the actor) should be looking into the camera. It helps to capture the essence, the personality, the vibe of the actor. It helps to establish the actor’ level of intensity, or their ability to make us laugh with just a casual smirk.. Sometimes an agent or manager will choose an image where the actor is looking off-camera…but it’s pretty rare. Mostly, you’d see this with a character type that typically looks away….like a super quirky character type, or a super shy character type. I’ve also seen a “looking away” shot be chosen by a talent rep for actors whose direct stare is a bit overly intimidating. It’s never good to scare the casting director, right?? hheheeee…
Well, the opposite is true of HS Senior Portraits. There is no goal to shoot a certain character type. We’re not trying to gauge intensity or the kinds of roles that the subject plays. We’re simply capturing the emotions & feelings & essence of the subject for that moment in time. Because that’s really what senior pics are : a capsule in time to remember that special phase of going from being a kid…in your parents care…and part of their responsibility….to being an adult. making your own decisions…or at least most of them! Senior Pictures are the very last of the baby pictures. Your parents started when you were a newborn. They continued documenting your growth at every grade level. Now, it’s the last of the last – your Sr. Year – and these photos mark the last time your parents officially document your age, development & growth. It’s not something to be taken lightly…and it’s not something to be taken too seriously. It’s something to just have fun doing, and leave the rest to us
This is our 2nd posting of Ren’s pics….we originally posted our faves – and now that she’s ordered her prints, we thought we’d share HER faves! The first thing we noticed about Ren when she arrived for her shoot – other than her uber-cuteness, was that she’d really nailed it with the clothes & accessories she brought. When you look at the images above, you’ll see how they all reflect her personal style, while at the same time each look has it’s own feel. We loved how the pics we did in the orange print dress were paired with chunky platform heels….whereas the white sundress was worn with simple flip flops – Gorgeous! Also, notice how all the bracelets in the black top pics & the hat in the white dress pics really give the images a magazine editorial photoshoot vibe. Speaking of hats….hats off to our amazing makeup artist Bebe Booth, who kept the makeup totally natural while also totally popping the eyes in every look. LOVE!!! Ren was down for anything when it came to hair & makeup, but we’ve always found that for HS Senior Pics, you really need to stick with natural makeup…and maybe a little smoky eye for the final look. It’s very similar to the guidelines we follow when shooting LA Actor headshots – keep it simple….keep the pictures ALL about the person you’re shooting. If you’re planning your own wardrobe, makeup & hair you might want to visit our blog post: 10 tips to ROCK your HS Senior Portraits We’ve listed everything from hair & skin regimen to reminders on school guidelines & deadlines. And if you ever feel like you’re stuck when putting everything together, make a quick trip through all of our past blog posts & portfolio – you’ll see lots of wardrobe ideas that you can steal & then make your own 🙂
People always want to know, for headshots what to wear. There is definitely a lot of advice floating around out there – some of makes sense, and some it’s just silly. The main piece of advice I hear is “wear bright colors”. Hmmmmm…..true, colors photograph really nicely – but, there are a lot of ways to screw up your shoot by just following that advice blindly. I’ve found the best way to approach the question of wardrobe is to think of what kinds of roles you’re going to go out for. Let’s take a kids headshots for example: There are 5 or 6 main “types” that a girl 8-15 years old would play…. ((there are lots others, but let’s look at some mainstays….
For Nickelodeon Kid, we’re thinking “Prankster”, mischievous, rough & tumble 100% KID. Sure, color works for this, but WHAT color works best? In my opinion, Bright Green, Bright Orange, Red, Royal Blue are all great colors for this look. If we went with Pink or Yellow, it might read a little softer, or a little girlier, which would detract from the story of the picture. We want the image to scream: I AM KID, HEAR ME ROAR!!!
For The Good Kid, we’re thinking “Class President”, Teacher’s Pet, Straight A student – so, go a little preppier, with a hint of nerdy. Clothing could almost feel like a mini office professional. A polo shirt for boys – a tank top & cardigan for girls. Obviously, you’d steer clear of “unprofessional” looking colors like bright orange, lime green & vivid turquoise. Royal blue, Dark(ish) Purple, Red, Sage Green, and even black can work great for this one.
For the Sporty Kid, layers always work well. A Gray Tee with Navy Zip Hoodie looks really sporty. Almost like a version of something they’d wear as a warm up if they were on a sports team. Kelly Green Hoodie Jacket with yellow tee underneath,,,,,, even just a basic red Tee with V-neck would work great. Just go with colors that feel like a sports team & keep the clothing something that looks like they could play in it.
For Super Girly we’re picturing the 11 year old girl who does nothing by giggle. No matter what, she’s in fits of laughter & LOVES pink. Great girly colors are Pink, Bright Turquoise, Bright Yellow, Peach, Baby Blue & of course purple. The top can be as simple as a Tee, or as girly as a ruffled strap tank top.
For Period Drama / Theatrical, we’re thinking something classic or simple. We’re going for soulful, so a color that matches the kid’s eyes exactly is always amazing. Or, something in a faded fleshy tone, like peach or tan tones. Black & jewel tones, like ruby, emerald green & sapphire blue work really nice too.
For Edgy / Attitude we’re mostly going to be dealing with girls 12 years to 17 years. We usually go with more of a Disney version of “Edgy” for most kids ….a little black eyeliner, but nothing crazy. Colors that work great are Black mixed w/ any “hot” color, like bright pink, purple, aqua, yellow….. OR, you can take it more theatrical & realistic or urban using mostly grays & blacks with texture & layers – nothing too “new” looking for kids who play grittier characters. That’s not the norm, but there are always those actors who play dark characters from a young age, like Jodie Foster & Nikki Reed.
Dominique is one of our 2013 MxB High School Senior Reps. She shot with us a few weeks ago at our Los Angeles Senior Portraits location. Usually, the seniors that apply to be MxB reps are extremely outgoing, because they know that they’ll be ambassadors for our photography studio. Well, even in her application, Dominique admitted that she was shy…but that she thought maybe this might be a good thing, something to help her push the boundaries of her comfort zone with social stuff. So, when she arrived for her shoot, we were prepared to really have to work at directing & getting great smiles & poses. ….wow….we were wrong! Within a matter of a few minutes Dominique was modeling as if she were a total pro!! Being tall & super athletically built, she honestly photographed very much like a professional model. To say we were blown away would not be an exaggeration…. So many of the cute poses & all the playing around that we captured on camera came organically from Dominique. On the train tracks, our main direction was to say “just imagine you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere, and you know to follow the tracks to the next city….but, along the way, while you’re walking, give little glances & smiles to the camera”. That was it! She took off her shoes & started taking little steps over the pebbles & rocks on the tracks…and when she’s slightly trip on one, she’s laugh & look right at the lens. To be able to take your actual circumstances & use them to inform your expressions & body language is the very essence of modeling….and obviously, Dominique has it.
So many of our HS Seniors from Thousand Oaks ask about the urban locations they see in our LA Senior Pictures – and the same is true for our LA & South Bay Seniors….they often ask about the beautiful mountain shots we get at our Newbury Park location. Both are such awesome locations for shooting HS Senior Pics that it’s tough to choose which location to book. Our suggestion is to shoot both!! We offer discounted rates for Seniors who decide to do 2 shoots – and the fun part is, you get double the amount of images at this totally amazing time in your life 🙂
Those of you who were lucky enough to get in on our 60% off May discount are asking for tips on how to do makeup for your senior portraits So, below you’ll find one of our favorite natural makeup tutorials. The makeup is done by a high school girl with products that most of you already have. You’ll notice that the makeup is little punched up beyond “natural”, but when shooting pics in full length & even 3-quarter, you really want to make sure the eyes pop. Using neutral tones & sticking to a simple black top liner & soft subtly smokey under liner, your eyes pop without looking overly made up. SKIP THESE STEPS: 2 items she applies really don’t work for senior pics though & you should steer clear – the white liner in the inner rim of the eye often washes away with blinking, & can sometimes smear a bit with the under eyeliner. And it doesn’t look that natural…. Also, the highlighter she uses toward the end of the video on her upper cheekbones is very often “bad for camera”. What looks dewey and glowy in person, can look sweaty & glaring on camera. Stick to MATTE powder, MATTE bronzer as well to avoid having a shiny face. Hope this helps those of you who’re getting that awesome 60% off!
And for the rest of you, we STILL HAVE 40% OFF IN JUNE & 20% OFF IN JULY!!!!
Below is an example of some of our favorite Natural Makeup 🙂 Actor Katrina Law shot these in LA with makeup artist Karishma Ahluwalia, & we thought she achieved a perfect makeup look for each. The left image is a little edgier, but without going over the top. The lips & face were kept very natural, letting the eyes take center stage. The image on the right is classic natural makeup. The apples of the cheeks pop & the eyes have only a little neutral shadow for depth. Katrina doesn’t need much, so the makeup artist let her natural beauty shine through 🙂
You’re going to be seeing a lot more of this girl! Yesterday, I spent a couple hours shooting Natalie’s headshots. Her parents came with her and I could tell immediately that this was going to be a fun day! Usually, when a teen’s parents come to their session, I’m immediately apprehensive that the parent is going to try and run the shoot. That basically never works because the parent isn’t a photographer & unless they’re right behind me, they aren’t seeing what I’m seeing. Natalie’s Mom & Dad could not have been different….they helped when I needed it ((obviously, natalie’s got a LOT of hair to wrangle, so I asked for Mom when it was necessary :)) but, otherwise, they hung out, made a few calls, peeked their head in from time to time & were a total joy to have on the set! Actors headshots are pretty different from shooting Los Angeles Senior Pics – mainly, in that the subject has to be looking into camera the entire time. If you’ve never been a model for 2-3 hours straight, then you really don’t know how hard it is. It’s work! and the person in the photos needs to LOVE what they do. AND they need to be talented at it. Simple as that. Anything less, & you get just “so-so” pics. I don’t care how great the photographer is – the subject needs to have that “it factor” to successfully shoot for several hours. I’ll be posting more pics from Natalie’s session & with all the looks we did, you’ll really get a good idea of how a professional connects with the camera & delivers in shot after shot. …..and let me tell you, adding in super long wavy hair means even more work & patience from our model – – – and it doesn’t hurt to have a pretty great mom helping out with all that hair! Come to think of it, next time I’m shooting Senior Portraits, I may see if the mom can come ready with hairspray & brush in hand!
Drae was one of our absolute favorites…she’s featured in our senior portraits portfolio & we thought she’d be perfect to be featured on our Sexy Saturday post! Shot by photographer Amanda Max, of MaxBrandinPhotography & Amanda Max Photography, Drae does sexy the way should be done….effortlessly, playfully, & with classic beauty. Unlike shooting LA actor headshots, shooting HS Senior Portraits means making sure the girls get the fierce & gorgeous images they want, while at the same time making sure they will be seen as classic, beautiful and never overly sexy.
Shooting headshots for kids can be either the most fun an LA photographer can have, or the least LOL. Taking Benjamin’s first truly professional LA headshots was definitely a blast. He was a total ham with the camera & took direction with a natural ability that some people are just born with.
Olivia May does “sexy” perfectly. Never overdone, she mixes an innocence with sexy that feels natural & effortless. As a photographer shooting headshots in Los Angeles, you’re always excited to work with such a talent 🙂
We love us some Nate Torrence!!!
When Amanda & I started shooting actor headshots in Los Angeles over 12 years ago, we were so lucky to get a ton of great talent in front of our cameras. Back then we shot headshots in the South Bay, but now we also have locations in LA & Thousand Oaks. These headshots of actor Nate Torrence always crack me up 🙂
