Tag Archives: Corporate Headshots Los Angeles

Corporate Headshots Los Angeles

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Headshots for Business Professionals

We just finished up a little cropping, resizing & optimizing for internet on the image above, for Shorewood Real Estate Broker, Darren Pujalet.  Darren was a pretty easy going guy with a very sincere vibe & relaxed friendliness.  Probably not bad traits to have as an agent 😉  His friendly nature really shines through in the shots we did for him – and honestly it was tough to choose a favorite!

But, let’s be real…most of us don’t love getting our picture taken professionally.  When we’re out with friends and family, pics are being snapped almost constantly – but those are no pressure, just for fun pics..  When you’re paying someone to take your photograph…especially for your business card or business website, there’s often a nervousness that goes along with it.  The picture is important, because it will often be the first impression a prospective customer gets – and it’s probably going to be circulated for several years before getting a new one taken.  Most of our Corporate Headshot clients express some degree of anxiety – and that’s usually why they tell us when booking, that they want to “get in & out” – taking as little time as possible.  As photographers, we know that rushing is a terrible idea, so once our subject arrives, it’s our job to get them feeling as relaxed as possible.  Any awkwardness with your photographer almost always leads to an uncomfortable session…as many of us have experienced!!  ….having shot headshots for so many years, making people feel comfortable from the minute they walk in is just something that comes naturally to us – and is one of the main things that have kept us in business.

Once our client is settled in & we’ve talked about what kind of shots we’re going to be doing, it’s a good idea to jump right in.  The longer we stall on actually beginning the shoot, the more time they have to build up the experience in their head as one that’s going to be terrifying & full of self-consciousness.  Once we shoot a few frames & can show off what the images are looking like, most people are so happy with they way the pics are looking they actually get excited to keep going.  It’s always fun to see someone go from extremely reserved to suddenly throwing out ideas & trying out different kinds of smiles.  The sessions are still pretty quick – a lot shorter than a headshot session for actors – – but, instead of going quickly b/c it’s painful, we end up finishing up quickly because it was easy 🙂

For more examples of HEADSHOTS visit our portfolio &/or our FACEBOOK page 🙂  And if you have any QUESTIONS please feel free to contact us through our contact form & we’ll be happy to help.

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Los Angeles Actor Headshots

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Headshots LA

Get 2 looks in 1

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.

 

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