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
At Max Brandin Photography we’ve always been big on getting the absolute most for your money and time….which is why we encourage parents to consider combining their kid headshots session with a quick, fun, and easy family portrait session. Some simple coordinating of wardrobe & a few minutes put toward a little hair & makeup for mom & or non-actor siblings gives us the opportunity to get some spontaneous and beautiful pictures shot in a No Pressure setting…. We never charge an additional amount for a quickie family portrait added on to your kids headshot sesh.
((( “Quickie Family Sesh” is no additional charge and inlcudes 35 frames. If you’d like a more extensive family session added to your child’s headshot session, there is typically only a $50-$100 additional charge, depending on the size of your family and the location you’d like to shoot!!! ))) We’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have, as well as consult you about hair/makeup/wardrobe. Just contact us at 310.622.5819 to book a kid headshots session!
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 🙂
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.
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 🙂
We shot these headshots in LA at my Los Angeles headshot studio location. Heather was amazing – any photographer would be psyched to shoot such a beautiful and amazing actor.
We shot Briana’s headshots at my Los Angeles location. As a headshot photographer I really look forward to shooting pictures of up and coming talent in LA. Great job Briana!
