Acting Actor Headshots

Acting Actor Film TV Theatre Headshots photographer Christchurch, New Zealand

Terrific actor headshots must have three qualities. They should accurately show what you look like on a great day. They should capture a unique and interesting aspect of your personality. And they should be engaging, creative and original photographs. If you want a really good headshot, let me take it for you.

Your portrait session will be a fun and enjoyable experience. I'll reflect who you are and show you at your very best. 

My focus is on a collection of high-resolution digital images for you to have. You can forward them to any agency to be easily uploaded to their websites, get prints of any size you choose and share on social media.  

I have a wonderful studio at 47 Fisher Ave, Beckenham. Easy to get to and free parking. We generally take most shots in the studio with white to any shade of grey to black background. We can take some photos outside and utilise the lovely garden and classic villa.

After our portrait session, we can do it on the spot or arrange a viewing session to show you the best of the bunch so you can pick your favourites, or leave it up to my well-trained eye. Then I spend a couple of hours editing/tweaking your final images so they look absolutely spot on! Pimples, blemishes, wrinkles, darkness under eyes, anything can be very realistically and professionally lessened or removed if you wish.

I always work with maximum passion and professionalism that will make your headshot awesome. You are guaranteed custom-made work of the highest quality. I would love to hear from you; please feel free to get in touch for more information.

RATES: 

1 look, up to 45 min. shooting time & up to 5 edited images = $395  

2 looks, up to 1.5 hrs shooting time & up to 10 edited images = $495

3 looks, up to 2.25 hrs shooting time & up to 15 edited images = $595

4 looks, up to 3 hrs shooting time & up to 20 edited images = $695

Clothing - Bring a very small range of your favourite clothing that you think you like to be photographed in, so we can see what fits and looks good in front of the camera. I can help you decide. Check if they are creased, and if so, iron them beforehand and bring them on coat hangers. We do have an iron here, but it will save time ironing and photoshopping out creases.

Hair and Makeup - Totally up to you. How you like. If you are not sure, I can recommend and organise the best makeup artist & hairstylists I know in this town. $150 for makeup or $190 for hair and makeup. You may want to visit your hairdresser/makeup store just prior to the shoot for a quick style, or feel confident getting a friend or just doing it yourself. 

Travel - I do not mind travelling to any other location around Christchurch for no extra fee. You may already have enough studio shots or want the feel of an environmental/urban look. 

Booking - You're very welcome to meet up in advance so I can help you plan your session in person. If time or distance is not easy, then we can chat via email/phone. Upon booking, you will be required to pay the full amount up to 48 hrs prior via internet banking or at the start of our session in cash. I provide a 100% money-back cancellation fee up to 1 hour prior to the start of the session. So do not worry if you are not feeling well or the weather is terrible and you need to postpone or cancel. 

The session - Don’t feel you have to be rushed for the session. We are in no hurry. But it's so much fun it seems very quick. We shoot as much as we can, as many ideas as we can, to get our awesome bunch of images.

After the session - I will spend some time picking the hundreds of photos we took down to a perfect amount. No good image is missed out. I then spend some time ever so slightly improving the image quality. That is exposure, colours, framing, and taking out anything distracting. Then I email you the high/full-resolution images for you to download to your computer to have forever. I suggest you share the images to other computers and stick them on an external hard drive, i.e. create multiple backups. We do keep backups here in case you ever lose the images.

You can choose to help select the finals. I give you so many images that you will definitely know nothing good is missed. I pride myself on giving the ultimate after-sales service, so even if you want all the (in-focus / properly exposed) images, you get them as well. Lately I've had some people like editing with their images themselves on the computer, and I understand. 

A couple of quick tips:

Man tip - Not a bad idea to take some shots with facial hair and then some clean-shaven. This means your agent has a few options to use when specific roles come up.

Girl tip - Don’t rock up to your shoot with regrowth, a bad colour or an old cut.

Music - You're welcome to put together a playlist to listen to during our session. We have Bluetooth and Spotify at the studio. 

Some questions and answers: 

What do photographers mean when they use the term LOOK? This is photographer jargon that denotes the number of outfits you’d like to be photographed wearing during your headshot session. In most cases, a photographer's fee will increase for each additional “look”. Most of the time, a corporate client will only need a 1-look headshot session. The corporate client looking for images of themselves to use on their website or for social media websites like LinkedIn or Twitter are looking to convey something very specific. The great majority of the time this message is confidence and approachability. The typical corporate client isn’t necessarily interested in displaying character diversity or range in the same way that an actor might. Actors and models are often interested in additional “looks”. It really has a lot to do with your casting. What roles are you usually cast in? What roles do you want to be cast in? We use different looks to help you with different casting options. These additional clothing changes offer the industry professional the opportunity to show more range. Rather than having 1 headshot that they use for everything, they can choose which headshot best showcases their ability to fit a specific role. It’s not uncommon for women to change a hairstyle and/or makeup with each additional look. It’s also common practice for men to shoot their first look with a 5 o’clock shadow or beard and then shave for additional looks. This is Marketing for Actors 101. Additional looks give you, the actor, more precision in your marketing plan. You want to make sure that the casting director can visualise you in the role you’re auditioning for. 

How many outfits should I bring to my headshot session? Please feel free to bring as many outfits as you like. I seriously have people bring their whole closets to the studio. It’s definitely better to err on the side of caution. Please don’t bring anything that you don’t feel like a rock star in. It has to fit you well, and you have to feel confident wearing it. If you want my opinion, I’ll be happy to give it to you. If you’re truly torn and indifferent, I’m happy to make the final decision. If you don’t have anything that you love in your closet, go shopping! Leave the tags on; we’ll shoot around them. You can return them after your session. Please remember that you book your session by “looks”. If you booked a 1-look headshot session, please understand that you’ll only be able to be photographed in one outfit. 

Avoid bright fluorescent colours as they will wash the photo out and contrast too much with skin tones. Blues, greens and greys work well on everyone, as do browns. White is great on everyone, as long as it’s a fresh crisp white, not a 3 year old cotton­-on t­-shirt. What I suggest you do is try to choose clothing that makes you pop, e.g. colours that complement your eyes and skin tone. Plain black t­-shirts (classic drama school look) and variations in black will work – e.g. a nice tank top on a girl.

If there is an outfit you always feel like a babe in, bring it. ­You need to feel comfortable and attractive; being at ease is really important as it will read in the photos. Try to avoid patterned clothing; it’s usually distracting, as are labels or visible designs.
Layers are particularly great for guys; t-­shirt under zip hoodie, under leather jacket.. Etc

I recommend keeping accessories to a minimum. Earrings shouldn’t dangle. Small studs are great. Necklaces shouldn’t be “chunky” or “blingy”. These shots are headshots. Less is more. The product is you, not the fashion. The fashion is there to accentuate you and your features, not distract from them.

Can I see my images during the shoot? Yes, in the studio we shoot tethered to a computer, so your images are readily available for viewing and basic modification straight away. This allows me to coach you into the best poses and expressions, ensuring that we get the best headshots possible. 

Reprints & Enlargements:

You can order basic reprints and enlargements easily through me for only what the lab charges for printing. This is an amazing after-sales service that I fully recommend. So roughly a 6x4 inch reprint = $1, 5x7 inch = $3, A4 / 8x12 / 8x10 inch) size print = $10, etc. 

If you're after getting great quality photo prints yourself, then I only recommend going to Kens Cameras on Victoria Street. If you do choose to order at Kens, I can meet you there to help you see what images you would like printed to what size and what medium, such as prints that you can frame, canvas, metal, acrylic, etc. Or just pop in yourself, as they are very helpful and have samples and sizes, and no obligation to get any printing done if you’re still deciding. 

A cheesy but very helpful link - How To Create a Portfolio for Acting