‘Headshots are a vital part of an actor’s tool kit (as well as an expensive one), so the tendency to stress out about it is an understandable one’. (Fontana,2016)
Over the summer i did plenty of research about who and where was best to get my headshots done. However it was still a difficult decision as i hadn’t yet had any professional headshots done therefore i thought it was essential to go with someone who had been recommended by a friend, this been simply because i wanted to feel comfortable with whoever i decided to go with in order to get the best possible natural shot, i also wanted an honest opinion on how peoples experiences had gone, thats why i felt as though going with someone who a friend had already been with was an necessity. As im a student i also didn’t want to be paying a great mass of money. In the end i decided to go with Michael Pollard who is based in Manchester, the cost was fairly cheap and other students i know said he made them feel relaxed therefore the decision was pretty easy.
I paid £110.00 for a two hour shoot and 5 edited photos which was defiantly in my price range. I asked a friend to take me to the shoot to make me feel more at ease, When i arrived at the destination it turned out to be his house which i didn’t expect at all this made me feel slightly anxious as i was entering his home and i hadn’t yet met him. However when i arrived he made me feel extremely relaxed and welcome. He asked me a range of different questions for example what i wanted from the photos, casting type as well as asking about my career goals. I felt as though he wanted to get to know me which also helped the experience be more relaxing and enjoyable. I took plenty of different style and coloured tops with me as i wanted to try get as many different looks as possible, to help enhance this i also had different hairstyles. As i have long hair i thought it was important to have some with it up and down. Also after speaking to James Pearson in a workshop his suggestion was to make the headshots look as natural as possible and on a daily basis i tend to have my hair up. James Pearson also mentioned that its important that the eyes stand out on a headshots as the eyes do say alot about a person. When Micheal was asking what i wanted from my headshots i explained this to him therefore he decided to take photos both inside and outside as he wanted to get a range of different lights he also used reflectors to help enhance my eyes through image.
Overall i thoroughly enjoyed my experience and the process went as i expected however if i was to get more headshots done in the future i would defiantly do more research for myself and not rely on other peoples experiences and i would more than likely pay more than what i did as i hope i wouldn’t be on such a budget. I am happy with my chosen five images however i can imagine the more times i get headshots taken the more natural and easier it will be to pose for the camera. I would recommend Michael Pollard for people who are new to going through this process as he did a fantastic job and made me feel comfortable!
Below is two examples of my selected headshots:
Regarding the previous post about workload i managed to get everything sorted and now i feel as though i am back on track with maintaining my workload and feeling positive. I have continued to use the method of writing to do lists as i feel as though this helps keep me organised and on top of things. I will continue to use this method in the future as it benefits me. My movement memory has also started to improve yet again however i know in order for me to succeed i need to keep going over the movement i get taught as i hate and refuse to go on stage and make a fool out of myself, i will work as much as it takes until the movement i have been taught becomes embodied but physically and mentally.
Bibliography:
Fontana,L. (2016) ‘How to relax for a headshot’, Backstage. <http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/how-to-relax-for-headshot-shoot/> [5.10.16]
ardenrjones 