YOUR BODY LANGUAGE, HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY LOS ANGELES
If a headshot photography session in Los Angeles isn’t new to you, how often have you been in a headshot session where the photographer says: Ok Jennifer, do something, move around, basically asking you to “strike” poses and expecting you to act so naturally that he/she will catch the “magic moment”… (?) That’s a nightmare of an experience, PERIOD. That photographer could shoot more than 1000 images and you will not be sure you have what you need and wanted… Yet every day actors end up in front of headshot photographers in Los Angeles who give those exact directions. So how often does this happen? It happens all the time! Not to mention that you’ve spent all this money…
Unfortunately a lot of actors don’t know the difference. A headshot photography session should be guided. When you work with an experienced or simply knowledgeable headshot photographer, he/she will direct you into doing simple moves that do not look “posy and unnatural”. The problem with being told to just move around on your own is that unless you are a truly very experienced model, 99% of the time it will simply look contrived and uncomfortable, so there goes the natural feel/vibe you are seeking in your headshots. Your true essence as an actor, individual or professional in any industry is out the window. There are few people who are effortlessly and naturally photogenic in front of a camera for still photography, in their headshot session. Even those individuals need some adjustments and guidance in front of the camera.
I have photographed individuals in portrait style photography, lifestyle photography, fashion photography, sports and even dancers leaping in the air (see SWIMWEAR section of my website). When it comes to headshots, the subject has to be guided, should he/she be sitting (forward or backward), standing, leaning, etc.(?) The subtle body language, movements can feel either natural or unnatural and too compromised, the outcome of your headshots will be affected either in a very positive way or might end up ok but not optimal as you’d expect your headshots to be… Again, after all the money that you’ve just spent, it could be really frustrating…
In your actor’s headshots, you will often be asked to convey different types, approachable, pleasant, sometimes big smiles, and sometimes for your theatrical headshot you will need to come across as a villain or simply edgy, are you the person next door or are you a leading actor? Your headshot photographer has to guide you. Again be discerning and careful, I have often heard for example “we need to see it in your eyes”, so the misconception is the actor thinks he/she has to do do something with their eyes…??? That direction in a headshot session makes NO sense, it typically comes from people who have no real knowledge of what they’re talking about… The reason why in headshots some people are more compelling is because they are really feeling something, the magic of still and cinematic photography is it picks up what goes on “inside”, call it what you may, mind, soul, spirit, etc… When something substantial is going on with someone the camera picks it up and yes at that moment the eyes mirror the soul, spirit & mind… That’s why some people think it comes from the eyes, but physiologically there is nothing you can do with your eyes that will convey the true nature of how you feel.
If you trust your headshot photographer in Los Angeles, try and stay open-minded, let him/her guide you, if they’re really great photographers, they will show you how they’d like you to sit/stand, look in the lens, etc… they will happily surprise you.