Helene is a slut, Anatole is hot...Natasha is young

Recently a colleague of mine posted a query on Facebook:

I’m getting new headshots done and I’m trying to decide on a shirt. A casting direct I love and respect(whose cast me before) is saying red (that headshots should stand out) but EVERYONE ELSE has says white. This is a general everyday theatre- film- tv - type headshot. Also still on the fence about red lipstick. What do you think and why?

This got me thinking about my own quest to get the perfect shot.

Growing up in a small suburban community (which you should know by now because I’ve said it like nine thousand times) had its advantages and its disadvantages.

Its advantages include:

A small theatre community

Everyone either knows you or knows someone who does

Everyone has seen your work or heard about your work

and

Your reputation precedes you

Its disadvantages include:

*See above

For better and for worse, the list is exactly the same. Either you hate it or you love it. You thrive in it or you long for better. I longed for better. So I left the area and moved on to bigger and better things, which is to say I perceived them to be bigger and better. But it’s basically the same thing anywhere you go: The theatre community is small. You run into people you know or people who your colleagues know and if you’re lucky people have seen your work or know about your work.

The biggest difference between small town theatre and big town theatre is the ratio of actors to jobs.

In small town theatre actors relay on the advantages, so much so that pictures and resumes aren’t really used. In fact I never needed a picture or resume when auditioning at home. The people behind the tables usually had some sort of form to fill out where I listed my credits and contact information. They didn’t need a picture because I was live and in person. The casting pool was small enough where they could remember exactly who I was without visual aids.

If I’m being honest, I really didn’t know that pictures and resumes existed until my senior year of University, when I ventured outside of my area to look for work. Even then I just needed to list my experience and attach a snapshot to my NETC (New England Theatre Conference) application.

Easy Peasy.

It wasn’t until I got a job from the NETC and wanted to go to my first audition in New York City that I realized I was missing something. Luckily for me there were a plethora of more experienced people in my cast who guided me toward what I needed most: a headshot.

Peter was a budding headshot photographer. He agreed to take people’s pictures for a modest fee of $75. Now I’m sure you’re thinking “Oh my god that is so cheap”. But considering I was only making $65 dollars a week, it was a large sum of money.

Sheri was an expert in makeup. We saw her handiwork every day. She’d wake up looking like a truck driver in her light turquoise footed onesie and glasses. She’d have her coffee then disappear for a bit and come back looking stunning. She was a pageant girl.  She was runner up for Miss New Jersey or something, so we knew she knew her stuff.

Francesca was the queen of costumes. She had a car full of clothing. She helped the designer make decisions about costumes and she took care of maintenance for the wardrobe. Francesca would constantly tell me “Stop wearing brown. No one looks good in doo doo brown”.

With my makeup artist, wardrobe consultant and photographer lined up, I got my first head shot taken:

I used that picture. In fact that picture got me two solid years of work.

That picture makes me want to barf now. I look like a preppy vampire. Sheri and her makeup skills, Francesca and her wardrobe expertise and Peter and his artistic eye all decided the outcome.

My colleague on Facebook was bombarded with opinions for her shots.

When I was leaving off of Central Park West (with a washer and dryer in my apartment) I found a headshot photographer in the back of Backstage. She lived just on the other side of the park and only cost $150. At this point I felt I was knowledgeable enough to take care of my own hair, makeup and wardrobe.

Everyone was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans jacket in their headshots. So that’s what I wore. I was rocking curly hair at the time so naturally that’s what I wanted to have. Someone made some unkind remarks about the makeup I had previously used so I decided to opt for not using any, no base, no powder, nothing.

Et viola:

I barely used that picture. I didn’t like it. It just wasn’t me.

Facebook told my colleague to wear “Red! Trust me!”

I thought the third time would be the charm. This time I would go for more extremes in dress and hair with some light make up:

While the shots themselves aren’t bad, I have to ask myself what that hell was I thinking taking pictures in a full tux. And the long straight hair? There was no way I could maintain that for any length of time. Despite that the pictures lasted for about two years.

Facebook people also said you wear the color red for “legit” photos and white for “commercial” photos.

The next round were taken by Kreigsmann. They were the “it” place to get your headshots done in New York City. Everyone was getting their shots done by them. The pictures cost a couple hundred dollars. For the first time they were close to who I was, which is ironic since my first name comes from the designer of the light colored shirt in the second photo.

These shots lasted a couple years until I changed my look. I went back to Kreigsmann to capture the new me. I also decided to do some character/commercial shots. Back then that meant wearing glasses. I also went back to wearing what everyone else wore in their shots:

I was doing a regional show at the time of those shots and brought the contact sheets to the cast. I asked them to pick their favorite picture. The second pic is the one that everyone said I was stupid if I didn’t get it. I didn’t want to be stupid so I got it. It was a good picture. Not sure it was me but I used it. In fact it helped get me cast in the German premiere of Miss Saigon.

While In Germany, the company I worked for hired a photographer to take headshots for the program. The format and feeling of a headshot is completely different over there. But I thought “when in Rome...” So this is the shot I used for my time in Europe:

Once while visiting the States, I went back to Kriegsmann for new headshots.

I don’t think I ever used this picture. I was still overseas so I stuck to the format they used. The studio shot with a backdrop was falling out of favor, as was wearing denim. Men wearing makeup in headshots was now frowned upon. Also shortly after this photo session I had gotten braces which changed the structure of my face. All this made the picture null and void and basically unusable. It just didn’t look or feel like me.

When I officially returned to New York City, I searched relentlessly for a new headshot photographer. Kreigsmann and that type of shot was no longer in vogue. Location shots with natural lighting became the rage. I also wanted pictures with facial hair, as I felt that changed my look a lot.

I peeked at every headshot I could at auditions. If I saw something I liked I asked who took the photo. I’d investigate the photographer to see if the cost fit my budget. Now headshot sessions were pushing $500 or $600 dollars. If I could afford the session, I went to meet with them to see if we clicked on a personal level. If that happened I checked out their portfolio to see what the majority of their pictures looked like. If all the pictures had an individual feel to them (for example not all shot on the same location, with the same head tilt) that photographer would be put into consideration. The one who took the best photos of people who looked like me, with skin tones and hair type similar to me, won. These were done by Tim Schultheis:

The goatee picture I rarely used. But the other shot I loved. There was no makeup, no heavy retouching, I picked my outfit based on what I liked to wear and was comfortable in. I felt like the headshot was me. I felt like I could walk into the room and effortlessly be that person because I was that person.

I used that headshot until I couldn’t use it anymore. That point basically came when people started to think that it had been retouched or that I was wearing a massive amount makeup. Most importantly my braces had finally come off.

The process to find a new photographer started all over again. This time I knew what I wanted. Color photos came into play, along with natural light and non-studio settings. Most importantly headshot photography was now digital. Technology was new and expensive. Headshots could run about $1000 for the session. I had to find someone who was in on the “cutting edge” of this new movement who I could afford.  And I did.

The job went to Jeremy Folmer. We picked my outfits together, keeping in mind what I was comfortable in and who I was. We used no makeup and kept the hair natural. We selected the target audience for the headshot and away we went, off into the digital world.

I used the headshot with the blue shirt for ten years. In fact it’s my current headshot. Recently I’ve been feeling like I don’t look like that. Maybe it’s because I know how old it is. Or maybe it’s the fact that someone said it looks like a retouched version of me. Either way, I felt it was time to update.

So the process began all over again. Except this time I know a lot of pertinent information about getting headshots done. I shared some of this information with my Facebook colleague:

Forgo the red lipstick. Go for something a bit more neutral and classic (that doesn’t mean boring). You’ll get more mileage out of your shots that way.

As for shirt colors, go with a color you love that everyone compliments you on when you wear it. If it’s red, wear red. It it’s something else wear that. But it should be a color you love because that energy comes out in photos.

PS never wear white for a photo shoot. The brightness bounces off of your chin and neck and sometimes gives the illusion of you being bigger than you are. Besides most peeps don’t know how to adequately handle shooting the “color” white.

You seem like a purple girl to me.

High on my list of shows to see is Natasha. Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. I’ve seen the advertisements. I’ve seen clips of it on TV. I’ve also seen a song performed live last summer at Broadway in Bryant Park. With the Tony Awards quickly approaching, I see things for it everywhere especially the opening number.

“The Prologue” from Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 tells the audience everything they need to know about the characters in the show they’re about to watch. They sing about it being complicated. Then they set the show up for success. They break each character down into one or two catch words. Those words quickly convey to the audience exactly who these people are and what type of behavior to expect from them.

That’s what your headshot has to do for the people behind the table. It has to tell them succinctly who you are, what you can do and who they’ll have the pleasure of working with. And above all else, it must remind them of who you are once you’re no longer physically in front of them.

Yes, a lot rests on a single picture.

My Facebook colleague had a makeup artist do her hair and makeup for the shoot. Whether they bring their own or use the photographers, women always need to have a stylist on hand. Men not so much. She ultimately decided to wear a purple top. No word on the lipstick though. I can’t wait to see what her shots look like.

As for me, after nearly eight months of deliberation, search and turmoil I found a photographer. His name is Matt Simpkins. He had done shots for a couple friends of mine. I love their shots. They were full of personality. They look exactly like the people I know and love. And it's affordable.

I booked my session. I shopped for clothes. I drank tons of water weeks before hand and avoided alcohol. I got as much rest as I could. I agonized over which four looks I would choose. The night before I ironed everything I needed. I wanted everything to go smoothly. I even took a taxi to the shoot, hoping to avoid the stress of riding the subway. I didn’t want anything to ruin my mood, my hair or make me frown. I didn’t want to carry that energy into the shoot with me.

Before we began Matt asked me who I was professionally and what kind of roles I got cast in. I presented my situation to him, informed him what type of shot I was looking for and displayed my clothing options.

Then off we went.

That’s me. No makeup (save powder for shine). No heavy retouching. No pretense. No trying to portray something I’m not. And that’s all I need.

That’s all anyone needs in terms of a headshot.

Your picture has to look like you look right now. It has to have the same hair color, the same haircut, the same wrinkles and freckles that you have. Right. Now.

My new headshots are targeted for the roles I want. But it won’t be as easy for me to get cast like those who live in small city markets. The ratio of jobs to actors is extremely different and their reputations and familiarity precedes them. That's something a big city actor has to constantly work towards and one day dreams of having.

In a big city market, whether it’s walking into the room or emailing a submission, your picture is the very first shot fired in the battle for a gig. And with so very many actors vying for so very few jobs, it's a constant fight.

Theatre is fun, and life changing and uplifting and thought provoking and all those other magical things. But there are practical things behind the magic, tactical moves that need to be made in order to get the job. A good headshot sets you up to win that battle.

So get one. Go get a headshot that looks like you right now. It'll provide the best offense and defense for the...

“...war going on out there.”