Photography | New York City Headshot Photographer

Category: Photography

It’s the Day of the Shoot Y’all!

Ahhhhhhh!

Soooo, it’s the day of your headshot session. You’re wondering what to expect, how to prepare and perhaps you’re stressing just a wee bit. I get that. We, as actors, put a lot of pressure on this day. It’s make or break right? You only have so much money to spend and you’ve sunken it all into today. These pics are going to dictate whether or not you work for the next year!!!!! You’ve woken up with a zit!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!

Woah, woah, woah nelly! I know, I know. It’s overwhelming. I completely get where you’re coming from, I’m not saying that all of this isn’t true. However, putting all that pressure on yourself, and me, isn’t going to help! Take a deep breath and have faith in yourself and your photog!

You’ve done the prep work. You’re ready. All you need to do now is show up and have fun!

You might be asking yourself, “Prep work? What prep work?” Hopefully, you’ve done most of the following:

– You’ve carefully considered what “looks” you’re going for.- You’ve decided what outfits to wear for each look.

– You’ve decided what order to shoot which outfit based on which clothes are easiest to change in and out of.

– You have quarters for parking.

– You’ve practiced your hair and make-up.

– You have a brush, hairspray, powder, and lipgloss/stick packed and ready.

– You’ve taken snap shots of your outfits to make sure they look the way you want them to on camera.

– You’ve ironed or steamed the clothes that need it.

– You have an undershirt or tank top so that you can make quick changes on location.

– You’ve packed your clothes in your car ahead of time so you’re not sweaty and out of breath upon arrival.

– You’ve eaten a good breakfast and have avoided drinking too much coffee.

– You’ve hydrated.

– If you’re prone to low blood sugar, you’ve packed a snack.

– You’ve selected pants or a skirt and shoes that are comfortable and easy to walk around and move in, just in case Holly asks you to squat at some point (I will :)).

IF YOU’VE DONE MOST OR ALL OF THE ABOVE, YOU REALLY ARE READY!!

Now that you’re ready, here’s what your session will be like.

You’ll meet me at the studio. I’ll say, “Hi I’m Holly come on in, put your things down and relax!”

At this point, we’ll chat for a min to discuss what you’ve brought and which looks you’d like to achieve. I’ll give you a debriefing as to how I like to shoot. Ie, there is no right or wrong. My style is extremely casual. We’ll continue to chat the whole time and hopefully you won’t even know we took pictures. Sounds painless right? It is!

After the opening chit chat, you’ll do a quick touch up and we’ll shoot your first look (you’ll arrive with make-up and hair done, ready to work the camera ;).

Wow, we totally nailed the first look! Great job. Okay now on to the next look. Because you’ve planned your looks so well, this part is easy and won’t take too much time… right?? Lol ;).

We basically carry on like that for the next couple of hours. I will probably tell you to relax your shoulders and lower your chin about eighty times (don’t take it personally, I say it to everyone!!!). You’ll probably tell me you hate the way you look in pictures (you are not alone). I’ll tell you you’re killing it (because you will be, because you’re prepared, and I’m awesome! Ha!).

It’s gonna be a great day. You will be nervous. Just know, I have your back. I care about your career.

We will have fun!!!

The Midas Retouch

Retouching is the process by which software is used to manipulate an image. This can be anything from removing a blemish to completely transforming the original image. Below is an example of an image I shot last year that ended up being a top ten finalist in the Shoot the Frame international photo competition (www.shoottheframe.com). As you can see, this is example uses very heavy handed retouching in order to achieve a surreal, absurd look. Obviously, this is NOT the same “basic retouching” that comes with your headshot session. 😉

Basic retouching involves the following:
– Brightening
– Color correction
– Sharpening
– Skin softening
– Brightening the eyes
– Teeth whitening

High definition is mean!!! Though the file sizes and the clarity DSLRs (digital cameras) can provide is very exciting, they can also be very unforgiving. The reality is, nobody can see what these incredible cameras can see… not casting directors, not anyone! They pick up every pore, every hair, and every little imperfection. Below is a before and after example of basic retouching.

I’m always happy to do further retouching at an additional price. However, I caution everyone, do not over retouch!!!! Your headshot should look like the best version of you, not the best version of you twenty years or twenty pounds ago. However, if there’s something in your image that is distracting and/or not a part of your every day look, that’s something we can remove for you. Perhaps you had a breakout the day of the shoot and basic skin softening isn’t doing the trick. I can certainly help with that. Maybe you don’t like the color of the shirt you wore. We can change it! Maybe you’d like the background to be another color… we can change that too. There’s really no limit to what’s possible. Check out some examples below.

Now that you’re ready, here’s what your session will be like.

Further Retouching?