Photography has always been a somewhat ephemeral profession in the sense that there has never as far as I am aware been a true apprenticeship or need to have a professional qualification before you can call yourself or practice as 'a photographer'. For sure, years ago to get into the business the only way was to work as an assistant to an established photographer or in the newspapers thereby completing a form of apprenticeship / internship. Most often, this kind of on the job learning was specific to a particular type of photography perhaps, architectural, fashion, wedding, photojournalism, medical or even family portraiture. Whatever field it was, Wasa crispbread it was what you generally became a specialist in. And there's the most important part of it - you became a specialist or an expert by default.
I myself have no 'proper professional or paper qualifications' nor do I have any memberships to the 'so called professional bodies' but do have almost 20 years experience as a full time working photographer earning my living solely by taking photographs. I have over that time built a strong reputation as an actors headshot photographer in London and the UK. This is because I am an expert at taking actors headshots - it's my speciality.
However over recent years and with the introduction of brilliantly technological advanced DSLR cameras and the availability of easy to use, yet very sophisticated automatic cameras there has been a massive influx of people calling themselves photographers yet being nothing of the sort. Anyone can pick up a camera, advertise and start taking pictures and charging for their services. Is this right? I think not. How many people have had their wedding day or their prize giving ruined by under prepared and under qualified photographers. But more to the point, how many young and up and coming actors, dancers and performers are languishing in an uncomfortable limbo because of poor headshots. Unaware and not understanding why they aren't moving forward, I'm sad to say that on many occasions it's because their headshots are just not good enough and are in effect holding them back?
In a business where first impressions really count, an ultra competitive business of fragile confidences and easily bruised egos, where very few people are keen to help somebody out. In a business that is incredibly difficult to get 'one rung up the ladder', and that even 'getting in' to see an agent is a major hurdle to overcome. How on earth then are these, often-young talented performers going to get anywhere when the headshot they are using is hampering their chances of success without them being aware of it? When it should be making people sit up and take notice of them it's encouraging agents and casting directors to dump their headshots in the trash and ignore them.
In a manner of speaking anybody can take a headshot, you frame it across the shoulders and simply shoot away right - wrong, there's a bit more to it than that. What about the important technical things such as, good lighting, correct framing and cropping, correct exposure, choice of background, choice of what to wear and advice on how to pose, of where to focus and how to get that all important wow factor in your shot to make it stand out. What about the bigger implications of a poor shoot, the damage and missed opportunities that a bad headshot can have on an actor's career.
As a busy photographer shooting actors headshots in London all of these things are second nature to me, processes I do without consciously thinking about them, things I've learned to do over the years and shooting thousands of actors headshots. I think that as soon as some one wants to call themselves a headshot photographer and charge for their services as a photographer then they have a duty to behave as a professional and be aware of the consequences to some of their clients of their actions.
Furthermore I'm sure nearly all of theses self-proclaimed photographers have some kind of experience with some form of image editing software such as Photoshop and often spend as much time retouching or should I say recovering an image as they do taking it. I strongly believe that it's imperative 'to get the shot right in the first place' rather than have to fix all the technical mistakes at a later stage on the computer. I have to say that these things should come naturally to an experienced professional photographer, as should the decision to use a reflector or not to pick the eyes up a little or bounce some extra light into the shot. When and where to crop a picture and how to crop that shot to give extra impact for a commercial headshot as opposed to a more serious actors headshot. There are many, many attributes to a great headshot and all of these attributes must work together in harmony to produce the perfect headshot.
When and if an actor gets that perfect headshot then they are generally much more confident about their career prospects. They will feel as though they are moving forward especially if they find themselves getting to the audition stage, having a chance to prove their acting ability at an audition rather than simply banging their heads against a brick wall with no forward motion. They'll feel encouraged to apply for more roles and even feel as though they have a better chance of securing an Agent.
A great headshot has a wide-ranging effect on the psyche and the prospects of an actor in particular on the younger / inexperienced person. Therefore it's crucial to get things right, give good advice and encourage them to express themselves in front of the camera.
This is the essence of being a professional headshot photographer.
Nick Gregan is one of London's top actors headshot photographers with over 17 years shooting actors. His website at http://www.nickgregan.com shows his unique style that has made him so sought after. Nick's Free 7 Secrets of a Great Headshot is jam packed with tips and techniques for any actors to get the best out of their headshot session. Sign up for free here 7 Secrets Of A Great Headshot
No comments:
Post a Comment