Headshots In Los Angeles FAQ's

What is your experience with the entertainment industry?

Should I get hair and makeup for my session?

What's your post production look like?

What makes you different from other LA headshot photographers?

How soon will I receive my new acting headshots?

Where do you suggest to get my headshots printed?

I'm a bit nervous for our headshot session, any tips to calm me down?

Why are we shooting in parking garage, What's up with that?

What are acting Slate shots?

Can you use a selfie as a headshot?

What is a headshot photo?

What are headshots in la photography?

Why use headshot photography?

Why is a headshot the best for my portfolio?

What is a bts gallery?

What is a headshot "look"?

How long have you been a Los Angeles Headshot Photographer?

What should I wear in my acting headshot session?

I have been working in the film and television industry for over a decade and have quite a lot of experience working as an actor on various productions. I have worked for the likes of HBO, Disney, WGNA, and many of the projects I have been apart of can be found on Hulu & Netflix. As a Los Angeles Headshot photographer and actor, you can know that you are in good hands for you headshot session as I know how important acting headshots can be. 

Hair and makeup can really make or break your headshot session. Though they are very important, that doesn't always mean you have to have them professionally done to have a great session. For starters, Men almost never will need to use makeup for their headshot session. The only thing I would suggest focusing on is cutting down on the shine by using rice paper or a towel. Other than that, making sure you are well groomed and have neat hair is all you would need to focus on. For women, You really want to focus on presenting yourself as you would if you were going into an audition. Heavy makeup can usually be very distracting. We at Glass Darkly always support the most natural you so if you'd like to use makeup or not it's totally up to you. Hair can drastically change the look of your headshots as well so come prepared with a few different ideas for changes.   

When we go through and edit your top choices for your acting headshots we really try to focus on making you look as natural as possible. Accurate skin and color rendition is very important to us. We also include a note section under each of our retouch request where you can write exactly what you want done during the retouching process. This gives you the ability to really fine tune what you want your headshots to look like for the final product. 

I would say, quite a few different things. First and foremost I love the Lord, and everything I do in my business and life is to give glory to God. That means always giving the best to our headshot clients that we possibly can. It means working with integrity and diligence. Secondly, I'm an actor myself. So when it comes to understanding what it takes to be successful in this business, I've been there and have a valuable perspective. Step one is always getting some updated acting headshots and I can thoroughly explain the ends and outs of how important great headshots are and how important they can be for your acting career. One of the big things I also focus on is bringing authenticity and an edge to acting headshots. Many Los Angeles headshot photographers shoot in studios and that gives a very nice a clean commercial look, but maybe not necessarily a bold and edgy theatrical or cinematic look. This is how our work really stands out because we shoot outdoors and on location to give a powerfully bold look to our acting headshots.  

Our typical turn around for the proofing gallery is 1-2 business days. This excludes weekend days. Our Typically turnaround time for retouched images is 5-7 business days. We normally try to deliver Headshots either the same day or next day as we know time is money in this business. If you need a quick turn around for your headshots, don't hesitate to let as know as we would be more than happy to make accommodations for you. 

One of favorite locations to get our headshots printed is Color Images in Burbank. They are fast and quick and have the greatest quality. Check them out HERE. Make sure when you are sending your headshots over that you send out the full sized file available to download from the online gallery link that we send you after the session.

It's totally normal to be nervous. What's funny is that even though as actors we love being in front of the video camera, photography cameras scare us half to death! ha! But don't worry, I try my best to build an easy going and fun environment when we are shooting. I usually play a little music and do a lot of explaining and guiding while we are shooting. Us actors crave direction many times and so I really try to play the role of director and acting co-star as we shoot. We can feed off of each others energy and produce some awesome acting headshots for you.

Ha! Great question. A parking garage is quite the weird place to shoot acting headshots I know. But the beautiful thing about it is that you'll get some gritty dark bold and edgy headshots that will definitely stand out from the rest. Many times when you are shooting on a film set, they are using a combination of natural light on the location site as well as studio lights. This gives a very cinematic look which we try to match in our headshots. And in order to achieve that, what better thing to do other than shooting on location?

Acting slate shots are a bit of a relatively new thing in the acting industry. Slate shots are quick videos of actors slating directly to the camera. A "slate" usually includes saying things like your name, agency, height, and possibly location. It all depends on the exact request from the casting office. Many actors now have the ability to upload these video slates to various databases like actors access and LA casting in order for casting directors to easily see and hear how and actor presents on camera. Slate shots are great to have as an actor. The more media the better and they will definitely help to keep those agents and managers happy. 

While you can technically use any photo of yourself as a headshot, we strongly recommend using a professional headshot photographer in LA for your headshot. At Glass Darkly, we recommend using an la headshot photographer who can capture your mood and lighting.

This usually refers to a portfolio building photograph that is a cropped section of your shoulders up, that captures your face and mood perfectly. A great headshot really helps you build a portfolio for your next acting gig!

Headshots in photography refer to mood and artistic capturing photos of yourself from the shoulders up - a close up of your abilities!

The right Los Angeles photo can enhance the way you build your portfolio. Book with Glass Darkly today for your Los Angeles headshot photographer!

The right Los Angeles photo can enhance the way you build your portfolio. Book with Glass Darkly today for your Los Angeles headshot photographer!

Our BTS gallery is available to add to our acting headshot sessions and it is also included in our full headshot session package. Many actors know and understand the importance of media and during our headshot session you'll have the opportunity to receive behind the scenes photos that you can use for various social media post or for your acting website. These photos are great to share with others what you are up to and make for great memory markers as your career grows. 

A Headshot "look" is simply an outfit, it can be a jacket or shirt or different layers of clothes put together. Most of the time you don't have to include and pants or skirts into the look unless you are looking for full body photos in your headshot session. 

I have been shooting headshots for over a decade now. My start was in early high school as I began my acting career. I started off shooting a lot of my acting friends that I would meet in classes and at workshops. Thankfully I learned how acting and photographer could pair well and ended up making a great career out of it here in Los Angeles. 

This is a great question and one of the most important aspects of an acting headshot session. the best advice I can give for an actor looking to nail their headshot session looks is to find their favorite characters on tv shows or movies they would like to play, and simply copy their wardrobe in the show. This will lock in the perfect look and help you hone in on the exact characters you can have in your headshot portfolio. If you'd like some other great tips on what to wear click HERE to visit our blog.

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