headshots of a young aspiring actor in washington dc

picture of an aspiring actor with a white shirt looking at the camera

picture of an aspiring actor in yellow shirt and brown jeans

picture of an aspiring actor wearing jeans and checkered shirt 

thomas is a versatile artist who told me that he needed some actor's headshots for casting calls. he had an interesting look that wasn't quite dramatic but he could only be featured in tv roles or movies. I met him when he was working on his website but I didn’t know he was interested in acting. I think that as an artist you are only limited to what you think you can do. the power is within, you can express it through playing music, playing a character or expressing it through choreography or even designing.

we set up a date for the shoot and he brought a full wardrobe assortment for different looks. though we had worked together before, it was only remotely, so I was meeting him in real life for the first time when he walked into the studio. I had always thought that he was a dead serious kind of guy you couldn't get a laugh out of. he's smaller than I thought but actors come in all sizes. after introductions, a little conversation to ease him up, it was light, camera, action. as I was taking more pictures, he was feeling relaxed enough to strike different poses from dramatic to formal, to even comical. that allowed us to cover enough looks for different characters. though people usually think of acting with regard to the big screen, there's a growing demand of talent for tv and advertising. I thought he was well qualified to play in both. we took s over 100 pictures out of which he selected 12. I touched them up in photoshop and delivered to his satisfaction.

click for more actors headshots on sharpfocus photography website

a few links for actors in washington dc
http://www.actorscenter.org
https://theatrelab.org
http://www.centralcastingusa.com

headshots of a young black actor in dc

altorro is a young man who wanted updated actor's headshots as well as pictures for his business. he was going for a formal look for his professional shots, a business casual as well as a more sporty look. since I was shooting headshots for a black actor , I tried to use lighting for drama. we started with the unshaven look with a jacket and unbuttoned shirt, then another series with dark t-shirt and blue jeans. we then paused for him to shave, wear a suit and tie for the more businsess look. between the wardrobe changes I adjusted my lighting to reveal more of his character. I saw a lot of potential in him and could see a promising movie career. his credentials included being featured on roles on some independent films in the district and is listed on the internet movie database (imdb). having some likeness to denzel washington may also be his opportunity for a big break to stardom. click to see more examples of headshots

actor's headshots of a dancer in dc

it was around the time I had moved my photography studio to 14th street, washington dc. I think prior to that, I had had maybe one client who needed actor’s headshots. business was slow but the only occasional clients that I had were a mix of business, models and portraits. the very first acting client that I had was a lady who had booked a shoot a couple of months earlier. she had requested to have a makeup artist at a time I was wondering whether it was absolutely necessary to have one for actors headshots. later I found out that she had quite a few skin blemishes that she hoped the makeup would cover up. this guy booked a shoot for 10am, which was quite early by my standards. it turned out to be only one of two appointments that I ever had that early. the other one was for a lady conductor who wanted some corporate headshots for her promotional brochure. 

traveling to nw dc was a little extensive trip, specially, I had to take the train, then wait for a bus before I could reach uptown 14th street. my studio was located in the basement of a clothing store. as I walked into the store the lady told me ‘you have a client waiting’. we introduced each other and proceeded to walk downstairs. he told me that he was a dancer but he was interested in trying his hand at acting. for someone who’s already a performer, the transition shouldn’t be that challenging. he was a well built young man with good looks and dreadlocks. 

for the most part, I tried to use dramatic lighting to accent his sculptural shape. he was very easy to work with and had great comfort in front of the camera. change of clothes was very basic. he had a dark brown sweater that he started with. then at some point took it off, leaving only a dark body suit which was revealing his muscular shape. I took a few close up headshots but most of the pictures were rather half body shots. 

the shoot went fast as it proceeded like it was choreographed. we ended up with about 100 shots, with which he seemed very pleased. since I had his email, I offered to send him a link to the processed files later in the evening. he made his choice promptly and I retouched the pictures and sent him a cd the following day.

actor headshots: studio or location?

actor headshots: studio or location?
if you're an actor or actress and have been wondering which is better for you, studio or on location, this article is for you. when you're taking headshots, you need to have the highest comfort level. photography is about lighting, posing and composition but before an actor can show their best, they have to find themselves in an environment that makes them feel at home. this post goes over the differences between studio lighting and natural light for taking headshots and highlights the respective advantages, from the perspective of the subject being photographed. of course, there are issue related to costs, timing, logistics as each option poses a few challenges.

a studio shoot allows you to control
lighting and background

natural shows faces the way we're used to
but objects can add clutter in backdrop

if you're looking for a photographer for actors headshots in dc, sharpfocus photography is a good option.

headshots of an aspiring actor

headshots of an aspiring actor

thomas is a fine musician who teaches the piano. it was a pleasant surprise when he told me that he needed some actor’s headshots. I met him when he was working on his website but I didn’t know was interested in acting. he brought a set of clothes and was prepared to pose for different looks. he was comfortable enough with a few expressions that were suitable to pull off a few characters in commercials, tv roles or as a movie extra. we took well over 100 shots, out of which he made a selection of 12. happy client. hope that he's doing well.

actors headshots tips

actors headshots tips.

if you're an actor looking for great headshots, you can use these tips to increase your chance getting noticed by casting directors. a headshot is your ticket to success in your acting career so every care must be taken to represent you as truthfully as possible. it may be tempting to use fancy makeup, wardrobe and decor but the real focus is on the face and nothing should distract from it - sharpfocus photography dc.

photo shoot with aspiring actress

this must have been my first photo shoot with an aspiring actress in dc. the lady contacted me and expressed her desire to have a makeup artist. I kinda thought that makeup was not necessary for actors headshots but women just want to look gorgeous. the makeup artist showed up early as usual. this was gonna be the third time we worked together. when the lady arrived I saw that she had a few blemishes on the face that she might have wanted to conceal with the makeup. 
she was very concerned about how she would look on the pictures and I was doing my utmost best to give her assurances. everybody knows that makeup can only go that far and for skin badly flawed the help of photoshop is a must. I have quite an extensive background in photoshop from my experience as a graphic designer and am used to retouching pictures myself. I promised the lady that photoshopping would take care of the blemishes makeup wouldn't cover and showed her some sample of glamour retouching from some fashion magazines. 
the shoot went quite well. after she made her selection, I did some basic retouching on all of the pictures except one that I found the best and did some beauty retouching on it. beauty retouching is just using photoshop airbrushing to give extra gloss to the pictures just like those you see in fashion magazines. when I sent the pictures expecting a thank you, I got a response that I was supposed to glamorize all of the 12 pictures that she selected. 
I said that it would take me about 25 min to glamorize pictures and to apply that treatment to 12 pictures would be too much for the $99 she paid me. she wouldn't have it. she wanted her money back, which I refused. I made a mistake. she would harass me over a period of nearly a year. to this day, I regret not refunding her money. it would've cost me less in headaches.