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.