Why I interview my clients and how their answers help me
Congratulations! You’ve booked your first shoot with me for actor headshots at my Jersey City photo studio! After a few emails back and forth and with a date set, you’ll get a confirmation email from me with a list of questions. I can go on and on (and I will) about the ways an actor or actress can prepare for headshots, but I think it is important as an actor to also understand the ways a photographer might prepare as well. Here, I will be breaking down each question on that short survey, why I ask them, and what your answers tell me. A lot of these questions were questions I was asked going through my showcase program and in the process of preparing to enter the industry as an actor. This information has helped me grow as an actor, a self-marketer, and as a photographer.
What do you need headshots for?
It never hurts to start out simple. Sometimes this helps sift who is looking for actor headshots and who is looking for business headshots, corporate headshots, or just wants some portraits taken for their birthday or as a treat to themselves. (And I am happy to deliver on all fronts!). Also, it lets me know what kinds of productions you intend to use your headshots for. Are you a NYC actor looking to enter the indie film circuit or are you trying to sing and dance your way to Broadway? Or maybe you want your bases covered and want a photo for every type of audition you’d encounter. (Then might I recommend my Professional or Elite Branding Packages!) This simple question doesn’t make you think too much and tells me so much about how I am going to prepare for this session down to lighting, color, and outfit feedback I might give.
What are a few words you would use to describe yourself?
At the risk of sounding like a job interview, I care a lot about how my clients perceive themselves. In this industry, it’s so easy to get lost in who you are when dealing with “type” and “look” and “branding” and other tropes of casting. While I do agree it is important to know your strengths as an actor, at the end of the day, I want these headshots to be representative of who you are. Tell me if you’re charming, shy, headstrong, edgy, badass, sophisticated, dry, flirtatious, a Jersey girl, a true New York Actor. This helps me be on the same page as you. The best shoots are when it feels like two artists collaborating on the same idea. Don’t have an answer to this question? Ask your friends, family, teachers, neighbors! I’m open to help anyone at any point in the “figuring it out” path.
What kinds of roles do you usually get cast in?
This one helps to tell me how others (particularly those in casting positions) see you. It never hurts to play to your strengths, and if something works, work it! Being an actor or performer, in my experience, requires a certain balance between how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you. I know it can be hard at times to keep one from getting lost in the other. However, from a marketing standpoint, an acute awareness of both of these things help us cater our content to promote our castability in the most efficient way. Do you always get cast as a chipper go-getter? Have a headshot that displays exactly that! Always cast in dramas? Then I know not to be too heavy on the bright and sunshiny theatrical lighting.
What kind of roles do you WANT to be cast in?
This question is equally as important as the last one (perhaps more). This answer does not always line up with the previous one and that is okay! Sometimes the way you perceive yourself is not always the way that others perceive you. So if you’re always cast in comedic roles and you’re just waiting for a break in a drama, a brilliant first place to start is with the right headshot. Earlier I mentioned marketing, and that’s what this whole thing is. I want to align your self perception with your goals in order to get a headshot that not only represents you in a way you want to be seen, but is also authentic because it’s taken as you in the way you describe yourself. This is another reason it is great to book a multiple-look shoot. A headshot that caters to the way you’ve already successfully been cast is a great tool to have to keep you on your feet while submitting a different headshot for projects you’re truly passionate about.
What network TV series or musical theatre shows are you a perfect fit for?
This question goes hand-in-hand with the previous two and is particularly helpful to me because I am a very visual person (who would’ve guessed?). I firmly believe that the types of media we consume is another way we reflect our own self perception. We gravitate toward types of media we want to see ourselves in. When someone gives me a specific show they would be a perfect fit for, I have a visual reference for the world they see themself in. A common example of this I always give is that the world of “Riverdale” has a very different look and feel than the world of “NCIS” or “The Good Place.” Therefore, the headshots you’d present for each of these types of shows might be very different as well.
While I do have my own style of how I take headshots, answers to these questions help me cater our whole session to getting the most useful and authentic headshots - all while having a blast! Even beyond getting the perfect headshot, these are also some questions you might be asked when interviewing for industry representation - so it’s never a bad idea to have some handy answers.