Tag: hire a photographer in Los Angeles

Seda Stepanyan

December 1, 2021

How To Get Professional Realtor Headshots in 2022

Not many people love standing in front of a camera, but in 2022 a professional headshot will help you stand out in the job market. Our tips to help you get the best real estate headshots. Realtor headshots are vital for anyone that wishes to look professional and trustworthy.

Unprofessional or outdated headshots can ruin your marketing efforts and make your potential customers pass on you. This article will help you to make the headshots work for you and avoid mistakes.

As a headshot photographer, I’ve worked with hundreds of real estate agents to update their headshots. And, now I am ready to share this guide with you for you to get professional realtor headshots even if you are not photogenic.

Why Professional Realtor Headshots are a Must in 2022

This is how you make a first impression on your clients. You may spend time and money on networking and on word of mouth referrals, however, based on recent statistics 99% of Millennials search for realtors online.

Putting efforts into your online presence and professional headshots will make it more likely that these people will choose you whenever they need you. Besides, the first impression is what matters the most. According to studies, your clients size up your competence and trustworthiness, just by looking at your LinkedIn profile picture or your headshot on your website.

In short, your pictures and headshots do matter. A professionally taken headshot is a photo that builds your reputation and a connection to your business.

Define your Target Market

Depending on the types of homes you sell your headshot has to be different. That is why, firstly you need to define your target market, be it luxury homes, homes in small towns or condos.

Another question is who your potential customer is. Your photo has to resonate with the right people you are targeting.

Hire a Professional Headshot Photographer

Don’t ruin your reputation by posting an amateur headshot. We all have friends with a DSLR camera or iPhone 13. However, professional realtor headshots are more about lighting and coaching rather than about equipment. And, of course, let’s not forget about a professional retouch that you cannot do by yourself.

The smartest way is to trust the professionals and hire a professional realtor headshot photographer in Los Angeles, or wherever you are located. Just ask for recommendations or google search for a realtor headshot photographer near you. As soon as you have the names, make sure to check the photographers’ portfolio and read reviews on Google and Yelp. Professional headshot photography rates may be much higher than you could have imagined but you should view it as an investment in your

Choose Your Location

The background you use for your headshot can contain a message and communicate to your audience. You can choose the location yourself, or ask your photographer for recommendations.

Here is a list of portrait locations for professional realtor headshots in Los Angeles, or wherever you are located:

In Studio
Cityscape
In a neighbourhood
In a home
In your office space
In the city

With the right camera lens, your professional headshot photographer can blur out the background enough, at the same time give a feel for your brand.

Day of Photoshoot Tips

It is not a secret that you should look perfect in your real estate headshot. Here are a couple of tricks to do so. Firstly, stay out of the sun the day before your shoot. Sleep well to make sure you look fresh and rested. Have your clothes ready in advance. Take extra clothes with you in case you spill something on yourself. All these small things will help you avoid stress right before the shoot.

Practice your smile in the mirror before the shoot. Studies show that smiling headshots communicate approachability, competence, and warmth to your potential clients. This will make your clients more confident reaching out to you, especially over the phone. An experienced photographer, will not let you fake your smile. They will make you laugh to capture your “after smile”.

Your Good Side and Posture

Though the photographer will help you define your good side, try to do it yourself before the shoot. It will make you feel more confident. Another important thing is to stand up straight. The right posture will make you look more confident and competent.

No Double Chin

The right photographer will show you how to get rid of the double chin and make sure you follow the instructions. You will need to push your forehead forward and chin down. Do it in front of the mirror and you will see its magic.

Trust your Photographer. Now that you have hired a professional photographer that’s because you liked their work. It is time to give it a try, relax and trust your photographer. Experienced photographer with a rich portfolio knows what they are doing. If you are ready to take advice and be coached, you will experience less pressure and look more relaxed in the photos.

After Your Professional Realtor Headshot Session

Now that you have all the retouched images it is time to update your profile pictures on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and, of course, on your website. If you need to crop it, make sure to ask the photographer to do it for you as there are specific rules to follow. Otherwise, you can easily ruin your professional headshot by just cropping it in the wrong way.

I hope the professional realtor headshot guide helped you and you will be able to get the best professional headshots in 2022. Our next blog will be about what to wear for your realtor headshot session and how to pose for pictures. You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Seda Stepanyan

October 4, 2021

What Do LA Working Actors Need to Know?

As a professional headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I see how many people wish to be working actors in LA but they never will be. And, it is not because of lack of hard work, luck or talent. It is rather because they usually have a wrong attitude.

With plenty of hard work and the right mentors or teachers, many of you hope to become successful actors. But, merely talent and hard work are not all it takes.

In reality, to become a successful professional actor, you need to view acting as a career. It means that you should gain the mindset of a working actor along with other skills and professional headshots. But how to think like a professional working actor?

Be Easy to Work with

Besides delivering good work, casting directors usually search for actors who are easy to work with. If you perform well, and are polite to the people around you, and are trustworthy, anyone would want to work with you again and again. Even I sometimes go the extra mile with a professional headshot session if the person is pleasant and polite. This is the most important thing in building a successful acting career in Los Angeles.

Get into the Habit of Listening

Being able to listen is a key factor if you wish to work with directors, photographers, actors and other professionals in the Los Angeles entertainment industry. This does not mean that you shouldn’t have your own ideas and opinions. It rather means you listen to the directors and your fellow actors’ ideas and give them a thought.

As you are trying to get into the film industry, you should remember that the director is the authority when it comes to the final decisions. And their decision is the final one. A failure to listen to the director’s instructions can get you blacklisted faster than anything.

Accept Rejections and Move on

Any actor in Los Angeles should understand that they are going to get rejected – a lot. It is the nature of the LA film industry: actors spend less time on acting than auditioning. You cannot control the casting director’s decisions no matter how perfect you think a part is for you, or how talented you are. You should learn not to crush any time you get rejected as it is more than normal. You should not take it personally, and you better develop a thick skin to take everything easy.

Be Confident without Developing Huge Ego

It is important for actors to professionally achieve the right balance of humility and confidence. However, it is also vital to avoid developing a huge ego. Nobody wants to deal with a diva. You should remember that nobody is irreplaceable, especially in the Los Angeles film industry. Irrespective of how talented you are, the casting directors will find someone else if you are rude or miserable.

No matter how successful or famous you are, always be respectful and polite to everyone from the director to the film crew, and your fellow actors. Remember, that everyone has their key role in the production and they deserve to be treated with respect.

Learn Every Day

You always need to remain open to learning new things if you wish to build a sustainable acting career in Los Angeles. The most important lesson you need to learn is that you can never know everything about acting. That means you should never stop taking acting classes, polish your skills, and develop new ones.

As a headshot photographer, I’ve heard a lot of my clients say that every audition is not only an opportunity to get casted but also a great chance to learn. Have the attitude of improving your acting skills every day with every chance you get. Never underestimate the power of watching your fellow actors perform or taking people’s feedback. If you want long-term success as a professional actor, keep all these in mind.

As a Conclusion

Remember that as an actor, you need to develop a strong mindset. Wherever you are in your career you will have to deal with criticism, insecurity, rejection, dream stealers, and the massive highs and lows. They are all just part of ‘normal’ life for an actor in Los Angeles. This is what I’ve heard from my clients as a professional headshot photographer. And, you will have to not just deal with all these but stay positive and focused through it all.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Seda Stepanyan

August 19, 2021

How to Communicate with your LA Headshot Photographer?

It is not a secret that communication is key to every relationship, and the relationship between headshot photographer and actor is not an exception. Nowadays, you can look through professional LA headshot photographer s’ websites, social media pages like Facebook or Instagram, google and yelp reviews to get the idea of who you are going to deal with. Usually, people choose someone whose work they love and whoever they can afford. We have collected a few tips on how to communicate with your headshot photographer to ensure you are on the same page.

Send your headshot photographer samples of photos that inspire you!

Photographers are mostly visual. If you wish to create a specific character, style, or mood, show them the images that are close to what you are looking to get. Sometimes people can understand your words differently. This is why we recommend you to show rather than tell. One of my clients once told me she wanted a headshot that was “commercial, sexy, powerful and at the same time vulnerable”. I told her to show me. And after a couple of hours, she sent me a couple of headshots from my portfolio and it became clear what she wanted.

My clients send me photos from my website or Instagram or other LA headshot photographer s’ works just to clearly explain what they want. Mostly, they are looking for some specific character or feeling, sometimes it’s just a lighting style.

What character are you going to create?

When my clients call me to schedule a headshot session this is one of the first questions that I ask them: “What character are you going to portray? What are their features? Is it a leading woman? A housewife? A girl next door?”. And when we have the answers we start working on creating the characters, defining the style, clothes, backdrop colors, etc. I usually send them samples of every character to make it easier for them to choose. They also send me a list of movie character names to make it more understandable.

Choose the best way to communicate with your headshot photographer!

Based on my experience, most of my clients prefer to communicate over the phone, however, some prefer to text or email. If you feel it takes too much time and effort to describe your thoughts it is better to call or even to schedule a meeting or a facetime call before the shoot. It will help us both to get a clearer picture of what we are going to create.

During the free consultation, I’m happy to brainstorm with you, discuss all the details, answer all the questions you might have. I even recommend you a makeup and hairstyle and makeup artists and hairstylists. And at one point we start talking by texting or emailing photos to each other to better explain what we mean.

What if you don’t like your headshots?

This is a topic for a whole blog post that I’ll write in future. However, I’d like to give you an idea of how this process goes on. During the headshot session, I show you your images so that you know how to look on the camera. It helps you to make changes if you don’t like anything in your posture, clothes, hair or makeup; or if there’s something that bothers you concerning studio lighting of the backdrop color. We fix everything and continue to shoot. After the session, I offer my clients to stay and take a look at their headshots on a big screen so that we can shoot again while you are at the studio. My clients always leave the studio already knowing which images they’re going to choose for the retouch.

In which cases you can get a free reshoot?

After receiving all the images you think you don’t like any of them, you can call me and tell me about it. If there’s something wrong with lighting, angle, or background that you didn’t like I will always offer you a free reshoot to fix it. And no matter, you told me everything was fine while you were checking out the images at the studio. However, I don’t take “I just don’t like my headshots” as an answer. If you don’t like them because of your hair, makeup or anything else that was your responsibility it will not be fair to blame the photographer for it. It happened to me once, though.

In conclusion!

Make sure you share all your thoughts with your photographer with the help of images. Take time to call your LA headshot photographer before the session, or even schedule a video call or meet her in person. Be sure you like everything in your photos before leaving the my Los Angeles photo studio. Don’t hesitate to ask for a reshoot if you don’t like anything that has to do with the photographer’s skills.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page. Check out our headshot photography pricing/rates.

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Mirdon

April 23, 2020

5 Things Actors Should Do during COVID-19

Many of us have wondered what we would do if we happened to be on an island for a long vacation. Or, what we would do if imprisoned. The answer is everything that we do not manage to do in our everyday life. COVID-19 has given us a unique chance to do whatever we have been procrastinating for a long time, to work on ourselves or to open up new talents in us. I am a Los Angeles headshot photographer, and I have closed down my Glendale photo studio in mid-March.

It’s been about a month without headshot sessions. So, I’ve started to paint. I had zero knowledge about painting. Meaning, whatever I used to learn at primary school. I was lucky enough to purchase professional paints and canvases right before everything shut down. Online painting classes have come to replace my regular professional photography workshops and masterclasses.

With this blog, I would like to share my thoughts on what actors could do during the self-quarantine to grow as a professional and not to waste time while at home. Some people say that to be an actor one has to have natural talents. However, the professionals state that acting is a skill that one can develop over time. If you want to become the actor you dream of, to be confident and captivating, you should build your acting skills. And, now is the right time for that.

This article will help you enhance your acting skills irrespective of your acting level and where you are in your career. Everything mentioned in this article requires efforts and dedication.

If you think it is impossible to strengthen your acting skills every day, I am going to prove you wrong. We will talk about working on movement, knowledge, text work, voice, and acting. All the elements mentioned above are crucial for you as a professional actor.

1. Voice

Some actors neglect the importance of voice; however, it is one of the essential instruments that an actor should work on. It includes your form of expression, articulation, breath support, and resonance.

1. Why Work on Your Voice?

Voice is one of the essential aspects of the character. If you want to get various roles, your voice has to vary, too. You cannot use your voice for all the roles you get. What if your character speaks twice as fast as you? You cannot develop a fast-paced speech overnight. It is long hours of out-loud reading and practicing. When my clients try to create various characters during the headshot session, they even change their voice, accent, and overall their way of speaking.

Los Angeles actors know how to make the headshot sessions fun. Professional photographers know that, too. So, for emerging actors, we use some of those techniques to help them relax and calm down. The professionals’ advice is to keep your voice flexible to embody any character you want. Collect as many “voices” and accents as you can. You have plenty of time now.

2. Voice Warm-Ups

If you google, you will find plenty of voice warm-ups for you to choose from. All shapes and sizes. You need to define which one works for you. The best option is to have a professional acting coach to select the best warm-up that will work for you. If you have a chance, try to schedule an online lesson with an acting coach. I am sure there are many acting coaches available online. Or, if you have done it beforehand try to remember what warm-ups you used to do with your acting coach. When you finish choosing the warm-ups now, it is time to schedule a 5-10 minute warm-up every day. As a professional photographer, I can tell you that consistency beats everything. When I was learning adobe photoshop, I would watch online lessons every single day. It would work for me better than a three-hour session just once a week.

3. Articulation Exercises

Choose a literature piece that inspires you and start working on your articulation. Some actors often neglect this skill; however, it is vital to work on it. Don’t forget that every skill you are working on has to be on a daily basis. Add 5-10 minutes of articulation exercises to your daily routine of becoming a better actor.

– Strengthen your Tongue

There are several articulation exercises that can help you strengthen your diction. Firstly, work on your tongue. Try to get more control over your tongue. You can do it by reading aloud or just talking to yourself whenever you are by yourself.

– Work on your Articulation Muscles

Learn tongue twisters and practice them as much as you can. Whenever I feel that my clients cannot relax during the headshot session, I ask them to say 3 pf their favorite tongue twisters. And here they are laughing. Besides, it helps them relax their facial muscles. Another good exercise is stretching the jaws and running the tongue around the walls of the mouth.

– Mirror Exercises

While doing all these articulation exercises sit or stand in front of the mirror. Choose a favorite story or a dialogue from a Hollywood movie and try to read out loud. If it is a movie dialogue, try to mimic their style and pronunciation.

2. Move and Do Yoga

Every professional actor has to be able to move freely. Like with voice, being able to move and do any basic physical movement is essential for a good actor, not to mention how much more role opportunities get the ones who specialize in martial arts and other sports.

As we all have to stay home, and there is no hassle, it is the right time to do yoga. Find an online yoga course on YouTube and work on your body on a daily basis. Here is my favorite yoga channel. Day by day you will feel how flexible your body becomes. Like with any skill, you have to be consistent. Whenever I was fully booked for headshots, I would spare 5 minutes in between headshot sessions and stretch my body on my yoga mat in my photo studio.

3. Enrich Your Knowledge

Quarantine is the right time to challenge yourself and expand your knowledge. Write down a list of books, scripts or plays you wish to read. Be realistic but don’t pity yourself. Ready at least 100 pages per day. It can be something about the Hollywood industry, acting skills, self-improvement. For example, I prefer reading books on photography business in Los Angeles, online marketing and psychological books as every headshot photographer has to know psychology as well.

To improve your acting skills, some professionals advise reading drama plays and movie scripts. Most reading materials are available online, even for free. Reading helps you observe different characters, genres, language styles. After reading so much, you may start writing yourself. This is what some actors do after a certain time in the industry. If you don’t know what to start with here is a list of top 50 drama plays.

Watch Online Movies, Theatre, and TV Shows

When you get tired of reading there comes another great way of expanding your knowledge as an actor. Watch a movie, or a TV show or an online drama play. Here is an excellent list of streaming theatres. Now, it is the right time to enjoy almost live performances. You have to engage in the industry to be able to get your niche in it. Challenge yourself to at least a movie or a performance a day. Even if you think some of those are terrible, you will also learn how you should not do and will be able to tell the good stuff from the bad stuff.

4. Work with Text

Working with text is tied to your voice exercises. A good actor can bring any text to life and give it a unique interpretation.

1. Read out loud

Another thing that you can do while at home is reading out loud. This point is tied to your daily voice exercises and expanding your knowledge. It will help you become more confident with text, try various accents, voices, styles. Choose an article, a dialogue, a script, or just read the rest of my blogs. I have a lot of blogs on the acting industry in Los Angeles, networking in Hollywood, tips on how to choose the headshot wardrobe and get ready for a headshot session. Just make sure it is out loud.

2. Learn a Monologue

As you have to stay home during this COVID-19 pandemic, it is the best time to learn a monologue. Some emerging actors think one cannot practice acting alone. In this case, it is not true. Pick at least two monologues a week and learn them. As you have a lot of time, you can record yourself and share them on social media and get comments. You can also send them to your acting coaches to get their professional feedback, too. Or, just send it to your headshot photographer who is sure to have some spare time to watch your video. In my practice, I always end up being friends with my headshot clients as they come back again and again with their friends and classmates.

Work on Your Acting Skills

COVID 19 has shut down all the acting schools. But it cannot stop you from improving your acting skills. Consider taking an online acting class. There are plenty now. My advice is not to just watch them as entertaining stuff. Take notes. The best thing about online courses is the opportunity to pause, to watch again or just to jump if it is too boring. From my personal experience, as once I was watching a lot of photography courses, I can say that Masterclass has the best stuff for online learning. Read more on Los Angeles acting career.

5. Keep Learning

The key to becoming a professional actor is to keep learning. Again, I’m not tired of saying that you have to learn on a daily basis. Don’t strive to be a perfect actor, just be better than yesterday. If your goal is to be perfect, it won’t work because none of us is perfect. Moreover, it may make you miserable.

I may take you years to become a skilled actor. But hard work will take you anywhere. Use this time, and by the end of the quarantine, you will become a better actor, and you will not feel depressed or even lonely. Of course, nobody knows when this pandemic will be over, but we should not get miserable because we have no chance to do our jobs as an actor or, me, as a headshot photographer. Now, it is the right time to invest in yourself. If you had an idea to start an Instagram page or a vlog, it is the right time to do so. It will strengthen your acting muscles and improve your on-camera techniques.

Organize online reads

If after all these you feel lonely and need some companionship, schedule a skype call with an actor friend and do dialogues with them. When you master the craft, you can do a live performance for your social media followers. Another motivating thing is to do all the mentioned above exercises on camera, record yourself and turn it into a success story that can become a movie or a YouTube vlog. Why not? Entertain your friends, family, and followers who are at home. Share the tips from this article with them with your samples. That will definitely be motivation not only for you but for the viewers as well. It can turn into a job as you get more views on Youtube and monetize them.

As a Conclusion

Now that you have plenty of time, you can plan your actors’ post-COVID-19 activities. Define what kind of actor you want to be. Comedy or drama? Stage or screen? The same is true for the photography industry. Nowadays, most of the headshot photographers in Los Angeles have turned into product photographers.

Consider taking an acting class. There is a huge selection of acting classes in Los Angeles. Google or ask your friends. Read the reviews. Explore their pricing. And make sure they are not a one-time or a one-weekend deal as it is crucial to keep the consistency even after the pandemic.

Learn more about headshot pricing in Los Angeles.

Click here to book a headshot session in Downtown Los Angeles.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Seda Stepanyan

February 4, 2020

How to Do a Professional Photo Shoot at Home

Wouldn’t it be great if each of us could arrange a professional photo shoot at home? For example, when there’s a need for a new profile picture for Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, and we want it to be fabulous. Or maybe you want to become a professional photographer, and experimenting at home on different models and subjects will be the right thing to do. Besides being affordable, this also allows feeling like a headshot photographer in Los Angeles for a day. You can be your director and get creative as much as you can. There are a lot of places in Los Angeles where you can do affordable headshots. But photo shoots at home can be more interesting. You just need to be patient, and you’ll see how step-by-step each next picture comes out better than the previous one. As a headshot photographer, I want to share these simple tips which will guide and help you to create masterpieces.

1.Simple Ways to Create the Right Setting

The setting is the base of professional photo shoots. If you have ever gone to photoshoots in Los Angeles, you probably have noticed how professional everything is organized. And that’s one of the logical reasons why the photoshoot pricing in Los Angeles may seem high. The right angle, lighting, location, and attributes can completely change the final result. At first, it may seem hard to have the perfect setting but believe me, it’s worth the time and nerves. There are a lot of cases when because of the wrong setting, the photoshoot failed. So it is better to spend some time in the beginning than fail at the end. Keep in mind those tricks and try the same at home.

Select the Location

Find a place at home where there is a natural light coming from the window. Remember, there’s no need for a huge room. Most of the headshot photographers in Los Angeles may prefer large places because working with light and space there is more comfortable. But even in a small room, you can create a perfect setting. You just need to use the capacity of your room wisely. To make a studio atmosphere, find a white wall in the room. If there’s no white wall there, don’t worry, this also can be fixed. Ask someone for blank white sheets, and hang it from the ceiling, and now you already have a white background. Professional photographers also may use white sheets to do photoshoots in Los Angeles. This is one of the few secrets of getting affordable headshots. You’ll see how the simple room is transformed into a studio quite effortlessly.

Lighting and the Style

Light and style are interconnected with each other. Best headshots in Los Angeles are taken when the photographers know how to control the light. At first, choose in which style you want your photos to be and then match the lighting. How you work with lighting determines what will your final result be. Many photographers prefer to work with natural light. It helps to create stunning pictures with no other additional element. During the day, at different hours and weather conditions, natural light behaves differently, hence the images come out in various styles. If you want to have a professional photo shoot with the help of sunlight, then you must try to control the sunlight, which fills the room. You can play with it in different ways. For example, with the curtains or with additional sheets, etc. Be creative and don’t be afraid to try.

Another way of lighting is lamps. Headshot photographers in Los Angeles, when do actors or other types of headshots, may use different lights for achieving their desired lighting. You can use one, two or even more lamps. In the case of professional photoshoots in Los Angeles, especially actor headshots, sometimes headshot photographers may need different types of lights. But in the beginning, you don’t need too much. If you don’t have one, then I am sure one of your friends may have one. If no one has, you may buy a small lamp, which you can use in different ways in the future. So it will be a wise purchase.

Ambiance

Now it’s the time to accommodate everything in the room and work with the light. To have a soft glimpse on your subject from above, place a light facing the ceiling. You’ll see how the reflection does the magic. To lighten the shadows of the photo, put another light in the distance from the subject. It may be located in the back of the room. And of course don’t forget about the natural sunlight, as it can accompany the lightings mentioned above. But while working with the natural light, you must be fast and careful, because in different hours it changes. You’ll see in how many ways you can play with it. Use your imagination, and be quick; it will only help you.

Necessary Elements

Adding a little interest to the photo will be very beneficial. Of course, at first, you must carefully choose the style and then decide what you need to add to the photo. Headshot photographers in Los Angeles work with different objects very carefully, in order not to ruin the photo. For instance, sometimes while doing actor headshots, it is better not to use any props. But thoroughly selected items will add character to the photo and make it even more beautiful. You don’t need costly staff. Try to make affordable headshots by selecting from things that you have at home. In the case of a male or female model, you may add a chair. They may sit on them or use them as support in different ways. Or if you are taking a picture of your dog, you may give him his favorite toy. It would be quite interesting to take photos while he is playing. So, experiment with props, and the pictures will become even more appealing.

2. Choose the Models

Now when we finally have the perfect setting, it’s time to think about whom we are going to take a picture of. It can be anyone: a friend, relative, or professional model. Choose someone with whom it will be easy for you to work. It is better to work in an atmosphere where you both enjoy the process. Because the exciting part of photo shoots is that not only the final result is important, but also the process. The best headshots in Los Angeles are created when both the model and the photographer feel comfortable. Now before rushing to take the camera, there are several very important things to know.

The Appearance

A picture tells a lot about a person. The way someone poses, smiles, dresses are important parts of any picture. Details matter, and even the smallest things which may seem not very important, can change the whole image of the end result. Once again, think about the style of the photo shoot. What should the model wear in order to correspond with the mood? If you have time, you can experiment with the looks. For example, try on different clothes and change styles from casual to classic, from sporty to more dressy. This will help to have more interesting and diverse pictures. Professional photo shoots like professionalism in everything. So pay attention to the makeup and hairstyle. As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I know that there are a lot of mistakes that people make regarding pre photoshoot preparations. To be well prepared, here are introduced some common mistakes which everyone should avoid.

Posing

Professional models, of course, are experts in posing, and they know how to work with the camera. But if you are working with non-professionals, then ask them to feel free and try various poses. If they don’t feel comfortable, you can help them with different props, as mentioned above. For example, hand them something so their hands can be occupied. Or, ask them to sit on the chair or maybe on the floor and try different poses while being seated. Be clear on what you want, and try to express your thoughts as simple as you can. Make a comfortable atmosphere for the model so that they can feel more relaxed. You can even turn on some good music, it always helps.

3. Now It’s Time to Shoot!

The setting is ready, and the model is already waiting. Now it’s time to take the camera in your hands and try to make your first masterpieces. As I am a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I know how it feels when you start taking pictures. Even if you have done it thousands of times, working with each new model, setting and lighting is a whole new journey. If you love photography, then I am sure that you are curious about the different types of cameras. Today, there are a lot of advanced cameras. Most of the professional photographers use the best cameras, and hence the photoshoot rates in Los Angeles become higher. Remember that for the beginning, you don’t need the best one. With the experience, you’ll try different cameras, and each time you’ll have a better one. In order to be well informed, here are presented some of the best cameras.

Set the Camera

Every work needs patience. There’s one thing that still needs to be prepared before the professional photo shoot starts. Before clicking the shutter release button, you need to regulate the settings of the camera. While doing it, take into account the lighting that you have already set. So maybe you’ll need to turn off the flash. In order to work properly with lighting, you need to find the right angle. This part also needs experimenting. Choose a couple of angles in the room, and try your best to make the perfect picture. If one angle doesn’t work, then try another one. It’s all about trying and exploring.

Take Pictures

I am sure you have been waiting for this moment. Everything is already ready. The camera is in your hands, and the model is in front of you. The lighting is perfect, and there’s no need to wait. It’s finally time to do the professional photo shoot. Be creative, make sure that you work with the light, the model, and the space of the room. Don’t be afraid of the quantity of the pictures. Take as much as you can because you have spent a lot of time on preparations. Ask the model to change poses and facial expressions. If you feel that it’s time to change the clothes, then ask him or her to do so. Although you have already set the settings of the camera, you can switch to a different setting in the middle of the photo shoot.

4. The Final Result

Congratulations, you already have a lot of pictures from which you can choose the best. I am sure, one of the favorite parts of most of the headshot photographers in Los Angeles is looking at the final result. While scrolling through them, choosing the best ones, and editing, we remember how the photos were being created. Photoshoots in Los Angeles are not only about the final result but also the process and all the emotions. With the experience, every next photo shoot will be better than the previous one. Don’t stop working on yourself and developing.

Editing

In the end, every photo needs a little editing. When you choose the best ones, you need to edit them. Use the photo editing tools on your computer. Those tools allow you to make your final result even better. There are a number of ways to do so. For example, you can crop the picture, change the colors, and clean some imperfections. Every photo needs a little help. But be reasonable, because if you try too hard on the editing, then you may make it worse. Just fix a little bit, and enjoy what you have got. After editing, you already have your desired photos, and they are ready to be shared with others.

As you can see, everything is possible, even with the minimum necessities. A little while ago, you may not have imagined that even at home, it is possible to make professional photo shoots. All you need is to practice as much as you can and try different styles and techniques. And as I have already mentioned, this is also very affordable. Headshot rates in Los Angeles may vary from $100-$600 and maybe even higher. Sometimes photoshoot rates in Los Angeles may be very high, and not affordable for everyone. Every headshot photographer in Los Angeles was once a beginner. And before starting to do actors headshots in Los Angeles studios, they also were practising at home with their friends and family members. I am sure that these tips will help you to get one of the best headshots in Los Angeles. So start trying right now, and do your first professional photo shoot at home.

Learn more about headshot pricing in Los Angeles.

Click here to book a headshot session in Downtown Los Angeles.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Seda Stepanyan

December 26, 2019

8 Common Mistakes on Actors' Websites

The resume, the headshot, and the demo reel are an essential part of the marketing of emerging actors. However, as online casting has become a popular concept today, actors have to take specific measures to adapt to this situation. In the fast-moving era of technologies, neither a terrific resume nor a headshot made by the best Los Angeles headshot photographer can guarantee you success. Having a website is no longer a luxury but a necessity for an acting career in Los Angeles. You may say, “OK, what’s the deal? Let’s create one.” Do not rush; it is not as easy as it seems. There are numerous nuances you should take into consideration when you create a website for yourself. The following are the 10 common mistakes of the actor’s website that you should try to avoid making.

1. Too many Headshots

The fact that you have a website does not mean that you can post every single photo or headshot you have taken so far. Let’s set a basic rule. The site has to reflect your professionalism primarily. The opportunity of having multiple galleries on your website makes it possible for you to post headshots, set photos, and red carpet photos. However, your job is to choose only the best pictures.

As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I understand that you have difficulties with choice. That is natural. However, remember that you are an actor and not a model. Casting directors are looking for one or two headshots at most. They don’t want to see every single look you have done but rather the best headshots that demonstrate you as a professional actor.

Do not make casting directors waste their time when they get to your website. Make it easy for them by providing your best headshot that just shows who you are. This way, you will seem professional and concerned about your career rather than your appearance. Be modest, and that will be appreciated.

2. Outdated Content

One of the common mistakes of an actor’s website is keeping old information. If you have relocated to Los Angeles, your website should not state that you live in New York. We live in a modern world right now, remember? This means that with every new day, yesterday’s information gets old and becomes unnecessary. Therefore, you should follow this principle on your website to help your acting career in Los Angeles proper.

Your website should contain your latest credits, including the most recent resume and a fresh headshot by a skilled headshot photographer in Los Angeles. It would be a failure if the last update on your website if from 2015 today. Casting directors will immediately consider you unprofessional.

Instead, you should take the time to keep your website up to date. Don’t forget that your website is an excellent tool for your development as an actor. Show the casting directors that you are active in your job and that you are always looking for new opportunities. No agency will cast you if they see that you are not engaged in your professional domain.

Even if you have gone through a period with no new roles, never leave your website without updates. You can post content about your personal life, or you can write blogs to keep your website updated. If one sees a gradual stop in your updates, they will think you quit acting.

According to Backstage magazine,

“If you can’t update your website with new photos, videos, bios, and/or news on your own, you’re going to have a heart attack .”

So, take care of your own future.

3. Auto-Playing Video

It is indescribably annoying when you visit a website, and a video starts to play without your command. This is an essential point for you to consider in order not to make one of the most common mistakes of an actor’s website.

This point mostly refers to the videos or the demo reel page. Make sure to embed any videos you upload on your page so that they do not start playing automatically. Just check the default option.

For you to understand why this is extremely important, let’s get into a casting director’s shoes. Imagine a casting director reading your resume when suddenly a video starts playing. The director will be annoyed by the function and may decide to leave your website as he/she has many other candidates for the role.

About the quantity of the videos: keep in mind the same as we discussed the headshots. Even if made by a professional headshot photographer in Los Angeles, many headshots are excessive and even give low quality to your website. For the videos, however, the quality is something more actual. If you have many videos on your page, it may start loading slowly. This is one more source for the casting directors’ annoyment and the potential to leave your webpage. So, try to keep it simple and don’t do risky things.

4. Inconsistent Navigation & Design

Any website loves easy navigation. People love it when everything is clear on a website, and it does not require much effort to find the necessary page.

Make all the pages of your website similar. If each new page is entirely different from the previous one, it will be very confusing for your visitors. They may need to take time to find specific sections, and they may essentially get lost on your website. But what if one does not have that time and what if your visitor is a very busy casting director? The answer is obvious: he/she will leave your page immediately.

Therefore, give an easy organization and a logical sequence to the sections of your website so that your visitors are not frustrated.

Make the front page with a brief description of you. Afterwards, give a logical follow to the section about the first steps of your acting career in Los Angeles. Then, get them to your resume, headshots, and demo reel section. Leave the video sections to the final part of your website.

Not following these standards is one of the most common mistakes of an actor’s website that you may wish to avoid. It is not enough to have a website; it should be attractive for the vie as well!

5. Where is your contact information?

Many actors get fantastic websites for developing their acting career in Los Angeles using great tools and systems such as WordPress. Their websites have beautiful designs and look very professional. However, surprisingly, having all of this, they forget about the most important thing. That is the contact information. Believe it or not, people do not pay attention to how their contact information page looks like.

You should provide all the conditions so that it takes a little time and effort to contact you. Therefore, link to all your social media profiles so that people can access them immediately. Also, try to make your telephone number clickable as well. This way, the ones who visit your website with a smartphone are able to call you just by one click.

The contact information of your agent and manager should be easily accessible to the visitors of your website. Make their social media page link clickable so that people can find them fast. As a reminder, agents are the most critical people for actors. Agents and managers are the ones who look for opportunities for you to build your acting career in Los Angeles. They are the ones who organize photo sessions with Los Angeles headshot photographers and book auditions for you. When casting agencies to consider you for a particular role, they first find out whether you have a manager, and if you do, they look for his/her contact information. Therefore, don’t make one of the most common mistakes of an actor’s website: don’t forget about contact information.

6. Paying too much or too little

Today, there exists a common opinion that a good website is something very expensive. You may think that you should hire a specialist and pay him a lot of money to get a terrific website. However, that is absolutely not necessary. Furthermore, excessive investment in a website may seem an unnecessary luxury. An essential function of a website is just serving as a tool for building an acting career in Los Angeles. Therefore, your website should first and foremost care about providing quality information about yourself.

On the other hand, paying too little is also a common mistake on the actor’s website. Spending just a few dollars will give you low quality and poorly composed website. It will be noticeable that you decided to save money. Your mission is to seem as professional as it is possible, so it is not a solution to pay very little. Your marketing shows casting directors how serious you are in relation to your future acting career in Los Angeles.

Taking all of this into consideration, your primary goal should be having a simple, quality website and nothing more. The finances you allocate for this purpose should be neither too big nor too little. A perfect solution would be paying monthly services such as Squarespace for creating your own quality website.

7. Mixed-up Purpose

This is probably the worst among the common mistakes of actor’s websites. Since the second person enters your website, it should be clear to him or her what is your website for. Is it a website with information about a professional actor, or is it just a personal site that has some information about acting as well? There should be no mixed-up purpose if you plan to have a successful acting career in Los Angeles.

If the purpose of your website is to promote you as an actor, you should include only the information corresponding to that purpose.

As a headshot photographer in Los Angeles, I always ask my clients what the purpose of their headshot is. Where is it going to be used? Depending on the answer, the headshot will have specific characteristics. Moving on, the videos you post should have merely acting content. This way, the casting directors who visit your website will know for sure who you are and what your purpose it and most importantly, they will consider you a serious candidate for their project.

8. Boring design

The final common mistake of actor’s websites is their boring design. As mentioned before, it is not obligatory to pay tons of money for a website. You can use the available templates on the internet. However, make sure to edit the premade templates. Your website should not look like any other. It is your professional territory where you are free to express yourself.

You are an actor! Therefore, the words cliche, default, and template should have no connection to you. When visiting your website, casting directors can evaluate your creativity and individuality by the external look of your website.

You can change the fonts and the colors to make it characterize yourself. You can insert any backgrounds and shapes that will make your website unique, among others. However, do not forget to stay in the scopes of professionalism. The design of your website should communicate to the visitors and make them remember you as a persona with no similarities.

Pay close attention to the design of your website. Try to make it memorable so that after reviewing the website of other actors, the casting directors memorize yours and return to it.

And Finally…

A website is an essential tool for the development of your acting career in Los Angeles. Having a quality website, however, has many nuances, and there are many mistakes many actors make. Focus on the purpose and the content of your website. Include only necessary information and take good care of its appearance. Don’t forget to post the details that casting directors look for: a resume, a headshot made by a professional Los Angeles headshot photographer, videos, and a demo reel. Take the information of this article into consideration and don’t make the common mistakes of the actor’s website.

Learn more about headshot pricing in Los Angeles.

Click here to book a headshot session in Downtown Los Angeles.

You can view more Professional Headshots | Los Angeles Headshot Photographer on our home page.

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Seda Stepanyan

October 8, 2019

10 Halloween Photo Shoot Spots in Los Angeles

It is fall already, and you maybe thinking about doing something cool and memorable. Obviously, there is nothing more exciting than Halloween, right? Yes, it is. What about a Halloween photo shoot in Los Angeles? Everybody looks forward to this date impatiently and starts preparing a costume on the very first day of October, or maybe even earlier.

A truly cool thing to do on this special day is to organize a photo shoot in Los Angeles. You may want to make this day a memorable one by getting great photos taken by a professional photographer in LA. The very first thing you should consider is the location of your photo shoot. Los Angeles is a huge city, and there are numerous beautiful places here. But which ones are the best for Halloween?

Halloween Photo Shoot Spots in LA

Paid Locations

For getting Halloween photo shoot in Los Angeles, you will need to spend some money. However, it is more than worth doing that as you will have unforgettable emotions besides the fantastic photos your professional photographer will provide you with.

Any of these places will be a perfect choice for a photo shoot in Los Angeles. Undoubtedly, it will be the best investment of the season. You will get amazing new photos, thrilling emotions and of course, wonderful memories.

1. Pumpkin Nights at Pomona Fairplex

This can be a fun place for both an individual and a family photo shoot. Going there, you will appear in a real world of pumpkins. You can get photos with pumpkins of different sizes and with different faces. The 3000 pumpkins created by talented designers will guarantee you cool Halloween themed images and outdoor headshots. The event will take place from October 10 to November 3 at Pomona McKinley Avenue. The price of the tickets ranges from $14-$60. So you can just schedule a date with your LA professional photographer, and go to Pomona for getting unforgettable emotions.

2. Santa Monica Pier

This is one of the popular Halloween photo shoot locations for tourists. Can anything in the world be compared to an amusement park? Your photo shoot here will be a combination of joy and fear. Actually, you can get photos with different themes here.

The lights in this place will be a fantastic supplementation to your photos. The atmosphere of the park is already holiday-themed. Besides, you will not have to take care of the equipment. There will be dozens of pumpkins and other Halloween decorations provided by the park. Everything will correspond to the holiday atmosphere and the only expense you should make is to get a ticket for the park.

So, the only thing you will need is a crazy Halloween costume. If you choose to get joyful images, you should probably not choose a tragic costume. The best Halloween costume idea for this place is probably a movie character. Even though Santa Monica is not a theme park, your character will fit well with the atmosphere. Scary costumes will always match the environment. A witch in front of a Ferris wheel sounds really cool. And above everything, an amusement park is a worthy place where you can have amazing photos. So, why not combine it with Halloween?

3. Madame Tussauds Museum

The Madame Tussauds museum of Hollywood introduced a new exhibition named ILLUSIONS OF HORROR. Here you can find large and photo-centric installations of famous personages as well as other scary figures. You can feel yourself in a horror movie while the professional photographer you hired in LA captures the moments of your delight.

Now it is time to get wonderful photos walking through the horrifying attractions that perfectly correspond to the Halloween atmosphere. You can pose next to vignettes and wax figures in an environment that is truly horror-inspired. You get get a picture with Dracula, Frankenstein, and various monsters. For incredible images in this atmosphere, a professional headshot photographer would recommend dressing either into monsters like these or into their victims.

The location of the Madame Tussaud Museum is 6933 Hollywood Blvd. You can go there on the day of Halloween, October 31. The prices for the tickets start from $16.99.

4. Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

One more scary place for a Halloween photoshoot in Los Angeles. The Haunted Hayride in Los Angeles takes place in the most haunted spots of the city. There are numerous opportunities for a real Halloween photoshoot here. If you prefer the scary component of Halloween, then this is the best place for you.

In the Haunted Hayride, you will find figures and silhouettes of ghosts, monsters, Dracula, and everything connected to vampires and psychs you may even imagine.

The fact that the Hayride is in the place of the Old Zoo is a real plus for your idea of Halloween photoshoot. You can go for searching resident ghosts and your photographer will spot spontaneous images of your feelings.

The Hayride is located in Griffin Park, which itself is known to be haunted. It is open from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Depending on your budget and special wishes for a photoshoot, you may choose tickets at different prices. They range from $39 to $120 per person. Don’t forget to get a ticket for your professional headshot photographer, as well.

5. Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights

Another location to have the greatest movie-themed Halloween photo shoot. Every every year, Universal Studios comes up with new attractions related to famous horror movies, and they are becoming bigger each year. Isn’t it a terrific idea to get a Ghostbuster photo shoot?

You will enter a thrilling atmosphere with the best possible equipment for a Halloween photo shoot. On every single step, you will meet a place to get a photo.

You can put on any costume as it will fit the whole park. You can have a real nightmare themed photo shoot.

Universal Studios is a place where you have been at least once for sure. However, do not hesitate to go there once more for a Halloween photo shoot. You will also have some great time with your professional headshot photographer during the marvelous shows that are going to be held there. The ticket price is from $65-$97.

Free Locations

Who said that everything should be paid? You can absolutely have a free Halloween photo shoot variant in Los Angeles in places no worse. You can get fantastic photos and headshots by a professional photographer in places that you could have not even imagined. Trust your photographer in this sense. Photographers are people who notice something unique when our eyes see the regular. Photographers know places perfectly appropriate for photo shoots and headshots in LA that you have not even thought about. Here are some locations from the professional point of view where you can get perfect photo shoots with a Halloween theme.

6. Laurie’s House

The famous house from 1978’s mystery by John Carpenter “Halloween.” Located in Oxley St., South Pasadena, this beautiful house with its surroundings can be an original and meaningful place for a photo shoot on Halloween.

At first glance, it may remind an ordinary house. However, the real fans of this movie will recognize the house immediately and will certainly appreciate your choice. This place is a classic in Hollywood movie history. A place to which real movie lovers have attachment and memories. A place, which itself means Halloween. A real embodiment of scare and ghosts.

By the way, this is a place where you can do a professional photo shoot both in the evening and in the afternoon. The place is so recognizable that it will remind you about Halloween, even without the darkness. In the evening, however, your photographer will be able to create a real thriller photo shoot.

This is a privately owned house, so you will not have to deal with any formalities to get a photo shoot there. Just make sure to have a plan B, in case anybody appeared to be as creative as you and took the area for a longer photo shoot.

7. Marina del Rey

Pirate costumes are extremely popular at Halloween. Have you decided to put on one? If yes, then the haunted pirate ships at Marina del Ray are the best choice for your Halloween photo shoot. You can dress like a real Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean and get a photo on a real boat. Another variant is to be Jim Hawkins from the Treasure Island.

The best thing about this place is that it will be very fun to go there both in the afternoon and in the evening.

The event will take place on October 26th and 27th in Mindanao Way, Los Angeles, California. The admission is free. So just schedule the photo session with your photographer asap.

8. Hollywood Walk of Fame

There truly is some sense to take advantage of the fact that that this famous place is free. Why not choose the company of Hollywood stars for a Halloween photo shoot? Going there with no special occasion may seem boring, but going there for a professional Halloween photo shoot is truly a good idea.

Imagine dressing up into Charlie Chaplin and taking photos next to each star with a different grimace. You will both have fun and get wonderful photos.

Above everything, Hollywood Walk of Fame is a special place for Los Angeles and it really does make sense to have one of your best photo shoots exactly here. Obviously, you will need to take some requisite with you. The thing you should look here for is the atmosphere, and famous views. Photos with those views will be cool not only with a Charlie Chaplin costume, but some scarier ones as well.

9. Rodeo Drive

Too cliche? It may just sound so. Imagine dressing up into Miranda Priestly from “The Devil Wears Prada” and taking a photo next to the Prada boutique with a pumpkin in your hands. It would be the most unique thing one could do at Halloween. Miranda Priestly is an elegant monster, so putting on her look, you will absolutely correspond to Halloween requirements. You will be scary yet elegant.

However, any other costume will look wonderful at Rodeo Drive. This is a place where LA headshot photographers have huge experience of taking photos. Trust her and she will find perfect views for your special Halloween photo shoot. It may not even be necessary to take requisite as the street will be decorated accordingly. Rodeo Drive will be equally perfect for group photo shoots. However, LA professional photographers would highly recommend choosing early evening hours for a photo shoot here.

10. The Cemetery

Scary after the previous one, right? But what Halloween without ghosts and dead men?

In case you and your photographer are not too anxious, a cemetery is a great place for a Halloween photo shoot in LA. Even if you have goosebumps, isn’t it even better on Halloween? This is a brave and incredibly unique idea.

You should probably not get headshots here, but Halloween themed photos will be fantastic. Photos with a ghost costume in a real cemetery. It will be the photo shoot of the year.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery would be a perfect choice for a professional Halloween photo shoot. You may feel a little more comfortable here, as besides being a cemetery of famous people, it is also sightseeing place in Los Angeles. The access is free here from 8:30 a.m. to 5 or 5:30 p.m.

In the end, quoting Black Widow, “Too shy or too scared?” Too excited, probably! Overcome your fear, and you will get a crazy photo shoot from a headshot photographer in LA.

As you can see, photo shoots in the free locations of Los Angeles can be no worse than the ones in special places. You can surely enjoy your time and get fantastic photos as well.

Halloween is one of the most beloved holidays in Los Angeles. There are numerous events all over the city. An exclusive way to pass this year’s Halloween is to get a photo shoot by a professional headshot photographer in Los Angeles. Halloween is truly the best time to get a terrific photo shoot. So, don’t hesitate. Pick a location and contact me – your professional photographer.

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