I just saw an ad for a headshot special that offered a 30-minute session! That must be a great photographer, to be able to get a good shot of their clients in 30 minutes or less. Let me explain further....
Don't get me wrong, I think it's easy to get a good photo in 30 minutes. And the pictures I saw were nice portraits. Shutter speeds, F-Stops, ISO settings, and all that technical stuff are easy to nail in 30 minutes. Most people that come for a headshot are even ready with a practiced smile. Heck, when I shot photos on Cruise Ships, I routinely had just 5 seconds (or less!) to get a good shot of people.
However.... I think a good headshot is more than a pretty picture. And it's gotta be a photo that my clients are happy and confident with. I can only speak for myself, but it takes me a little while to get to know someone, to understand what they're looking for, and (sometimes more importantly) what they're not looking for. Many times, the shots that get chosen are taken near the end of our session. Sometimes, despite having taken good pictures, I can just see that I haven't captured the real 'them' and I shoot more. Sometimes we get it in 60 minutes, sometimes it takes 2 hours, sometimes more.
While I'm proud of my mad skills as a photographer (wink wink), the goal is to get images that my clients want. Of course I am happy to offer my opinions, but at the end of the day, you pay the tab, and even though my headshots are reasonably priced, it's still a significant investment. So it's important to me that you get a headshot that's a good image of YOU, that tells a Casting Pro who you are, and who you can be - not just a pretty picture that's technically proficient.Labels: Casting, Headshot, headshots, Orlando Headshots