In my previous blog entry “Advice on how to start a business in photography” I talked about focusing on the type of photography you really enjoy as being one of the key ingredients. For myself, I’ve decided recently that I will be focusing primarily on actor headshots and weddings. I’ll still be shooting fashion, just not as much as before.
Actor headshots provides a unique challenge in that you really have to work at making each picture stand out in terms of character and personality. Fashion photography, and even headshots of a more corporate nature, tend to lack these qualities since the focus is not necessarily the person being photographed per se, but the “product” that is being advertised: for fashion its clothes and for corporate headshots it’s usually the company or business that person represents. I myself find those to be easier since you don’t need to “bring out” your subject as much, and for that reason its possible to get the shot in a fraction of the time it would take to photograph an actor.
However, I really enjoy the gradual process of having the person I photograph reveal to me who they are on camera. It’s a process that involves a great deal of trust, because what you’re essentially asking for is total transparency and vulnerability from the side of the actor. Looking at it this way, it’s not hard to imagine why so many actors aren’t satisfied with their headshots in the end; even though the composition may have been spot-on, the rapport was not solid enough.
Anyway, below are two actors who I recently photographed: Kent Leung and Kevin Pattee. If you’ve been keeping up with my work and are familiar with my style, you probably wouldn’t recognize that these are my shots. I realize not too long ago that my past work was far too commercial looking to appeal as actor headshots, and so I’ve adjusted the look and feel of my photography to compensate for that. One particular photographer I’ve more or less been idolizing lately in this area is Kevin Clark of Kevin Clark Photography, otherwise known as Vancouver’s top headshot photographer. Essentially it’s his style of photography that I’m currently modeling my own against. Definitely someone I would love to meet in the future.
On a side note, I don’t know how many photographers read my blog, but for any who might be interested, he’s renting out his downtown studio located in the hub of the downtown/yaletown area. Check out the details on his blog here
