I graduated college 10 years ago! While it feels like maybe 2-3 years has past, I have years of photos on my Mac telling me otherwise. I recently had to get new headshots because I chopped my hair and it had been a few years since my last session. While I sometimes get frustrated by my picture hording, it was fun to see all of my headshots from the past 10 years. How fitting for a #tbt!
My first session was with Lisa Keating, whom I found in the book Acting is Everything (a graduation present from my Mom). Lisa kindly guided me to what photos would be best for theater and agents (Fun Fact: Theater headshots have a different look than Commercial shots). Traditionally headshots are in black and white, but Lisa said she started to see a shift to colored pictures. I trusted her, and was one of the few actors at auditions with colored headshots. Not only did I stand out, but colored headshots are now the standard!
Five years later (2010) I went back to Lisa for new shots. No more baby face! Also, I'm smiling because by this time I had an agent and they need 'commercial' looking photos. Theater has slowly started shifting to smiling photos at this time as well*.
And now to 2015! Shorter hair and not as blonde. I went with Stuart Locklear this time around and I was equally pleased with his results. I kept a neutral one as a theater option, but 90% of the actors in the Bay Area are smiling*, so I'll go with the trend.
*I can only speak for the Bay Area and my personal experience. Every city has it's own market and what they are looking for. San Francisco is a small city with a mostly commercial/industrial market. The theater scene is small enough where everyone is acquainted and headshots can cross over from commercial to theater without an issue.
xoxo,
Melissa
