Getting Headshots in Los Angeles

Posted on December 22, 2013 by brandin

Headshots Los Angeles

It’s been said here on this blog many times before, but it’s important….so….here you go! In Los Angeles, headshots are expected to reflect character types. Especially if you’re just getting started….or even if you have a few credits on your resume, it’s going to benefit you to have a few “looks” shot when getting your headshots done. The important thing is to make sure that it’s more than just a wardrobe & hair/makeup change. The entire mood of the picture should reflect the type you’re shooting. Hopefully your photographer will set a great mood with lighting & background – but, you can bring your A game to each look by being in character all the way to the feet. For example If you’re a guy doing an upscale handsome look, you shouldn’t be wearing sneakers & jeans on the bottom. Sure, the camera won’t see it, but by not committing fully to the character it’s usually tough to get something that feels organic & authentic. Even music can go a long way to getting you into a great headspace for shooting. Check with your photographer to see if they’re cool with you bringing along some selected songs on your phone or laptop to play to set the vibe 🙂

To view recent work, visit our FACEBOOK page. To schedule an appointment, visit our CONTACT page.

Headshot Photographer LA

Posted on December 11, 2013 by brandin

Headshot Photographer LA

How to find a Headshot Photographer in LA

Every headshot photographer in LA has their own style. Some like to use natural light only….some like to shoot solely in a studio. Personally, I feel like you get the best results when the way the images are shot is more dependent on the story of the picture, rather than a specific style the photographer likes. If you’re shooting “Home Depot Dad”, of course you’re going to want a lot of natural light. But, if you’re shooting something that feels more like “Mad Men” you might want to use a little theatrical side & back light to feed the vibe of the image. In the end, of course, your rapport with the photographer is the most important thing – but, it’s nice to book someone who understands lighting & story as well 🙂 ….Happy Hunting!! ….or you can save yourself all that time & just book me 😉 hehe….

To view more recent images, visit my studio Facebook page. To book a session, contact me by phone 310.622.5819 or my site contact page.

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Posted in Headshots, Headshots LA, Headshots Los Angeles

Linnea Ray, Headshots taken in LA

Posted on November 27, 2013 by brandin

Headshots in LA

I’ve heard a lot of talk lately about the difference between NY & LA Headshots. A manager said to me, “I just want you to give me a nice, clean, simple New York Headshot. ….um…..ok, but your client is IN LA!! Basically, the difference is that NY actors just need 1 (or maybe 2) “looks”. Since it’s a smaller pool of professional actors, your headshot really just needs to speak to your essence as a person. However, in LA you have an absolute TON of people in the pool of actors, so to get called in, it’s usually pretty necessary to have more specific character based “looks”. That’s not to say that you need to be super duper on the nose about the character type…you can allude to the character with a subtle change of hair & makeup, along with wardrobe that hints at the type. Above, Linnea Ray has some pretty specific looks that we went for. Her range is broad & her reps really wanted to get her in as many doors as possible.

To view more recent work, visit our Facebook page. To book an appointment, give a call anytime 310.622.5819 ….or email through the contact page.

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Posted in Headshots LA, Headshots Los Angeles

What to Wear – Family Portraits

Posted on October 25, 2013 by brandin

Some example images below are not taken by our studio, and are for illustration purposes only.

NEUTRAL MIXED W/ POP OF COLOR

“Three Colors + POP”

1. Pick three colors (one being a neutral) and put together outfits with those colors only. More than three colors can seem a bit busy. Example shows navy blue, white, and pink. Neutrals include black, white, gray, khaki, etc.

2. Add in an unexpected POP of color. The girls’ fuchsia headbands fit the bill. Be aware that this POP will become a focal point in the picture, so I wouldn’t advise adding this color in an area that you don’t want others to look at too closely.

3. Use your brightest colors as accessories only. You don’t want the brightest colors detracting from the most important part of the picture: the PEOPLE!

4. It is ok to mix solids and simple patterns. SIMPLE patterns add interest and texture to a picture. Dad has a patterned, buttoned-down shirts, and it works just fine with the solid colors. If you stick to a color scheme, everything just naturally blends together.
pop1

Example of “Three Colors + POP”: here, the grayish blues are complimented with 2 pops of color: The yellow scarves & the fuschia booties. The guys’ Simple patterned shirts give a nice texture.

Owens_Sample2

Example of “Three Colors + POP”: Here, the 3 colors are all three “Neutral”, meaning Black, Gray & White. The “Pop” of color in the girl’s sweater is accented by mom’s Red lips. Baby’s plaid shirt & Dad’s plaid tie coordinate for a little texture.

Screen Shot 2013-10-25 at 3.14.29 PM

Choose 1 or 2 solids & pair with 1 or 2 color coordinated patterns. Remember Neutrals, such as gray, khaki & white don’t count 🙂

patternColor

Neutrals Only

Neutrals include: Black, White, Gray, Browns, Khaki, Cream, Dark OR Light Denim, and sometimes Navy.

Examples:
IMG_3965_WEB

All White

All white is definitely the most chosen style of wardrobe for family portraits. You can choose to do all solid white, or add a little texture/simple pattern to your white wardrobe.

2. Add a pop of color to your all white outfits. Example below:

white_pop_yellow

Throw caution to the wind & break the rules

Several “rules” are being broken in the pictures below, but they still came out really great – and have a more candid feel to them. Definitely not “traditional” but not boring or stiff either.

family portaits photography

Posted in Family Portraits

LA Actors Headshots – Commercial & Theatrical

Posted on October 23, 2013 by brandin

LA Actors Headshots

Anytime a photographer shoots actors headshots they need to make sure and ask if the actor is going for commercial, theatrical, or a little bit of both. With a little planning, you can get a really nice variety of images, using wardrobe, lighting, direction, hair/makeup. Lauren, the actor in the headshots above, was going for a bit of everything, but with a strong emphasis on her quirkier, funnier types. Lauren does a lot of stand up, and is perfect for sitcom, romantic comedy & commercials – so, we chose to use a lot of color & let her go outside the box in terms of smirks & smiles. Shoots like this are a blast, because basically, we just play for a few hours….woo! and of course, we ended the session with a nice, sexy smoldering theatrial shot – – – because, what shoot would be complete without it? 🙂

For more examples of LA Actors Headshots, visit the portfolio gallery, or stop by the Brandin Photography Facebook page.

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Posted in Headshots, Headshots LA, Headshots Los Angeles

Imari – Kids Commercial Headshots

Posted on October 15, 2013 by brandin

Kids Commercial Headshots

We rocked some pretty amazing Kids Headshots this year – and these are no exception. Imari is the daughter of an amazing actor and acting coach, Marlynne Cooley. She’s just getting started, and things are off to a pretty awesome beginning! Los Angeles is getting more and more competitive when it comes to youth casting, so having top notch headshots has become a must. I try to keep costs as low as possible, making sure we work with your budget, without sacrificing quality. To see more, check out my facebook page – lots of rave reviews and tons of gorgeous pictures!!!

Kids Commercial Headshots Los Angeles

Posted in Headshots LA, Headshots Los Angeles, Kids Headshots

Colin – Commercial Headshots

Posted on October 11, 2013 by brandin

Kids Headshots Los Angeles

Colin is 4 years old – one of my youngest headshot clients EVER! He was as high energy as you’d expect, but definitely able to focus when he really wanted to 🙂 Super fun, high octane session….and the pictures came out so so so CUTE!

To see more examples of Kids Headshots visit my site: www.brandinphotography.com I always offer awesome agency discounts as well as super awesome sibling discounts!!

Posted in Headshots LA, Kids Headshots

Commercial Headshots Los Angeles – Anna Koehler

Posted on August 28, 2013 by brandin

Posted in Headshots, Headshots LA, Headshots Los Angeles

Headshots for Actors

Posted on July 17, 2013 by brandin

Darin_Brooks_Headshots_Actors_Los_Angeles

Headshots for Actors

When I tell people I shoot actors for a living, they always want to know “Who have you shot?!!” Not sure why…but, there’s obviously something titillating about knowing someone who’s taken headshots of a favorite actor or celeb crush. I honestly don’t know why – but, that seems to be the case… Darin Brooks definitely qualifies as an actor who LOTS of people have a crush on. He’s probably always going to be known as Max Brady on Days of Our Lives – a part that he won a couple of Daytime Emmy’s for…nice job…. My mom and grandmother absolutely LOVE him, so I felt a tiny bit of nervousness knowing I’d been shooting his headshots. Not nervous to meet him or shoot him – – – nervous my Mom would show up at the shoot and scare the poor kid with all of her millions of questions!

Headshot Photographers

One thing I always tell friends who are getting into photography is that: when you have an absolutely amazing subject (like Darin) you don’t need much else. All the bells & whistles of extravagant sets & lighting can very often take away from the innate beauty of your subject. Darin was one of those subjects. Easy to take pictures of, because he was so open & PRESENT. These shots were taken for LA Health Magazine, so I wanted to keep the image clean & fresh anyway – so I used mostly natural light & only accented with strobes. That’s something I like to do with all of my actor headshots in general ….pure natural light is great for some things, but I find that a little accent light here & there can really make an image POP.

If you’re as big a fan of Darin as my Mom & Grandmother, you can check out what he’s been doing lately on his imdb page, or check out a site dedicated to all things Darin 🙂 http://darinbrooksonline.com/

For more examples of ACTING HEADSHOTS visit my portfolio and FACEBOOK page 🙂 And if you have any questions, please feel free to CONTACT me – I’m happy to help with all things headshots los angeles.

Kids Headshots

Posted on June 28, 2013 by brandin

Headshots for Kids

When I first started shooting child actor headshots I was so nervous. In my mind, taking pictures of kids would be WAY harder than shooting headshots for adults. I imagined not being able to communicate with the kid…not being able to effectively give direction. Terrified, I dreamed up every possible way the shoots could go wrong. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more mistaken. Shooting headshots for kids is SO MUCH FUN. Children don’t have the same hang-ups that we do as adults. They’re not as self-conscious yet & that’s a really good thing for a photographer. The best subject is a present subject – someone who’d just being themselves & not worried about their nose looking too big or if their smile is too gummy. Kids just lay it all out there & I just have to be fast enough to catch it. The actor above came to me from a pretty big & well known commercial agency, so I knew they’d appreciate some variety. Natalie has a great look for camera, since she can sort of morph into so many character types within an instant. Also, she’s got long vibrant red hair with piercing blue eyes, so I knew we could utilize those features to help us create several options for her reps.

Long Hair Tricks for Headshots

When you have long hair to work with, remember that you have SO many options at your disposal. Notice above, the pics with straight hair tucked behind the ears….immediate “Good Kid / Teachers Pet” So simple! Then take a look at the green top images – the surfer girl waves give her that “All-American Kid” look that’s so so popular. For the blue crushed velvet top, we started with fresh curls & pulled them forward on one side to show off all of her thick amazing hair – these felt very “Period Piece” to me & obviously Natalie would be amazing cast in one of those “Sense & Sensibility” type roles 🙂 For the shots in the turquoise tee we loosened up the curls to give her a totally girly “Disney” look. For the black tank top, we brushed our fingers through the curls to make a more relaxed casual look & get a perfect serious “Theatrical” kids headshot.

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Posted in Headshots LA, Kids Headshots