Following that post, I received a few comments…4 to be exact…that were less than flattering for the company. Fact is that every business will have missteps and slip ups along the way. Actors are like any other consumer: we want what we’ve paid for. Simple as that. Unfortunately, all transactions over the internet don’t go smoothly. When that happens, when the level of trust that is necessary to complete an online purchase is somehow diminished, we consumers get a bit worried at the least and often we get downright angry. All that is understandable.

I know from experience how expensive it is for an actor to keep supplies of headshots, demos, etc. When we spend our hard earned money on these necessities, it really gets perturbing when it seems we may have been scammed.

Now, I don’t know exactly what went wrong for the people who posted negative comments about Headshot Depot on this blog. But I do know that I paid attention. It made me rethink my positive comments and it made me reluctant to place a subsequent order.

Recently I found myself running low on a particular shot I use so I needed to get some new prints. For a number of reasons, I prefer to do this type business over the internet: it’s convenient and I can do it at 1:00am if I want to, the cost is reasonable and the quality of reproductions I’ve received has been excellent.

In deciding where to place my most recent order I looked around at some of the competitive sites that provide headshot reproductions. After an admittedly quick survey of a few sites, I found that I still preferred Headshot Depot for several reasons.

The primary thing I like about the site is their interface. I can upload a photo, adjust the framing to a certain extent, change the background from light to dark, see what it looks like with and without a border…and all in a very few minutes. There may well be other sites that make the ordering process as quick and as easy as Headshot Depot…and I’d love it if you guys would clue me in….but I didn’t hit them in my search. So, with a little reluctance, I placed a new order.

Now comes the slightly negative part of the experience.

I order a lot of things online. I have become accustomed to receiving almost instantaneous responses following placement of an order. If I order computer parts from Newegg, for instance, there is an email confirming the order – in full detail – practically as soon as I hit the ‘send’ button to complete the order. Same with most other sites from which I purchase.

Not so from Headshot Depot. I placed an order rather late at night, so I didn’t get upset at the lack of an instant response. When there was still no response the next morning, I started to rethink my decision.

But, not to worry, I did get an email response and it contained my ‘proof’. I was to approve and reply and I was told I’d receive another email regarding payment for the order.

Okay…not the smoothest way to handle the transaction, but I wasn’t being ripped off. Of that I was convinced.

Then…more waiting. I waited for a day or so and when I hadn’t received the email about paying for my order, I emailed the company. I was told the order was actually ready and I should be receiving a billing email shortly.

Later the same day I did, in fact, receive an email instructing me to pay via PayPal and I was good to go.

After paying, I’m accustomed to receiving notification from the vendor that they have been paid, with shipping details included.

Not so with Headshot Depot. Of course I did receive a notice from PayPal, so I knew the transaction was complete on my end. And so I waited.

About a week later the headshots arrived. They actually arrived on the day I had decided it was time to reach out again and find out the status of my order.

So…final opinion: Headshot Depot needs to upgrade their process of communication with clients and completion of orders to match the excellent impression they make with their ordering interface. The product I received this time lives up to the excellent quality of photo reproduction that I previously experienced.

Will I order from Headshot Depot again? I will. The service could definitely be better…smoother at least…but the product is excellent and the pricing is competitive with any other service I’ve utilized.

Today I received a follow up call from the owner who wanted to make sure my order had arrived and that I was satisfied. Now that’s good customer service. I relayed my ‘problems’ and suggestions to him and he seemed receptive.

If you have a good or bad experience with Headshot Depot let me know. I certainly don’t want to be in the position of recommending a service or business that is not delivering on their promises.

Bottom line: caveat emptor.

“GETTING YOUR ACT TOGETHER”
Demo Reels, Pictures, and Resumes

JANUARY 24, 2010 – Time: 4:00 – 6:00 PM
St. Edward’s University, 3001 S. Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
Ragsdale Center, Mabee Ballroom on 3rd Floor

Join the Austin Actors Conservatory for a candid discussion of what works and what doesn’t and learn how to market yourself in today’s climate.

COST: Members of the AAC: Attend for FREE. Please bring your SAG/AFTRA card for admittance (as a reminder all members of AAC must be paid up and in good standing with their unions). FREE for St. Edward’s students (must show student ID for admission) * Fans of the AAC: $20.00 *All others: $25.00.

Please RSVP for this EVENT:  AustinActorsConservatory at gmail.com

Moderated by Tommy G. Kendrick

Our Panelists Include:

Pictures and Resumes:

DAMON WILLIAMS – Former Casting Director for Ricki G. Maslar Casting; Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer Casting – in Los Angeles, Damon is a recent transplant from Los Angeles, currently casting: “Twisted Proverbs”, “The Everyday Sun Tzu”. Past projects include: “The God Project”, “Going Postal”, “Manfest”,”The Year That Trembled”, “Black Hole”, “My Best Friend’s Wife”, Speechless”, “XCU: Extreme Close-up”, “Always Greener”. Damon is also a SAG actor, AAC Committee Member and 2010 Script to Screen Chair.

Demo Reels and Other Marketing Tools:

PAMELA WEAVER – Actress, Filmmaker, Film Editor. Another transplant from Los Angeles, Pamela has been performing on stage and screen since the age of 6 years old, touring with the “Weaver Sisters” at USO shows, private clubs, aboard ship, army camps. She has performed in over 100 stage plays on both the east and west coasts, 15 films and 6 television shows. In 2006 she went behind the camera learning film editing, shot her first documentary which is currently in post and creates demo reels for actors. Her first paid gig as a film editor and DP was working for ESPN in 2007. Between acting gigs and chairing the Austin Actors Conservatory, she films and edits virtual auditions and demo reels for actors, internet advertising.

JONATHAN GRUBBS – Film editor, motion graphics designer and published writer, Jonathan has spent the last 5 years editing at a boutique post production facility in Los Angeles where he worked on trailers and television spots for major studio film releases. He now freelance edits and designs motion graphics for television commercials for markets across the nation. His current plans are to expand into visual effects, feature title design and feature editorial in the near future. Past clients have included Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, major pharmaceutical industry firms, a rock band, documentary and a local Austin independent comedy.

What the Professionals That Hire You Are Looking For – How to Get Their Attention!

MARK LANE — Producer, Capitol Motion Pictures — In 2000, Executive Producer Mark Lane produced the independent Film, The Cure for Boredom, starring Judd Nelson, Seymour Cassel and the late Joe Vitterelli. Fusing all his talent and abilities, Mark went on to form Capitol Motion Pictures, focusing on the production of quality feature films. His feature, the comedy “Checking Out” starring Peter Falk, Laura San Giacomo, David Paymer & Judge Reinhold, was released in September, 2006. Mark’s present position in the film industry culminates years of expertise both behind and in front of the camera. Mark started out as an actor in New York, eventually producing and acting in over twenty off-Broadway plays. Following the path of numerous talented New Yorkers, Mark headed west to Hollywood where he quickly gained recognition working as an actor on such network television shows and feature films such as Hill Street Blues, McGyver, Capitol, Miss Lonely Hearts, Chud 2, Friday the 13th, Fire in the Night, Mass Appeal, Sex & Bullets. Desiring to expand his creativity, Mark began working behind the camera on numerous projects for the three major networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC; as well as for several motion picture studios, including: Paramount Pictures, Universal, Warner Brothers and Lion’s Gate, to name a few. Quickly, Mark rose to Producer, heading up three feature shorts for HBO/Showtime: When Angels Cry, Galatea’s Wish, and Hope’s Creek. He also produced and directed the nominated documentary, Our Father the Bank Robber. Mark studied acting in New York City under the tutelage of Lee Strassberg, Warren Robertson, Uta Hagen & Herbert Berghoff and Alan Rich in Los Angeles. The completion of two films this year ”Bittersweet” won highest honors this years at World fest 2009 Houston starring James Brolin & Kip Pardue and “Shadows” starring William Hurt & Cary Elwes are slated for release this year. The Tribeca Film festival has requested Shadows to have our world premiere for their festival this April 2010.

GARY CHASON, Director, virtually grew up in the theater. He and his two sisters, from the moment they could walk and talk, put on shows for family and friends. He studied classical ballet at Houston Ballet’s academy as well as vocal music, singing in the chorus of the Houston Grand Opera’s production of Tales of Hoffman. He took up directing at the University of Texas and set his sights on becoming an avant garde, experimental writer/director. He created Houston Laboratory Theatre in 1970 and directed an innovative Romeo and Juliet that received excellent notices. He produced and directed one of the most controversial stage productions in Houston during the Seventies: The Beard, an erotic one-act staged at an art gallery in the Montrose District. He also directed two of his original plays at the Equinox Theater: Charlie’s Ear and Denizens. He has had a distinguished career in motion pictures as a Casting Director and Dialogue/Dialect Coach. His casting credits include: The Last Picture Show; Paper Moon; The Getaway; Pretty Baby; and Paris, Texas. He has worked closely with directors Robert Altman, Peter Bogdanovich, Sam Peckinpah, Michael Ritchie, Louis Malle, and Wim Wenders. As a Dialogue/Dialect Coach he has tutored Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Brooke Shields, Tatum O’Neal, C. Thomas Howell, and Ann-Margret. His first feature film as a Writer-Director, Charlie’s Ear, won the Critics’ Prize at Mannheim and all the top awards – Best Film, Actor, Director, and Cinematography – at the IMAGFIC festival in Madrid. He produced The Trust, an award-winning feature film starring Karen Black and Sam Bottoms, and has produced, directed, and/or written numerous shorts: Mama Icy’s House; From Nowheresville; Ink on Paper; Little Beauties; A Few Letters Off; More Than Two Dollars, and My Name Is Jeffrey and I’m a Serial Killer. In the field of Corporate Training Videos his clients include Service Corporation International, Shell Oil, The American Bar Association, The Texas Young Lawyers Association, Liveris Digital Productions, Hoefler Associates, and The Escape School. His first book, Acting for the Real World: Notes on Television and Motion Picture Acting, will be published soon by FSE Publishing and his screenplays, Succubus Crystal, My Princess, and Faces of Stone, won, respectively, gold, silver, and bronze awards at WorldFest Houston. As an actor, he has appeared as a supporting player in the feature films Brewster McCloud, Zombies of Sugar Hill, Burger Wars, and My Best Friend is a Vampire. His first starring role as “Dusty” in the indie feature Dear Pillow has earned rave reviews in Variety, The Orlando Weekly, Film Threat, Indie Slate Magazine, and Playback St. Louis. He produced and directed Everything or Nothing, an HD feature starring Natasha Melnick in ’04, which was finished in ‘06. It was written by Sue Rock. God Thinks You’re a Loser, an HD feature he wrote and directed, was completed in 2008.

What prompts this little rant? I received an email yesterday from an acting related blog I’m apparently subscribed to that led me to a link to a message board at backstage dot com. For those who don’t know, BACKSTAGE is trade type publication that originally was centered on NY theater and film issues and has for some years also been also covered the LA market as well. It is a legitimate publication, so what I have to say is not a criticism of Backstage.

Here’s the link: Backstage Message Board

Do me a favor and finish reading here before bolting for the message board. I’ll give you a taste of what you’ll find. Here’s the way the discussion begins:

Is anyone familiar with Peter McMahon? He wants my 14 yr. old daughter to be in his new movie. I am excited about this, is it for real? …he said I needed to send him $250. for the SAG, AFTRA, and ACT memberships. He said he could get her 150 hours in in about 3-5 days, because he owns a radio station, cable network, and so on in New York. We were in touch via telephone. He got my daughter’s resume from ***talent.biz, where she can go for casting calls, gigs, and so on for $20.00 per month. I haven’t heard from him since Friday night, and he said he’d send us a “confirmation” for our airline ticket on Sunday night, or Monday morning. It is Monday after 2pm, and he hasn’t returned my phone call. I realize that I am not high on his priority list, since she has 0 experience, but I am getting nervous. His phone number is out of Nashville, TN. Thank you for ANY info you can give me!!

How many red flags do you spot in this post? For the promise from a complete stranger, via a contact across state lines and over the internet, some well meaning but completely clueless parent is about to waste her money, at the very least, and quite possibly jeopardize the safety of her 14 year old daughter. Unbelievable. But believe it, it’s true.

Let me save you some time it will take to read the entire thread on Backstage. An frighteningly large number of other posters responded that they had already sent the scammer identified as “Peter McMahon” at least $250 to be ‘cast’ in his supposed film project called “Italian in the South”. At least one person posted that they had already purchased their tickets to NYC but were waiting for Mr. McMahon to forward their itinerary.

Uh…don’t hold your breath on getting that ‘itinerary’. But this poor person wasn’t the only one taken in by this rather transparent scam:

All of this is happening to me now I have been talking to him peter mcmahon [sic] all day and am suppose to fly out to new york tomoorow [sic] I sent him 250 through western union. I think I got taken.

Ya think?

And this:

Same thing happened to me yesterday. I had noticed this blog yesterday but thought surely that he would call you. I actually called him last night and he answered and said that he would be sending my schedule and itenerary soon. Has anyone else heard anything??

And finally someone injects a bit of good old common sense:

DO NOT FLY ANYWHERE. Obviously, we are missing some information in this situation, but this simply cannot be legit. I guess this COULD just be a money scam, in which case you will never hear from this guy again. But if he was intending to actually fly a child to NYC, it sounds like more than a scam: it sounds more like sex trafficing [sic] . I’m not kidding.

Listen up actors, wannabe actors, and parents who want their kids to be the next big thing in TV and the movies:

I don’t even know where to start listing the DON’T and NEVERs that apply but here are a few in no particular order of importance:

1. NEVER pay any agent upfront money to ‘represent’ you or your child in the entertainment business. That is NOT the way a legitimate agent / client relationship works.

Agent’s work FOR talent in a effort to secure employment. AFTER the talent books a job and is paid, the agent will receive a commission. NOT beforehand.

NOT on the promise of getting the performer work.

NOT in advance in any legitimate situation.

IF an agent requires you to pay a FEE of any kind in exchange for representation that is NOT a legitimate agent and you will be throwing away your money. PERIOD.

Agent scams are as old as show business. See my former post on Headshots for some discussion of the old ‘use my photographer’ scam where the ‘agent’ is nothing more
than a referral service for one or more photographers from whom the ‘agent’ receives a kickback.

Old scam, still going on every day in Hollywood and across the country.

2. NEVER pay a casting service that purports to cast roles in film, television or commercials. Casting directors get paid by production companies, not by actors.

I suggest you check out LEGITIMATE casting offices like casting director Beth Sepko’s where you’ll find the following statement. By the way, Beth’s company casts both principal roles and background:

There is NEVER a fee to be registered or on file with our company. There is also NEVER a fee collected from the talent or extras for any booking. We are compensated by the production companies who hire us. Which means we only book talent for projects we are casting.

Google Beth’s name and you’ll find her site. Read all the information there and you’ll get a good idea of how a legitimate, professional casting director works.

Also check out the web site for THE ALLIANCE. There you’ll find a wealth of information about legitimate conduct for actors, agents and casting directors. This information applies nationwide, not just for actors in Central Texas, so if you’re in LA or NYC or Nashville, TN check out these resources for some very solid information.

3. NEVER post your home address and/or home phone number on some internet ‘casting’ site. Most of these sites have as much chance of generating a legitimate casting opportunity as I have of beating Lance Armstrong in a bike race. Not Likely.

I understand that parents and young actors are trying in every way possible to gain entry into a very competitive business that doesn’t seem to have many open doors.

You should understand that most legitimate casting sites, sites that are actually utilized by professional casting and production people, require that talent have some credentials: an agent, legitimate credits, SAG or AFTRA or AEA membership, for instance.

Listing your home phone and address only sets you up to be more easily scammed or possibly worse.

4. NEVER allow you minor child to have a private meeting with a casting person or agent. That is particularly true if you’ve made contact via the internet or, heaven forbid, Craig’s List.

You are a parent first. Your child’s future career, if there is to be one, will not be thwarted because you exercise good parental judgement.

On the other hand, your child’s safety could definitely be compromised if you do not. Unfortunately, pedophiles and other scumbags can be very clever. Wise up.

5. NEVER post provocative photos of yourself or your children on casting forums or sites. Don’t invite trouble. Unless you’re trying to get into the porn business,
no legitimate casting site wants to publish your nude or semi nude photos. Period.

And to wrap this up:

If you get contacted about a casting call, do your homework. Google is your friend. The IMDB is your friend.

The national or regional offices of Screen Actors Guild or AFTRA are your friends. You do not have to be a union member to get lots of FREE information off the SAG dot org site, for instance.

If you have a question about a producer or production that is supposedly shooting in your area, check with SAG. See if it is a signatory production. Not all legitimate productions are SAG signatory, but the SAG office may have information that will be helpful.

Understand that every state has CHILD LABOR LAWS and legitimate casting and agent’s office go out of their way to make sure they are in compliance with all legal requirements for working with or even interviewing minor children.

Finally, don’t be so desperate to break into the film business that you break the rules of common sense. I could go on forever on this subject…and probably have but the situation that prompted this post is disturbing. To resurrect a line from Hill Street Blues (yeah I’m old enough to remember HSB), BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.

Hi E…,

The photo you attached is fine…as long as it still looks like you. However the truth is you probably need more than one photo. This one is pretty ‘serious’…which is good for many roles but might not be good if you were going up for a lighter role or for a commercial. I also suggest you get any new photos taken in color. Many years ago, color photos were only for models but that day has passed. With the advent of digital photography, color headshots have become the norm for actors as well. There is a link on my web site to a local photographer named Kathy Whittaker. I don’t get any money for recommending Kathy, I was just very pleased with her work and her pricing. If you decide to get new shots I’d call around or check web sites to get prices and see whose style appeals most to you. There are a number of good photographers in town.

BUT if you’re looking at changing agents, I’d wait on new photos until you get the agent thing settled. Then go over the issue of photos with your agent and see what kind of photos they want you to have…they’ll give you some opinions on how the think they can best market you.

If you’re going to try to establish a working relationship with any agent, it’s best to [not only] enlist their input [but] then to do what they say and see how that works. Also get the agent’s recommendations about photographers. As long as you are with a reputable agency, then you shouldn’t have to worry about getting scammed by an agent who makes money off photographer’s referral fees…an OLD scam in the agency business. Continue to check with your peers about their representation and about who shot their pictures, etc. That kind of information can be gold to you and save you from making some mistakes.

As to changing agents…

I don’t know who you signed with or the terms of the contract. Typically there is an ‘out’ clause in every talent contract..for both the talent and the agent. If you haven’t been working and they aren’t calling and the contract is still in force, a simple letter terminating the agreement should do the trick. But check your contract for specifics such as the requirement that the letter be [sent by] certified mail, etc. Depending on how long ago you signed the contract, it may no longer be in force. Again, check your copy of the agreement.

BUT before you do seek a new agent there is something that you might want to consider: It sounds like you haven’t been a very good client to this agent. I don’t say that to be critical but just in response to your representation that you haven’t been available because of school. Nothing will turn off ANY agent faster than a talent who is not available for auditions.

Once in a while is not a problem, but after a few times…or worse, if the talent just doesn’t return the agent’s call…or EVEN WORSE if the talent accepts the audition and then gets busy with class or whatever and DOESN’T SHOW AT THE AUDITION, the agent gets the idea that the talent is not really serious and they move on to those who are.

Not showing up for an audition appointment is NOT ACCEPTABLE as it can give you AND your agent a black eye with the casting person. I’m not saying you stiffed the agent on auditions, because I don’t know that. I’m just saying…agency and talent relationships are a two way street. SO…before changing agents, you may want to get back in touch with your present agent and have a discussion about how you’re now ready to be available and serious about getting acting work. If you liked this agent well enough to sign with them in the first place, maybe you don’t need to change agents, just get back in their good graces.

Otherwise, truly, in this market I think all the agents are going to provide similar results. Just go with someone with whom you feel a connection and then do your part by getting them the photos they want and need and by being available when they call…by taking some classes if possible to show you’re continuing to study, etc.

Also you’re going to want to get up to speed with a few services like NOW CASTING and ACTORS ACCESS. Those are two online casting sites that many/most agents and casting people are now utilizing. At least familiarize yourself with those sites so you can ask potential agents if they use them and what they expect from you in terms of getting signed up…they’re both free to actors.

Find someone you ‘like’ and stay with them.

I’ve had a LOT of agents in my career and sometimes a change of agent is about all an actor thinks they can do to get things jump started. You have to understand the realities of the market in which you’re working. Right now, local production is way down due to the lack of an adequate tax incentive program in Texas. That lack has resulted in a LOT of work moving to other states like Louisiana and New Mexico and even Michigan.

At this time and in this market…given the statement in the paragraph above, I would discourage moving from agent to agent because I just don’t see the point. All the [reputable] agents will get all the calls from the casting people. If you establish that you are serious about acting and do your part, the agent, whichever agency you are with, will probably get you out. All the agent can do is give the actor an opportunity, it’s up to the actor to book the job. Easy money, right? Hah!

You might take a look at agency web sites and see which agents seem to have the most talent who ‘look’ like you and which don’t. You might consider approaching an agent who DOESN’T already have 10 guys in your age range and with your ‘look’…so you will fill a need for that agent.

Hope this helps some. It’s a long road and it takes a lot of persistence, patience and work to get anywhere. Best of luck and keep in touch.

Tommy

Here are some questions you may want to ask when you make your photographer calls:

This isn’t a definitive list so make sure you use this as a starting place and add your own questions to these.

There are many additional questions and concerns we could go into but…you’d have to write a book, not a couple of blog posts.

Let me try to wrap this up with a few more points.

If you have an agent…talk to them in advance of your photo session. You need to try to give the agent the right tools to sell you to the casting community. Getting their input in advance is just good business. I’m assuming you’re dealing with a reputable agent and not someone who’s trying to soak you for fees for photos, acting classes, etc.

Note to beginning actors: If you’re looking for basic headshots to try to get an agent, do yourself a favor and go for the most inexpensive package your selected photographer offers. The last thing you want to do is spend a month’s salary on a photo session and multiple 8×10 prints, then get an agent and have the agent tell you they want something different.

Beginners – Don’t worry about wardrobe changes, etc. See if the photographer has a minimal ‘beginners’ rate. You’re looking for one good shot that looks like YOU. At this stage of the game, if money is keeping you from getting a basic headshot, consider having a friend take some shots for you. Everybody knows someone with a digital camera. If you or a friend has a digital camera that has a 5 megapixels or greater sensor, you should be able to get an acceptable ‘starter’ headshot with which to query agents.

Okay, I promise, I’m almost through.

If you want some more information and the perspective of a professional photographer I suggest you visit the Kathy Whittaker Photography web site. I recently chose Kathy to shoot my headshots and I couldn’t have been happier with the results. The bottom line is…do your own research and get the information you need to make an informed choice.

At some point you’re going to have some headshots and you’re going to need prints. I encourage you NOT to go overboard here. After I had my last shots printed, my agent actually kept very few of them in her office. She’s doing so many submissions online, that she needed minimal hard copies. A word to the wise…don’t get 1000 headshots printed…it may be a while before they ever get used up.

I poked around on the internet and found a company I decided to give a shot with a minimal order. That company is HEADSHOT DEPOT. I get NOTHING for touting Headshot Depot. Their service and the quality of their product was outstanding and maybe I can save you some of the shopping that I did before deciding on this company. The thing I really like about Headshot Depot is their online ordering system. The shots above are screen shots showing the basic process for ordering online. The great thing is that you can upload a hires photo and see what it looks like framed and with your name applied. You can check out as many of your potential headshot photos as you want this way BEFORE you actually complete an order. The system has always worked flawlessly for me. The people at the other end are friendly and they get the job turned around quickly. That’s just my experience and if you use them I hope you are similarly pleased.

Well that’s it for this little tutorial of mine. If you have other suggestions, questions or disagreements with what I’ve said, feel free to post a comment.

Tommy

HEADSHOTS. The quest for the perfect headshot is never ending. One or more good headshots are probably the single most important marketing tools an actor, particularly a beginning actor, will have at his/her disposal. The importance of having a good headshot is hard to over emphasize. Even when you have the perfect shot, if you ever do, in a few weeks (for a child actor) or a few monts or a year, you’ll find yourself once again looking for the next perfect headshot. I won’t go into all the reasons why that last statement is true, but it is…trust me. Headshots seem to cost a small fortune to have shot and then another small fortune to have printed.

Over the years I’ve spent several thousand dollars on headshot photography…just the photo sessions. My most recent headshots are at the top of this page. These shots were done by a terrific local headshot photographer named Kathy Whittaker, and I think I got great value for the money I spent. And she wasn’t the most expensive photographer I was considering. (Find a link to Kathy’s site in the Blogroll. BTW…I didn’t get a fee break to say nice things about the photographer.)

The money I’ve spend on headshots doesn’t make me an expert, but I do think I’ve picked up a few things that at least the beginning actor or a young actor’s parents might find useful.

First off you have to choose a photographer. Duh! This is not an easy task as many times the struggling (do actors ever NOT struggle at some aspect of the business?) actor has COST as the deciding factor in selection of a photographer or other promotional service. Over emphasizing cost -on the low side or the high side – can lead to a serious mistake if the quality of the resulting photos is sub-par or if the photographer just doesn’t shoot in a style that captures YOU. Cheap is good if the results are good. Cheap is bad if the results aren’t what you need…you’ve just added to the final expense because you’ll end up having to do the whole thing all over again. On the other hand, the most expensive shooter isn’t necessrily the best shooter for YOU. All I can say here is DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

That may take some time. Just for grins, I did a Google search on the word “Headshots”. Guess how many results I got? 5,660,000! To narrow that down just a bit I then searched on the term “Actor Headshots Austin,TX”. That brought the results down to a more manageable 22,000 hits. Hah! “Austin Headshot Photographers” yields almost 8,000 hits. Obviously, with a little refinement in an internet search, most actors will find a sufficient number of potential photographers to consider. Sometimes there seems to be too much information.

How can we cut through all this clutter? This is where common sense has to kick in. Get recommendations from actor friends. If you’re taking an acting class, poll your fellow actors. Ask your competition at auditions who shot those awesome shots they’re holding. And if you have an agent, definitely get their input. Get on the web sites for all the local agents. In a few minutes you can scan every photo they have online.

Agents will love me saying this but if you find a shot you think is a killer shot that fits your type, call the agency and QUICKLY and POLITELY ask if they know who shot s0-and-so’s headshots that are on the web site. What can it hurt? Of course if you get snapped at or hung up on, don’t blame me and don’t take it personally. In fact, get used to it. I can’t tell you how many Sunset Strip agent’s office doors I’ve had slammed in my face. It comes with the territory. Embrace the rejections…they’ll make a good story someday.

Just a word of caution, particularly for beginners. In the ‘old days’ it was not uncommon for unscrupulous agents, so called casting directors or acting ‘teachers’ and others to get referral fees from photographers. For the out and out scammers, that was actually their real source of income – money from wannabe actors for headshots. Then, as technology improved, the scams moved to demo tapes…and on it goes. So, the best advice is get referrals, check out several potential photographers and don’t make cost the only factor you consider.

Try to narrow down the list from referrals etc. by visiting the photographer’s web site. No web site…put them on the back burner for the moment. Are headshots a major part of the photographer’s business? How much web site space do they devote to headshot galleries as opposed to say, wedding photography? In the bigger markets it will be no trick at all to find many photographers who shoot nothing but headshots.

In smaller markets, expect to use a photographer who covers the board.

Zero in on photographers whose work makes YOU stop and take notice. Once you have your choices narrowed to a manageable number, say 3-4, call and talk to the photographer or assistant.

Next time I’ll suggest some questions you should have ready to ask you potential photographer and some links to other web sites that will help you make an informed choice BEFORE you’ve spent your money on headshots.

Coming in Part II: Headshots, Demos, Craigslist, and more.