headshots of a teen actor with dramatic look

when it came to shooting actor headshots, it was a prolific year. this teen actor studies theater arts in school in washington dc. she’s a young girl with captivating look and an enigmatic smile well suited for drama acting. we set up the photo shoot for 2 o’clock.

as usual, when I have to be in the studio, I try to arrive early because there’s nothing more embarrassing than arriving after client and rushing to set up. lighting setup was a breeze. she was thrilled. like everything young people do, they get fired up. her mom was silent, following every move but didn’t interfere with the shooting. actors in their teens usually aren’t camera shy, so they don’t need a lot of cues to change poses and look natural. the way I approach taking headshots for theater or film is different.

when I shoot female actors, I try to use diffused lighting but since she’s a theater actor I try to use more dramatic lighting. one thing I was mindful of though, is that when you take photos of teenagers, you cannot go with too harsh lighting. so I had to balance between contrast and diffusion. though the sky was overcast, toward the end, I suggested taking some snapshots outside. the light was very soft and we came up with a few shots that were very different from the ones done in the studio. she needed a few prints of the selected pictures and time was of the essence. after I got the prints from the photo lab, I sent them overnight express. I’m glad I did because she got them right on time. she was very happy about the expedited delivery, on top of great shots.

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