Searching for Headshots

Finding a photographer to take ones headshot is like searching for your soul mate. 
These photos represent me before someone actually gets to meet me in person. My picture needs to pop. It could be a bitchin' photo of myself but does it say "HIRE ME" or "GIRL NEXT DOOR", "INGENUE", "FEMME FATALE" ? Does it label the kind of actor I am while still being a great photo? 

Fortunately for me my boyfriend is a photographer. Unfortunately for me the industry peeps say to never have a Family member or significant other take your head shot. What I think they mean by this is do not have your mother who is a nurse and never held a camera in her life snap your photo with a disposable or point and shoot. 


At the same time, we're all trying to save some money. If my boyfriend can take a great photo of me and he's probably one of few people who photograph me extremely well then why shouldn't I get some free shots out of that rather than pay 800 dollars for a stranger I've never met to take 200+ shots and only edit 3? (Of course it's a light edit. I don't want to look like a super model and then walk into the audition looking like a troll.)
Is it because I have read countless books, interviews and sat in listening to CD's and Agents saying to find a great "head shot" photographer, not a family member. (My boyfriends not a family member though. That's weird.)


I guess it would seem so. All of the people that I need to like me in order to get my career moving are telling me what to do. I should listen to them right? 
But as Kelly Cutrone says "Normal gets you nowhere." 


I have met some great photographers and I have seen some work of great photographers. Just because they took a great head shot for someone else doesn't mean you will like them and it is extremely important to have some sort of chemistry with the person taking your picture. Otherwise they will be bland brand head shots and you just doused 500-800 dollars in oil, lit it up and created a cold fire. 


Sit down with someone who you might want to take your pictures. Get to know them. This is a consultation. You wouldn't get a boob job before sitting down and talking with the doctor first. Don't get your picture taken which is crucial to your acting career without talking to the photographer first.
Find the cheapest and greatest and for heavens sake if your dad is a photographer or uncle or cousin or sister or boyfriend or best friend... I mean legit photographer meaning it is their career not just a hobbie then have them take your photograph. 

Why on this green but mostly blue earth would you pay a ton of money if you have someone perfectly fit to do it for free?

And that is my opinion. Hopefully you made sense of it : )

Good luck and Smile.
-Actress Anonymous