This is Jai Khalsa.  This headshot sells Jai as someone high up on the social ladder.  She’s rich, connected and knows exactly what she’s doing.

But this headshot also shows a good bit of acting range on Jai’s part.  Is she about to tell you a secret that will ruin your entire life or is she about to confess that her husband has left her (yet again)?  There’s a mystery to this headshot with is very compelling.

Part of this mystery comes from Jai turning her head to face the camera with her back turned.  This is not a new way to shoot a photograph although it’s often eschewed in headshots.  It can often be hard to get a good picture of someone’s face when they’re turned away from you.  Makes sense.  But this headshot works because Jai turns just enough to show 3/4 of her face but not enough to take away the mystery.

Now it’s time to reveal Jai’s secret:  She’s a total goofball.  She’s fun, silly and cracks up laughing all the time in her normal conversations.  She’s got piles of headshots with amazing commercial smiles.  She was searching for something to sell herself as something more, as an actress.  This photo tells the casting community, “Jai can do more than just smile and be silly.”

This is Bill Lippincott.

Looking at this photo you can tell a few things:  Bill has a seriously disturbing history, Bill is a very serious man and Bill is unshakable.

This photo of Bill sells him in his strongest types: cops, businessmen and lawyers.   There’s something so serious about this photo which tells you this man has been through a lot and seen so many things in his younger days.  This history gives Bill a toughness that doesn’t rely on his physicality.  You just know looking at him that nothing you can do will shake him.

The truly wonderful thing about this photo is that Bill isn’t always this serious.  He’s performed and taught improv at Improv Olympic.   He often gets hired as the “funny guy.”  But he understands how to market himself well.  He’s not going to find a headshot that shows his ability to be funny as well as his ability to play dead serious and damaged.  Instead Bill has multiple headshots, each showing his different sides.  This lets Bill market himself properly for each part and not have to worry about selling all of his traits at the same time.

Presenting: Tim Astor.   Tim is a very funny young actor who does well in a suit.  He’s got a youthful playfulness about him which was captured in this headshot.

Tim just performed in the Cricket Feet Actors Showcase in which he won the “best in show” award.  In the showcase he was cast as a young troublemaker in his father’s office.  He wanted a photograph that sold him as the type he played to such strong praise.  The idea was to capture his innocence as well as the fact that this kid could mean trouble.

This headshot works well to do capture both.   The way he’s leaning into the frame suggests he’s a bit mischievous and is poking his head in where it doesn’t belong.  His smile is difficult to pin down.  Is he smiling because he’s charming and harmless or is he smiling because he’s up to something?  Only Tim knows for sure.

Even though the strike will end eventually, you should have some good headshots to keep your acting career going through the very likely lull.

Mention “Strike Special” when you e-mail about this deal.

Remember, you don’t have to shoot the session between now and when the strike ends, only book it.

Also, Character Photography is proud to be a sponsor of the 3rd Cricket Feet Casting Actors Showcase.

Julie Inmon says, “Everyone always says I’m like a fun aunt.” Well guess what, that’s a great type to target with her headshots.

Julie really wanted to target a “fun, kinda kooky friend” type with her headshots. We selected a shirt that was something a faux-bohemian would wear. This is the type of person who claims to be artsy but drives a Highlander and bought this particular shirt at the mall. Her accessories were picked to give a similar feel to the whole photo. This isn’t someone you take too seriously. But it’s someone who’s really fun to hang out with.

The attitude we were trying to target was the aunt who would happily babysit your kids, and then take them out to ice cream the second you leave the house. There’s some mischief in Julie’s eyes in this photo which really sells this point well. Also the combination of blues and browns in her hair, eyes, shirt and background look really good on her.

This is Jennifer Boarini.  Jennifer is an awesome, fun and and pretty girl.

Her previous attempts to market herself as such didn’t work out so well.  Her old photos were stiff, over the top and didn’t make her look very good.  So when Jennifer came in her goals were headshots that were much more casual, subtle and made her look as attractive as she does in person.

The subtlety of this photo is what makes it work.  For Jennifer to come off as attractive she doesn’t have to be wearing a bikini.  To show her as a college student she doesn’t have to be holding books or wearing a UCLA sweater.  Instead she’s wearing a shirt that could be a college shirt, or a sports team or just something she picked up at Old Navy.

The biggest reason Jennifer comes off as young, pretty and fun in this headshot is that she’s relaxed and having fun in this photo.  This is an important skill for having a photo taken as well as being an actor.  When Jennifer is relaxed (unlike in many of her older photos) she shows her true personality.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the chairman of the board… Robert Standley.

Robert often gets told he can play a CEO or a politician and that’s what we tried to target with this photo.  While he often goes out for stoic leading man parts Robert also can bring a lot to the part of a high level executive or an elected official.

This photo works because Robert avoids the trap of showing a CEO or politician type in a boring light.  Looking into his eyes you’re not sure if this guy is going to fight for the little man or crush all his opponents on his way to the top, and that’s the way he likes it.  This character is the Vice President on 24 who could be working for either side. One thing’s for certain, this man means business.

Robert could easily have put on his suit and a blank stare and produced a photo that an actual CEO might have.  But instead he uses his acting ability and pulls up some very visible but subtle work that shows him in his best light.  That’s what makes this photo “pop” and stand out as a headshot.

This photo of Jill van Velzer is meant to market her as the fun girl you want to have hang out, watch the game and drink beer with. She could also be the girlfriend who knows more about sports than her husband. She’s a guy’s gal.

This photo is interesting because it’s a pretty big departure from the way Jill has marketed herself in the past. She typically goes out for parts of much more unapproachable women. While she plays those parts well she’s naturally very fun and can hang with the guys. She wanted a photo that would market her in that light.

Everything about this photo suggests that Jill is fun and easy going. She’s got a relaxed pose. a fun loose wardrobe, her hair isn’t too perfect and she has a look on her face that tells the world she’s having a blast.