Last month I had the pleasure of doing head shots for Tegan Williams, a young lady I have known and worked with theatrically for a few years now. She needed to update her portfolio, as all serious actors, singers or any other person-who-wants-to-get-their-face-out-there should do every couple of years.
Don't follow the MVA's schedule of every 8 years or so! Directors, producers, casting agents, clients and future employers of any kind don't want to be surprised to see you in person, and need to be reminded of your latest image when reviewing your portfolio. I would encourage new head shots yearly, at most every two years.
In our session, we tried different outfits, looks, expressions and poses. A head shot should accurately portray who you are, as well as give the casting personnel a clear image of what you look like. It's important to make the image memorable, and for it to stand out.
I was able to accomplish a lot of different looks, as well as a strong composition right on my front porch. I used a variety of tools to accomplish different lighting effects. Here you can see what the "set" looks like.
And some more final images!
