NoHo Photographers Explain the Art of the Headshot

On a warm Wednesday morning in a performing arts studio on Magnolia Boulevard, Barry YoungBlood puts on his outfit before he steps into a white background.

YoungBlood, 35, a dancer who has toured with Jennifer Lopez for three years, is ready for his next step — becoming a choreographer. However, before he can apply for such a coveted position, he needs to update his headshot—the glossy, glamorized portrait used to identify entertainers.

The headshot is essential in order to find work in the industry. What sets successful entertainers from the rest is a well-composed headshot, which is crucial in getting work.

"A headshot brings out your personality and makes you look like a star," he said. "I like photographers that can bring out your inner self."

YoungBlood is photographer Levi Walker's first client of the day. He said that quality headshots need to reflect the roles that entertainers are trying to get and they need multiple headshots to cater to the tastes of different casting directors.

"The performer becomes the canvas and the casting director paints them to what they need," said Walker, whose photography business caters to dancers who have made it on television shows like So You Think You Can Dance.

What sets Walker apart from other photographers is how he emphasizes customer service — it's not just taking multiple photographs; it's about helping his clients before the photoshoot and choosing wardrobe, makeup and colors that pop up in the photo.

Some common mistakes that he found with other headshots involve composition, which depends on lighting and other features.

"Most of the mistakes come down to bad lighting, wardrobe choice and not focusing on hair and makeup to accentuate the photographs," Walker said.

Walker argued that investing in a good headshot makes sense and warned that relying on amateur photographers to do their headshots would be detrimental in getting good gigs.

"What they don't understand is that [getting amateur headshots] is a detriment to what they do," he said. "If they have sub-par headshots, they will get sub-par work."

As Walker works with YoungBlood, a couple blocks away on the same street, Michael Roud is awaiting his next client. Before he opened his photography studio three years ago, he was a cinematographer, which shaped his techniques of creating a well-composed image.

His approach to headshots is to make the client seem like they're in that movie role and take many photographs in his studio and outdoors.

"I want to create a situation in which [my clients] look like they're in an actual movie," he said. "A headshot is a hyperfocused reality of their roles that they're looking for."

Roud emphasized that a headshot is the most important aspect of auditioning for roles, as talent agents want their candidates to look like the picture. He wants his clients to understand that a headshot is a surefire way to connect with talent agents and audition the roles that would suit their personality.

"Headshots are a visual guide to one's personality and marketability," Roud said. "I want my clients to understand their marketability because they are turning themselves into a commodity."

In the end, when talent agents and scouts sift through a myriad of headshots, it is the ones that actors pay great money that matter the most.

"You get what you pay for," he said. "If you're going to pay $50 to $200 for a headshot, you're not going to get that role you want."