Archive for 'Head Shots'

Lesley Bryce, Go-To Photographer for Hollywood’s Up & Comers, Gives 5 Headshot Tips for Child Actors

Lesley Bryce, Go-To Photographer for Hollywood’s Up & Comers, Gives 5 Headshot Tips for Child Actors

Posted on20. Jul, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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I had the pleasure of meeting photographer Lesley Bryce in June of this year when my daughter Jordan did a photo shoot for L.A.’s  favorite kids clothing store, Hipster Kid (below).  Lesley is an accomplished photographer and member of the Professional Photographers of America whose work you’ve likely seen in Popstar Magazine, PopCon and on the website JustJaredJr.com, among others.  While I knew instantly that I liked her photography, I became better acquainted with Lesley Bryce the person during her interview this week.

Actress Larsen Thompson, photographed by Lesley Bryce Actress Jordan Bobbitt, photographed by Lesley Bryce

As a child, Leslie felt the pull of art and the creative process.  “I believe I knew at about 7 years old I would [eventually] become an artist of some sort.  I was always a ham in front of the camera, and I can remember  incessantly bugging my Dad to let me play with his 35mm Pentex,” she states.  During her senior year of high school, Bryce enrolled in a college course in photography and immediately fell head over heels.  Her love affair with photography led her to California State University at Northridge, CSUN,  where she received a degree in Studio Arts/Fine Art Photography.  Bryce names her influences as Richard Avedon, Annie Leibowitz, Lewis Hine, Edward Weston, Man Ray and Walker Evans. “I find I am still continually inspired by color, geometric shapes, architecture and personality,” Bryce adds.

What’s your philosophy of photography? In other words, what makes a Lesley Bryce photo a Lesley Bryce photo?

I would have to say it is telling a story through an image, revealing the emotion of the subject…this is what photography is all about.  Capturing that moment in time, seeing something  no one else can, and then sharing  it with the world in a photograph.  A ” Lesley Bryce Photograph” is colorful, out-side-of-the-box Art.

You do all types of photography: Baby, Kids, Portraits, Commercial, Weddings, Publicity shots, Fashion. Which do you consider your forte?

Location is key to a good photograph.

Capturing human emotion is my forte…capturing people for who they really are, whether it be a wedding, a portrait or fashion.  The ability to shoot  a variety of styles  in photography keeps me alive and creative  and helps me crossover elements from one type of photography to the other. It keeps the process lucid, alive and original.  I much prefer natural lighting as it gives more room to let the subject be free and fluid.  Location is also an important factor when story-boarding my sessions with my clients.

How much, if any, retouching do you do to your photos?

Much of my work is done in camera…I have a few secret ingredients that I use in post production!

Disney Actress, Allyson Arm, of "Sonny With A Chance"

Reviewing your portfolio, it appears you’ve done a lot of work with young, up & coming  talent in Los Angeles. Who are some of the child and teen actors and actresses you’ve shot? How did that begin and do you see yourself moving in that direction?

Yes, I have[worked] with upcoming talent in LA…It really came about when I started working with my good friend Antoinette Bartsch-Newhouse, owner/designer of Three Peas Co. who had hired me to take lifestyle photographs of her clothing line.  From there I was introduced  to T2PR, a public relations firm and [together] these two companies have been of great help and assistance to me.  I am truly grateful for their tremendous belief in me and my work.

Hipster Kids Jordan Bobbitt, Hannah Zeile and Larsen Thompson for ShopHipsterKid.com in Westlake Village, CA.

Young talent I have photographed would include  Allyson Ashley Arm (Sonny with a Chance), Chelsea Makela (Dance Flick, 2009),  Amy Paffrath (I Kissed a Vampire, 2010), young musicians Destinee and Paris Monroe ( Despicable Me, 2010) and Keana Texiera (of the teen duo G-Girlz).  I’ve had terrific feedback and agents are really loving the images I’ve [captured].  I enjoy the limitless creative capacity of this type of photography and look forward to continuing on this road with a number of new projects lined up.

What 5 tips would you give to parents of child actors who are about to have professional photos taken?

1. If the child has an agent, discuss with the agent before consulting with the photographer so  you can give a clear description of what you are looking to have captured on film to suit your needs.

2.  Parents should not put too much pressure on their child before and during the shoot.  You have hired a professional to capture your child’s image, and have selected them to accomplish this for you based on their expertise, so please, let the photographer have the room to do so…I sometimes ask the parent(s) to go grab a cup of coffee so  the child and I can relate to one another without the pressure of trying to please their parents…and which almost always results  in their natural personality shining through in the image.

3. If you have no idea about what to wear, or the image you hope to portray, please consult with the photographer for tips on clothing, hair, and make-up.

4. Your child’s head shots are their calling cards, and can make or break whether they receive a call back, so even though you may have a friend who is a photography enthusiast, and may take photos  for little money (which is so awesome of your friend),  this does not mean they have the professional  know how to obtain that perfect shot, the one which could ensure that prized callback .

5. Parents should also be aware that your child should have new head shots done every 6-8 months.  Agencies want to know what your child looks like now….not six months ago, so keep current.

For a limited time, Lesley Bryce is generously offering  our readers a $99 “Headshots Special” to acquaint you with her amazing work.  Mention Hollywood Mom Blog when you call to book 805-443-2188.  At this ridiculous rate, you should book with her regardless of whether or not your child has acting aspirations!  You can review Bryce’s impressive portfolio at www.lesleybryce.com and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/LesleyBryceFoto


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With Zenia Photography, Head Shots are a Day at the Beach!

With Zenia Photography, Head Shots are a Day at the Beach!

Posted on01. Mar, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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When? Yesterday, on a quintessential sunny, So Cal Sunday morning.
Where? The Pier in Santa Monica.
What? A day at the beach with Zenia of Zenia Photography.
Why? Our child actor Jordan needs updated head shots people. She turns 11 this week and her last head shots were taken at  the tail end of year 9. We’ve gone from a 9 year old child to an 11 year old tween in these few short years.  Her pictures need to reflect that change.

While Zenia was shooting Jordan in a variety of locations around the Santa Monica Pier, I was snapping them both thanks to my iphone camera and my favorite, new iphone accessory the iGo Green Charge Anywhere (courtesy of  the hip chicks at Los Angeles Mom Blog ). For each of Jordan’s outfit changes, Zenia found backdrops with colors and textures that could have fallen out of a 120 count box of Crayolas.  I’ll be doing a full post on Zenia Photography in a few weeks with a handful of Jordan’s new pics. For those of you who need your kid’s head shots done pronto, call and book your appointment with Zenia directly at (310) 751-0615.

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Does your Child Actor have her own Website?

Does your Child Actor have her own Website?

Posted on18. Feb, 2010 by Hollywood Mom.

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Some child actors  do and some child actors don’t.  My kid does. Have a dedicated website, that is.  While the debate rages on amongst parents with the “Should we or shouldn’t we?”  conversation, many of us have forged forward into the internet abyss, securing our child’s *namesake URL and creating web sites that range from the very basic to the extremely elaborate.

jordan-bobbitt-website-screenshot

In researching the phenom of the “child actor website,” I’ve stumbled upon other Hollywood momagers and popagers with the same idea.  If you’ve passed the hurdle of whether or not to do this, and have decided to create junior’s web site, then the next immediate choices to make are:

  • What is the site’s purpose?
  • How do you want the site to function?
  • How will the site benefit your child actor?
  • How much time can you dedicate to maintaining and updating your child’s web site?
  • How much money do you want to invest in the construction and maintenance of the site?

Purpose & Function

My daughter’s web site www.JordanBobbitt.com is an upbeat, age and career-level appropriate site. The primary purpose of Jordan’s site is to function as an elaborate calling card (all her professional contact info is posted) and also to function as a marketing tool.  The site is set up with a shopping cart but we do not envision utilizing that feature in the foreseeable future.  *I would recommend a shopping cart add-on for a child actor who has branded or relevant merchandise to sell.

Specifically our child actor web site encompasses 1) Resume, 2) Head shots, 3) Publicity Shots 4) Bio and 5) Recent Noteworthy Entertainment Projects.  I plan to add a Charity page and in the near  future we’re reformatting the site into a blog structure which I will update and maintain with the assistance of our wonderful family web designer Shanna Cote of SiteSquared.com. Don’t think of a blog as a “diary” of  your child’s acting life. That won’t be happening here I assure you!  However, the new blog format will allow me personally to upload video clips of Jordan’s film, television and theater work.   You don’t need to use a designer to create your child’s website, but I knew that Shanna would take Jordan’s  site to a level that I couldn’t achieve on my own and would continue to assist me in making it better as her career progresses; for instance, converting the site to a blog structure was her suggestion.

screen-shot

Website Benefits:

A benefit of a personal web site is that it can showcase more head shots than LA Casting and OS Casting accounts hold – not because they couldn’t in fact hold more, but because it’s simply not an economically sound choice.  Each time you upload an individual photo to the casting services it costs about $25.00, whereas with my daughters site, I can in theory upload or remove as many pictures as often as I like or as often as she changes, which at 10 is fairly often. I can also post pictures of her at movie premieres, industry events and behind the scenes – photos that would not make sense to post on the casting sites.

Having a dedicated web site also accommodates a full length bio, recent projects list and personal tidbits like favorite shops, CD’s and books. This section on Jordan’s site is still incomplete and could use some love but I’ll get there eventually.  Bigger than all of this, the web site is a “marketable entity” for the present or for the future, which I’ll expound upon in a future post.

Time and Energy

I hardly spend any time updating my daughter’s site, primarily because I’m busy with other ventures, but also because it’s as complete as I need it to be for now. She could use some current head shots and press pictures but that’s “a whole ‘nother Oprah!” as they say.

Financial Investment

I was willing to make a financial investment in Jordan’s site because I wanted it to draw people in and relying on a professional is much more effective than my attempt would have been.  I also wanted the site to be something Jordan could be proud of, a site she would feel comfortable sharing with her friends and a site that reflects her personality and age.

Sometimes we can best decide what we want by viewing the options. To give you some ideas of what will and won’t work best for your child actor, I’ve gathered samples of different child performer sites found across the web. Enjoy reading them, and feel free to forward more for the list:

  1. JordanBobbitt.com
  2. alexjstevens.com/
  3. demilovato.com
  4. bobby-coleman.com/
  5. kiaranowlin.com/
  6. annasophiarobb.com/
  7. noahandems.com/
  8. kristenstewart.com/
  9. sammihanratty.com/
  10. rebekahkennedy.com
  11. kennedysurch.com
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Professional Headshots at Blue Light Prices

Professional Headshots at Blue Light Prices

Posted on07. Dec, 2008 by Hollywood Mom.

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When it was time for my child actor Jordan to get her head shots taken earlier this year, we were referred to her agents’ top pick: Playbox Studios in Burbank, CA. 

Until December 20th, Playbox Studios is running the “Actor’s Bailout Package,” a photography special for children under 17. The deal provides for 3 different looks, an hour and a half of time, light hair and makeup – all for $350.  Nice deal when you consider I dropped about $475 for the same photo package nine months ago. 

As I mentioned, this studio is one preferred by Abrams Artists and assuredly several other top agencies.  The photographer Brad is great with kids, the studio is well run, orderly and easy to get to.  Want new photos of your kids in time for pilot season?  Then call Jennifer at 1-866-PLAY-992 and book your appointment at Playbox Studios before they’re booked up!

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