Posted on April 10, 2017 Posted by pelican

Japan 2017 – Day 3 March 20

Today we got up early due to the time difference, even though we are NOT morning people. By 8:30AM, Kaz, Rick, and John Jack had gone off to teach acting class. Actors Headshot Los Angeles Photographer

After poking about and having morning coffee, checking email, and reading a bit of the ever depressing news from the States, our friend, Seri came by and we nosed about Shinjuku a bit before going to hang out with Kaz and gang.

There were a few actors who had signed up to get head shots done, so I was busy doing that while Kaz translated. We were in a hallway of a building and I was checking out the light there but had decided against shooting there. As we were leaving the area, I looked down and there on the floor was a very special necklace that I had given Kaz years ago. Somehow it had simply fallen off and I found it. Weird.

Actors Headshot Los Angeles Photographer

After a LONG day of waiting for the teachers to stop chatting with actors, we headed off to the “Robot Restaurant”. It’s a huge production with robots “fighting” dragons, and other robots, and dancing ninjas, and crazy mad costumes of all sorts. It was a formidable costume and light show with lots of loud music. First of all, allow me to clarify…it is NOT a restaurant in any way, shape, or form. It is an amazing, wonderful, colorful, fantastic show….if you are 8-10 years old. Otherwise you will feel completely ripped off. Maybe we’re jaded because we are from LA LA Land, but it takes more that costumes, lasers, and jumping around for me to be drawn in.

Actors Headshot Los Angeles Photographer

We got a kick out of that and wound our way out of Robot hell to try and find a bar. Dan, Rick’s brother, mentioned there was a fairly famous bar nearby. It’s the Albatros Bar and was visited and recommended by Anthony Bourdain when he was in Tokyo.

When we got there we were informed there wasn’t much room left except a bit in the upstairs loft overlooking a small part of the city. That was great for us, so we headed up the stairs. The group of Californias asked us “Did you take JAL from LA on Friday? We were sitting in front of you guys.” We found out they were at the same show at the Robot Restaurant. AND one of them were living in SF – where Dan works, and his cousin lives in Little Tokyo in LA. What are the odds, eh? In all of Tokyo, we ran into them 3 times.

Actors Headshot Los Angeles

We had a good laugh, tried to join them for drinks but there wasn’t enough room where they were or where we were the next floor up….so who knows, maybe we’ll run into them again in LA.

When in Tokyo, it’s hard to keep track of time because everything is lit and even at 2 or 3AM people will be scurrying about the city, so at some point we made it back to our house just a little worse for wear.

Posted on January 31, 2017 Posted by kazmata

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Year 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR

So, we have said goodbye to 2016. One thing that is always good this time of year is that we all get to start 2017 with a clean slate and good intentions. New Year’s resolutions aside, it is a good time to see what was positive in 2016 and continue doing whatever it was with renewed vigor. We get to fix what was broken and keep what worked.

In the business of being an actor, it’s easy to let things slide because you are your own boss. Not too many agents in LA are going to call you up and ask how you are, how was your day, and how they can help get you more work.

Most agents these days just want to cut contracts. As harsh as that may sounds, when you look at it from their perspective, they have a huge pool of people who want to be actors and very little time to develop and guide individuals. YOU have to get the work and then they will do the contract deal. That means you have to make sure they have all the tools they need at their disposal. Your resume, reel, and head shot must all be up to date and available.

In less than a year, if you are going out much at all, most casting directors will have already looked at your head shot. Whether you got an audition or not, your photo has been out there and, hopefully, circulating. With that thought in mind, your head shot can become “stale”. If you are being submitted (or are submitting yourself) but are not getting any auditions, then you need a new head shot. If you have five head shots and only two of them are getting you called in, then replace the other 3 with something new.

Point is, your head shot is your first point of attack, your first calling card, and your first opportunity to get in the door. To let that slide is to undermine your career from the get go.

I look forward to seeing you all in 2017. Start the New Year with a fresh shot and listen for opportunity to knock!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Michael Helms

Happy New Year –

Posted on July 25, 2014 Posted by pelican

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Photoshop – to retouch or NOT to retouch

One of the things I hear a lot these days is “I want my photo to look natural”. Yet, when I sit down in front of a computer monitor after a photo session to view their head shots, I hear ”can you fix this, and that, and that, and….”

In this age of digital manipulation, the general rule is: It is a GOOD thing to Photoshop your photos, it is a BAD thing to OVERPhotoshop your photos”

If you are in the public eye an actor, model, CEO, or celebrity you need to be aware of your image. The first thing to know is that you are not in the business of reality.

You are in a business of fantasy or at the very least idealism. No one who views your photos wants to know you had a zit the day of your photo shoot. No one is interested in seeing your blobby mascara, nose hairs hanging out, or blood shot eyes, even though that’s the “way it really looked” or the way it was “naturally”. When we view photos of George Clooney, we want him to look as perfect as our fantasies imagine him. We want Angelina Jolie to have flawless skin, perfect hair, and a trim lovely figure.

Dove has been running a campaign the last few years showing makeovers and accentuating all the stuff done in Photoshop afterwards. The idea is to show the “real” faces of models and therefore make them more “human” and accessible and thereby draw attention to their products. In my opinion, this is a huge marketing mistake. These videos will draw a lot of attention and get a lot of nods of approval but in the end will not increase sales of their products as much as an ad NOT showing the before images. People need a goal to strive for not someone who they look at and ”Oh well…with THAT MUCH photoshop, I can look good too!” It’s like telling people there is no Easter Bunny!

I had an agent here in LA tell one of my clients to “just shoot a selfie” for her head shots!! While I understand the agents frustration with actors bringing her head shots that don’t look like them, I also think a selfie is a horrid misrepresentation of oneself. The distortion of camera phone lenses, awful lighting, and unplanned images makes selfies fun but useless as a business tool.

So where is the magic line? When is an image “over Photoshopped”?

If you have a mole, leave in it because to will be there when you go on an audition. If you have a blemish, retouch it out.

It’s OK to soften laugh lines a bit but to remove them is a mistake. Taking the red out of your bloodshot eyes is fine because HOPEFULLY you won’t always have that, unless you live in Colorado.
If you plan on losing a little weight, then it’s OK to take some off in Photoshop but rarely do people actually go ahead and lose that weight and so you’d do better to look like your photo.

If you are taking a photo for your wall at home or for a gift, then you can Photoshop to your hearts content, but if it is for work, then less is more.

While on this topic, I should add that there is a lot of BAD Photoshop out there, so buyer beware. A photographer should either do it himself or have someone on staff who is proficient and will sit down with you to do the Photoshop Head shots in LA are going through a “natural” phase right now, which is a good thing, but beware of anyone who tells you not to do any Photoshop at all.

Remember it is a GOOD thing to Photoshop your photos,

it’s a BAD thing to overPhotoshop them.

Posted on July 16, 2014 Posted by pelican

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“It Just Isn’t ME!” – How to be a successful actor

I’ve been a photographer for over 35 years in the Los Angeles area. I’ve been shooting head shots of actors, models, celebrities, and corporate people for all these years. There are some things that I always hear no matter who my clients are and one of those things is,”I hate having my picture taken”.

It seems such an odd thing for an actor to say but it happens at least 90 percent of the time. I usually respond by telling them that a head shot is an acting job just like any other acting job and that they are portraying characters that represent the “type” they will be called in to portray. It’s a completely ineffective response on my part but what I attempt to do is simply get the actor into a different type of mindset so the session doesn’t become so self analytical.

Last year I had a guy come to my studio who was a character type and had a good “look” for casting. But one of the things he said to me was very revealing. He said he got called in for a role as a “very very bad guy” (like a rapist or pedophile) and he said,”I can’t play that! It just isn’t ME!”

As a photographer, I thought it odd he said that because when he walked through my studio doors, my first impression was what a great character type he was and what a perfect “rapist” or “pedophile” he could portray. He was a WONDERFUL human being and a terrific Dad to his children but he had a certain “look” (read CASTING) that conflicted with his real life existence. As a result of his feelings about the “bad guy” role he had auditioned for, he felt it more appropriate that we shoot images of him where he looked more friendly. He wanted a “Dad” shot, a “business man” shot, and a “guy next door” shot. All these “looks” are indeed a good idea and he might book some of those roles but his PRIMARY market will go untapped simply because of his own personal inability to separate himself PERSONALLY from himself as This is a somewhat schizophrenic business to be in.

An actor (model, celebrity, corporate person) needs to see themselves as a product. They need to look at their photos as pictures of “him/her” and NOT as photos of “ME”. If the reason for shooting a photo is for personal reasons and it’s going to hang on a wall or be put in a frame, then, certainly there is reason to want to look good and be yourself but if it is for business use, no matter the business, then that end use becomes the driving factor in what that image should be.

For instance, the CEO of a corporate bank should not have a head shot in a baseball cap and a tank top. It may be a perfectly acceptable look for him on vacation in the Carribean, but not for his corporate offices.

The NUMBER ONE comment I hear from actors when they come through the doors of my studio is,”I just want a photo that captures ME and who I REALLY am!” As harsh and cruel as it may sound…. in this business, who cares who and what you REALLY are!?? Casting offices only look at an actor as having the right look (and talent) for a role. They may be wonderful folks but they have no interest in who an actor “really is”. You don’t have to be a Mom to play a Mom. My client didn’t have to BE a “bad guy” to play a bad guy. His inability to divest himself of his self image damages his career.

Over and over I see this played out in my studio. Girls who are rather plain who want to be sexy, girls who are sexy who want “to be taken seriously” and not do sexy roles, guys who want to be macho leads who look like nerds, and fellows like I just mentioned who could make tons of money playing “bad guys” but are at odds with their casting.

Acting is a business. My advice is to put your money where you make your money. If you are attached to your photos, you are doing a disservice to your business. Look at TV, commercials (where 75% of the money spent in LA goes!), films, and print media and see who looks like you. What are they wearing? How are they cast? Then shoot images that will get you called in to audition for roles you have a shot at booking.

All this seems so “obvious” but I am astounded at the percentage of actors who miss this basic concept. A head shot is NOT about YOU and what YOU REALLY ARE. It is about shooting images that get you called in for work you have a shot at booking. A “great photo of you” is NOT a great photo of you if you get called in and when you get there, you look around the room and everyone is prettier, older, younger, or just simply not your “type”.

It may be a great photo of you for your wall at home, but if it doesn’t generate the appropriate auditions and get your work, then it’s NOT a good photo for your career.

Headshots for actors. Three looks to start with.
Commercial / Theatrical / Character (Squi as De Niro)

Posted on March 14, 2014 Posted by pelican

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Las Vegas – March 19 & 20, 2014

I will be shooting for the Model & Talent Experts again this month! It is almost full – but if you’d like to book – please book via Amber – Model and Talent Experts!

Also, Kaz will be teaching the on-camera acting class on Wed. night.

To reserve your spot – log on www.actinLA.com.

I will be there, too! So come out!

Posted on November 6, 2013 Posted by pelican

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7 Deadly Scenes – Stills

7 Deadly Scenes - Circle by Steven Korbar

7 Deadly Scenes - Beautiful Sacrifice by Kay Poiro

7 Deadly Scenes - Black and Decker by Jason Aaron Goldberg

7 Deadly Scenes - Re-play-By Felix Racelis

7 Deadly Scenes - Mr. Liu by Susan Cinoman

7 Deadly Scenes - Misfortune by Mark Harvey Levine

7 Deadly Scenes - 7 Eleven Buddies -

Out take ... Warren vs. Schno

Posted on July 16, 2013 Posted by pelican

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Actors’ Headshot – Marketing

There are some distinct advantages to being in this business for 40 years. One is simply experience. The other is an awareness of evolutionary changes in marketing. In other words – the way head shots have changed over the years and what is current.

One simple fact is that very few actors really understand their chosen art form is a business. Very few actors are able to look in the mirror and OBJECTIVELY figure out how to market their product because their product is themselves. For all of us, seeing ourselves objectively is difficult at best.

Also, this marketing has evolved over the years.

The internet has hugely influenced the way head shots are done nowadays. Since your image will be relatively small and on a page full of other head shots, it is important to make you photo stand out.

Remember: This is the size of your pic Casting Directors would see when they are looking at submissions:

This is Cute – but it would get “lost” in the pile:

One way to do that is wear very colorful clothing and have colorful backgrounds in your image.

Another way is to be as high profile as possible and have a Twitter account, Facebook, a personal web site, and any other social media.

My friend, Jim Beaver, is great example.

His FaceBook is filled with contents about his career and his interests. His SuperNatural fans dig his Twitter updates, too.

Another GREAT example is a great stage actor Bill Oberst Jr. (Google him!) His Website is VERY ENTERTAINING.

The internet is a wonderful thing but it also requires actors to put time into their careers more than ever.

Look at lots of other head shots. Make sure what you are about to shoot isn’t dated but is current.

Your photographer should also know what is current, how to shoot your head shot so it looks professional and marketable, and give you at least 3 “looks” to work with.

Be aware… all things evolve… even head shots!

Posted on March 19, 2013 Posted by pelican

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The head shot!

I suppose it’s a good thing that after 37 years of shooting head shots for actors, that I still enjoy it. I attribute this to the fact that I find people endlessly fascinating and what better place to be a head shot photographer than in Los Angeles! I get all sorts of fascinating characters through my photo studio and I sometimes think it should be a sit com.

In the past, an actor would get a recommendation from his Agent or manager for what head shot photographer to go visit. Usually an actor would meet with four or five photographers, look at their portfolios, check out the studio, and choose who they felt would be the best for the images they needed. This decision making process was good for everyone, actor and photographer alike although it required the photographer to sit through hours of seemingly endless and unnecessary recitations of resumes.

While I understand the concept that an actor wants the photographer to capture a certain essence, it has little bearing on whether or not that actor will actually book a job. The reason for this is that very very few actors see their casting. Every actor has an idea of the roles they want to play in film, commercials, or on stage but very few actors understand that it is a business and they will be cast according to how they look to a casting office.

An example of this would be a girl who came to my studio for head shots and she handed me photos of fashion models and proclaimed,”I want photos like these!”. What amused me was that MY idea of her casting was that she would be prefect in a role as a midwest farmers wife…perhaps pulling a plow. Suffice it to say she was NOT in shape for Victoria’s Secret.

Agents in Los Angeles have lists of head shot photographers that they recommend and I am fortunate to be on almost all of those lists. So, it presented me with a challenge, because, knowing her agent, if I shot images the agent liked, she would be unhappy but if I shot images she liked, the agent would be displeased.

I suggested to her that she show her agent what wonderful versatility she had as an actress. I told her she should shoot some rather plain images, then we could add more makeup and fluff her hair for more sexy images. She reluctantly agreed.

A week went by and I got a call from her and I winced as I asked her how she liked her photos. This was in the days of film so it would take a few days to process. She told me she was really happy with “some of them but some of the others she liked less”. I asked her if she had shown them to her agent and she frustratingly replied,”YES…and you won’t believe what he said to me. He said he liked the plain ones and could use those but the pretty shots he didn’t like. He said to me, these are pretty but I can’t use them because you aren’t pretty!”

“Yikes!” I responded,”What did you do!?”

“Well, I’m looking for another agent!” she growled.

I have had actors in my studio who did their best to imitate Robert DeNiro, sexy women who wanted to play “smart” roles, nerdy looking guys who wanted to be James Bond, and the aforementioned chubette who wanted to be Cindy Crawford.

When an actor walks through my doors, I know in the first minute how I am going to light him. I already know what roles he will get. I already know, after years doing head shots in Los Angeles, how an actor will be marketed. But it is not my job to make those decisions but rather to provide and actor with what type of photos HE/SHE wants. I make suggestions, I talk it over with all my clients, I can tell them what wardrobe I think will work, and I can let each individual know what the trends in head shots are current, but ultimately every actor needs to do their homework and see this as a business and realize they are a product and how best to market that product.

The idea is to have a head shot that gets you called in to a casting that, when you arrive and look around the casting office, you see actors who are in the same category. You don’t want to look around and see people who are 40 years older.

If an actor looks at TV, film, and commercials and identifies characters that “look like” him, he will know how to dress for a photo shoot. Basically an actor needs a smiling head shot for commercials and a more serious shot for theatrical purposes. Nothing more.

Casting offices generally know what type they are going to choose for any given role, so if you got a call, you have a shot!

The rest is up to you!

Posted on January 27, 2013 Posted by pelican

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Untitled

Today’s Odd Journey

I flew hang gliders for about 34 years but officially retired about 6 years ago. It was a sad day and I miss flying terribly. Today I drove over to the place where all the hang gliders land.

Soon as we exchanged greetings my friend Joe offered,”Hey wanna fly this glider?” and I said “Nah, I don’t have a harness” then another pilot/friend, Fred volunteered,”I’ve got a harness”. Me,”I don’t have a helmet”. Fred,”I have a helmet, too!”

Next thing I knew, I was headed up the mountain with a truck load of fellow flyers. We quickly set up our flying machines then ran off the mountain into the beautiful sky. I visited places a few miles away that I hadn’t seen in a long time and watched as a Red Tailed Hawk circled in an updraft hundreds of feet below me.

So many memories from hundreds of hours floating thousands of feet above the Earth were flooding my brain.

One particular memory was meeting my dear friend, Wayne Yentis. I met Wayne 25 years ago in the hang gliding landing zone (LZ). He was a tall lanky man with a twinkle in his eye and was most probably the brightest individual I have ever met. Truly a renaissance man… he was an artist, a photographer, an electrical engineer, a musician, a computer genius, an inventor (of the Clavitar) and a host of other things. He knew more about more than anyone I have ever known. Wayne had a recording studio in his house and was constantly sending me files of music he had written, played, and produced. Beautiful music.

One particular day I was in his studio and we were having a beer…or two…or many… and I got this goofy idea to take Karaoke music and substitute hang gliding lyrics. It was utterly silly stuff that made no sense to anyone other than another hang glider pilot but in our compromised condition, it seemed a marvelous plan.

I said to Wayne “How about “I got VG?” as I sang the tune of “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher. He beer giggled.

For non-hanglider pilots, VG stands for “Variable Geometry” and refers to a string a hang glider pilot can pull that changes the shape of the wing in flight.

Then I started singing “On the Road Again” just like Willie Nelson, except I sang “In the Air Again.”

More beer giggles as Wayne recorded and mixed it.

The following week, I played one of our recordings for a fellow pilot who unwittingly believed we were serious and asked for a copy of it! Nothing feeds a gag like having an audience so I drove back to Wayne’s house with more beer, more Karaoke, and more silly lyrics. We recorded 15 songs, 12 of which made our cut onto the “Pelican Tunes” CD. When word got out, the local pilots bought them like hotcakes, then the Editor of Hang Gliding Magazine somehow got his paws on a CD and gave it a rave review in the international magazine! We were amused that pilots enjoyed the absurdity and got the jokes. Orders started coming in and we sold this CD all over the world. That was over 7 years ago.

Today after about an hour of flight, I touched down and chatted with the guys in the LZ, when one of them mentioned “Pelican Tunes” had been used in a video of the European Hang Gliding Championships. I was shocked to say the least. SO…I did what any irresponsible gag writer would do, I Googled it…and wow….there it was…

I seriously considered doing “Pelican Tunes 2” but Wayne Yentis passed away this Wednesday January 23rd, and with the passing of my partner in crime, my motivation is gone. The lyrics in my desk drawer will have to collect dust as the ink fades.

But have a beer and enjoy our goofy time together on YouTube.

Here’s to Wayne.

Posted on January 25, 2013 Posted by kazmata

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Interview: Magic Image 12/10

Headshots and Effective Marketing by Michael Helms

Bryan Batt

I have been a professional photographer in Los Angeles for 35 years. The thing I hear most when actors come to my studio is, “I just want a photo that really captures ME and who I really am!”

While this may sound good, it tells me there is a very basic lack of understanding of how this business works and how to carry out a strong marketing strategy. As harsh as it may sound, not ONE casting director in all of LA concerns themselves with who you really are. It is their job to CAST you not analyze you.

If you are a 30 year old female, you will get “Mom” roles, business women, nurses, a wife, or a host of other characters seen on TV and in movies. It doesn’t matter if you REALLY ARE a Mom or not…that’s why it’s called ACTING. If you are a curvy girl, don’t shoot sexy photos because you’ll get called in for an audition and find yourself in a room full of skinny models. Conversely, if you are a lovely young woman and you have a nice figure, understand that this is a business driven by money. What sells on TV and in movies is sex and violence. So make sure you have a sexy head shot.

Danny DeVito is a sexy leading man to Rhea Perlman because she is married to him, but it is not his casting. While “type casting” may not be right or fair, it is what it is. Get used to it.

Research, research, research to find the right photographer. The guy in your acting class who has a camera and will do your headshots for free or for fifty bucks is NOT a working professional. An actor who does head shots on the side is NOT a working professional photographer and if he has an audition the day of your shoot – you will be out of luck.

If you want this to be your career – invest in it. Go to a professional photographer. Look for someone with a studio (who can shoot natural light OR studio light), who has been in business for 10 years or more, who has a GOOD web site.

GO SEE THEM! Don’t go to someone who shoots out of their apartment. Simply put, go to a pro. Beware of Agents or managers who INSIST you go to their photographer. An Agent should give you a list of known working pro photographers that you can choose from.Get plenty of sleep the night before your shoot. Don’t get involved in an argument with your significant other.

Don’t bring “a friend” to your photo shoot. Don’t bring your family or Mother or your dog. This is YOUR day. Most of all… ENJOY your photo shoot. I often hear actors say how much they “hate having their photos taken”. This is your career…learn to love it. ALL of it. Taking headshots is an acting job just like any other acting job.

If someone tries to tell you “film is better than digital”, just walk away. You should expect to shoot, look at the photos on a computer, get them retouched, and have them burned onto a CD, and walk out with them done all in the same day.

Basically, it is a business. If you treat your acting career like a business, you will have a much greater chance of success!

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