My Two Cents

Your headshot can and should be more than a pretty picture. Maybe it's because I have been an actor for 24 years, but I am most interested in the kind of headshots that tell a bit of a story. Headshots that capture some of your personality. Shots that say something. Shots that share a glimpse of who you are as a human being, as well as the professional actor.

Someone once said that headshots are the only part of an actor's career that they can truly control. I get that. I know how frustrating it can be to send out a photo that you just know isn't quite right. It is my job, goal, and passion as your photographer, to collaborate with you during our session to make sure we have many options for different markets.

What does this mean? This means, I don't like to rush. I like to take our time as we shoot and talk throughout our session. We'll take breaks from time to time to look at what we are capturing. By the end of our shoot, we'll have four looks that play into your strengths as an actor and will get you noticed.

Okay, Okay, Brandhagen...so what are the details and what does the session include? See below.

How I shoot

I shoot all digital in both natural and studio light.

One of the reasons that I shoot digital is that the pressure is off. It doesn't matter if you blink, sneeze, cough, or otherwise wiggle. Nothing gets wasted. We just shoot again. We have the freedom to simply play.

Natural light, when used correctly, can be most flattering for faces and by using found spaces, we can be sure that you are getting a unique shot that works well with your coloring, your hair (or lack thereof), clothing, and most importantly, your personality. But what about the cold weather? No worries, I have a full studio setup as well where we can control the details - the lighting, temperature and your music!

Where I shoot

I'm super flexible. My locations are expanding and growing with every session. I'm located in Silver Spring, MD (right on the DC/Maryland line) and have a small studio here. But most often, I shoot outdoors all around the DC/Baltimore region. You can come here to my place and we'll use it as home base or depending where you are located, I can come to you. Or we can just meet wherever we decide we want to shoot. We'll do a bit of walking and maybe short driving to find unique locations for your shots.

What are my rates?

DC Headshot Session:

$375 ($100 deposit is required to hold your date). A single session results in at least 500 digital color images and around four changes of clothing. A session typically lasts about 4 hours. In about a week, you will receive a disc with ALL of the high resolution digital images (Not many photographers will do this). After you have a chance to ponder your shots, I will retouch one of the shots so they are ready to be sent out for reproduction (at no additional charge). (This includes converting your final choices to Black & White if you request it - just so you have them for programs and callboards).

NYC Headshot Session:

$450 ($150 dollar deposit is required to hold your date). Same as above. But why is it more? 'Cause gas and tolls are expensive. : )

Student Rates:

Discounted student rates are always available for current ACA, National Conservatory, Studio, Woolly Mammoth, and Theatre Lab students.

Shoot with a friend and save some cash.

For $650 (DC) | $800 (NYC), I'll do two complete sessions at once if you and a friend want to book together. These are fun!

Do you want additional retouches?

Additional retouches are $40.00

Do you require a deposit?

Yes. In order to hold your date, I require a deposit of $100 in DC and $150 in NYC. If for some reason you need to cancel, you can still apply your deposit to your rebook date, if the rebook date is done within two weeks. Obviously, weather is beyond our control, so rescheduling due to bad weather if we are planning to shoot outdoors is no worry at all.

Is there a stylist I can recommend for Makeup and Hair?

Absolutely! In DC, I have worked with Jjana Valentiner for several years now and I would highly recommend her services for hair and makeup for both men and women. Jjana (pronounced with a "hard J" like "jeans") is incredibly talented at bringing out your best features. She is easily affordable and really understands the details of shooting with natural light. Plus, she is full of all kinds of tips, tricks and anecdotes that make her a true delight to be around! Feel free to contact her directly regarding her specific services and rates. Stylist: Jjana Valentiner 571-215-8351 jjanavalentiner@yahoo.com

But I live in NYC? Who does your makeup when you are in the City?

Andrea Kooharian from www.faceforwardbeauty.com is an incredibly talented makeup artist. Andrea is also very affordable, and super nice. She has a keen eye for detail and brings out your best features. Check out her site and look at her work. She's goooood!

What about clothing and any other advice?

Texture is wonderful and so are layers. Choose colors that work well with your eyes and hair. Pick clothes that you might wear to an audition, avoiding bright complicated patterns. Your clothes should fit you well and must be ironed. So what about styles? For men, classic cuts are always good to shoot and will help with the longevity of your shots. High collared sweaters, t-shirts, button downs, and blazers allow for a variety of looks and interesting possibilities with layers. For women, thin strapped tanks work great. Scoop and v-necks are wonderful as well as something slightly corporate. The short of it is that if you feel good in it and look good in it, bring it with you. Bring more than you need. I will work with you on the final selections making sure we cover as many bases as possible.

A tip for the fellas: Think about keeping a little bit of scruff on your face the day of the shoot and bring along a razor. A days growth provides a wonderful natural contour.

And ladies, try to arrive with your hair as close to audition ready as possible.

Music! Bring along your ipod and we can plug it in to the docking station here and listen to your music as we shoot. Make a playlist filled with those upbeat songs that make you happy. No Ipod? No worries, I have a ton of stuff we can put on covering all kinds of genres.

Can you bring someone along with you on your shoot?

Of course. Especially, if they don't mind holding your clothes and a light reflector from time to time.

After your shoot:

You will receive a disc with ALL of your high resolution shots in about a week. You will pick the very best one or two or five and tell me the number(s). I will make the shot(s) look even more AWESOME.

I'll email a master retouched version back to you. You should post the electronic version all over facebook and your actor sites as well as get it to a repro place (like reproductions.com or isgophoto.com) to have your hard copies printed (get photo print quality not lithos if you can afford it). They will mail them to your house or wherever and you will have a very powerful business tool in your hand. Now, send your hard copies to the casting directors and agents that can give you jobs.

THEN...If we did it right (and we will) the phone will start to ring for auditions...and then, when you're in the door...well...that's up to you. Kick some butt!

Got any more questions? Feel free to email me or give me a call.

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