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Dear John

Professional photos

Question:
I need to get my professional photos taken but I am getting so much confusing advice on what works best. Is it really as big a deal as people say, and, if so, how can I get the best results?

Answer:
On the subject of confusion, I had best start by congratulating the eagle-eyed readers who have already spotted that the two photos in this week's column are of the same actress - the extremely talented Sarah Lawrie - and that to allow me to show them to you, our two experts this week are NOT featured in visual form. There are two simple reasons for this. Firstly, contrary to popular belief, there is no one single 'right' photo if you are as versatile and dependable a performer as Sarah is (or indeed have to working in a competitive and ever changing market as all us have to do).

Secondly, it is usually not those on the performer's end of the camera lens who are best placed to advise us as to what works or doesn't casting wise, but rather those on the other side of the camera and footlights - as long as they have a proven track record in the business, of course. To give an authoritative perspective on photographs for this special column and help you sort out your confusion, here are two people who have as much experience in their side of the business as our featured performer has in hers.

Mary Elliott Nelson

Mary Elliott Nelson, in addition to her work as an agent at Grays Management (which represents Sarah Lawrie) also has wide-ranging experience of production and casting from both sides of the performer/producer fence. As such, she is a passionate advocate of the importance of getting your photos right.

"Most actors hate having their photos taken, but photos can, and do, make the difference between getting seen for a job and not getting seen. Like John, I say photos plural on purpose. The two photos of Sarah Lawrie illustrate how different shots serve different purposes - one youthful, fresh and pretty, one striking, serious and intimate.

"Technology has made it possible to use a variety of pictures, easily and cheaply. The Spotlight Portfolio system makes it possible to have several pictures on the Link, so casters can get a rounded view of your look. Any actor with just one photo on Spotlight (or any other casting directory) is shooting themselves in the foot. Your photos can be updated at any time, at minimal cost. My own view on the popular colour debate is that while black and white is still best for actors in general, colour shots and production shots look great in the portfolio.

"Gone are the days when an actor could choose one all-purpose shot and use it for ten years. I cannot and would not submit a client using a picture more than three or four years old. Even if you still think you look the same, it's disrespectful and self-defeating to keep just sending in the same old shot. Photographers' prices have not gone up much in the past few years and a digital photographer can show you the photos as you go along. Think about what you look like when you arrive at auditions, what you want to be cast as, what your genuine selling points are from a visual perspective, and be bold with your look.

"No money spent on good and varied photos is wasted - and it's all tax deductible. Do your homework by looking on photographers' websites and asking around. Like food, photos past their sell-by date can be very bad for you.''

Daniel Harwood-Stamper

Daniel (who took Sarah's shots) has 12 years of experience as a professional photographer specialising in working with performers.

"As a photographer, I am looking to capture a strong image in a photo, but as a photographer who specialises in casting photographs, what I keep uppermost in my mind is the aim of the picture is not to look good, it's to catch the eye of a casting person and hopefully interest them in seeing you in the flesh. It's essential to capture the performer's personality and that can only be done when they are relaxed and I know a little about them - I like to start each session with a cup of tea and a chat so we can both decide what we're aiming to achieve.

"You can help by giving some thought to the kind of roles you're looking for and by dressing in a style that's compatible with that - no point looking like a rock star if you're aiming to play bank managers. But as Mary and John point out and Sarah's shots demonstrate, there is often the facility to show various sides to you, so it makes sense to dress and be ready to present yourself in a way that allows for several of your strengths to be captured during your session.

"Lastly, if you can, let the person on your team who knows most about casting rather than photography (or you offstage) make the final choice of which shots to use. This will probably be your agent if you have one, and hopefully whose opinion you trust - certainly you need to be aware their choice may be different to your own. My own job is to work with you to give you the best range of pics to make that choice."

John sums up

When having one to one discussions with performers, I am often a little bemused (for which read totally frustrated) at the amount of time that gets taken up arguing about how things should or shouldn't be. Believe me, I too agree, in a perfect world, castings would not be decided on something as fickle as how our picture looks. However, my personal likes and dislikes are neither here nor there - as Mary says, the quality of your photos both technically and aesthetically can and often do make the difference between being seen or not seen. You can view getting this part of your marketing right as a either a chore or an investment. Where you simply don't have a choice though is in accepting that not taking this task seriously (and regularly revisiting it) is going to make it very difficult to advance in an increasingly market-orientated world.

* Sarah Lawrie is appearing in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. She and Mary Elliott Nelson are contactable at Grays Management on www.graysman.com or 020 7278 1054. For details on Daniel Harwood-Stamper visit www.pbase.com/wobbler/portraits or call him on 07779 165777.

* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk
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