Can't afford a headshot...can I do this?

Question

Headshots are pretty pricey...so I went online and found this:

If you can't afford to pay a professional photographer to take your photos right now, you can try something else. If there is a school nearby that has a photography department, go there and see if you can do "testing". Testing is when you exchange your time posing for a photography student in exchange for them taking some theatrical headshots and giving you some prints.

Is that true? Will that work?

Answer 1

Sometimes, but don't count on it.  You can do this yourself without the hassle! Go into a bathroom or bedroom with a mirror. You can also take a good quality digital camera with a 10 second delay setting on the shutter & a large enough viewing screen on the back that you can see what you're aiming at when looking at its reflection in the mirror.    If in bathroom, place a drop cloth or sheet behind you no further than 2 feet.  You can suspend the cloth sheet by tacks in the ceiling of thrown over a rod. (Don't use stark-white as it will cause a lot of glare.)  Beige or tan or light to medium blues are good choices.  Put a up a make-shift shelf or stack books up high enough as to make the camera lens even with the portrait you wish to take.  Position yourself, hair, make-up, clothes & lighting as you like & make certain the camera is on the 10 second delay.  Do not look directly into the lens but about 10 or 2 o'clock just to the side of it. Look at something instead of a blank glare & smile normally.  Tilt your chin just a bit & most importantly, do have a small lamp on the floor with a white sheet over it for "up-lighting" as it will keep shadows down. Use a flash with red-eye reduction as well.  (Trust me, it isn't hard at all & will work great with some practice!  You will also be able to pick & choose what shots you want in private.  We're all a bit vain when it comes to our head shots or sometimes photos in general.)  This does work.  A model friend of mine did this with my direction & they were some of the best she'd ever had taken!  Then you can take to Wal-mart or Kinkos on a CD or disk & have them professionally printed out.  Just make certain you have them on the best quality setting the camera will allow.  You will have some fun doing this & it will be free except for the printing, which is still far cheaper than hiring a professional!  Otherwise, try the schools but please don't count on them allowing time for costume changes or hair do & make-up fixes.  Sometimes, experimenting with your make up can make the world of difference as well.  Good luck & I hope this helps.  It certainly paid off for my friend!  Make certain to have a mix of black & white, sepia tone & color prints.  Some cameras will have this setting on them.

Answer 2

You could definitely try that. Obviously they are not going to give you any prints because they will most likely not have any darkroom on the premises since very few students use film anymore (it's all about digital cameras). But you will get the files, and then you can do your own printing at any good printing place.

However, I would not have great hopes to get a decent, professional looking picture out of it, they are just students after all, but if it's free it might be worth trying. What do you have to lose other than two hours of your time?

Answer 3

I think so. I mean people do it for beauty schools why not photography?  

Answer 4

You could, sure. But remember these schools are for people just starting out, so it's going to be a hit or miss. Don't expect it to be as professional looking as everybody else's headshot. Check out this site for great tips on headshots, it really explains a lot of important stuff: http://melroseplaceheadshots.blogspot.co...

Good luck with your career!