Finding a good photographer who is professional and friendly can be a difficult task.
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| (c) Sild Photography 1998 |
I’ve had many photoshoots in the past. The best one was just after the boyband in 1998. A photographer and cameraman I had worked with in the past had his own studio in my home town of Wakefield. This was back in the day before digital cameras and so the pictures I chose were the final pictures. Lucky I had a good working relationship and I end result was a portfolio of excellent shots. Fred Sild passed away a few years ago which is a shame as he was a great man and a great photographer.
Since then I have had good and bad experiences. When digital cameras became popular, I had a lot of friends who suddenly becoming “experts” at taking pictures; the results were never good. Sad looking, washed out images on cheap home-printed paper. I have also worked with professionals who have been snappy (pun intended) and sterile to work with. As actors we can usually make the best of any situation and pull the happy emotions out for the camera. But why should we have to? A lot of the time forced emotion on photos just looks forced – and even if it doesn’t, we know it is. If you’re paying someone for a service then it should be spot on.
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| (c) Matt-Spike 2014 |
My appearance has changed a lot already this year so I needed new headshots. There’s no point applying for jobs with a shaved head and face when I now have a full beard and hair. I already knew about a photographer in Soho and liked his work, so I booked an appointment. I was running a little late this afternoon due to having a hair crisis. I’ve not had a full head of hair since 2006 and today it turned into a bit of a drama. It was raining outside anyway, so I was actually pleased I took my moulding putty with me. The place is slap-bang in the centre of Soho on the top floor of an apartment building. Upstairs is a dedicated studio with a sizeable outdoor area – it was just a shame it was pouring it down.
When I arrived I was a bit flustered, rain soaked, messy hair and apologetic for being late; but none of this was a problem which made me feel better. We started with a chat and looked at some images he’d done before and asked what poses I wanted. This was also good because it gave me time to dry off and calm down before taking position. We started with thirty minutes of test shots and in that time chatted, laughed and had a good rapport going. I felt relaxed almost immediately and all of the pictures – including the test shots – looked really good. I changed a few times and settled on the black shirt I had brought.
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| (c) Matt-Spike 2014 |
Once we had finished, we checked through them all on his computer, binned the ones I didn’t like and then transferred the files over to my email account. I have two ultimate favourites which I have posted to this blog, but I think the one with the smile is the best shot. It shows the real me and reflects how much fun I was having.
The photographer is called Matt-Spike and his website is www.headshot-soho.co.uk
Check out his other shots on the site, he is really good and if you’re wanted a relaxed and fun session, I can’t recommend him highly enough.
#TerryGee