Finding a professional Los Angeles headshot photographer is not as simple as most people tend to think. You are spending $100 to $500 depending on how good the headshot photographer is. However, with the right information, the process is very simple. Having the Internet, Google, Bing, and a bunch of cool online apps have made it easier to search for your perfect photographer.
Trying to locate the best headshot photographer Los Angeles, you just need to do a simple Google search and wait for the search results. The results will give you a list of many professionals. Each Google or Bing search will give you what they called a SERP or search result page. Each SERP will have Ads at the top and then the top 10 organic ranking and then more Ads at the bottom. You will also see what they call the Google 3 Pack s which are the 3 map locations that close to you, by your GPS location. They usually sit in between Google Ads and the first organic position. Then you get to the second page with the 11th-20 positions. Typically most people will only goto to the third page when they are doing a search. As good as this might sound, you might find yourself confused about the best professional headshot photographer to pick because of the large number of photographers available in LA. This article is going to guide you step by step to help you make an informed decision on the perfect headshot photographer for you.
Figure 1: Google 3 Packs
The listing that you see is Google My Business Place Ad. The following 3 is the natural search
Looking on Search Engines, Sorting, Checking Reviews, and Saving Your Information
Although doing Google and Bing searches is the fastest way to find professional headshot photographers, there are other strategies help you to find the right professional photographer for your needs. If you are new to Los Angeles and have not made many connections, don’t worry there are a lot of tools out there to help you. Before you hit the internet, first you can ask for recommendations from your coworkers, actor friends, as well as classmates in the industry. If you still have found any success using your networking, head to the internet. There are websites like backstage.com, actorsaccess.com, and castingfrontier.com that are made for actors and people in the industry. With these sites, you can create your own profile and access their forum. They are great to get exposure, network, and get answers. The next step is to join active forums like the websites mentioned above and ask the members for recommendations. Additionally, using reviews websites such as Yelp and Google My Business Place can also be helpful when finding a good Los Angeles Headshot Photographer.
Google Maps & Google My Business
Figure 2: Google Map Of A Los Angeles Headshot Photographer
Besides helping you to find the best Los Angeles headshot photographers, doing an in-depth search also helps you to find a professional who is easy to work with. Here are some of the tips that will help you in analyzing the information available and choose the best professional that fits your needs and budget.
• Use different variations of keywords to find the best headshot photographer for you. Examples are like “headshot photographers Los Angeles”, “Los Angeles headshot photographer”, “Los Angeles headshot photographers”, “LA headshot photographer”, and LA headshot photographers”. As you can see we use the singular and plural of photographers. We also use the abbreviation of the city of Los Angeles with LA.
Doing in-depth research is a time and energy-consuming process, but the results are worth the wait. Besides the above strategies, the following tips will add you more insights, making it easier to find exactly what you want.
• Go through each of the photographer websites looking at their past work and save relevant info about the photographer on an excel spreadsheet or Word/Google Doc.
• Do the evaluation based on price, quality of work and decide on how much you are willing to pay
• Settle on the professional that meets your budget and schedule an appointment.
• Do not make rash decisions when doing your research
• Take your time to go through the photographer’s profiles and pick the one that has similar goals.
• Do not prioritize photographers who offer the cheapest services. Instead, look for professionals who offer competitive prices and quality services.
• It’s very important your check reviews on websites like Yelp.com, Facebook, or their Google My Business Place.
Figure 3: Yelp Profiles and Reviews Los Angeles Headshot Photographers
• Get a makeup artist. Even if you have short hair, getting a makeup artist will improve your look, increasing the chances of getting beautiful shots.
Headshots Los Angeles Photo Session – What does it entail?
The session is fun and enjoyable provided you have selected a headshot photographer who is simple to work with. Remember choosing a professional that have similar goals such as yours will help you someone who knows what they are doing, allowing you to get the best from the session.
How to schedule an appointment
After you have done your research and come up with a professional that fits your budget and needs, you need to schedule an appointment. You can do this by calling the photographer or visiting their place of work to discuss what you need. The following tips will help you to prepare in advance for you to have a good shoot session after the appointment.
Arriving for the shoot
You can meet either at your preferred location or at the photographer’s studio. When you meet, make sure you explain to the professional everything you need to achieve from the session. This allows the photographer to know what to do for you to get your desired results. Next is to go through your wardrobe and select the clothes that help you to get the look you requested. The makeup artist will also work on your hair and face, to enhance your look.
During the Headshots session
After getting set for the shoot, you will then proceed to the actual shoot. During the shoot, you will have several shots from different locations from in-studio to an outdoor location. The choice of locations mainly depends on how much you are willing to pay and really your preference. We suggest you talk to the headshot photographer regarding doing an in-studio or outside shots. They should advise depending on your skin tone and the outfits that you have brought for the photoshoot. Some people’s headshots are better in natural light versus studio lighting. Make sure you should get this recommendation from the photographer. Start with the studio test shots and see how they look. If they don’t meet your standards, then ask your photographer to go to an outside location and try the natural lighting instead. The professional headshot photographer will then guide you to the best position and pose for them to make a perfect shot. Unless you are looking for something complicated, regular headshot sessions last for about 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Summing it up
After taking several shots from different angles and locations, the professional will allow you to go through the pictures to see the results. If you need some of the headshots printed, you can select the ones you need. The photographer will make available your photos (usually 50 to 100 images per look) via an online gallery or cloud base, storage website like dropbox.com. After completing the payment, you can then say your goodbyes. Your headshot is part of your resume and you need to make an investment in it. Whether it’s for medical residency application, corporate headshots for an executive team (for large or small businesses), or acting/theatrical headshots for casting in film or commercials. A great headshot is a marketing tool and can separate candidates for any occupation. If two candidates are applying for medical residency and they have the skill sets, the tiebreaker is a headshot that you submitted for the application.