What makes an excellent headshot?
Photography: Beautiful light, which lends feeling and quality to an image, flatters the face, and
shows subtleties of texture that make a paper-flat image feel three-dimensional and real.
Photographer: Making the subject feel comfortable enough to capture those uncontrived moments
when the subject reveals him- or her- self to the world, especially to those who matter.
Casting director: Believability. Is this just someone having his or her picture taken, or is
there a feeling of presence conveyed by the face and nuanced expression that makes the viewer
dismiss that thought and feel taken in?

What do I wear?
The focus should be on your face, so avoid anything that might distract, including jewelry, busy pat-
terns (stripes and plaids), loud colors, etc. The trend is for color images, so consider color when
choosing what to wear. Blacks and grays work well for black-and-white photos and for people with
coloring such as blue or green eyes and/or red hair. But for those who lack coloring, wearing some-
thing with color adds visual interest. Light-toned clothing tends to make you look heavier, and light
areas in the photograph attract attention, so pick medium to dark solid tones to keep your face the
center of interest. People tend to look more relaxed and comfortable in casual wear than in formal.
Button-down tops with good collars work well, as do long necklines like deep scoops and long V’s.

Do I need someone to do my makeup and hair?
Think sensibly about makeup and hair. If you feel comfortable doing your own, by all means, do so.
After all, you will probably be doing your own for castings, and looking like the photograph you give
to the casting director should be a primary concern. Seamless, digital retouching with your directive
will add the subtle, finishing touch. If you do not feel comfortable doing your own makeup and hair,
a very competent stylist who will be receptive to how you want to look is available.

Will I be able to see the pictures as we shoot?
Absolutely. Digital photography confers that big advantage of seeing the images immediately. There
is no waiting nervously until after the session to learn how well you did; instead, you see the images
as the session progresses, assuring you that you are, in fact, doing well, and inspiring you to do even
better.

When and how will I see the images after the session?
Adjustments will be made to the digital files, then the images placed into groups of 30 on 16X20
sheets which will be e-mailed to you approximately 6 hours after the completion of your session.
Take as much time as you need to review the images, choose your favorite 36, then large versions
of them will be e-mailed to you for your final edit.

What happens after I make my choices?
Preliminary retouching wil be done on your final choices. You will receive 2 versions of each of your
choices, one unretouched version, and one retouched. Review them and communicate what more
or less you want done.

When do I receive the final, retouched images?
When you approve the retouching, fine adjustments are made to the image files to optimize them
for printing. You will be provided with reference quality hard copies with instructions on how to use
them for quality control when you make prints. You receive a CD with both high-resolution files and
web-ready versions of your final images, a DVD with high-resolution files of all the images taken
during the session, and reference quality hard copies, within 2 - 3 days.

More questions? Please Tel: 212 722 3669 or E-mail: waynetakenaka@verizon.net