Dasha................

She gave me the idea to go shoot at Governor's island. I was hoping to catch some of that abandoned-ness in the shots, and use that in her photos for the contrast with her pale skin, so when she told me there's a Jazz festival happening (and of course I love jazz..) it was a given that we'll show up there.

Photos from the festival coming up in the next post, but here's Dasha :). It was hot, she and her hubby were such troopers! They even brought picnic food with them and all in all we had a great time.

Fabulous colorful dress, full hair and a romantic nature did it all...

We actually didn't find any good "abandoned" space that day - hot and running out of time let us use one of the buildings, then we took a walk on a shore and went to Battery park city for a glass of wine in the shade and to watch sunset.

Played with soft light, harsh light, reflections off the building....

And these finished up the session nicely...

Battery park is such a fabulous place in Manhattan, I can never get enough of it, and everyone I bring there seems to not know much about it but they always find they want to come back again and again..

Have a photo-ntastic day~ ;)

HEADSHOT PRICING AND PACKAGES

NOTE***
- We take anywhere from tens to hundreds of photographs in one hour. There may be way too many to choose from. It all depends on the project. If you move easily and are relaxed enough in front of the camera - it's all plain fun and the camera clicks non-stop.

- You get print rights on all RETOUCHED FINAL images. We don't make head shot prints, but you take them on a memory stick or disk to your favorite printer or order online.

- If you need any additional images to be retouched or additional rights licensing options (commercial, promotion, etc) - we will discuss these and formulate separate agreement on those.

- Hair and make up artist available upon request at the rate of $150.

- During the initial consultation we decide what you need, look at your favorite images, talk over the outfits/hair/makeup - everything that makes sure we're on the same page.

- A $100 non-refundable commitment fee towards any package is required for booking. You can reschedule the shoot up to 3 days in advance and lose the commitment fee when that happens twice in a row.

- Business and corporate headshots are only offered in bulk at this time, please request a quote by e-mail, providing with a number of people, location and timeframe.

Check for our specials on Twitter and Facebook (links on the side).

*****

"BASIC" package. It works for anybody who needs to capture their expression in performing arts. It includes:

- FREE initial consultation in person
- up to 3 hours of total time when we shoot ($360 value)
- as many changes of clothes as you can fit in there
- online proofs gallery (low resolution unretouched watermarked images to make selections from)
- 3 professionally retouched photos to help you look your best ($90 value) (extra photos retouched at rate of $30 each or $25 if we're retouching more than 5 extra photos)
- as many light setup changes as we can manage to do at the allocated time. Each lighting set takes some time to arrange and test, depends on the complexity
- resized final images with our watermark for Social Media - Facebook etc.
- a CD with proofs (low resolution unretouched watermarked images you make your selections from) and high resolution unwatermarked FINAL images for printing.

Cost is $350.

*****

"STAR" package. Not suitable for everybody - shooting is a very tiresome deal unless you're used to it!

This one includes:
- FREE initial consultation in person
- FREE comp card design if needed (electronic files delivered at the end for ordering comp cards with your preferred printer)
- up to 4.5 hours of the time when we shoot ($540 value)
- unlimited changes of clothes
- online proofs gallery (low resolution unretouched watermarked images you make selections from)
- 5 professionally retouched photos to help you look your best ($150 value) (extra photos retouched at rate of $30 each or $25 if we're retouching more than 5 extra photos)
- as many light setup changes as we can manage to do at the allocated time. Each lighting set takes some time to arrange and test, depends on the complexity
- resized final images with our watermark for social media - Facebook etc.
- FREE CD with proofs (low resolution unretouched watermarked images you made selections from) and high resolution unwatermarked FINAL images for printing.

Cost is $510.

If you need something more flexible, do contact us to figure out the cost.

Student discount is available with a VALID (full time) student ID.

Acting reels and casting

I've been doing actor headshots for some time now and one day this friend of mine asks me - why don't I provide acting reels as part of my services as well - they seem to be one of the most crucial parts of being hired, and interestingly enough, only selected few have them available for viewing when they go through the selection process for the casting. So I asked Bill to answer a few of the questions to sort things out and see what casting directors might be looking for in a reel.

- My name is Bill Rozar and I am the creator of a theatrical glam-rock group called Witches In Bikinis. I write all the songs, am the creative director, record producer, and play guitar and keyboards in the live show.  


What/who do you usually cast for?

- In the five years that Witches In Bikinis has been performing and recording we've had over twenty singers and dancers in the group as well as about a dozen different musicians so I am always looking for talented people.  Currently I am casting for a new group called 'Alien Surfer Babes' that will be surf rock band with three female singers, doing original surf and sci-fi-themed music as well as classic surf songs.

What's your procedure when you're looking for talent? 

- I try to screen people ahead of time as much as possible so that I'm not auditioning hordes of people.  If they just send me a headshot and a resume listing all the shows they've been in, I usually don't get too excited--because, really, they haven't given me anything to get excited about.  The people who most pique my interest are those who, first of all, are excited about what I'm doing and express that in their cover letter, and secondly, give me something more than just a pretty headshot and a list of shows they were in--either an audio recording, or, better yet, a live video of them singing or talking or dancing or whatever it is they do that makes them special.

Also - and almost no one does this - I would like to see a full body shot as well as a headshot.  One of the features of Witches In Bikinis is the  bikinis (and the bodies that fill them).  I need to know that they will look good in a bikini.  If they look just average in their headshot but have a killer body then they are still a strong candidate - but with just a headshot and no body shot I might never have even called them in to audition.


Is there anything particular you're looking for in their headshot? Reel?

A true representation of their natural beauty.  I want to know that THEY are beautiful and not that the photograph is beautiful.  The headshot should capture what makes them uniquely appealing and attractive.  The same goes for the reel; I want to get a real sense of their range and who they are; a balance of close-ups and medium shots, doing a variety of things in different settings and lighting so that I can get a more complete picture of who they are and what they are capable of.

Basically, the more you send me, the more accurate and complete my first impression will be and less time will be wasted by all parties involved.  If I fall in love with your headshot and reel, then the audition is just a formality.

I thank Bill for this helpful information :). If anybody has more specific questions - let me know. I've done some research in my networking community and will write a follow up post with some more insights that I have gathered from film and music industry people.


Have a fantastic day!

Octa-dome

Always loved big lights!
Have been doing head shots all day and this test came out ok, so I wanted to show you what I mean :)

This octa light is HUGE! And the lighting is flawless of course...

I wish you a wonderful week! Just like one I planned for myself..

xoxox~

What's up in our yard...

You probably read about how I hit myself in the nose one time when the light turned all pink in the yard... oh well.

This time didn't involve any injuries, although the rain was beautiful and strong. Hubby held the umbrella above my head to prevent the last rare drops falling on lens and this is what we came up with! I was so excited, but I think he was even more so than me! lol

In any case - enjoy :)

How to choose photos

I end up taking a lot of pictures of the same stuff. Especially when there're people involved - their expressions change quite a bit in a moment, and I want to be able to select the best one. And sometimes you end up with a bunch of good ones and then it's hard to pick. Especially if you are photographing your own son *lol*.

What do I do????

I find asking people around is the best thing. They haven't been "there" and own a live perception of the photograph you show them. That's another reason to love facebook. I posted 5 pics there yesterday and received about 20 different responses clearly indicating which of the five they like best. And it helped me to understand how I judge my own photos too. He was holding his breath on one of them, I (as a mommy) just love that precious one, he was almost completely covered in mist in another one, you can't even make a face out of it, etc.

Thanks all of you for the help! I cherish our relationship :)

Oh, and here's the winner!

The best things happen when they're meant to!

A charming lady - jewelry designer (www.LadyMadeTreasure.com) - hired me to do a small casual shoot for the article displaying her new pieces for kids.

The models were fabulous and aside from it being the most hot&humid day this year (until this day, I guess *lol*), the work was easy and fun.

I always like to find out what other kids like (having a boy growing up), so, naturally, I asked them if they found things funny what boys do/like, and it created this whole energy when they would tell me about their games and how they treat each other (chasing around the house, I believe was their fave)...

Another thing I notice when I shoot in Manhattan on location is that there is always somebody who comes up to me asking for a card - needing this picture done, or that concept worked on. Kind of makes you think that in Manhattan photographers don't really need offices or marketing programs - just keep shooting on streets and all :).

Till later~...

Pricing information

Since I can't seem to figure out how to publish pricing using my SmugMug galleries, I've decided to post them right here, in a blog.

It's no secret, and that way I can link the articles up to the Contact page so everyone can see them. They are subject to change and depend on the availability, but all I'll do is go back and edit them right here in the blogger. Would that be nice? I think so.

So, look out for the package descriptions, hourly charges explained and À la carte service charges here on the blog in the coming week.

How was your weekend? :)
Ours was fabulous. Aside from hubby setting up Japanese terraces in our garden and fireworks that we went to watch like VIP (free parking in my studio, special place to view and photograph from my hubby's office) - it was nice, quiet, and I even managed to get some creative work done.

Feeling blessed with such wonderful life~

Have a fantastic day/week/.../life!

Photo assistants

People who are very much appreciated in my life :). Without them I tend to feel very limited in my creativity. Who to test light on? Who will run and turn the lights up or down? Who will hold a reflector or a diffuser outside? Run to the car to get an extra battery? Even simply having someone to talk to when you work hard on a long line of product shots....

So far I've been blessed with mine.

And now it seems like I have my own growing in the house :)