So guys why not take advantage of the fact that nature has provided you with free and easy look alternatives and book a little extra time to photograph both? Lets start your headshot session with the facial hair intact then finish with a clean cut image that your future fans can’t help but love.

For example, meet the before and after looks of Josh.

On a related note, are you part of the Movember movement?

Headshots in Vancouver / LS Photography is offering a special Movember Headshots package from December 1st to December 15th. You get a 10% discount on the Starving Artist Package. Bring in that moustache you’ve been working on all November long (or take an extra week or two to work it into a beard or goatee) and we’ll get you some cool before and afters for your portfolio. Bookings must be made by December 15th, so don’t miss out!

Like I said, the option of growing facial hair is completely foreign to me, so check out Philip Bloom’s ongoing video blogs on one man’s experience of Movember, and why he is raising money and awareness in the fight against prostate cancer

One piece of news I would like to share is our aim to promote small businesses here in Vancouver. Check out our corporate and small business rates and packages for pricing information or contact us for a quote customized to suit your needs.

Here’s a few samplers from a shoot we did for the Skin Health Laser & Medi Spa in Kitsilano. It’s a nice mix of conventional headshots and environmental portraiture:

Sara Kawamura, Medical Esthetician and Laser Technician

Ellen Campbell, Makeup Artist and Client Services Rep

Ellen and Sarah sampling some Jane Iredale mineral makeup

In addition to still photography we will be incorporating business video profiles to our list of services very soon, so stay tuned.

Essentially my role was to incite a riot in English, the louder the better–as long as it was in English. And I did. And it was exhausting, but a hell of a lot of fun. Total cutie factor overload.

Photographing itty bitty kiddies is quite different however. You need the fun and the energy and the enthusiasm of an English lesson / riot but it needs to seem more…I don’t know, tidy.

For starters it’s always nice if everybody’s looking happy:

It kinda helps when everyone is looking at the camera too:

At least presenting the illusion of having a good time would work at this point:

But thankfully when it works, it works:

Seriously, my respect for professional kids photographers is immense. A special thanks to my partner Leanne at LS Photography for her role as professional tickler and riot inciter during this gig. You can check out her kids and toddler photography work here.

It’s a great way to get your kid started and sooo much more professional than that shot Uncle Bob took at the family BBQ last summer.

Here’s some samplers:

Remember, this special price is until December 31st only so call now to book your kid’s headshot session.

“What I like about VFS is that it offers hands-on experience, which is what you need to get into the industry, not just technical knowledge. Nobody’s looking for certificates and grades. They want to know how much experience you have and how good you are and what work you’ve done.

Ayodeji Oduntan

“While in school you’re  getting training in camera, sound, directing, cinematography, acting…all aspects of film. If you want to succeed you need to do as much as you can while you’re there. You need to do everything you can because it’s a great foundation to have. If you just close yourself off to only focusing on studying cinematography or directing (for example) then you’re really slowing yourself down.”

Some people would argue that the Jack of all Trades approach to getting work in TV and Film is not very useful since, as the saying goes, “a Jack of all trades is Master of none.” But DJ is sure that once he’s finished school he’ll have the necessary skills to enter the film industry and succeed on either side of the lens. Regardless of whether a movie is looking for actors, cinematographers or directors, he is confident that he can step in and say, “I can do that.”

Confidence, if fact, becomes a reoccurring theme in our conversation. When discussing what it takes to direct a film project, he says confidence and an organized game plan are crucial.

“Directing is about decision making and knowing what you want. There’s 20-50 people –and in bigger movies thousands of  people — who’ve come to make this movie and if you don’t know what you want you’re wasting everybody’s time. Everything has to be planned out, every shot and everything within the frame of that shot. And if you go in thinking, ‘Oh, I’ll just figure it out when I get there,’ you’re gonna fail. And your whole crew’s gonna hate you and never want to work with you again, because it’s so easy to get grumpy on a movie set because it’s bright and it’s hot and those lights—they burn you. So it’s important going when into a shoot to be prepared.”

But before you can take the director’s chair, he says,  you have to earn it. True, everyone is allowed a go at directing  their independent project at VFS, but for the documentary portion of the program only 6 ideas are picked out of a pool of 30 students. And for the finals, says DJ, “You really have to earn the right to be the director of that one.” Just like in the real world in general, and just like in the TV / Film  industry specifically, it’s a competition. And again, confidence and enthusiasm are the keys to success.

“It all depends on your idea, on how doable it is, how exciting it is…. If you go and pitch your idea and you’re really sour and unenthusiastic no-one’s going to pick your work.

“You have to sound excited about your work. Why is it different? Why do you want to do this project? Why should we (the financiers) do this project? You have to be clear on that and be confident. That’s one of the things that film school has helped me with, how to speak in front of a lot of people. If you want to be in the film industry, if you want to direct or produce your own film, you have to be comfortable with public speaking. Because if you’re really shy and you have a great idea but you don’t seem like you can carry this movie, no-one’s going to invest millions into your idea.”

Ah yes, The Great Idea. The million dollar story. I asked DJ just how much of a good film is the story and how much is technical expertise. His answer surprised me, considering he is a film student with so much technical know-how at his fingertips.

“I would say 5% is technique to be perfectly honest, and the other 95% is story,” he says. If you have a great story, an intelligent story, something that blows people away, then it doesn’t really matter how you shoot it. The story is everything. I’ve seen films that have had the greatest techniques — all those cranes and cool shots — but nobody cares. Sure it’s cool but the story is boring and nobody’s paying attention to it.”

Well, this gives some hope to the majority of us who are out there who have neither the time nor the finances to go to film school. Let’s imagine for a moment that I had an amazing idea for a movie. Is it possible, I ask DJ, to make a movie without any formal training? There is a lot of prosumer gear out there that is available to the general public to shoot quality video.  And the internet looks chock o’ block full of useful information…. and there’s books….

DJ looks skeptical but tries to be helpful.

“Some of the biggest film makers out there – Lee Daniels for example (director of Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire) - didn’t go to film school. So I don’t think you have to, but it’s much better – you learn faster – if you go to school. You’re not going to get everything you need to know off the internet. Hands on experience is the most important thing. It’s all about getting comfortable with the camera and learning industry standards. If you don’t have the experience then it’s just not going to have that quality look and feel. In most festivals there’s a quality level you have to have in a film before they even consider it. If you don’t have it your film is probably not going to go anywhere other than YouTube, you know?”

He definitely has a point, and there are many other factors to consider as well, such as the connections you can make within the industry (“You never know who’s going to be the next Spielberg”) as well as the full time practical, hands on training you are given on set. But is it worth the money? And will it get you a job in the real world?

For an informative argument that covers both sides of the issue of whether or not you should go to film school I recommend checking out these great blog posts by Ryan Bilsborrow Koo entitled (quite handily) Ten reasons you shouldn’t go to film school and his counter argument Ten reasons you should go to film school. Make sure you read the comments made by readers of the posts as well, as that will give you more insight from real people doing their best to survive as true indie film makers, namely those still making films without the formal training of school. Especially interesting for me was his argument #9 against formal training:

“My problem with Hollywood today is not a lack of craft,” says Koo, “and my problem with film school is not a lack of theory; both of these areas of expertise are arguably more refined today than they’ve ever been. But what’s mostly missing in Hollywood today is the writing–what’s actually being said–and while they can teach you in school how to say what you’ve got to say, they can’t tell you what to say.”

So back to our buddy DJ. Is he a story teller as well as story maker? As it turns out he is:

“Yeah, I’m a writer as well, I’ve written a lot of scripts, a lot.” He says, laughing. “And I have 2 novels–sequels. I have a lot of stuff I want to show people, that I want to put out there. So…we’ll see.”

He kept a lid on what those stories are about, but I for one pray he is part of a new wave of movie makers. Someone with a fresh light to shine on this weird and crazy planet we call home. But, like he says himself, “we’ll see.”

So, whether you are for or against them, there are at least a dozen film schools cranking out hundreds of film students annually in Vancouver alone. There is no doubt that they are armed with the expertise to make a technically sound film (or at least one would hope.) The question is will these films be worth watching, or will it be more cyber junk floating in space, signifying nothing?

So bring it on young bloods. Let’s see what stories you’ve got to tell. I for one have hope. Let’s see what the next wave of independent film makers have to say.

I had the opportunity to go back to my hometown of Victoria recently to celebrate my mum’s 82nd birthday. Buying presents for her is always a challenge, she’s a no frills kind of person and has everything she needs. Usually we go out for dinner and take a walk in the park or drive up island and take a walk on the beach or, you know, take a walk down by Dallas Road or around the Inner Harbour. This year however I decided to break with tradition and do something out of the ordinary. This year I decided to take her to a movie.

When I propose the idea to her the night before her birthday, she looks at me as if I were mad.

“A movie,” says Mum, “whatever for?”

Well, I didn’t quite know how to answer that one. And when she asked which one I was thinking of taking her to I didn’t know how to answer that either. I had no idea what was playing at the cinema, I just thought it would be cool to go see a movie on her birthday.

So we went for a walk in Beacon Hill Park and browsed through second hand bookstores instead.

It’s not that Mum doesn’t like movies. She loves foreign films, the Classics and has a thing about B movies as it turns out (Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, The Blob and Surf Nazis must Die being a few key titles coming up in the conversation). What she doesn’t like so much is the mainstream trend of comedies and action movies coming out of Hollywood.

“Mainstream American comedies aren’t funny,” says Mum, “but mind you I grew up on British humour–now that’s funny. It may seem quite absurd and silly at times but there’s a keen social commentary going on just below the surface. Americans go for shock value and put downs and yet they don’t know how to make fun of themselves. The British do and that’s what makes them funny.”

Action movies fare even worse in Mum’s estimation. “They’re boring. It’s the same story over and over,” she sniffs.

Now admittedly my 82 year old mum is not a member of the ideal target market dreamed of by action movie producers around the globe, but she’s a consumer like anyone else and she has a right to say. Besides, it’s her birthday.

When talking about the quality of acting in general she refers again to the British way of doing things. “The British put out such good character actors.  They are often a little older, and not necessarily “beautiful” in a conventional sense. You can identify with them because they’re not perfect. And yet they are so versatile as actors, every time you see them they are so different they are able to take on such different roles.”

That doesn’t mean that there are no good character actors coming out of the US and Canada. Personally I suspect the lack of variety in characters is more of a writing issue than an acting issue, but that’s just me. Mum’s comment about identifying with the less than perfect character got me thinking though. Do we watch movies to escape who we are, or to affirm who we are?

Something to think about… What do you think?

“I used to be a traveling mop salesman. I would go to places like Zellers and The Bay and be the spokesperson for these microfibre mops. The company got contracted by Wallmart, which was the ‘grand contract’ to get. So I went to Alberta to to open up a few stores selling these mops and it ended up being just too much time on the road…. For a while I thought it was the best job because if I had an audition the company gave me the time off and I thought ‘Oh this is great.’ Then all of a sudden I’m in Alberta selling mops full time and I’m thinking ‘Whoa, wait a minute.’”

Luckily for Kirby her background in dance got her some work teaching workshops, but still she says, “I got tired of saying I’m an actor and not acting.”

So she decided to take advantage of the prolific Indie Film scene here in Vancouver, a scene which she describes as “vibrant.”

“There’s lots going on right now. I found as far as auditions go you could audition 4 or 5 times a week if you apply to almost anything you are suited for. So even though it seemed like things were really slow a few months ago, there were a lot of people out there making their own work.”

In very broad terms an Indie Film is anything produced outside of the major film studios. This can be a good thing and a bad thing for all involved. “The projects are much more interesting,” says Kirby.  ”There’s more freedom of ideas. You don’t have someone whispering in your ear that ‘you can’t do this and you can’t do that.’ You’re doing really creative things, but you’re not getting any money for it. That’s the compromise.”

That’s the other defining feature of an Indie project, that it is low budget. In many cases it is very low budget.”Some (of the people doing Indie) are still in film school, some are graduates–I prefer working with the graduates because they’re a lot more serious. They’re not in school any more they’re doing it on their own. They don’t take things for granted as much:  they have to deal with getting the equipment themselves versus having the school lend them everything, for example.

But student films are great too because they are often less organized. Things get tricky and it can be troublesome, but if you can get through it then it makes it easier to do other work.”

And that’s what working the Indie scene is all about: getting the experience. “I was so scared of auditions I used to throw up, and that’s when I realized I had to take it slow. And working on set can be an overwhelming experience too so it’s good to come into it with some experience so you can relax into it.”

Has it paid off? For Kirby it certainly has. “I’ve been rejected by this one particular agency 4 times in the past, but I was recently taken on because she was impressed by my resume. In turn this agent has got me more auditions in 2 months than my previous agent did in 2 years.”

The experience gained from working Indie projects and putting herself out there is only one of the benefits Kirby’s come away with. The other benefit is a magic power not just in the world of TV and Film, but in most areas of business: connections. First it was via her extensive network on Facebook.

The more I put on my Facebook status that I’d booked something or that I was on set, the more people who are on Facebook who are film makers would call and say, ‘Hey, you wanna come do this?’ It was a great help.”

Connections were also forged by attending the numerous social gatherings around town centering around film, such as the Celluloid Social Club and Women in Film (which is open to men too by the way).

The more I went to different events like that I ended up meeting people involved in the Vancouver scene. It opened up a lot of opportunities just to play around with different people and do different projects…. There’s a lot of situations where (producers) won’t post their castings. They’ll just call around and ask people ‘do you know someone who could work in this or that’ and in cases like that it’s helpful that people know who you are.”

While her goal is to eventually move into more mainstream TV and Film, she’s enjoying being a non-union actor for the time being. Kirby says, “I love the freedom to choose projects and keep busy, but it also limits the amount of mainstream auditions I can do and minimizes the money I could make from acting. But I’d rather be busy acting than not, so I’m alright with it.”

So what is Kirby’s advice for actors wanting to earn their chops in the Indie scene? It is simple and sensible: “When you are on set try to never say ‘I need’ as in ‘I need more time’ or ‘I need quiet’ or ‘I need space.’ The crew works really hard and you need to respect them and make their lives easier. You’ll work more that way.”

Well done Kirby for pushing yourself out there and making the work happen for you. Congratulations as well on getting together a demo reel based on some of that Indie work you’ve been doing (click here to view her demo reel). We’re looking forward to seeing where life takes you next.

Like many young actors Ashley has come to Vancouver with a dream to break into the Film and TV scene. She readily admits that it hasn’t always been easy. “If you’re not from a wealthy background or if you are moving here from another province things can get tough. It’s like you are floating sometimes, without a foundation. You have to find balance, you have to get a normal job, pay the bills, and yet still fit in the auditions. I took a huge leap coming here and starting from scratch.”

She hasn’t let the transition from small town Manitoba to overpriced Vancouver get to her though. “I consider myself a spiritual, positive person,” she says, “I find the nature here uplifting and calming. If you fit in with the style and the essence of the city it can be an affordable place to live. Just go to one of the many markets around town and get some sandwich meat or some fruit and head to the beach. You can have a $20 day just going swimming and throwing the frisbee around.”

When it comes to talking about acting however Ashley is not so laid back. “You better have a passion for it and not be in it for money or fame, because you’re gonna get shut down a lot and it’s the passion that’s going to keep you comforted and consoled.

“For me acting is a lifestyle not a job. You have to get up every day and do your Yoga and your voice exercises. You have to be extremely diligent and always on top of your game. I have 2 set monologues for theater auditions and 2 songs prepared and I practice those for a half hour every day. And when you’re not getting paying gigs you need to make your own work. I’m writing a couple of comedy sketches with my sister and we want to get filming that this fall.”

Ashley’s passion for acting is obvious but what I find especially interesting about her is that she draws no line between acting and everyday life. “Everything I do to prepare for my lifestyle as an actor is what can be applied to everyday life: living a healthy lifestyle, eating well, getting rest…. The skills you learn as an actor can relate to any situation, any job. Some of the things you do in an acting class, exercises like sitting in front of someone and eating and staring into their eyes the whole time. Do you know how scary that is? That could relate to going on a date, or just how to maintain eye contact with people in general.

“From acting I can look into people’s eyes and make that connection. And you can tell when people aren’t comfortable doing that. You can tell it makes a lot of people nervous. So yeah, people should take acting classes even if they don’t want to be an actor. It’s a great learning opportunity. People should be pushing the limits of their comfort zones.”

Other aspects of an actor’s lifestyle that can be applied to any situation? “Don’t get down on yourself,” she says. “It’s the self criticism that is more damaging than someone in an audition saying ‘you’re too fat.’ It’s what you say to yourself that sticks with you more than what other people say. You are the only one you really have so you have build up a strong relationship with yourself. It’s in all the self help books and the basis of counselling that in order to get on with your life and have good relationships you have to like yourself first. Then all the bad things, the rejections and the roadblocks, will just slide right off of you. And don’t compare yourself to others, like ‘why is he getting more work than me?’ or ‘I’ve got more training than her.’ It’s pointless and you’re just setting yourself up for another roadblock.”

Eat well, live well, believe in yourself and be passionate about what you do? It all sounds good to me. Ashley makes no claims to having accomplished such lofty goals but she’s determined to apply these principals to her day to day life. How about you? Have you ever dreamed of living the actor’s lifestyle?

Thank you Ashley for your words of inspiration. Best of luck to you here in Vancouver.

Kristen Smith and her Mom come in from the Sunshine Coast for a headshot session here in Vancouver, and we are sitting around going through her wardrobe and discussing what kind of looks we should go for. Her agent had recommended some commercial standards of course, smiley and sweet, plus a number of other options like “small town girl”, “troubled teen” and so on.

And so the shoot begins. Here are some samplers:

When it came to choosing which pictures should make the final cut it was interesting to note how different our choices were depending on where we were coming from.

Kristen’s mom chose this shot as her favourite because she felt Kristen looked really relaxed.

Kristen chose this one as her favourite because it looked “natural and not too posed.”

Not knowing Kristen at all, I chose this one because I thought she looked like like a troubled teen–a nice kid about to get into some pretty bad trouble.

The clincher was in the agent’s choice however. Here it is:

None of us particularly liked the shot, and yet this is the shot that earned Kristen her first call back for an audition.

Moral of the story? While everyone is entitled to an opinion, let your agent choose your shots.

This isn’t a page from a wedding album or a family portrait, it’s a headshot which is a very different thing. Headshots are not necessarily good shots of an actor, they are good shots of the characters that the actor can portray. Of course there will be plenty of instances where the best shots please the both the actor and the agent, but not always. So when choosing which shots to print let your agent have a say. They know what casting directors are looking for and it’s in their best interests that your shot stands out, even if it’s not your favourite shot of “you.” Or if you don’t have an agent get someone who’s not emotionally involved to have a look and give constructive feedback.

Sure we all want to look fabulous from every angle but let’s face it: who’s going to say no to a paying gig?