Too often in my career I’ve had headshots taken by photographers who just didn’t get the job done, and quite frankly they didn’t seem to care. They took my money but just didn’t seem to care. Well, I DO care. I care about both the headshots and your success. I WANT you in the doors of the best agencies, and then into casting offices that will help you succeed. I’ll talk to you as an actor and photographer. As a photog I will look for the best lighting to show you the best “you.” If I don’t see life in your eyes then I don’t think that the CD’s will either. I’ll work to get “you” to shine through in your headshots and to get exciting shots that you’re proud to hand out. That means more success to you, and ultimately more success to me when you refer me to your friends.

Many people think that anyone can take a good headshot. I wish that were true! They think you just go to Best Buys, get a nice camera with a nice lens, stand outside under some shade and shoot a great headshot. But that’s just not the case.  But for many so-called photographers that is all the work they put into their abilities. They learn the most basic camera functions and hope for the best. “Okay” shots are simply not good enough to compete to get you in the doors. Plus, they don’t instill you with confidence that great headshots give you.

As a younger actor I too often went to the cheapest photographer I could find so I could save money. The headshots looked somewhat like me… and I could afford them, so they must be good “enough”, right? That’s all they were: good enough. But I got no action from them. No one ever told me why. They didn’t tell me that my headshots looked amateur and that the message I was sending out was that I was an amateur. So I “saved” money on the images at the immense expense of making myself look like a non-committed amateur hobbyist actor. Oops! Please don’t make that mistake! Whether you go with me or another terrific photographer, please get a photographer who really understands both light and getting life in your eyes. Without those elements you are just doing what I did so many years ago.

They say you only get one chance at a first impression. So shouldn’t that impression begin with great headshots? The answer is a very simple YES! Help yourself by only spending money on great headshots. Nothing else matters. That’s why I say, “If your headshots aren’t IMPRESSIVE, then why bother?”

I predominantly use studio lighting. Some are strobes and some are constant lights, as well as  some natural light thrown in from time to time. Studio light sometimes gets a bad name because it is used poorly. But light is light. It is all dependent on your photographer’s skill in using it when capturing you.

Many headshot photographers in L.A. go out of their way to advertise they “specialize in natural light”.  Some have spaces with lots of large windows, or some have large doors that they open for the large light source. And others take you on a walk around the block, or under an overpass or maybe even a parking garage. Well, I like to do those things as well if the conditions are right or if that is what you want. BUT, more importantly, I can shoot with any situation because I also know how to use studio lighting in a natural way… and I like that I can serve your needs so many ways. Let’s face it, sometimes it might be too windy if your hair is long. Do you want to spend a ton of money having someone edit out all the fly-aways. Or it may be too hot or cold… or wet. Or you might feel uncomfortable with lookie-loos checking you out during the shoot. If you set up for a certain day and have planned for days or weeks to have your shots on that date, do you really want weather to cause a cancellation? And then you have to reschedule and still hope for the best?

I use natural light on some shots as it enters my studio. And I also add in studio lighting when I need to. Simply put, I do what needs to be done to get great images. I have the skills and the gear to accomplish that. It took a lot of work and a lot of training that maybe some others didn’t put in, but you benefit from my time and work put in to make your shoot successful regardless of the weather. I’ll even take my strobes outside for headshots with a cityscape background if that is what is really wanted. That may require a different headshot package but we could do it.

I love shooting outside as much as the next photographer. I’m just prepared for anything. That may be one thing that separates me from many. I’m certainly not knocking those photogs that do a fantastic job with only natural light. Many are terrific. And many of those are trained in being able to do it both ways, as I do. I just don’t want to be forced to shoot with whatever weather comes on a particular day. I want the comforts of inside. I like indoor plumbing.

Here’s my main argument for people who say that headshots are best if shot in natural light and those who are dogmatic about it. The fact is that almost every set you’ll ever work on has some sort of augmented light, even if you are shooting outside. So if the sets are lit artificially and that is how you’re going to be seen, then why do headshots require natural light? All of Spielberg’s films are impeccably lit but they look natural, right? The actors look great in his films, right? But most of it is studio lighting. I’m not a lighting master like his DP but I make my clients look great! At least I think so. And although sometimes I shoot against a flat colored backdrop for the commercial look, I also shoot images that give the illusion of depth that I think lend themselves to more theatrical look. I think that why most people don’t like indoor shoots is because they only think about those flat backgrounds. My shots don’t look flat at all, unless that is the specific look that we’re after.

I’m ready any time!

I have sessions starting at 10 AM for those that like to tackle a day earlier. Most people like early afternoon after a light lunch. It’s mainly about how you feel in the morning. You want vibrant eyes and a rested body, regardless what time you choose.

Sometimes I’ll even shoot the session at night. Since I shoot in studio I am not dependent on weather or time of day. Or, maybe you’d like to step out after dark for some ambient settings like alleys or even Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. I’m up for fun shoots. Sometimes the clients are working day gigs as they pursue their dreams and night is the only time they can shoot. I try to be their for my clients in any way I can but there is an extra charge for shooting after hours.

Yes, I do show you images to let you know whether or not we are achieving your goals. But we don’t review between each shot. That would disrupt the flow. I want you thinking about just “being”, not over-thinking about whether or not you find a flaw in yourself. Our goal is to prepare you for the audition opportunities, so we’re gonna do everything we can to have you confident that we nailed your session. I always like to be sure that we got everything out of each look.

Usually within 2 days I have your images up on a gallery for your viewing. The first step in my process is to go through your images and remove the blinkies, or otherwise bad takes. Then I do an overall run-through for basic color, sharpness, clarity and exposure, to my taste. Only then will I upload them for your viewing and downloading.

I suggest that you send the link to actor friends or other industry professionals to help you narrow down your choices. After you’ve done that then download a smaller collection to Dropbox for your agents to view.

After you and your reps have made your choices I’ll go back and do further editing on the agreed number of images and will set them up for print, including name, etc. This will usually save you money at the print houses.

You simply call me and we check the calendar for our nearest coinciding availability. A $100 retainer is required through PayPal or Venmo to secure your appointment.

Things do come up, of course. I hope that you are auditioning a ton and that you’re booking as well. So you might get a job and have to re-schedule, or you might even get sick. If you call me 48 hours before the shoot then we can re-schedule once and the retainer will still be good for that session. However, if you have to re-schedule a second time for any reason then you’d forfeit your retainer and a new one would be required to hold the new date and time. I’m not trying to be mean, it’s just business. If I commit to you for a date and time then I may turn down the chance at a different client. But don’t worry, we’ll get great shots and hopefully have you auditioning even more!

Just as not every photographer is right for you, I also reserve the right to refuse to work with anyone who is disrespectful of my time and efforts.

All images can benefit from a touch of adjustment, whether it be bringing a little more pop or sharpness to the eyes, or lightly whitening teeth. I’m very good at photoshop and even have clients strictly for my retouching from when they had headshots done poorly by someone else. My retouching is always with a light hand. I don’t make you look like a plastic version of yourself. You will look natural. Whoever looks at it may not even know there had been any retouching at all. The key is being subtle and specific.

A couple of areas where too many retouchers overdo it are on the eyes and facial skin. Many over-whiten the eyes making them look cartoonish. They’ll take every sign of red out of the eyes and then turn up the brightness. That is NOT the right way to do it. Our eyes all have a little red in them and it needs to stay there to look natural. It should be toned down but not removed. And the skin should not be sharpened to the point where you have an unnatural face like a plastic doll. I’m very careful to be subtle with my editing.

Most of my packages include a certain number of retouched images included in the package. Others can be added for a fee.

This may be the most common question any photographer gets. Before your shoot we will talk about what you’re goals are as far as characters you want to portray, etc. You’ll have discussed that with your representatives so we can nail what you and they want. The attire for one client is not the necessarily the same for the next so I don’t want to give a blanket answer. I can say that generally earthtones are best as a rule. Also, avoid plaids or paisley or colors that are too bright. Avoid logos as well. You could not get an audition for Brand A if you are wearing a T-shirt advertising Brand B. The main thing the CD or agent should focus on is YOU, not your wardrobe. We’ll get much further into all of this before your session. The first thing for you to know is WHO you are and HOW you will be cast. How do those people dress when you see them in film or TV? Then that’s how you dress, basically. Being specific is the best you could do, imo. Of course, that does not apply to costumes or uniforms. I will shoot scrubs or doctor smocks, military or police uniforms, but rarely am I asked to do that these days. Call me and we’ll talk.

I do not provide a make-up artist or hair person.  They can be helpful if you are not used to wearing much make-up. I kinda feel that the make-up should be very minimal in the way that you could replicate it if you had to go to an audition. But that can be communicated very easily to a good MUA. It can be great to have that set of eyes on the shoot to make sure that hair isn’t flying around or so that you don’t over-do your mascara. Putting on too much mascara can kill your shoot, pure and simple.It is not easily corrected in Photoshop either. Also, MUA’s can make you feel better about yourself so that all you have to think about is the shoot. They can even be good for guys as well to cover up things and just give you the vibe of being on a set. And good make-up, not over-done, can save you a ton of money and time by not having to spend as much on retouching blemishes or wild hair later. There are lots of terrific MUA’s, and I love using them for the right situations.

Now, that said, I tend to recommend to hire a subtle MUA for a headshot session or none at all. After all, do you plan to have a MUA before you go to auditions? No, you will be applying it yourself. Actor Headshots are not beauty shots. I think you should look in your headshots like the CD, agent or producer will see you when you walk in the room. For those reasons I also don’t over-edit headshots to make you look 10 years younger or much thinner or give you aline skin. It really can anger folks when they call you in based off your headshot and then you have misrepresented yourself with your image.

Years ago there was a big CD named Hank McCann. He had quite the history of casting feature films. He said that he started every audition by giving the actor 100 points before they walked in the door. He said when they walked in the door he either gave them 10 extra points for looking like their pics or minus 10 for not. He said the trust was already lost if you tried to misrepresent yourself. I’ve remembered that as both an actor and a headshot photographer.

This comes up from time to time. It is appreciated that you’d want to tip, but honestly, the best “tip” is when I get a call from a client saying that they got into an office that they’d never been able to get into before, or that their agent loves their new headshots, etc. Then they tell their friends and/or they become return clients. I’m not gonna fight you if someone tries to give me extra money, but I don’t work for that purpose. I work to get you in doors. That is a great tip for me!

I have this just below the topic of MUA’s because it may be completely different with them. It is pretty common, but not necessary, to tip your MUA. In my case in dealing with MUA’s, you pay them directly. They are not under my company banner, so your dealings with them are between you and them. And they do not pay me a commission, like they would for renting a chair at a salon, for instance.

Absolutely, you get to use them all after I have done the basic edit as described earlier, and they are in hi res and low res. All I require is that when you post them to your websites or any social media sites that you give me “Photo by” credit including www.jerrygilesphotography.com. That’s the only personal usage requirement. You get to use them for promotional, non-commercial purposes. By that I mean that you can not sell your images.

Copyright ownership does remain with the photographer, but you have usage rights for your promotional needs. For example, and this has happened, if a film decides they want to use your headshot in a film then that company has to pay me for usage, as well as paying you for usage as it applies to you. For all other purposes such as, but not limited to, Press releases, Magazine (both print and online), Print Media, Music or Advertising, please contact me directly.

By having me shoot your headshots and/or other images images you agree to these terms. You also agree that I may use your images for my own promotional purposes such as all the various web outlets.

Yes. Anytime someone needs to represent themselves in their best light then I am your photographer. For dating or profile we can do a “lifestyle” shoot, or we can do the more traditional headshot as well. I try to make them look a little less formal so that you look more approachable. Ask me abut my pricing. Thanks!

Yes, I most definitely do corporate headshots. I’ll come to your business and take care of you. I bring lights and modifiers to give you studio quality images from your very own offices. There are various ways that we set up those sessions. Some want a backdrop set-up in a central location where all the staff will come in one at a time and have their pictures made. This keeps for a real consistency on your webpage if they have the same backdrop.

Some want pictures made in each office, or at least various places around the office. That, of course, takes more time since there are lots of set-ups. In those cases many times I’ll bring an assistant. I know that time is money for you and I want to accommodate your busy day as best I can. To date most of my clients have been medical, law and real estate practices. But everyone needs a great image to put their best foot forward on the internet or print.

So, a most emphatic YES, I do corporate headshots.

Before I even send you a gallery of images to view I have already gone over all the images and made basic corrections for color temperature, overall exposure, contrast and sharpness to my taste. Then you pick the number of images based on your package for me to further retouch. I am a subtle retoucher. I don’t alter or re-age someone. It is vital that the CD sees the same “you” as the “you” that walked into my studio, not some computer generated version of you. I will remove minor blemishes and bring emphasis to things like the pupils of the eyes. I am not a fan of over-whitening eyes or teeth. It’s just looks unnatural to me. I do not remove laugh lines or crow’s feet, reshape faces or noses, change hair color or things like that in my basic retouch that I offer in packages. I will soften minimal flyaways but will not radically alter you. I show you a mirror before we start shooting to make sure hair is the way that you want it. After I do my basic edit you are more than welcome to either take the images to another retoucher or you can pay me to do a further retouch from me at the going rate at the time. I am highly qualified as a retoucher but I don’t do that work for free.

At this point I take cash, Venmo or Zelle. The retainers must be paid through those services as well. Then you can pay cash at the shoot or send me the payment right then through those services.

The studio which is in my place is located in West L.A. near the Odyssey Theatre on Sepulveda. Specific directions and parking info will be provided when booking.