Theater kids are the best subjects for portraits and headshots. They know how to show a wide range of emotion on their face, how to connect with their eyes and they take direction very well. Aidan was no exception.
I’ve had the pleasure of watching Aidan grow up in the theater for the past few years. He’s been in shows with my son and we’ve gone to support him in other shows. Much like my own son, the time has come for them to apply to colleges and a good theater headshot is an integral part of the acceptance process.
A good headshot conveys who you are and a bit about your personality before the admissions board even reads your application and resume. The theater departments use them to refer to when discussing the applications and auditions. Applying to colleges is costly by the tie you are done paying for the SATs and application fees and audition fees, however one area you should not try to cut costs on is your headshot.
Since we weren’t able to do any in a studio due to the global pandemic, I brought the studio to Aidan. After he watched some preparation videos I had emailed him ahead of time, and selected a few appropriate pieces of clothing, we met in the park for our session. We had some fun and laughed and I made him do some weird poses that ended up making more sense after he saw the end result. He even found his “smolder.” I think the thing that struck me the most was the shock on his face when he saw a professionally taken picture of himself. He looked like the confident young man we know him to be but I really think that’s the first time he saw it in himself. I felt glad that I could give that to him. Nothing helps your nerves going into this process like a confidence boosting headshot experience. I hope one day, he will be hiring me to take his Broadway headshots as he sets off to audition for roles in the greatest city in world. Best of luck to you, Aidan, and best wishes for many more successful shows.
