Although we may never be able to settle the dispute between the east and west coasts, there is another feud worth talking about—especially for those of you in the industry. It’s the battle between New York City and L.A. headshots. Below I outline the five major differences so that you can settle this dispute once and for all.
1. Tone. Headshots photographed in NYC are often darker and more serious. An easy visual comparison is just looking at the wardrobe between the two cities. In NYC, you are much more likely to see people wearing black and dark colors with a minimalistic yet chic feel. Often portraits are lit by studio or strobe lights, and therefore the shots feel darker and tend to have more shadow. Conversely, in L.A.— the land of natural light—headshots are going to be lit as such and have a warmer tone. Take a stroll down any L.A. street and you will see that wardrobe tends to be more colorful, loud, and provocative. This is also a metaphor or its headshot style.
2. Range. The vast majority of agents in NYC that I work with tend to always request a “general theatrical” and then a “general commercial” headshot. The one addition to this request will sometimes be a “procedural headshot” or a shot used for casting a cop or detective in a TV crime drama. The L.A. market is much more specific, and agents and managers are constantly requesting that their clients get a variety of theatrical looks to satisfy their various casting breakdowns. The most popular looks tend to be “girl or boy next door,” the “outsider” or person on the “fringes of society,” and the “sexy lead” to name a few. The reason for this is that the west-coast markets are extremely saturated with talent. Agents and managers have identified that it’s easier for their talent to get booked if they look precisely like the role for which they are auditioning.
3. Intention. I have talked with many agents and managers in NYC about what they look for in headshots and the most popular response tends to be something like, “Headshots are for my clients to stand out and get noticed by casting directors.” While this is invariably true, in L.A., headshots almost always function to let casting and representation know how a given actor is most castable. In L.A., the more an actor visually personifies a role, the more likely he or she is going to be called in.
4. Price. In Los Angeles, the sun shines almost every day, and since the advent of digital cameras, everyone and their mother claims to be a headshot photographer. The result is that the prices on the West Coast tend to be a bit less expensive than NYC for top-tier headshot photographers. The headshot photographer market in NYC is less competitive, so some photographers tend to take advantage of this and jack up their prices. In either, city it’s really important to do extensive research and make sure that the photographer you are shooting with understands the market and specializes in headshots. On both coasts, you will find hundreds of bargain photographers. Please be warned that in this industry you almost always get what you pay for, and if you are an actor without major credits, your primary calling card is your headshots.
5. Market. In general, the NYC market tends to be smaller than its Los Angeles counterpart, so the majority of submissions are for local or east-coast hire. The result is that many of the industry professionals looking at your headshots are used to this particular standard and style of photograph. So if you are from NYC and shooting in L.A., please remember to tell your photographer where the majority of your submissions will be going. The L.A. market tends to be larger in scope and therefore more accepting of all types of shots. This creates a bit more play in terms of pushing the boundaries of acceptable headshots.
As the feud between the east and the west continues, I hope that these tips help illuminate the differences between the two largest markets. Whether you like the minimalism of NYC headshots or the loud L.A. vibe, Paul Walker said it best: “Attitude is attitude, whether you’re a West Coast gangster or East Coast gangster, you know?”
Watch how to get good headshots here:
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