Crystal - Thespian - Photo Shoot

Today I did something I never thought I'd be doing in my life -- I had my photo shoot for head shots. Yes, this is part 2 of Crystal in her now budding hyphenate life.

When I agreed to be in Jim's film, "Rendition", I saw the acting role as a one-shot deal to pay back the confidence Jim was showing in me by asking me. It was great fun to do, and I can see why actors enjoy the 'acting' part of the business. Since then, whenever I mention this bizarre-to-me-turn in my career, I surprisingly seem to get nothing but encouragement from my actor friends. One friend, when she got turned down for a role, on a film of a major league star turned director, because she wasn't the right type for it, called me right up and said I should try for the role (well, I couldn't because I didn't even have head shots, let alone an agent, resume, etc.) -- that she could see me doing it and that there was nothing in it I couldn't do. Since then actor friends talk about me having something and if the right role came along... And then there's my director who has nothing but nice things and praise to say about what I did for him. So-o-o....

I figure, what's the harm in sticking my toe into the water and just see if the ripples lead anywhere? Hence, the photo shoot today for my head shots. Now, I know nothing about this end of the business. Ask me about writing and I can give lectures... ask me about aspects of production and I've got answers (or I can pretty much come up with something)... ask me about how actors do what they do... well, I've looked at head shots.... I've even stapled the credits to the backs of the photos on occasion... and I've shuffled them around in piles... but that's about the extent of my knowledge.

Luckily the photographer taking my head shots knows what he's doing -- he does head shots and album covers for a living among lots of other things -- because I was like putty in his hands. He said bring a couple of changes of clothes (or tops, really) so that I could handle. I spent time figuring out what I thought would look best on me for the shoot (and oh, do I hope I chose right, since I've always hated pics of myself), doing my hair, putting makeup on, etc. And then it was off to the park around the LCAMA museum and Tar Pits -- his choice, what do I know? I only knew it was hot, hot, hot, out there in the sun. Even though we shot mostly in the shade.

Then it was stand over here, stand this way, sit here, lean here, look this way, smile, here's a joke to get the proper reaction from me, moving on (to another location), change clothes until we had shot a couple of rolls of film. In the beginning he was telling me to stop being apprehensive to the camera, that that was what I was projecting. Since I wasn't feeling apprehensive, I'm not sure I knew how to fix that, and hence, I'm not sure if I did, or if he just gave up on me. He told me I had a very playful quality to me that I needed to bring out... was I successful at that? I don't know -- I must have, since he seemed to like what he was shooting and kept saying good, good. I guess we'll see when the photos are processed. In the end, he said that it was all good and that they'd be great photos.

So now what I asked? Now he gets them processed and put onto a CD and then I come over and look at them to see which ones I like. I think there was a murmur of a photo lab after that. But since that's all for another day, right now I pulled my toe out of the water to go back to my regularly scheduled life where I can swim with anyone.