The Art of the Headshot

NPR just ran a delightful story about the new book Holy Headshot! A Celebration of America’s Undiscovered Talent, by Patrick Borelli and Douglas Gorenstein. In it, Borelli and Gorenstein examine the art of the actor’s headshot. From a pool of 50,000 entries, they chose 103 to appear in the book, spotlighting the original, creative, spunky, bizarre, and downright baffling. I mean, what possesses an actor to appear in his headshot covered in rainbow-colored feathers? Or an actress to feature tiny plastic babies crawling across her face? Whatever possesses these people, it makes for a damn hilarious book.

Some other highlights of Holy Headshot!:

  • Linda Leven, who “said she came to Los Angeles to be a ballerina, but everyone kept telling her she looked like an actress, so she gave in.”
  • Kitten Kay Sera, who posed with her dyed-pink dog Miss Kisses and asserts in her resume that she will only wear pink.
  • Ray DeFeis, whose headshots feature him wearing women’s lingerie while holding a cupcake tray.
  • Shelley Krawchuck, who posed for her headshots at the beach — while sitting on the crapper!
  • Sybil Presley, who prefers the name “The Tennessee Stressbuster”, posing in fabulous rainbow-striped glasses, fringey magenta pillbox hat, and a vest emblazoned with smiley-face flowers.
  • Yenz Von Tillborg, whose hair is so spirited (his resume says he is an “innovator in hair concepts”) it deserves its own headshot.
  • Brian Costello, the epitome of an anti-GQ model, who landed in, of all things, GQ. He’s actually pretty sexy, and the Snark approves of his views: “I’m an ugly GQ model who follows his dreams and has no aspirations for fame or wealth.” I disagree with the ugly part, but I love the fuck-all attitude. Go, Brian!
  • Ushasi Kitchen, my personal favorite, who says on her resume, ”I have dreamed of being a Model/Actress since I was a Lady.” And a Model/Actress you are, Ushasi!

For a sample of headshots appearing in the book, visit NPR’s photo gallery.

For more information, visit the Holy Headshot! website.

Story Source NPR, Holy Headshot!

November 19, 2008 | Filed Under Humor | 8 Comments 



      WHAT IS A SNARK?




      The Snark is a creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem "The Hunting of the Snark". To give a proper description of Snarks, one must look no further than Carroll himself, who summed them up in one word: Unimaginable.

      But this much we do know: some have feathers, some have whiskers. Snarks sleep a lot, yet they are an ambitious lot -- with very little sense of humor. They love bathing-machines and tend to bring them wherever they go; they are also handy for striking a light. Snarks live on a far-off island, a place filled with chasms and crags, and are constantly on the lookout for Snark-hunters. Their mortal enemies are hope, care, thimbles and forks.

    • Archives

      • The Book Snark's Pick for Best Book of 2008




      Special web hosting offer - LIMITED TIME ONLY

      PerformancingAds


      Picnik: photo editing awesomeness