The Evolution of the Headshot

I finally selected my new headshots this week, and I’m very happy with them both. My goal with these new shots was to get something that I thought better represented The Real Me, which is a bit less foofy than my current formal shot and a bit more smiley than the casual one.

But before we get to the new shots (taken and edited by Alexander Vasiljev), let’s take a trip down memory lane and see how my headshot has evolved over the years. (Click to see larger pics.)

Umm, yikes. I’ve kind of got helmet hair, and, wow, is that a boring shot or what? I didn’t know any better, though, and at the time (2000, early grad school) I had no real sense of what my “personal style” was all about. And that in dark sweater, with no contours in my pose, I look kind of, well, thick. Not flattering. I was happy to leave this shot behind!



The next step, another casual shot, taken about two years later. First off, you can tell it’s a better photo, better lighting, printing, photographer, everything. Much more polished, grown-up. I still really like this shot, but it feels a little cold to me. Maybe it’s ‘cuz I’m not really smiling. And, besides, my hair is never that straight anymore, never that controlled!


This one I hate. People seem to love it, but I think I just look like I’m playing dress-up, like I’m Cinderella on her way to the ball, about to be discovered for the peasant girl that she is. This is what I thought an opera singer was supposed to look like – gown, sparklies, tendrils. In truth, it’s not that far off from what I look like these days when I’m all dolled up for a concert, minus the tendrils, so I can’t put my finger on what exactly I don’t like about it.

My main beef with both of those shots is that they just don’t “feel like me.” I’ve talked about that veneer that I felt I used to have? It’s shining brightly in these pictures. Again, happy to leave that behind…
How ‘bout this? That looks like me, feels like me, don’t you think?









And this one, too. There’s a bit of sass in this one, I like that, something in my eyes that says “I have a secret!” The sparklies in this shot are family antiques, recently given to me by my father's mother; they belonged to her great aunt (right, Mom?), so that makes them from my great-great-great aunt. (The necklace in the first shot was a gift from my sister, and is one of my favorite pieces. And, of course, the dresses in both shots are butter by Nadia!)

Both shots, to my mind, capture the singer that might walk into an audition or a rehearsal, hint at the performer that will be onstage, and truly represent the everyday ACB. (I have both shots in black & white, too, for print usage; color is better for online.)

Thanks, Sasha! Now I feel like I need a new website…