He says you should take time looking at photographer websites to find photos you like and then schedule an appointment to meet and talk. It's important to see if the two of you have rapport before committing to a session. If you aren’t relaxed and easy with each other, the pictures will show that.

Although Timothy says it’s good to look at other photos by the photographer, it’s important to remember which one you are. Just because there is a picture of some actor that knocks your socks off — that might not be the right picture for your purposes.

When Timothy mentioned this, I thought back to a time when I saw a picture of a visible actor that I was impressed with. I found the photographer and had some shots made — but soon realized that though that picture looked great on my piano, it’s really not the kind of picture that was going to get me work. Looking pretty and being marketable are not necessarily the same thing.

We discussed whether it made sense to engage a makeup artist for your shoot and agreed that what’s important is to have a picture with a look that you can reproduce yourself for auditions.

Although Timothy recommends having new headshots every few months, I don’t know many actors who can afford that. I sort of get new pictures when the spirit or my agents move me. 

I was surprised when Timothy told me that he’s as nervous before a shoot as any subject. Not only does he prepare the lighting and background that’s going to make the person “pop” on screen, but he's also rehearsing ways to make the shoot fun for both of them. He believes fun is an important part of the session.

Since he was once in front of the camera as model and actor, he knows how the actor feels. He moved gradually from one side of the camera to the other, having spent time as a regular stand-in for the star of a series, allowing him to be on set for hours at a time watching cinematographers and grips set lights. Timothy’s lights and setups are just what you see on a sound stage.

I love what I call Timothy’s outdoor/indoor studio. One whole wall of his studio opens like a sound stage door enabling you to stand inside the studio while Timothy and his reflectors all point toward you — bouncing all that natural light from the parking lot. The dark circles under my eyes never show up! 

Oh, I forgot to mention that Timothy is a character in his own right which you will realize as soon as you tap onto his website. The son of a jockey who spent his childhood traveling from one race track to another, his own story is so interesting that you won’t have any trouble finding things to talk about! In addition to actors, his clients include sports stars, rock stars and royal families. He has a wonderful picture of Shirley Jones kissing her Oscar while sitting in her Rolls Royce (above), just one of Timothy’s great editorial shoots.

Check out Timothy’s website for pictures and contact information. timothyfielding.com