Malcolm X
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1. Do you provide or recommend a hair/makeup artist? Can I bring a makeup artist?
I no longer directly provide makeup artists for shoots, it’s too hard to guarantee 110% satisfaction with makeup. Additionally, with new NY Labor Laws and Federal Labor Laws it's debatably illegal to provide makeup services at a price I set to makeup artists that are independent contractors (an EXTREMELY common practice in this industry). If you book your own hair/makeup person, make sure you show them my portfolio or some reference pictures for what you want, it will help them understand the vibe LOT.
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Doing exceptional hair/makeup is a WAY tougher job than you’d expect. Finding a really great makeup artist is absolutely worth the investment and it’s really essential for you to contact and create a relationship with them yourself. The IDEAL situation is for you to already have your go-to makeup person, but I realize that's not common.
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If you're booking a 2hr+ or 1.5hr session, you are welcome to come to the studio an hour early to do hair & makeup. You may bring a professional makeup artist for this as well. However, you MUST let me know beforehand that you'll be bringing someone so I can set up the studio. If you're booking the 45min session, you must come hair/makeup ready. NOTE: Some makeup artists offer discounted rates if you can go to their location; please check in with them first.
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I do recommend makeup artists for a few situations:
- If you have bad skin and you need makeup coverage to cover discoloration
- If you’re someone who feels more like themselves while wearing makeup (this is common and totally acceptable!!)
- If you’d like your pictures to appear more glam and/or elevated
- If you can afford and prefer the convenience of having someone do hair/makeup
- If your looks require specific hair/makeup that you’re not capable of doing yourself
- If your manager wants you to hire a HMUA.
- If you’re looking for personal branding photos for your website/social media. Good hair/makeup will REALLY help these photos pop!
2. How do you help clients prepare for their shoot? What are your wardrobe recommendations? What do you recommend would help me get ready for my session?
All clients who book with me receive my guide, which covers everything I can think of.
This is an easier way to do things because there is SO MUCH info that I have available that I would be on the phone for hours with each client if I were to consult each person individually.
That is TOO MUCH information for someone to take in at once, so I have everything written down in a guide that clients can access at their convenience.
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The guide works for everyone, whether it's their first session or if they've been doing shoots for years. If you've been doing this for years, please don't overlook it. If you have your process and know what you're doing, I respect that but at least take a glance at it. I constantly update the guide if I find any bit of knowledge that can be of help. Clients that don't read the guide end up being dramatically unprepared compared to the ones that do. I don't even need to ask if people have read it or not because I know.
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In short, the guide covers the following:
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Creative direction, Wardrobe + Hair & Makeup, Hiring Professional Hair & Makeup, Posing
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3. Do sessions require a retainer? Am I allowed to reschedule?
Every session requires a non-refundable retainer to hold the date. For all photoshoot sessions, I require a 50% retainer. The retainer will be forfeited in the case of a cancellation, lateness, or no-show. You may reschedule the session twice with at least 5 days’ notice and apply the retainer to the rescheduled date. I cannot guarantee that a new session with be available for you and in some instances, the shoot will have to be canceled. Rescheduling without at least 5 days’ notice incurs a $100 rescheduling fee. I will not hold a new date until the rescheduling fee is paid. You may only reschedule the shoot twice, if you can’t show up to the second date you will forfeit the retainer.
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The retainer may be refunded within 24 hours of the time of booking.
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When you create the appointment, you must acknowledge that you understand all of these policies. I cannot provide a refund for people that did NOT read the FAQ and decide that they disagree with the policies after booking. If you are unsure about anything, please email me.
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I reallllllly, really don’t like taking people’s retainers or charging a rescheduling fee, but cancellations/rescheduling are EXTREMELY expensive for me. I’m really disciplined about doing only two shoots a day and people plan their photoshoot sessions in advance, so it’s difficult to fill a spot. Rescheduling/cancellations create huge revenue losses- the rescheduling fee doesn’t even come close to covering those losses, it’s just there as a deterrent.
4. Can I see the photos as we take them?
Yes! When working in studio, the photos will generally be tethered over to a laptop where you can see instantly see the photos AND the adjustments that I'd make to them. This will also allow you to make any hair/makeup/posing changes if there’s something that you don’t like. Depending on the studio space, there is usually a mirror available as well for adjustments. If we're working outdoors, I always make sure to show you photos I'm taking as we shoot though they're shown from the camera's display and not a laptop.
5. What is your typical turnover time?
Since I limit sessions to 2 per day and sessions are typically quick & efficient, I typically deliver the Hi Res & Low Res photos the next day. Retouches take 4-10 business days from the time I receive your selections. Expeditated service for retouches is offered at an extra cost based on availability.
6. Do you play music during the shoot?
Yes of course! Feel free to send me any playlists or recommendations! My speaker is a little weird about connecting new devices so I normally just play it off of my phone. I just can’t blast anything loud because we need to communicate and I need to be able to fully focus!
7. Can I take BTS photos/videos in the studio?
Absolutely! This is encouraged too, I’d love if you tag my Instagram @BtsMalcolmX
8. What happens if I no-show my appointment?
This is probably one of the worst things that can happen to a photographer. No showing to your appointment makes you 100% responsible for negatively affecting the time allotment for appointments and a loss in productivity. Clients that don’t show up to their appointment will lose their deposit/payment and will not be allowed to rebook, ever. If you ask to reschedule but don’t confirm new date and/or pay the rescheduling fee by the time your appointment comes around, you will be considered a no-show. You are considered a no-show if you arrive 15 minutes late without any notice. Clients that are 30 minutes late with notice may be considered a no-show.
9. Do you hop on a call or video call before each shoot?
Typically no, unless the client finds it really necessary. The problem with calls is that I have too many clients each week to clearly remember all of the information that was said on the call. I very much prefer to discuss everything over email and clients are welcome to send me detailed introductions about themselves and what they’d like to accomplish along with reference/inspiration photos.
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Before each shoot, I reread all of the communication that I had with the client as a quick refresher. If we did a call instead, I typically DON’T have that information available and in front of me and it just ends up being counter-intuitive.
10. Do you provide discounts?
Discounts are available for veterans, SAG-AFTRA & WGA members, and current students of select NYC area schools (Parsons, The New School, Fashion Institute of Technology, Pratt, NYU). Discounts range from 10-20% off any session and must be verified via ID. Students must be verified via ID and class schedule. Please contact me before booking to verify discount eligibility.
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Veterans: 20% off
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Students: 15% off
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SAG & WGA: 10% off
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Returning clients receive 10% off any session; please get in touch with me before booking to verify discount eligibility.
Discounts can not be combined.
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There are no discounts available for models/influencers unless your niche is clearly and specifically aimed toward helping artists learn and grow within the industry and only if you’ve been based in NYC for at least one year.
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Very rarely, I’ll run some specials on the website, but these are typically done to fill in scheduling gaps caused by cancellations. I would not count on waiting for these types of discounts as they’re usually rarely offered and only last for a few hours.
11. Can I provide feedback during the shoot?
Absolutely!!! I very much prefer when this happens. You can even show me photos in my portfolio and I’ll try my best to replicate them. Alternatively, you can show me your past photoshoots and what you DO and DON’T like about them. Typically, the only time that someone has a negative experience is when they hold their tongue and DON’T provide any feedback until they’re gone. Please let me know if there’s anything in my control that you do or don’t like during a shoot.
Some examples:
- You don’t like the background
- The lighting is too hard or too soft
- There’s too much or not enough shadowing in the light
- You feel like your hair, makeup or wardrobe needs to be adjusted
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- I show the photos as we shoot so I can make any adjustments if necessary. During a shoot, it’s important to look at the photos non-objectively. Negative and self-deprecating talk can quickly derail a shoot and lower your self-esteem.
12. Do you make corrections to images after sending them?
I try my best to make easy corrections for clients- but as a general policy: I do NOT make revisions to the photos unless there are glaringly obvious mistakes. If you have any specific requests for retouching, they MUST be made at the studio or on location, not waiting until after I spent hours working on them. Revisions for requests NOT made at the studio/on location are $15 per image, per revision.
That being said, retouching and editing is an inexact science. As much as I’d love it, it’s nearly impossible to replicate an edit to be the exact same as the last one, especially if you’re zooming in close enough to each individual pore on the skin. Editing requires me to be zoomed into individual pixels, while I’m that far zoomed into an image, it’s possible for bigger picture issues to be missed or not even thought of. What’s a “problem” for some people may be normal for others. Again, it’s very inexact.
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Notes*
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Understand that skin blotching, removing wrinkles or any other Facetune-like effects do not work with professional photos. If you want HEAVY retouching like this, you actually may be better off facetuning it yourself. While it's not encouraged that clients do heavy processing to the photos afterwards, it is allowed and I won't be upset or anything about.
Remember - retouching enhances the person, it doesn’t change them. I don’t mind targeted liquefication (distorting the image/slimming certain areas in specific images), however; full body-altering or changing facial features is something I highly recommend against. I understand that we naturally fluctuate in weight (sometimes throughout the course of the day) or experience bloating. Please feel comfortable telling me these things so we can make sure that you feel and look like yourself in images.
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If you have large, systemic skin or hair issues; retouching can help that a lot but it’s NOT going to look as perfect as a photo with someone that has great skin.
13. How can I use the images?
If you’re booking a session for your company or business for the most part, you can use them however you’d like. Clients receive a perpetual license to use the images in any way. It helps a TON if you tag my Instagram @BtsMalcolmx or mention my name if you’re posting on other platforms. If you’re posting to your own website, crediting my work and providing a link to my website helps my website SEO a lot. This isn’t required, nor would I ever chase someone down because they didn’t credit me, but it is always very much appreciated. I DON’T provide a licensing contract, if you’d like one to feel safe, you’re more than welcome to ask and I’ll provide you with one no question at all.
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Clients do NOT get the copyright to the images unless something is worked out beforehand. This does NOT affect your ability to use the images in any way, it does protect me if I ever use them or post them to social media.
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If you’re an actor, it’s discouraged to post anything that’s NOT retouched as this doesn’t reflect the true quality potential of the image, but again, if you want to you’re more than welcome to.
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FOR ANY OTHER SHOOTS, especially commercial shoots; different licensing terms will almost certainly apply and it gets worked out on a case-by-case basis depending on client need.
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If anyone uses these images without your consent and you can't get them taken down please let me know.
14. Why is the retainer 50%?
Why is the retainer 50%?
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There are four reasons for this.
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First; it's extremely rare that I ever reschedule a client's appointment- even if I receive an offer to do a higher-paying shoot for a booked day, I'll keep the original appointment I have. In the last three years, I had to reschedule 4 or 5 appointments. In all those cases, I could give two weeks' notice or more. I've never canceled an appointment, and due to good health, I've actually never gotten sick and needed to reschedule an appointment (very thankful).
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The 50% retainer is necessary to do this because I need to be SURE that clients will show up. It's happened to me that I've turned down high-paying jobs because I already had a client on the books, only for them to cancel the day before a shoot, and it's a humiliating feeling.
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Second, I need the clients to take these shoots seriously, and the retainer has really helped in that aspect. When I had a lower retainer, I had way too many unprepared and uncommitted clients. When you read the guide, you'll notice that there are a lot of moving parts that create a successful shoot. The higher retainer helped people realize, "okay, this is for real now". I've had much better success rates with people reading the guide and being prepared with a higher retainer.
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Third, I only want to work with clients that are absolutely serious about working with me and showing up and having fun. The retainer helped weed out some of the less serious people who preferred to cancel rather than show up to their appointment.
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Fourth, high attendance rates allow me to keep prices affordable while taking on just two clients daily (which helps me focus entirely on each shoot and is also a non-starter). If I had more people canceling or rescheduling, I'd have to raise my prices to cover those losses, which is NOT fair for the people who care about being prompt and professional.
15. Who does your retouching?
I’ve recently changed my retouching process so that it’s a two-person operation. I prep the file by doing lighting, color, and basic corrections then send the image over to a retoucher to do more of the detailed, tedious work that takes serious time and effort. Upon receiving the image from the retoucher, I again make changes if I want to make any corrections beyond that. Retouching each image is a TWO PERSON job. This is to ensure consistency, proofreading, and that proper decision were made.
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Based on availability, I also retouch a lot of photos myself as well.
16. How do you accept payment?
I accept cash, credit card, Zelle, Paypal, Venmo, Cashapp and Afterpay.
17. What comes with a retouched photo?
A retouched photo includes professional skin retouching, stray hair removal, contouring, color/lighting correction, and creative color grading. By default, I prefer to keep edits subtle and natural, but we will communicate if you prefer more intense editing. Editing requests that fall outside those parameters incur an extra fee if the work is possible (usually charged at $50 an hour).
18. Can I bring a friend to my session?
Yes! I am one of the few photographers that actually allow this. HOWEVER; there is a reason that most photographers don't allow guests; they can easily be a distraction and really take away from your experience in a lot of cases.
Additionally, I highly recommend not bringing an agent or manager unless they were someone who recommended me or is familiar with my process. They tend to be a complete nightmare during shoots, constantly telling their clients that they're not doing enough or asking for weird, over-the-top expressions (it really brings down the confidence of someone getting their shots done constantly being told that they're not good enough). This directly goes against my process- I prefer to give constant positive reinforcement and show the clients what they are doing well. I have exercises that help people who need it, and I'm very aware of how much I can get out of each person for their experience level. My process involves getting as many background and lighting combinations as possible instead of forcing expressions. Lighting and backgrounds do WAY more to tell a story than a forced, tacky expression. Agents and managers also tend to just stare at their clients, and it makes a lot of people really uncomfortable. If they have any requests I really want to know what it is, but having them there just never helps unless they're there to be positive and reinforcing.
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Another type of person I HIGHLY recommend against taking is a parent who is not actively involved in your career. They typically deeply misunderstand acting headshots and end up giving ridiculous feedback that does more harm than good. Also, it depends on your relationship with your parents, but some people are just uncomfortable with their parents around and never fully open up or feel comfortable. Obviously, anyone under 18 needs an adult present.
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To ensure that this doesn't happen here are a few tips for guests:
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Make sure they realize that they are not the center of attention. I've had clients bring guests that come in and talk to ME so much that the client literally gets left out.
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Make sure that the guest is ONLY there to support you. I've seen clients that bring guests that say things like "I don't like that angle on you" and it ruins the client's confidence or gets them in their head.
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Make sure the guest doesn't make you late or hold things up.
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The guest's input almost always slows things down and wastes time. Optimal results come from JUST the client and I communicating.
There ARE a few times when having a guest is helpful:
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If you're nervous and they're there to unconditionally support you and hype you up.
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If they have a role such as styling, touching up makeup, or helping you with posing. (I can help with posing but I am by no means a modeling coach).
19. Can clients write-off their shoot on their taxes?
Yes! You can typically write off these shoots if you use the photos for work. Examples include actors, models and self-employed individuals. Please let me know if you need any receipts or custom invoices. Many employers offer reimbursement for headshots as well. Consult your employer if you think it may benefit your position.
20. What comes with a retouched photo?
A retouched photo includes professional skin retouching, stray hair removal, contouring, color/lighting correction, and creative color grading. By default, I prefer to keep edits subtle and natural, but we will communicate if you prefer more intense editing. Editing requests that fall outside those parameters incur an extra fee if the work is possible (usually charged at $100 an hour).