Frequently Asked Questions

If you would like to book a headshot session please send an email to mail@jeremyfolmer.com or call 646-765-3027 and give me a few dates you are considering for your session. I will get back to you with my availability ASAP. My sessions take place Monday thru Friday starting at 11am for women and 12:00 for men. A non-refundable $200 deposit is required to book your session.

Please book out with your agents and managers prior to your headshot session. This way there won't be a conflict with auditions and bookings. If you have a legitimate emergency this can be discussed. All other scheduling conflicts require a 72 hour notice so that your slot can be booked with another client. Rescheduling with less than 72 hour notice will result in an additional $100 rescheduling fee.

It is not required to meet with me prior to your shoot date. However, if it will make you more comfortable meeting and talking with me about your session beforehand, by all means lets make an appointment. If you live out of New York City and would like a phone or zoom consultation that can be arranged as well. Consultations normally take place either at 10am or 3pm Monday thru Friday and I like to book an hour slot (we may not need the whole hour). If you need to cancel or reschedule a consultation please email or call me ASAP so I can offer up your time slot to another client.

Standard Sessions are approximately 3 hours long including makeup. Basic sessions are approximately 2 hours long including makeup. Generally, women can expect an hour in the makeup chair.

I like to use a variety of different lighting techniques depending on the weather the day of the shoot and how sensitive your eyes are to natural outdoor light. It’s all about your eyes and getting them to sparkle! Generally, I will use non-flash studio lighting combined with daylight when shooting indoors. When shooting outdoors I use natural lighting with reflected fill light. However, if we get outdoors and you are squinting like crazy because it is too bright, we will definitely come indoors and I will use studio lighting. Don’t worry my studio lighting is meant to look like you were shot on a bright sunny day!

I shoot in the comfort of my home in lower Manhattan. My address is 550 J Grand Street #12F New York, NY 10002. When weather permits I like to shoot on location under the Williamsburg Bridge, in my private gated park and on the side streets nearby. There are so many wonderful natural backdrops on The Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Clothing choice is extremely important to the look of your headshot. Once we book a date for your headshots, I will email you with a detailed PDF covering all areas of the session. Generally, it is always a good idea to bring many different choices so that we can review everything prior to your shoot. You will want to include a variety of different colors, necklines, styles and textures. I will help you make your final choices before the shoot. I strongly suggest that you keep your clothing form fitting rather than loose and baggy/bulky. Try to bring the items from your closet that you feel good wearing. Bring colors that really make your eyes stand out. Good rule of thumb: bring the items that your friends and family comment on…especially if they say it really brings out your eyes! Keep it simple and remember when layering clothing to think of colors that contrast with each other.

I strongly encourage using my makeup artist Ann. We have been working together since the opening of Jeremy Folmer Photography in 2000. She will make you look your best and keep you comfortable the entire session. The cost for makeup is $150 cash (women only) paid in full the day of the shoot. Please wear your hair the way you would to an audition and Ann will help manage it during your session. If you would like to make hair changes during your session (i.e. curly to straight or visa versa) please remind me prior to your shoot so he can make additional time for the transition. For men I will provide cover up and powder at no additional fee.

There is no one right way to prepare for your photo session. However, I don’t recommend going out the night before and drinking until all hours of the night. Be reasonable. It is natural to be nervous before your session. Everyone is different when it comes to preparation for a photo shoot. Use common sense. You know what you need to do to feel and look your best the day of the shoot. Throughout the session I will give you all the guidance and direction that you need to get natural, approachable and spontaneous looking headshots. My approach is very casual and extremely supportive. I am really interested in capturing you having real moments so that your unique personality will be represented in your headshots. If you are planning to get your hair cut or colored prior to the shoot, please make sure you do this well in advance of the shoot. Rescheduling your shoot the day before due to a bad haircut or color will cost you your deposit. You are welcome to bring any music that you would like to listen to during your session to make you feel more at home. I have tons of music as well if you forget to bring anything along with you. All you have to do is show up and allow yourself to have fun.

Three to four business days after your session, your images will be will be uploaded to a password protected on-line gallery. I will be happy to email you should the images be ready earlier. Within this gallery it is easy to select your favorites and email them to friends, family, agents etc. The gallery will expire after 3 months. Just because your gallery has expired does not mean that your images aren’t available to you anymore. You will be able to download the entire session if you wish. I will keep the images backed up on an external hard drive. If you need to have the gallery re uploaded just let me know.

Every image will need some basic retouching. In order to represent you on your best day your image will most likely need blemish removal, stray hair removal, under eye shadows lightening, eye whitening etc. I offer retouching at $45 per image. Once you approve the retouching I will upload your image(s) to Reproductions so you can order your multiple copies. Additionally, I will email your image(s) to you so you will have the high-resolution file as well.

Yes we require $200 non-refundable deposit. We require a week notice (7 days) to reschedule your shoot otherwise you will forfeit your deposit. You may reschedule one time with a week (7 days) notice. A second rescheduling will result in loss of your deposit. No exceptions. If you wish to reschedule, full payment will be needed at the time of booking. Reel Closeup recommends booking out with your agents on the day of your shoot to avoid any conflict.

Speak with your agent or manager, acting coach, mentor and acting network to get clear about your specific casting. It’s always a good idea to be on the same page with the people who are sending you out so that they can market you accordingly. We will need a few examples from you to begin the writing/creating process. Here are some examples: White Collar Professional, Mother talking to troubled teenager, Frazzled new Mother, Desperate Housewife, Cut-throat Businessman, Tree- hugger...and we are good to go.

Depending on the package that you choose we will provide you with two scripts per character. For example, if choosing the Complete Reel Closeup package you will be shooting three different characters/closeups. We will be providing you with six different scripts (two per character) and you will choose one per scene to shoot. You may also provide us with six different characters/closeups and we will then provide one script for each character. You will still be choosing only three scenes to shoot.

You must pay your deposit and schedule a shoot date before we will work on your scripts. Once you have made your deposit and chosen a shoot date we will email your scenes to you no later that a week in advance.

Absolutely. Many of our clients are great writers and have provided their own material. If you are planning to do so, there are a few guidelines that must be followed. Remember this is your “closeup”. The focus is on you, not the other character in your scene. Your script should only have lines written for you to speak. Also, your script should be no longer than 5-7 lines and be timed at 20-30 seconds at the most. We require you send us your material so we can help edit and rework if necessary to fit the parameters of a closeup. RCU has final approval over scripts that we do not write/adapt etc.

We recommend working with someone you feel comfortable with to make sure that you are delivering the most believable, realistic performance on the day of your shoot. However, we are trained and experienced professionals with many years of acting and coaching under our belt. We will coach and direct you in many different ways during the shoot. Our goal is to get you as comfortable as possible so that your on camera behavior is as spontaneous and believable as it can be.

Your wardrobe for the shoot will come from your closet. Remember these are closeups so anything below the waist will not show. That said, many of our clients like to wear the entire outfit for their shoot. Don’t forget accessories as well! Glasses, hats, earrings, etc. can easily create an interesting different look from scene to scene. Bring a few choices for each character to the shoot and we will go over all the options and choose the best outfit for each closeup.

RCU will be selecting the takes for your reel. After the shoot, we will watch every bit of footage and choose the best take from each scene. Occasionally, we will send along an alternate choice for a scene if we are unable to make a final decision. Remember, we are taking into consideration all of your footage to create a dynamic reel that showcases you at your best.

We HIGHLY recommend you have another person come along with you to the shoot to provide the over the shoulder/head in your scene. It adds to the reality and can help you as an actor. For variety, some scenes may be shot “clean” to give a different feel and add variety. In these cases we won’t be using another person. We will schedule the shoot so that your person does not need to be there for the entire time.

No. We will not film reaction shots or turnarounds during your shoot. This is a closeup shoot and the focus will be on you. This is to showcase your acting ability.

Yes. If you would like to hire her for your shoot the fee is $150 cash day of the shoot. Please arrive with your hair camera ready. We can make minor adjustments from scene to scene. Keep it simple.