Michael Palma Blog

January 25, 2012

Happy Wednesday everyone. Hope you're all having a terrific week so far and getting used to this up and down weather we're having here in L.A. Don't worry though, summer is just around the corner, and for us Angeleno's, I think it's going to start next week ;P

When I'm not out shooting wedding or portraits, the other passion in my photography is the actor's headshot. Yup, living in L.A., and being in the business has enabled me to shoot many an actor over the years, and it has always been a fun and unique experience. What I like most about this kind of photography is that I get to know my subjects a little more, who they are, their experiences, why they became actors, etc. It's cool to talk to them about their own passion for the Thespian arts. And at the same time, get some terrific images to help them along in their career.

Last year a good friend of mine, and long time actress, Teresa Huang, wrote a cool blog post about the actor's headshot. Having gone through the casting mills before, I have to say everything she said made sense and should be heeded by any actor, new or experienced. Basically, you want headshots that aren't just pretty pictures of yourself, but photographs that help cast you (put you in a discernible type of role). One time at a casting director's workshop, the CD said that they would rather see a photo that hints at the role they are trying to cast for.

Bottom line, as Teresa and so many CDs have suggested is that you should have a wide variety of "looks" in your headshot repertoire. Not only the smiley, commercial photo, but the lawyer, doctor, college student, ingenue, etc. Whichever role you might think you can play.

With this said, I always convey this to any of my clients before they come into shoot with me. I suggest bringing in different outfits ("looks") that can convey a character that they can be cast for. Depending on your age group, and look, it can range from everything from gangster to Mom, to my favorite, the stern looking attorney.

Last Friday (almost two weeks ago), my good friend and dance instructor Cindera Che creator of the Movement for Actors class, came in for a headshot session with me. What I love about working with veteran actors/artists is that they already know themselves so well that they are easy to direct into getting the character emotions, and "looks" that we are trying to create. No need to just say "Okay, look angry now" or "Alright, happy face" (who says that anyway?!) With veteran actors, you give them a small suggestion towards how you want them, they work it out, and give it to you. Awesome!!!

(On a side note, her skills are why Michael Jackson himself hired her for his super hit "Smooth Criminal". Don't believe me?! Check it out here. Look for her close-ups in the green dress :) She's the only Asian in the entire video I believe)

So here's the work that Cindera and I created that day. Can you see the differences in each of the shots as to what character she could play?

First and foremost, the straightforward photo, although still cast-able as a business-type, or perhaps "best friend" role. Very confident and engaging.

The cool, calm, and ever so present attorney look.

Can you cast her as a mom in this photo? You sure can!

How about a sexy, intimidating, confident business woman, or CEO?

I say YES!

Lastly, our favorite of the shoot, I'll call it the "artist" look.

So next time you're thinking of getting your portraits done for the acting industry, think about who you are trying to portray. Sure, you can portray yourself, but until then, you want to let casting directors know that you can look like the "Law and Order" attorney they're looking for, or perhaps the street thug that "Hawaii Five-O" is casting for (which they do so often BTW).

Bring your "A" game, be prepared and have fun!

And with that, I leave you with this photo I took of my nephew the other day:

Hmmm... but can I cast him as an attorney though?...

Thanks for stopping by!

1 comments so far

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Cindera Che says:

Michael creates a safe and welcoming environment for me to explore different looks of my casting. Some of the shots actually inspire new casting possibilities. It was an empowering afternoon well spent. Thank you, Michael.

(01.25.12 @ 11:25 AM)

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Personal Projects - Film Noir

January 17, 2012

| Personal

Happy Wednesday everyone! Whoa, we're more than half way through the first month of January already! How are you guys doing?

The past couple of weeks have been filled with a lot of shooting. Had a headshot session last week with a good friend of mine an uber-talented actress/dancer, and a personal project session with my other good friend Robert. Personal projects are what keeps artists going, especially those who contract their services out for a living. I think everyone should have one, artist or not, and when you get the chance to work on them, it is so fun and rewarding!

One concept I've been contemplating over is the "film noir" genre. The deep dark shadows, the "interrogation" type lighting, the moody scenes - it's so cool!!! Plus, you don't need that much equipment to do it. For those of you wondering, I only used one flash to get all the shots below (with some light mods of course). Heck if you think about it, everyone's photos should look "noir-ish" since most people use single flashes on the worst place ever created - on top of their cameras, but that's another topic for another day. Here's our results! Oh, and thanks to Robert C. for being such the suave, cool, cunning, magnanimous actor that he is. So fun to work with!!!

Film Noir usually starts off with a murder of some sort (doesn't it?!)

Then our hero, the veteran, crotchety detective comes on to the scene...

He interrogates witnesses,surveys the crime scene, etc., takes notes, and tries to figure out "whodunit?!"

"You oughta have more sense than to take chances with strangers like this."

(Alan Ladd, "The Blue Dhalia, 1946)

But then, a shocking revelation that has our "hero" change his mug...

Later that night, alone, in his apartment, the detective begins to think about what he saw and heard...

Unbeknownst to us, a look of panic comes over his face...

Yet somehow, in the dark recesses of the detective's mind, he figures out a way...

TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR MORE OF...

"SUSPICIOUS KILLERS!!!!"

(totally just made that up, but it sounded right)

Starring, Hollywood's Latin Lover, and most interesting leading man!

That big star of the BIG screen - Robert Covarrubias as "the Detective!"

The dapper Don himself. Thanks Roberto!!!

Thanks everyone for visiting. If you'd like to know more about how to get lighting like this, drop me a line, and if I get enough responses, I'll write it up.

More to come from this past week of shooting. Stay tuned!!!

2 comments so far

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jully says:

holy.. these pictures are SICK!!!!! very nice, palma. love the panic look.

(01.18.12 @ 03:22 PM)

Helen says:

LOVE this series! Do more!!! :)

(01.18.12 @ 02:36 PM)

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Sandy + Mike

January 5, 2012

| Weddings

As in my previous post of Sandy and Mike's wedding, I again wanted to say how much of a thrill it was to capture their wedding day for them. These two are so sweet and cool that it warms my heart to look over these images again and recall the day. Plus, I've known MIke's family for some time now, and it was also an honor to capture my second Pulido wedding thus far! They've always been so kind and inviting, and I want to thank them once again for letting me be a part of their big day as well :) Happy day indeed! Plus a lot of fun too :)

Congrats on finally getting hitched you two (after ten years! Yup, TEN years!). Here's to a long and prosperous, happy life together :)

*Included are images from Kabahead Photography for M Palma Photography.

Love that Sandy wore flats to her wedding :)

Congrats again you guys :)

31 comments so far

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Christine Lee says:

You look sooooo beautiful Sandy! And youguys look sooooo adorable!!
Thank you sharing these photos with me:) I wish you God's abundant blessings
And a happy marriage!! :D

(01.17.12 @ 07:33 PM)

Salve Flores says:

Thank you for capturing Mike and Sandy's wedding. These pictures are lovely.

(01.11.12 @ 08:16 PM)

Benosa says:

Congratulations to you both again! I am honored to be part of this joyous occasion! Mike and Keri cudos to you both. You were able to catch their true essence of their love for each other! Can't wait to see more!!!!!

(01.11.12 @ 04:02 PM)

Tess Pulido says:

Great job, Mike & Carrie! Mike, thanks again for doing it for the second time for our family. We are very grateful for everything that you have done for us. we cannot wait to see the rest of the pictures. Thanks again for the beautiful pictures!

(01.11.12 @ 12:27 PM)

Naoko Watanabe says:

was so impressed & enjoyed!! Thank you, and Conglatulations!!!!!

(01.11.12 @ 09:57 AM)

Jin Yoo says:

Congratulations!!! I wish you and Mike the very best.

(01.11.12 @ 06:36 AM)

Anonymous says:

Congratulations Michael and Sandy!! Those pics were beautiful. Can't wait to see more of them. Tita Connie and Tito Ric ( your mom's friends from Canada )

(01.11.12 @ 06:25 AM)

Isaack says:

Congrats on your wedding. These pictures are just amazing.

(01.11.12 @ 05:58 AM)

Olivia Campos says:

These pictures are so beautifully done. Thanks for sharing.

(01.11.12 @ 12:43 AM)

Lina Lee says:

Congratulations Sandy!
What a happy and beautiful bride!
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful memories.

(01.10.12 @ 11:15 PM)

Janette G. Bautista says:

Nice pics cuzn....LOve it!!!!!!!

(01.10.12 @ 10:28 PM)

Janette G. Bautista says:

Nice pics cuzn...love it!!!!!

(01.10.12 @ 10:21 PM)

Anli Tong says:

Sandy, these pictures are beautiful! Thank you for sharing the joy of your VERY SPECIAL day. Wishing you and Mike all the happiness in the world!

(01.10.12 @ 09:59 PM)

Shari Momi says:

Congratulations, Sandy & Mike! And thank you for sharing your pictures - they're absolutely beautiful and show your joy!

(01.10.12 @ 07:46 PM)

Kristen Dollete says:

These are amazing pictures! I'll definitely be calling you if I ever need a photographer! and congrats again Sandy and MIchael Pulido!

(01.10.12 @ 07:04 PM)

Carrie saffell says:

So beautiful.......

(01.10.12 @ 07:00 PM)

Carl Obra says:

Thanks again for being part of our famiy's celebration....You and Carrie are awesome..Capturing the moment in such a natural way..Thanks Brother

(01.10.12 @ 06:08 PM)

Moses Pascua says:

Absolutely extraordinary display of your artistic skill Mike. You certainly have the eye to capture that special moment and aesthetic detail. I'll remember who to call should I or anyone else needs a Master Photographer. Also, your positive energy and rapport makes people relax.

(01.10.12 @ 04:47 PM)

Tarcie Angeles says:

Mike, you and Keri are the best. With your combined talent in photography
who could ask for more. Thank you for your great job.

(01.10.12 @ 03:19 PM)

Deborah Aitken says:

Congratulations on your happy occasion! The pictures are lovely!

(01.10.12 @ 03:11 PM)

Sydney Banda says:

My Uncle Mikey and Auntie Sandy are so pretty in every picture. I like the one with my Ate Sophia, Ate Jordyn, and Ate Paige.

(01.10.12 @ 03:01 PM)

Sophia Banda says:

Thank you for making my Uncle Mikey and Auntie Sandy SO beautiful!

(01.10.12 @ 03:00 PM)

Rene Banda says:

Mike you captured my beauty! Just Kidding (sort of anyway) But you did bring out the best in everyone. Thanks for taking great care of our happy couple!

(01.10.12 @ 03:00 PM)

Michelle Pulido says:

Mike, thank you for capturing all the wonderfulness of Sandy's and Mikey's special day! We really appreciate everything you and Carrie have done. Now that you've done your second Pulido wedding :) I guess that officially makes you part of the family for good!!! Thank you again for bringing back all the beautiful memories!!!

(01.10.12 @ 02:57 PM)

Jin Ah Chung says:

These are beautiful! Congratulations again, Sandy and Mike!

(01.10.12 @ 01:42 PM)

Connie Le says:

So far, the pictures that I have seen are absolutely GORGEOUS! Your talent as a photographer is AMAZING. Thank you, again for your hard work. And let it be known that I will most definitely recommend your work to friends/relatives. Would love to have you out here to photograph a couple of upcoming events ... that's if you don't mind the COLD weather. In any case, continue to shine, MIKE ... as you always do. AND THANKS!!!

(01.10.12 @ 01:26 PM)

Millicent Pulido says:

These photographs are beyond resplendent :)
Kudos to both the photographer and the lovely couple

(01.10.12 @ 01:21 PM)

Mike Pulido says:

Mike....Couldn't thank you and Keri enough for the awesome pics you guys took....they really captured the moment....see you soon.... =D

(01.10.12 @ 01:13 PM)

Mike Pulido says:

Awesome pics....Gi-normous thanks to you and Keri for the tremendous job you guys did for our wedding.....couldn't ask for a better pair of photographers!!

(01.10.12 @ 01:00 PM)

Sandy Pulido says:

WOW!!! These pictures are beeyootiful Michael!! Thank you soo soo much and your Assistant Keri for capturing our wedding. You were both so awesome to work with and were helpful throughout the process. Thank you for sending me all of those follow-up emails and getting back to us when we needed you most (especially the day before the wedding!). Thanks again and we highly recommend your service to anyone looking for a professional, easy-going, friendly, and warm person to capture their precious moments! :) Love, Sandy

(01.10.12 @ 12:43 PM)

Mr. Pulido says:

Mike....Couldn't thank you and Keri enough for the awesome pics you guys took....they really captured the moment....see you soon.... =D

(01.10.12 @ 12:38 PM)

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Happy New Year!

January 4, 2012

| Weddings

Happy New Year everyone! Here we are, four days into the new year, and I'm certain things are back to normal now that the holiday festivities are over right?

As for me, (and everyone I guess), the holidays were hectic, not only did we have all the familial obligations (and mucho-mondo food to devour), but I had two weddings, and a model portrait shoot all within one week of each other. I wouldn't want it any other way though :)

I'm still in the midst of editing down these three shoots, but wanted to share with you some photos from each event.

First off, I LOVE my brides! A HUGE congratulations to Sandy and Mike who tied the knot last week Friday! What an awesome day it was. I've known Mike's family since I was in High School (coughing) just a few SHORT years ago [coughing again] and it was so nice to see everyone again, and document Mike and Sandy's big day. I had a blast watching their day unfold, and just being a part of it.

A huge, HUGE thank you to Sandy and Mike for letting me be a part of their day, and to Mike's Family for being so warm and open :) I thoroughly enjoyed being there for this terrific event. Also, a huge thanks goes out to my friend and second shooter, Keri Kaba for having my "back" when needed and for the awesome images she also help create! You rock Keri!

Here's a preview of some of the images we created that day :)

I love these guys! Sandy and Mike :)

Congrats you two!

One of my favorites from the day.

Love this one too!

The Bridal par-taaay!! These guys were great to work for/with :)

Okay, and before Mike and Sandy's wedding, I had an up-and-coming model shoot with a cousin of a good friend of mine. I think Lauren is going to go a long way with her chosen endeavor. Check these out:

A big thanks to my buddy Aaron T. for the referral, and to Lauren's mom Jennifer for being so cool on the set! :)

Lastly, the Friday before last, Helen's brother George got married! Yay!!! (And here you guys thought it was me didn't you?!) Their ceremony was held on top of L.A.'s City Hall, (yes, the TOP of city hall) to just the immediate family, including Helen's sister and brother-in-law, and niece and nephews from Hawaii in attendance. So cool! I was honored to be there to capture their wedding :) Thanks you guys and congrats!

Love this photo - George and Ling. Congrats you guys :)

The beautiful bride and bouquet.

The "Hawaii Kids" as I like to call them. Does this remind you of your cell phone antenna bars or is just me?

Love this photo - taken a split second before the ELEVATOR doors closed :) Yup, elevator.

A quiet moment post ceremony overlooking L.A.

My favorite image from the day :)

Congrats again you guys! And welcome to the fam, Ling :)

OKAY, if you got this far through the post, I wanted to offer any would-be-brides out there a special discount for the month of January. If you make an appointment with me regarding your wedding day, and decide to book with me during the month of January, I'm offering a 15% discount on my select wedding packages/collections. Yup, that's 15% off my select collections. But, you have to book in the month of January (this month) to get the offer. (Offer expires January 31st, and limited to availability. Subject to change without notice. Darned legal stuff ;p) So if you're interested, or know someone who just might be, please have them contact me at info@mpalmaphotography.com to schedule a meeting. I'd be honored to photograph your big day :)

Okay, that's it for now folks, this was a long post. I do wish you all a happy, successful and CREATIVE 2012 :) Now, let's get moving shall we?!

Till next week,

Mike

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mipal7 says:

Thank you so much June! Happy New Year to you too :) And thanks for visiting! Mike

(01.05.12 @ 05:27 PM)

June Hayashi says:

You do beautiful work, I loved looking at your pictures. I can see the love in your pictures and loved your black and white shots. Hugs, June PS Happy New Year and much success. I will remember that you do this.if any of my friends need a photographer!

(01.04.12 @ 05:46 PM)

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Happy Holidays

December 28, 2011

| Anytime

Hi everyone :) I'm taking a week's break from posting due to the holidays, plus I've been shooting so much that there's too much to post!

Hope you are all having a terrific holiday season, and here's to a prosperous new year! Thank you again for visiting, and see you next time!

All the best,

Mike

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Oh What Fun!

December 20, 2011

| Performances | Portraits

Christmas week 2011! How are you all doing? Hope everyone is doing great and that the holidays are treating you all well :) I've been wanting to say this for quite sometime now, but I wanted to say hello and thank you too all my international blog followers! Yes, YOU! All the folks from Brazil, France, Italy, and Russia (with the most numbers of followers), and to all the terrific people in Canada, Germany, Spain, Finland, and the United Kingdom - holla! I appreciate you guys clicking onto this little old web log of mine, and just wanted to say thanks :) Wherever you may be, may the holiday season bring you joy and happiness :)

In the middle of all the seasons' happenings, I have finally turned the corner in terms of finishing off my final performance obligation - A Little Tokyo Christmas Goes to Las Vegas! show. In it's second year, it basically brings together talent from the Asian American acting community, with most, if not all of us having been in an East West Players show at one point or another. What a hugely talented pool of performers - from dancers, to singers, and even acrobats, etc. It was such a honor to be on stage with some talented friends, and even though we only had two shows, we felt as though we could have done more! It was also nice to see friends that we sadly don't get to see that often, other than perhaps this one show a year.

Here are a few images I took during the dress rehearsal and the show itself.

Although you can't see everyone performing, this was a huge night of TALENT!

Our friend Melody killing it while singing "Proud Mary"

One more of the AMAZING Kennedy during his aerial trapeze number.

It is such a honor and thrill to be a part of this community of artists :) Thanks to our friends Mike H. and Emily K. for putting it on again this year. Great work everyone :) See you next year - for sure!

Is it just me or are Christmas cards coming in late this year? As of this writing, Tuesday, December 20, we're now hitting full stride as to receiving everyone's cards. Last year, the onslaught started at the beginning of December. Go figure!

Adding to the "late" mailers is my cousin ;p I spent monday over at her house photographing my adorable nieces and nephews for their card. Hard work? Nah. Fun times with people a lot shorter (and younger) than you? You bet!!!

Here are a few images from our Christmas card shoot.

My nieces and nephew, the Taylors :)

That's it for now. I'm slowly but surely cruising into Christmas. It'll be here soon enough.

Till next time, I wish you and your families a joyous Christmas and holiday season :) Thanks for stopping by, and see you next time! Oh, and don't forget to take photos of all the parties and gatherings you go to! Would love to see them sometime! I'll see about getting them posted up next time :) Bye everyone! Merry Christmas!

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Vishal says:

Happy Holidays to you and your family!

(12.21.11 @ 11:11 AM)

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Jolly

December 14, 2011

| Headshots | Performances

Whoa! We're 11 days away from Christmas! How is everyone doing? Hopefully, your shopping is all done, and your literally just relaxing waiting for the rush to happen, and then ease into the New Year :)

For me, the week was spent preparing for the annual Grateful Crane Ensemble's Christmas show in Torrance this past weekend. Couple that with a headshot shoot of one my friends, include a Cold Tofu show, and yet another two holiday parties, and that makes for one busy week!

So, that being said, here are some images from the week.

During rehearsals :)

I wish I was small enough to do this still! Aydin, one of our cast members during rehearsals for the show. Cool hat BTW.

What the holidays are all about - laughter and good friends :)

Finally, here are a few images of my session with my friend Rumi. Fun times!

One more Christmas show to perform in this week, and then it's "smooth" sailing until X-mas, well, until two weddings before the year ends.

Have a terrific week everyone! Happy Holidays!

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