Head Shot and Celebrity Photography Success with Gina Milicia

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There's no denying Gina Milicia's success in the head shot and celebrity photography space with day rates up to $10,000 and often having to knock back work because they are uninspiring or don't sound like fun.

In this candid interview, Gina reveals the steps to her success from her first assisting job with a leading Melbourne photographer where she didn't pick up a camera for the first year, to taking a job as a pasta chef for a well known and up market Italian Restaurant with no qualifications what so ever.

All this in the aim of supporting her dream of making photography her business.

Gina goes onto explain the steps she recommends you take to find success as a headshot photographer and what you can do to get noticed by the agencies looking to book work.

Here's some more of what we cover:

Shooting for the entertainment industry – photographing people
Charging between $5000 and $10000 per day
Burnout after the constant push to build the business
Losing your creativity as a result of being over booked
Working at cost to shoot a particular person or be creative
Shooting the annual TV awards and EVERY big name celebrity in Australia
From failure to success after discovering photography as a “back up plan”
8 weeks assisting a photographer… all spent cleaning the studio and how it led to a full time job with a leading photographer
Making your client feel like they are the only and most important person in the room to get the most out of them
People will forget what you say but they will never forget how they made you feel
Dealing with extreme pressure situations and excelling
How would you cope with 15 minutes to get all the images required for a celebrity campaign and only having the hallway to work with?
Dealing with big personalities, agent and support staff during a high pressure, time limited shoot
Why Gina shoots tethered for every single job and how it makes her shoots run more smoothly
Learn once and for all why it's definitely not about the gear and it's all about the photographer
The absolute importance of learning your trade and your gear inside and out
Coping and thriving in all lighting conditions, including mid day sun and how it changed business for Gina
Learning from the pros that went before you and why listening is often better than talking
Why shooting model tests is a good lead into the celebrity photography industry
Having a second income is the key to have the freedom to be creative and grow your photography business
Taking a loss on one job that might lead to many other jobs in the future, is it really worth the risk?
What are the possibilities that go along with over delivering on a promise?
When the eyes of a portrait subject have warmth, that's what makes the shot
Shooting celebrity and actor head-shots, the secret to a great shot is communication and to communicate, you need to shoot from a tripod
Shooting with multiple assistants on a job and their roles and responsibilities on the job
For the true photographer, the joy of photography as a business doesn't come from the money you're earning, it comes from the art you're creating
What you need to do to break into headshot and celebrity photography
How to stand out when presenting your portfolio to prospective clients, agencies and booking representatives
For every 100 rejections, if you get one yes, you're doing well
FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real and why Gina doesn't waste time worrying

Looking at Gina's portfolio of every popular celebrity, it's difficult to not admire her success and even feel some envy. Then hearing her talk about the pressure of having a 45 minute shoot cut to 15 minutes. Being restricted to a hallway to get the shots and the requirement to get everything needed for the advertising campaign with a demanding agent breathing down her neck… I'm not so sure about the envy.

If you're on Twitter and like to support the show and easily let Gina know you've been listening, click here to populate a tweet: photobizx.com/Gina

What's on Offer for Premium Members

Something a little different for premium members this week. Andrew Cooney is a super talented, up and coming photographer who is ready to make the jump and go pro. He asked if I'd be available to answer some questions he had about getting started, what to expect and where to turn next. The conversation we shared was recorded and is available in the members section.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview with Gina, I'd love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you'd like to implement or learnt from what she had to share? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you'd like to ask or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.

iTunes ratings, reviews and Shout-Outs

Each week before recording the podcast I check iTunes for any reviews and each week I'm excited to see what you've had to say about the podcast and am usually blown away by the comments and reviews. This week was no exception with 3 fantastic reviews. A big thanks this week to Boss Rhino, aka Tim who is a start up photographer in Adelaide, Australia. Also to Chris Gillham of All Reasons Photography in Queensland Australia, Marc Amesse of Light Scout Creative in the States and Ben from McMurry Pet Photography also in the States.

Sincerely, thanks so much for your rating and review, I appreciate the time you've taken and it's a big help for the show. It's these iTunes reviews that make a big difference to the podcast being ranked well and found in the iTunes store. If you have the time and are happy to leave an honest rating and review, head over to iTunes.

Don't feel your comments have to be long, involved or gushy, an honest opinion is all I ask. Don't be shy about leaving your business name in the review either – that way I can add a link in the show-notes and show my appreciation with a proper thanks and a Google loving back-link to your website.

Get in Touch or Leave a Voicemail Message

If you'd like to get in touch, ask a question or make a suggestion for the show, you can email me [email protected], find me on Twitter https://twitter.com/andrewhellmich or on Facebook at https://photobizx.com/facebook – I'd love to hear from you!

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

http://www.ginamilicia.com/

https://twitter.com/GinaMilicia

https://www.facebook.com/Gina.Milicia.Photography

Here are links to the different books Gina has written:

Portrait Ebook

Lighting Ebook

Posing Ebook

Find out more about Gina's upcoming workshops here: Workshops/Mentoring

In the interview, Gina talked about always shooting from a tripod for her work. Here are a list of the tripods and heads she uses:

Manfrotto 190XPROB – small, light-weight tripod that Gina uses when she travels

Manfrotto 475B Pro Geared Tripod – great sturdy tripod for location shoots

Manfrotto 058B – heavy duty tripod for studio use

Manfrotto 679B Monopod – for film, TV stills, and theatre

Manfrotto 229 3D Super-Pro Head – is the head Gina uses with each of the tripods

Gina's portrait gear essentials blog post: http://digital-photography-school.com/portrait-gear-essentials

Capture one pro – the software Gina uses to bring tethered images into her laptop on the shoot

That's it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

If you've been enjoying the podcast, I'd love for you to tell another photographer about it – it could be in a Facebook Group you're a part of, a photography forum, with a photographer friend or on twitter.

If you do have a twitter account, simply click here: https://photobizx.com/tweet or use the share buttons below.

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew

By |2017-02-14T01:34:52+11:00March 10th, 2014|Podcast|49 Comments

49 Comments

kylie Foley March 10, 2014 at 6:39 pm - Reply

I have to admit im a huge fan of these pod casts. I love to sit back and listen to the artists stories on how they made mistakes, took risks and powered onto success. Gina your work is amazing and inspiring, thank you for sharing and talking to Andrew about your falls and successes. I firmly believe you earn every penny you collect for your projects. The pressure is mind blowing,the expectations are huge, the time frame is minute yet you do it continually.
The only thing i miss from this interview is some juicy gossip on the celebs which no doubt you’d have a story or two. But being the professional you are i can only guess.
Thank you Gina what a pleasure.
Kylie
- Andrew Hellmich March 11, 2014 at 1:16 pm - Reply
  
  Hey Kylie, so good to hear you’re enjoying the interviews. How good is Gina! I thought some weddings were stressful… not now 🙂
  
  I did think about the gossip line of questioning but thought if I drag Gina down that path, her mum really would come after me!
- Gina Milicia March 11, 2014 at 4:31 pm - Reply
  
  Hi Kylie, thanks so much for your comments. I too am a fan of the podcast. I think it’s so important that artists have the opportunity to share their stories and be honest about the struggles and success.
  I’m sorry I couldn’t share any juicy gossip with you, I didn’t want my mum going after Andrew 😉
Rahim Mastafa March 11, 2014 at 12:24 am - Reply

FANTASTIC podcast! I was listening to it at the gym and finished my workout early as I wanted to get back and leave a comment! Gina is a true inspiration! Grafting and hard work (and some blagging!!) got her where she is today.
I like the fact that she just got on with it and shot with a cheap Nikon and soaked up what other’s taught her. I’m thinking of doing the same when I finish my job next month. Going to hook up with some local veteran photographers and spend some time learning!

It was also interesting to hear how Gina went through a “hand to mouth” existence but stuck with it. Again, I can relate to that…anyway, once again, a great interview from you Andrew, top questions and a good laugh. I shall continue to tell others about your podcast.

Best, Rahim
- Andrew Hellmich March 11, 2014 at 1:19 pm - Reply
  
  Thanks Rahim!
  
  It’s awesome to hear that someone successful experienced a parallel existence as yourself in their early days. It’s reassuring somehow.
  
  All you need to do is add the lies, deception and toilet cleaning to your resume and you’ll be a huge success before you know it. 😉
- Gina Milicia March 11, 2014 at 4:41 pm - Reply
  
  Thanks Rahim,
  Hope you didn’t miss too much of your workout!! I love what you said. I think I might call my next book
  “Grafting and Blagging for Photographers” 🙂
  Great idea working with veterans too. Their insights are gold!
MS Photography March 11, 2014 at 2:36 pm - Reply

Like what Gina said, what you’re doing is incredible Andrew. Thank you and keep the “figures” coming. Those numbers are important to get a feel for the industry.
- Andrew Hellmich March 13, 2014 at 11:15 am - Reply
  
  Thanks Mark! It’s difficult asking about figures sometimes but I feel it’s that sort of info that adds value to the interviews and are what listeners really want to know about – I know I do.
- Gina Milicia March 13, 2014 at 7:55 pm - Reply
  
  Totally agree Mark, Andrew does an amazing job and whilst talking $$$ did make me uncomfortable I can see the importance of sharing this kind of information.
Anais March 12, 2014 at 12:05 pm - Reply

Thank you Gina for reminding that you didn’t get there in 1 day. I really like your work and have enjoyed to listen at you and your laugh at lot 🙂 Great posdcast.

To Brahim from Paris : there is a lots of photographers groups (which we call in French Collectif de photographes) which you should contact and meet to get their advice. Such as Blind collectif, Le Bar floréal, Oeil public… (you will find all the links there : http://www.photoliens.eu/Liens/Photographie/Agences/agences-1.php). These are full of photographers working close from eachothers and always happy to talk and help.

Thank you Andrew for this great interview.

Anaïs
- Andrew Hellmich March 13, 2014 at 11:22 am - Reply
  
  Anais – thanks so much for your help in raged to Brahim’s question, that’s so nice. 🙂
- Gina Milicia March 13, 2014 at 7:58 pm - Reply
  
  Hi Anais, glad you enjoyed the chat. Thanks for your comments 🙂
Chris March 13, 2014 at 6:58 am - Reply

Great interview and great to hear about all the dynamics when it comes to shooting celebs… and good to hear that it doesn’t just apply to us non-celeb photographers! 😉
- Andrew Hellmich March 13, 2014 at 11:29 am - Reply
  
  Thanks Chris, good to hear you enjoyed the interview with Gina as much as I did. The thought of holding up a couple hundred people and having next to no time for a shoot still scares the bejeezers out of me!
- Gina Milicia March 13, 2014 at 8:30 pm - Reply
  
  Hey Chris, thanks for listening. I think the best thing about having to shoot so fast and under extreme pressure is that it forces us to get “into the zone” There is no time to second guess, over think or overshoot and this is the place I’m most creative and most happy in.
Ahmad El-Farram March 13, 2014 at 2:19 pm - Reply

Another amazing interview Andrew. Thank you so much. Gina, you are awesome, as is your work! I felt as though this podcast could have easily been two hours in length. Thank you for sharing your stories and inviting us into your life and business.

I do have one question for you regarding your process: When shooting a headshot session tethered, do you ever stop to go through the images with your clients/agents throughout the session, when time permits? Or does the client/agent wait until you’ve had the opportunity to go through the images and weed out any duds?
- Andrew Hellmich March 13, 2014 at 4:07 pm - Reply
  
  Thanks Ahmad! I could definitely have gone longer on this episode given the chance. Maybe Gina will agree to a return visit sometime.
  
  I’ll let Gina know about your question if she doesn’t see it herself in a day or two.
  - Gina Milicia March 13, 2014 at 8:28 pm - Reply
    
    Hey Andrew, I’d love to come back on, just let me know when you are ready. I have lots more stories hahaha
    - Andrew Hellmich March 19, 2014 at 9:03 am - Reply
      
      You’re on Gina – I’ll be in touch.
- Gina Milicia March 13, 2014 at 8:23 pm - Reply
  
  Hi Ahmad, thanks so much. I love a good chat and could have happily kept going for another couple of hours 🙂
  
  In regard to your question about shooting tethered head shots, It depends on the client, how much time I have to shoot and how well the talent takes direction.
  If time is on my side I like to show my clients a few of the shots. This is a great way to gain your clients trust and relax them because they see how good they look.
  I will NEVER show a client an image that I am not 100% happy with. I will always have my lighting tested before they step onto the set.
  If a client has difficulty understanding direction I will show them their images on the computer as a teaching tool.
  If I feel my client is overly self critical I may decide to NOT show them any images because it may send them into meltdown.
  So in answer to your question its definitely a client to client decision.
  Hope that helps!
Gina Milicia March 13, 2014 at 8:04 pm - Reply

Hey Chris, thanks for listening. I think the best thing about having to shoot so fast and under extreme pressure is that it forces us to get “into the zone” There is no time to second guess, over think or overshoot and this is the place I’m most creative and most happy in.
Brad Barlow March 14, 2014 at 5:59 am - Reply

Hi Gina and Andrew. I loved hearing you talk about making your subject comfortable and getting the warmth in their eyes to come through. I would love to hear much more from Gina about specific subject’s personalities and what kinds of conversations triggered the best response. My biggest takeaway this week was the advice to make money with a separate career so you can shoot with passion… and the photography money will come.
- Gina Milicia March 15, 2014 at 4:00 pm - Reply
  
  Hi Brad, glad you enjoyed the interview. If you’d like to read more about my thoughts on posing then please check out this blog post I wrote http://digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-direct-a-portrait-shoot-like-a-pro
  Thanks for your comments!
- Andrew Hellmich March 19, 2014 at 9:08 am - Reply
  
  When starting out, I felt photographers that weren’t full time were looked down upon by the pros.
  
  These days, I would encourage anyone to keep a 2nd job while building their photography business but use the security of the “other job” to get your prices up as quickly as possible to enable you to make real living from your photography business.
  
  I’ll dive more into your suggestions next time I have Gina on the podcast Brad – great topic to explore.
Rollin March 16, 2014 at 12:24 pm - Reply

Loved “Worry is a misuse of the imagination” statement towards the end. Shared it with my son tonight.
- Andrew Hellmich March 19, 2014 at 9:16 am - Reply
  
  What a great line!
- Gina Milicia March 22, 2014 at 9:40 am - Reply
  
  Thanks Rollin, I love that you shared that quote with your son!
Joey Joiner March 22, 2014 at 6:47 am - Reply

Great episode.
I just lost a huge comment I just typed out here. I feel sick at my stomach now : (
Suffice it to say that I very much enjoyed this episode with Gina and I got a lot out of it.
I loved all that she learned from being an Assistant and all those lines that she quoted from her boss. They were inspiring.
I loved the F.E.A.R. thing, too.
And I liked how she DOES look at other Photographers and that she admits to it.
It’s so silly to hear Photographers say that they don’t. It’s like teenager boys saying they don’t look at Playboys. C’mon now : )
Joey Joiner
Fort Worth Photographer
- Gina Milicia March 22, 2014 at 9:50 am - Reply
  
  Thanks so much Joey,
  I love looking at other photographer’s work. I find it really inspiring. In fact if I had more time I would happily do it all day long!
  I believe it’s important that I continue to develop my craft and learn new skills. The best way for me to do this is to be inspired by the collective brilliance of those around me.
  - Joey Joiner March 22, 2014 at 10:09 am - Reply
    
    Wow, Gina that was such a great response. It is so refreshing to hear someone say that. All I ever hear is, “oh, I’m so busy I don’t have time to look at other Photographers’ work”. As if they want to impress us with how busy they are or they want us to think that their creative vision is not inspired by the work of others. It gets old after a while. So it was like a jolt of refreshing, positive energy that flowed out of my iPhone’s headphones when I heard you say that. So thank you! ~Joey
- Andrew Hellmich March 23, 2014 at 7:05 pm - Reply
  
  What? I never looked at those magazines Joey… 🙂
Russell Hyde April 2, 2014 at 5:15 pm - Reply

Hi Andrew
What a great interview with Gina. I’ve read Gina’s ebooks (bought through the DPS forum) and they’re a great source of information and encouragement for us ‘up and coming’ photographers. The detailed drawings and explanations help put the story of each shoot, into greater context.

A couple of takeaways for me from this interview are the comments that Gina made, specifically:
“don’t sweat the small stuff”,
“fear is the worry and misuse of the imagination”,
“stay awake at night wondering about all the amazing things that are coming your way”
FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real.
Gina’s comments about taking small steps, shoot every day to hone our skills, all resonated with me.

I also agree with Gina about her favourite lens….I love my 70-200 f2.8, its my favourite lens, too (you know, your old one!).

I’m also in my happy place when I’m editing and retouching my photos in Lightroom.

Thanks again Andrew for these podcasts and thanks again to Gina for sharing her story with all of us.
regards
Russell…
- Gina Milicia April 4, 2014 at 10:27 pm - Reply
  
  Hey Russell, thanks for the book review 🙂 Really appreciate the feedback!
  
  Thanks also for your comments re takeaways. How good is the 70-200 f 2.8 and so glad to hear that editing and retouching is also your happy place. It’s so fantastic to do what you love every day.
- Andrew Hellmich April 9, 2014 at 9:25 pm - Reply
  
  Great takeaways Russell, I love these too!
  
  What’s the 70-200 f2.8 reference, did you buy the one I sold on eBay a little while ago?
Russell Hyde April 9, 2014 at 9:29 pm - Reply

Hi Andrew
Yes, that’s how we first met!
- Andrew Hellmich April 9, 2014 at 10:36 pm - Reply
  
  Wow, that’s funny – I either didn’t know that or totally forgot. 🙂
Russell Hyde April 9, 2014 at 11:47 pm - Reply

You must speak with hundreds of people every week, Andrew, so it’s hard to keep track of everyone.
When I bought the lens you did say that if I ever needed help with anything photographic, I only had to ask….I hope you’re not regretting saying that to me 🙂
- Andrew Hellmich April 10, 2014 at 12:04 pm - Reply
  
  Did I really say that? 😉
Nicholas Brown June 18, 2014 at 2:23 pm - Reply

Wow Gina is so full of life. I love your confidence Gina.

My takeaways:
– try try try
– lie lie lie
- Gina Milicia June 19, 2014 at 5:37 pm - Reply
  
  Ha! Love it! Thanks for listening Nicholas.
  
  I’m a big fan of faking it till we make it 🙂
  
  “You must be the person you have never had the courage to be. Gradually, you will discover that you are that person, but until you can see this clearly, you must pretend and invent.”
  ― Paulo Coelho
  - Nicholas Brown June 21, 2014 at 5:06 pm - Reply
    
    Thanks for the reply Gina. It’s very kind of you to take the time to write back to people. I will write that quote down and look at it everyday until I don’t need it anymore.
    
    Also, I hope you didn’t take my comment as being flippant. There is so much truth in what you were saying. I am going to channel my inner Gina to build my confidence.
    
    Thanks again.
    - Gina June 21, 2014 at 7:23 pm - Reply
      
      Awesome!
      That’s great to hear Nicholas. I have quotes posted all over the place. They inspire me everyday.
      Confidence can be built up, you just need to keep showing up every day and backing yourself.it took me ten years before I started to feel comfortable in this industry.
- Andrew Hellmich June 19, 2014 at 7:47 pm - Reply
  
  Love the takeaways Nicholas!
Caroline July 9, 2014 at 4:37 am - Reply

I’m quite new to the PhotobizX podcasts and have to say, when I first found them I felt like I’d stumbled upon gold, Andrew thank you so much! I LOVED this episode, definitely one of my favorites. So many good takeaways – Gina you are one ballsy lady! (if you don’t mind me saying :). Thank you for your honesty, willingness to give and all this incredible inspiration. I had a couple of good aha! moments with this one…just excellent.
- Andrew Hellmich August 8, 2014 at 5:21 pm - Reply
  
  Hey Caroline – apologies for my late reply, I’ve been on holidays and am slowly getting back into the swing of things.
  It’s great to have you listening and I’m glad you stumbled across the site or podcast.
  
  I’m sure Gina will take your description of her as a great compliment 🙂 She is an awesome woman, great photographer and definitely worth following.
Andrew Hellmich October 4, 2016 at 10:33 am - Reply

Hi Gina

This question comes from Christopher Jones which was sent via voicemail.

Could you please tell me what steps Gina took to post process the Under Belly shot of the group and the shot of Fat Tony?
Thanks in anticipation
Chris
- Andrew Hellmich October 4, 2016 at 10:35 am - Reply
  
  Hi Chris
  
  Andrew here from PhotoBizX – I received your voicemail, thanks!
  
  I’ll let Gina know about your question.
  
  Also, I’m not sure if you know but Gina also has a podcast where she talks more about technique and the photography process. The PhotoBizX is more focussed on the business side of things.
  
  Hers’s a link to Gina’s podcast: http://ginamilicia.com/category/podcast/
  
  Speak soon
  Andrew
Gina October 5, 2016 at 8:09 pm - Reply

Hi Chris,
The underbelly image was processed using both Lightroom and photoshop.
The grunge look is created by increasing shadow slider, decreasing highlights and saturation and finally adding clarity.
Each image will vary so play around with the sliders until you get the desired result.

If you’d like more info on my post processing techniques I have a free ebook which covers a similar process and there are lots of tutorials on my website http://www.ginamilicia.com

I also sell the Lightroom presets I use in my workflow. The one that is most similar to The underbelly shot is called True Grit.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Gina 🙂
PS thanks, Andrew, love the work you do for the photography community!
- Andrew Hellmich October 10, 2016 at 8:07 am - Reply
  
  Thanks Gina – you are a true gem! xx