Meet Marc Cartwright | Photographer & Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marc Cartwright and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marc, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
While anytime I take on a task, I like to put my 100% into it, I wasn’t inspired to work long hours to make someone else rich. At the time I was working at a hotel, bringing in thousands of dollars a day for the company, while I was making $12 an hour. I had my own visions and dreams that I wanted to achieve, but working a survival job limited the amount of time I had to work on realizing my own objectives.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My company is Marc Cartwright Headshots. I like to think of myself as a headshot photographer and image consultant. While of course, I want people to look good in a photograph; I really do like to have a lot of dialogue about how people are selling themselves in the industry. An effective headshot goes beyond great lighting, makeup & hair and the right wardrobe. It’s not just about taking a photo. It is about taking a photo that is going to represent who you are as an actor. Your personality, how relatable you are and how professional you are.

The comment that I hear most often is that I am known for capturing the essence and personality of a person through their eyes. You can have every element perfect in a headshot, but if the eyes aren’t telling the story, to me the headshot isn’t serving its purpose.

As a company I am most proud of the caliber of amazing people that recommend and photograph with me. When I encounter an agent or manager that has seen it all and they choose me to trust with their clients: that means a lot to me. There is a lot of pressure within the industry to deliver; a ton of competition that actors, agents, managers, etc. have to contend with. To know that they trust my vision to be a part of what they are doing to become successful is inspiring and not something I take lightly.

What sets me apart from others is that I treat each person uniquely. No one actor is the same and so every shoot has its own personality. I really like a professional but laid back environment. I don’t like actors to feel rushed or like they are being pressured. I only shoot one person at a time and usually only one or two per day. I like the headshot session to feel as if we are hanging out as new friends vs. making the client feel like they are in a picture factory. If I were to have three other people in my studio waiting to have their photo taken for instance, an actor is going to feel that time pressure. For an actor, there is already enough pressure to get a great shot. There are already many things on their mind; you want to remove as many elements as possible that could make a person more nervous.

Going into business for yourself is never easy, but I do believe surrounding yourself with the right people and circumstances can make it a lot smoother. I love art and creativity, but I also love business. I feel the two go hand in hand.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I basically live at the beach or in the desert. Being that I work with people almost everyday, I like to take relaxing, secluded vacations or explore areas I haven’t visited before. California is so vast, I find that there is always something new to discover and when people visit me, I enjoy taking them along for the ride. I do like to tailor excursions to the person I am visiting with.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my shoutout to my family. They have always been in my corner and even if they didn’t understand my artistic dreams, they believed in me and learned about the industry so that they could support me when and where I needed it. I feel very fortunate to have started life with people that inspired me and provided such a positive and encouraging foundation.

Website: https://www.marccartwrightheadshots.com/

Instagram: @HeadshotsbyMarc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marccartwrightheadshots/

Twitter: @HeadshotsByMarc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarcCartwrightHeadshots

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/marc-cartwright-headshots-los-angeles-2

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marccartwrightheadshotphot7015

Other: GlassCabinFilms.com – Film Production website MarcCartwright.com – personal website