Sword and Scoundrel: Shooting Actors who Fight

Actors train intensely and stage combat teaches precision, confidence, and presence – some the same qualities that make a good headshot stand out.

I love working with actors for exactly these traits; in order to ensure they’re versatile and adaptable to the demands of their industry, actors are tremendously present in the moment, and capable of using their bodies with adroit skill. More than that, however, a good actor can embody a role and convey often the same resonant emotionality that I seek to do in my work. Working with actors really is a joy.

So, I was proud earlier this month to collaborate with Sword & Scoundrel to create images of actors that foreground their newly-gained stage stage combat skills, having participated in an Equity-registered combat course. You can see the results of the shoot in the video below:

Watch the Sword and Scoundrel stage combat school reel here.

How I Shot It

This was a challenging shoot in that actor portraits must always foreground the actor and their talent first of all, and yet here was all this very cool gear and fancy swords to show off! In addition, everyone was running high on the rush and excitement (and lack of sleep!) of a week of doing what they love.

Rather than show off the gear, I decided to maintain my use of a shallow depths of field, focus on the actors’ eyes, and treat the weapons as props for the actors to show off their stances. Whilst some of the actors used the opportunity (and the stunning venue of the Malthouse Theatre) for standard headshots, those who wielded weapons demonstrated actual stances that keen-eyed casting directors would be able to recognise.

I think every actor headshot should aid them getting their dream role, so shooting them in this way means the photos act as a strong advertisement of what they learned, without the distraction of the gear.

What’s Next?

I know that Duncan is already planning next year’s combat school to be even better than this year’s, and I’ll be there to show the students – and their amazing skills – off again. If you’re excited to get involved, click the button below to learn more about next year’s course.

Or, if you’re training right now and are ready to update your headshots to show off your new-found skills, I’d love to hear from you!