Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Adrabi.
Maya, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I initially wanted to pursue a career in acting. I was waiting tables, taking classes, sat for headshots a bunch of times and loved it, but was feeling pretty stagnant in my life. There wasn’t enough forward movement and it really began to feel like I was spinning my wheels.
In 2006, I moved to NYC and everything changed for me. I would go on long walks in the city with my camera and was just so inspired. NYC in the fall is like living inside of a movie. That was when I really started teaching myself what my camera can do and hone in on my aesthetic and what moved me.
I came back to LA with the intention to get all my things and move back to NYC full time. I was pretty broke, so a very close friend of mine offered to train me as a freelance commercial casting assistant. I started working at a very busy office and developed relationships with actors, casting directors and agents. I started taking headshots of actors and it very organically evolved and grew.
Another good friend has a theory that everyone has one thing people want to pay them to do. Sometimes that one thing is at odds with what you want, so the struggle to succeed and earn a living is harder. For me, photography seemed to be that thing. People wanted to pay me to take their headshots without much effort or struggle on my part and I decided to listen to that. I often wonder what my life would look like if I didn’t walk through that open door. Acting is something that is very hard to walk away from – opportunity can come at any time. How do you know when it’s not going to happen for you? I feel very fortunate that photography came along and taught me that I wasn’t walking away from my dreams – they were just evolving from one thing to the next. My experience and knowledge absolutely inform how I take pictures, the environment I create for actors shooting with me and what I know they need.
I didn’t stop casting, however. And in 2010, a very busy commercial Casting Director, Alyson Horn, offered me a full-time position as her main Associate. About 6 months later, we rebranded to AHC and I became a full Casting Director. Now, Aly and I are partners, we have a 3rd CD working with us and we have such a great team. We have worked on incredible ad campaigns, with incredibly talented directors and creatives and I get to work with such talented actors every day.
So, I do both casting and photography and I’m grateful, I don’t have to choose between them! Most days, I feel so grateful for my full life.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. I think every creative person struggles with finding balance, with self-motivating, with resisting comparison to other artists.
I also struggled with feeling like I ultimately chose stability and a more boring existence, if you will, of having a job to go to every day. An acting career is one where you never know if the phone will ring, with giving other people the control and power over your career. The truly successful ones have learned how to retain that power and how to create opportunities for themselves. I walked away before I really learned how to do that.
Now, my struggle is with time. I have a husband and small son, I have my casting career and my photo business, and then there’s sleep and friends and finding the time to see shows or movies, etc., etc. It’s just a hard balance that I know lots of working mothers relate to and some days are better than others.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Maya Shoots – what should we know?
My photo business is Maya Shoots. I specialize in people! I love faces and I love the connection you develop when you’re shooting another person. Given my industry and location, this mainly means headshots for actors, but I’ve also worked with musicians, businesspeople, doctors, etc.
For a couple years in a row, I was the festival photographer for the Slamdance Film Festival, which goes on at the same time as Sundance in Park City, UT. It’s a highly respected indie film festival and I started a project there where I shot editorial photos of their filmmakers. The first year my work was published in Time. Fun fact, the festival is how I met my husband!
I’m most proud of how comfortable and celebrated I make actors feel when they shoot with me. Headshots can be a vulnerable thing. There’s a lot riding on them. Most of the time people leave my sessions feeling energized and excited about their path and who they are, which is, in my opinion, not the norm for headshots. Photographers can be an egotistical bunch and I think very often actors walk away from a headshot session feeling defeated or not enough in some way. They don’t feel that way shooting with me.
My casting background also allows me to be very specific with marketing and brands – meaning, that I can look at an actor and know what products they would be right for and what that means in terms of the wardrobe they should wear for our shoot. It gives me some insider knowledge that I’m very grateful for.
And finally, this is a small thing, but I don’t charge for the look. I charge a flat rate and that is unusual for headshot photographers. They typically charge by the look or wardrobe change and I think that just adds to the pressure for the actor. What if they choose the wrong sweater? What if their blazer reads more middle manager instead of young creative? All these little details are stressful for an actor and with me, if there’s a question about one look over another, we just shoot with both. If a look isn’t used it’s not big deal because it’s not like they spent more for it.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Empathy and compassion. I view my photography business as a service industry. That isn’t typical. I make it about the actor, not about me.
Pricing:
- My session is a flat rate of $500
- Professional Hair/MU is paid separately. I work with several great artists and the rate is $175/session.
Contact Info:
- Website: MayaShoots.com
- Email: [email protected]
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