The Perfect Headshot

Headshots help the casting director remember your face and are crucial for any actor if they want the job. In other words, a casting director is not going to risk blindly hiring a “Romeo,” to later find out he is 5” tall and 250lbs. Get the idea? When getting headshots taken, it is even more crucial to avoid low quality photographers or friends from taking your pictures. This prevents wasting your time and money. Actors are constantly required to do research, so make sure that you do research on a photographer before you get your picture taken by them. Remember, just because a photographer is super expensive does not mean he or she will be “the best,” and just because a photographer is cheaper does not mean they will be “the worst.” This research is up to you. Headshots are known for being extremely expensive, but if you make the right connections in the acting world, you can get better deals so they don’t have to be. If less expensive options do not exist, your best bet would be to save the money and get the real deal. (This is also why references gained from networking with other actors are so valuable.) The next affordable option would be having a professional photographer take your headshots, (after you have reviewed and enjoyed his work) and then editing the photos yourself. Picassa and iPhoto are excellent editing tools for cropping and making other color adjustments. When it comes to printing your headshots, learn from others past mistakes. Spare yourself the waste of paper and time by not printing 100 headshots off your home printer or store that does not specialize in printing headshots. Get the job done right by those who know their stuff!

Headshot Tips:

1.      Save your receipts from your prints and your photographer! (You can get tax write offs from them!) After all, you are a business. You’re selling yourself aren’t you?

2.      Be cautious when taken pictures in the sun because spots of shininess on your face may occur that are hard to correct. When taking pictures inside, the color can be dull if your photographer does not provide the right kind of lighting.

3.      Questions to ask your photographer:

-How much does a session cost?

-How long will it be? (Do I have time to bring more than one outfit?)

-How many rolls will you take?

-Are 8x10 prints inclusive?

-When is the proof sheet available for viewing?

-Can you keep the negatives?

-If I am not content with the photos can I get a refund or guarantee?

4.      Dress code: Large, cluttered prints and logos are a “no-no” and can often be a huge distraction. Instead, go with something simple and a color that compliments your hair, eyes or skin tone.

5.      Do not wear a ton of accessories, for example, big earrings, which can also be very distracting. If it makes you feel better, you will not get the part because you are flaunting your “bling.” What the casting directors really wants to see is you, not your 2lb dangling earrings or chunky charm necklace.

6.      Resist the distracting backgrounds. The goal is not to capture a beautiful sunset behind your head, but to capture you and you alone. It is a “headshot,” not a “beautiful picture of a person on a mountain top.”

7.      If you are using your headshot to audition for a specific type of work, have it reflected in your picture. If you want to do commercial work, it is best to show off that smile and fun personality! Film and Theater can work great with the camera angled from the stomach up to show the physique the casting directors will also want to remember when casting specific characters that require certain body types. A theater headshot may show you more glamorous, sexy, and thoughtful and a commercial may have you simpler, yet energetic where it is important to show your teeth, and be perky happy bright eyed. When auditioning for theater you may at times be casted in either tragedy or comedy, so it is good to have two headshots. One can be a more dramatic, serious pose for tragedy and a livelier headshot for a comic show. Your upbeat commercial and comedic theatrical headshot can even be interchangeable!

8.      When having your headshot taken, remember to bring “life” into your eyes. One of the worst things a casting director can see in a headshot is boredom and idle eyes. Bring your personality out and hold your own! If you are insecure or not comfortable in your own skin, it will unfortunately translate and turn them off. Practice in the mirror. If you “really want to act,” then act confident! Now’s the time!

9.      Your headshot should always be 8 inches wide x 10 inches long and presented with your resume, whether the resume is stapled to the back or printed on the back of your headshot. (Having the headshot and resume completely separate from each other makes it too easy for them to get separated, in which the casting directors do not have the time or motivation to search for it!)

10.  Choose a glossy, Matte or Semi-gloss finish for your headshot and either a white border all around the edges, no border, or just a border across the bottom of the headshot, including your name.

11.  Try to look as comfortable, relaxed and natural as possible in your headshot. You must look directly into the camera and be confident enough where you raise an interest in the directors to even want to see you again.

12.  Always keep your headshot current with how you look. If your headshot has you with blonde hair, but you just recently dyed it brunette, then you better be ready to get some more headshots!

13.  The best headshot tip is to not try to be anyone else, but yourself; you may just be enough to fit that role! Do not try to be “the pretty girl” or “the stud” in a headshot if you are “the nerdy, shy girl or guy” in real life. You will not be cast as the type of person you do not truly represent physically. Find who you are and be proud of it! The more different your look means the more opportunities you have to fit a certain role that the majority cannot! 


Know that somewhere out there is a character for your look so you must represent your type correctly, starting with your headshot!-Actors Nook Team