Your headshot is one of the most important tools you have to market yourself. It's so surprising then, just how many people get it so wrong.
Fair or unfair, most actors get hired because of how they look, not just their talents. (Acting is probably the only industry where you can legitimately discriminate against people based on what they look like - without getting into trouble). If you don’t take your calling cards seriously, how do you expect casting directors to take you seriously?
Your audition begins the moment you walk into the room—but your headshot may determine if you get the chance to walk into that room in the first place.
The desired effect from your headshot is for the casting director to sit up and yell "WOOHOO!, this is the person I want to see”.
Some good headshot
Photos from photographers in the Playbill Article 5 Photographers Share Their Advice for Creating the Perfect Headshot
A simple question, but an important one....WHAT IS A HEADSHOT?
A headshot is a tightly cropped portrait that focuses on your face, traditionally taken from the shoulders upward; headshots are often formatted as an 8 x 10-inch printed photograph or a digital thumbnail. A good headshot has a very plain background.
What do you need a headshot for?
Actors need headshots for:
Online casting profiles
Submitting to casting directors, and agents and managers for possible representation
Personal actor websites
Professional social media profiles
Marketing materials (i.e., postcards, business cards)
Play booklets/Programs
Standard international practice
Headshot guidelines: size, format, and color
Actors should format their printed headshots as follows:
In color (Black and white is becoming obsolete for headshots)
8 x 10 inches in size. (Global practice)
With their name printed on the front. (This is optional, but it is standard practice in many countries).
Formatting
Digital headshots need formatting. Raw camera images are too large for most websites to process. Although the specifics may vary, for most websites you'll need digital headshots that are:
Compressed: Compressed images are usually .jpeg, .jpg, and .png file types. Some casting sites also accept .tiff files.
High-resolution: Resolution is usually expressed as dots-per-inch (dpi). You want your digital headshot to be at least 300dpi, so it looks great as a thumbnail or a larger image.
Without names: Unlike your printed headshots, digital headshots usually don’t include your name.
How to choose a headshot photographer
before looking for a photographer, spend some time googling actors headshot and DEFINITELY google the deference between a good and a bad headshot. This is not a bad article from City Headshots
The best way to find a good headshot photographer is to ask for referrals. Look at your actor friends’ headshots. Make a list of your favorites, and ask your friends to connect you to the photographers who took the shots.
Take the opportunity to also ask your friends what their shoots were like and if they enjoyed working with the photographer. Like everything in the acting world, finding a good collaborator makes the finished product stronger.
And speaking of collaborators, it is certainly good for an emerging photographer to get some great actor's headshots on their Insta feed, so hunt down young photographers from photography courses or online photography groups.
It always tempting to have a friend with a camera take your headshot (or worse, take some selfies). Economically, this makes total sense. However, your friend might photograph great landscapes, street photography of insta snaps, but they may not necessarily be a good headshot photographer.
Headshot photography is all about capturing essence and expression... it’s essential to get it right. Take the time to schedule a meeting with a photographer and ask the right questions before moving forward and definitely ask to see their portfolio.
Some great advice from Benton Whitely. Taken from Backstage (a portal you should be following)
Some dos and don’ts
Do's
Do shop around for a photographer that makes you feel comfortable.
Do wear a little makeup (even if it’s just powder).
Do wear flattering, solid colors.
Do prepare your looks based on your unique talents and the 'types' you are suited for.
Do professionally format your headshot to industry standards.
Do talk to a potential photographer before committing to a shoot
Do ask to see ALL photos before settling for half a dozen perfect shots.
Don'ts
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