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6 Tips for Great Acting Headshots
Here’s the Acting headshot tips that will get you that great headshot.
6 Tips for Great Acting Headshots
If you want to be taken seriously by casting directors and get called in to audition you need to be professional. Their first impression of you is your headshot. You must get it right. Here’s the Acting headshot tips that will get you that great headshot.
Do Your Research
The number one thing you can do to have a successful headshot session is to do your research.
What are your character types?
You need to find out what your character types are. Not everyone can play the same roles. Are you the girl next door? The gangster tough type? The father figure.
Now you will fit a lot of different types. Research what those are. Some you just can’t play. A 19 year old woman can’t play the divorced mom role. But you should have a wide range. For example, a 22 year old female could play, The college student, The hipster, The single mom, The nurse, The young professional, The down and out street life girl.
Ask yourself, What type of clothes do they wear? What type of expressions do they have?
Mens Headshots
Commercial Headshots
Womens Headshots
Commercial Headshots
Personality is Better Than Beauty
Everyone wants a great looking picture of themselves. The truth is the casting directors want you to look like yourself. Flaws, quirks and all.
When they’re casting for a part they aren’t trying to find the most beautiful person to play that part. If so, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt would get all the roles.
They’re looking for an actor that embodies that character. Just be a good version of you in the role of the character that you want in your headshots.
Show some personality. Stretch yourself when it comes to expressions.
It’s The Eyes
You hear it all the time. It’s in the eyes. What does that mean? It means you have to look like you have some life, personality, expression, depth in your eyes.
How do you get that? ...Practice.
Start with doing the smize in the mirror. It’s easier for some people than others to smize. I tell people to do a small squint from the bottom eyelids up. Then add a small smile. It seems to do the trick. Practice that in the mirror until you think you have it.
The smize is just a starting point. After you get it, then try subtle adjustments to get even more range.
Natural Makeup
A great makeup artist can make a shoot. Conversely, a bad makeup artist can ruin a shoot. I learned this a long time ago while shooting fashion in Italy.
A good photographer will usually have a good makeup artist. If you like the makeup in your photographers' photos, then you’ll like what they do in your photos.
If you’re doing your own, natural simple makeup is best for headshots. You can bump it up a bit for more of your leading lady shots, but mostly keep it natural.
One thing that never works, and I see women do this, is to go outside your natural lip line with lipstick. You aren’t fooling anyone. It doesn’t make your lips look bigger. It just looks like you painted lips on your face.
Always stick with what nature gave you and just enhance it a bit with makeup.
Natural Light
Natural light is the light from the sun. It doesn't necessarily mean you will be standing in the sunlight. When you are in the shade you are still being lit from the sun's light. When you are indoors and light is coming in from the window that’s also light from the sun. You can shoot in the studio with natural light.
One of the things that I like the most about natural light is how it makes your eyes look amazing.
Natural light is actually brighter than the ambient light in a studio lighting setting. What this does is make your eyes constrict. When they constrict, your pupils look smaller and the iris is bigger. The Iris is the part of your eyes with the color. When It's bigger there’s more color in your eyes. With the dimmer lights of a studio setting the pupils are bigger. The pupils are a black hole. When it’s bigger your eyes are less colorful.
A good photographer that shoots with natural light has mastered how to work with all the different ways the natural light can be used. You’ll be amazed at what can be done.
Wardrobe
It’s always difficult to tell someone what clothes to bring for their headshot session, because it’s different for different people.
You should have gone in depth on your character types. Now match your outfits to those types. The nerd wears an entirely different wardrobe than a thug. Match your wardrobe. However, you can do both, a nerd and a thug. Just pick the right clothes for both.
Here’s some simple rules that apply to most outfits. Layers are always better. It tells more of the story of that character. Think of it as a sentence versus a paragraph. It says a lot more. A black tee shirt could be a thug. But doesn't a back tee shirt with a leather jacket tell more of the story?
Remember it’s about your character type not beauty. You don’t necessarily need to wear things that make you look the best. It must be the character. Also, no low cut tops. It’s about your facial expression, nothing else.
Headshot Mistakes to Avoid
Not bring the right clothes. You know what to do, so now you have no excuse.
Not bringing something to take care of your hair. Bring a comb, brush, hairspray or whatever else you need to make sure your hair looks the best.
Showing up late. You’re a professional. You’re being judged at all times on how professional you are. Whenever you are dealing with other people, act professional and it will show. People will think. Wow, that person is so professional. I love working with them.
Too much makeup. Natural simple makeup is best. And you can leave the fake eyelashes at home.
Trying to be something you're not. There is only one you with your unique qualities and gifts. Just be who you are and the right jobs will find you.
What is a Headshot Look?
If you’re unsure what a Headshot Looks is, here’s your answer.
What is a Headshot Look?
If you're new to getting headshots you may have heard the term “Looks” and were not quite sure what it means. You’re about to learn all the nuances of Headshot looks.
A look in its basic form is the clothes you're wearing for your headshot. You change clothes, that’s a new look.
But looks are really much more complex than that. Think of a look as the finished product of your headshot. For example you may be scheduling a headshot session for 3 looks. You plan to do a business look, a street tough look, and a commercial fun and happy look.
Now we have to go deeper than just a change of clothes. For the business look we’d of course wear business attire. Then our hair would be done in a conservative style. Our expressions could range from smiling to serious. The lighting and background would also match the business look.
For the street tough look you might wear a tee shirt and a leather jacket. Have your hair a little more messy. Your expression would not be smiling but more serious. The lighting might be a little stronger and the background could also be rougher.
For your comercial look you might wear a colorful tee shirt under a denim jacket. Have a fun bright smile and very friendly expression. The lighting would be very soft.
Amazing Headshots for People who don’t want to Spend a Fortune
Everything works together for a look. The only part you really need to worry about when preparing for your session is your outfits. You could also practice your expressions for each look.
One last thing Headshot photographers usually price their headshot session on a per look basis. So 3 looks cost more than 2 looks.
I hope that helps you understand Headshot Looks.
Do I Need a Slate Shot on My Actors Access Profile
If you want more auditions you need a slate shot. Here’s why.
Do I Need a Slate Shot?
If you want more auditions you need a Slate Shot
A slate shot is a video about 7 seconds long where you simple say your name, or “Hi I’m Your Name” A slate shot is a great way for casting agents to hear your voice and get a feel for your energy and personality.
Having a Slate Shot attached to your submissions will get you more auditions.
If you want to be at the top of the search results in Actors Access and be one of the first submissions a casting director sees you must have a Slate Shot
It’s all in how Actors Access prioritises search results for casting directors. This is how the results are prioritised.
The First results are: Submissions with Video and a Slate Shot attached
Next results are: Submissions with only Video attached
Next results are: Submissions with only a Slate Shot attached
Ranked last are: Submissions without a Video and a Slate Shot attached
If you want to be at the top of the que you’ll need to submit with both video and a slate shot attached to your profile
Being at the top of the results will get you more auditions. It’s that simple
You can add on a Slate Shot to your Headshot Session for only $50
Headshot Photographer Los Angeles
You need a new acting headshot and you don’t want to screw it up
Headshot Photographer Los Angeles
You need new acting headshots and you don’t want to screw it up.
After reading this you'll be ready to go for your acting headshot session
You might have started by searching for headshot photographers in Los Angeles. You’re getting ready to make your appointment and you want to get it right. There’s lots of Headshot photographers in Los Angeles. Are you picking the right one? Did you do headshots 9 months ago and now you're updating and you want to make sure you’re getting the headshots that are going to get you called in. It’s big puzzle that you need to solve.
Keep reading and I’ll tell you how to get great headshots.
The shots that get you called in. Some actors just call up a headshot photographer and make an appointment. Then the day of their headshot appointment the go to their closet, grab a few shirts, jump in the car and then it’s off to their appointment. You don’t want to be that guy/girl. Is that the level of professionalism you want to have for the most important part of the audition process. I don’t think so. You need to take this seriously.
Plan out your Headshot Session.
You’ve decided to do 3 Looks. What are those looks? What wardrobe best defines those looks. Do I need to go shopping or is it in my closet. If it’s in my closet is that piece of clothing in photoshoot shape? Is it faded, has a few stains or a few little holes in it? Then it’s probably not ready for a photoshoot.
Good lighting for Acting Headshots what is it?
You absolutely must have great lighting for your headshots. This is the difference between looking like a professional actor and looking like an amateur actor. In order to be a professional actor you must present yourself as a professional actor. You acting headshots are your first step in looking professional.
So what is great lighting? Great lighting just makes you look good. It's as simple as that. sometimes it's a soft even light with no shadows on your face. Other times it's a slight Shadow on one side of your face that gives you an edgy look. Here are some samples of photos with great lighting.
Am I bring the right wardrobe?
This is the place you yourself have the most impact on how good your headshots look. You really want to spend a lot of time putting together great wardrobe for each of your looks. You should have already researched your character types and have them well defined. For example let's say you're doing a nerd look. Obviously, you want to wear glasses. Find a cheap pair and pop out the lenses so there's no reflections. Then maybe a colorful T-shirt with a cardigan sweater over it. That's a great example of a nerd wardrobe. Or, you're the leading man type. You could wear a dark T-shirt with a black leather jacket. That's going to come across as strong and dramatic. As you can see from these two types you couldn't wear a cardigan sweater and glasses and expect to come across as strong and dramatic. On the other hand you couldn't wear a black leather jacket and come across as a nerd. You can see your clothing selection is very important to the outcome of the final product of your headshots. Put a lot of effort into this. It’s the place you can have the greatest impact on the success of your headshots.
Are you nervous? How to stay calm.
We all get nervous when we think about doing our head shots. One way to stop being nervous is to be very prepared. Get your character's together. Get your wardrobe together. Get everything you need together to do great photos. If you know you're prepared you'll be less nervous. When you show up at the photography studio it's okay to feel a little nervous. Remember you'll be taking a lot of photos and you only need one good one so you can screw up a lot and it's okay. The headshot photographer should be showing you pictures as you go. You can see what's working and what's not working. This is a great way for you to get feedback and make changes if you need to.
How to choose the right acting headshot photographer?
You can start by asking all your fellow actor friends. They’ve had headshots taken many times and I'm sure they'll give you great recommendations. You can always do a Google search for headshot photographers in Los Angeles. You'll find countless websites where you can research their style and see what you like. Weigh all your options from what your friends say and your own research and decide who is the best acting headshot photographer for you.