4 Tips for Great Actor Headshots:

For those of you that don’t know, my days of relaxing are mostly spent with my pals who are in the entertainment business. Needless to say, they do their share of venting. The articles I write translate their rants into helpful tips for you. Therefore, I’m back again with another segment to help all you aspiring artists out there. This one is a little more focused than previous articles. This piece is dedicated to the all-important headshot. A headshot is the main marketing tool actors have to promote themselves, kind of like a business card. If you receive a stained, crumpled, poorly designed business card, are you going to use their service? In turn, if you hand someone a low quality, horribly, shot, creased headshot, do you really think you’ll get a callback? These photographs will be on file with casting directors and agencies for a long time, and when they refer to them, you want to wow them each time they see it. My friends in show business, who will remain nameless, have sifted through hundreds if not thousands of headshots ranging from great to, well, less than great. Your photograph must grab the attention of those viewing it, and the ones they remember doing so had these four things in common.

1. You must be the focus of your headshot. Notice the word “head” in headshot. That should be the focus, your head, and then your body. Not the vivid colors of the landscape, mysterious shadows, distracting lighting or alluring background. Not bold jewelry, makeup or clothing. It would actually be better if you couldn’t make out the background at all. As soon as a casting director or agent sees your headshot his or her eyes should be drawn to you, and should stay on you until they put the photograph down. They shouldn’t even notice where the picture was taken or what you were wearing. Everything else should be neutral.

2. Your pose in the headshot should be natural. As an actor, you should be able to figure something out. It’s about being creative and original without overdoing it. Don’t dress up like a cowboy and get on a mechanical bull, which points back to the previous tip. The photograph shouldn’t appear planned. It should present you in a natural position or moment. Headshots for actors need to have an open quality so that an agent or casting director can see you acting in multiple roles.

3. When describing someone’s facial features, usually what comes up first are the eyes. This should tell you something. If the main focus of an actor headshot is the head, upon which part of the head should the photograph focus? The eyes! I could go into scientific reasons for doing this, like everyone’s eyes are unique, but I won’t. Channel your emotions and express them via your facial expressions and your eyes. Convey your feelings through the picture. Use your eyes to capture the moment and attention of the observer. Don’t just make the casting director sense your emotion, make that person feel what you felt as the picture was being taken.

4. Now, to really implement any of these tips into your actor headshots, you’re going to need a good photographer that you feel comfortable around. Comfort is important, because to really bring out the best in you, there needs to be a level of trust that comes with comfort. Trust will make it a lot easier to let the photographer do his job, and for you to express your emotion. You have a short time to create a product that has to sell. If it doesn’t, you don’t get the job. When searching for the photographer that fits you, be sure that they are experienced and competent. You don’t want to leave anything to chance so don’t cheap out or experiment with a novice…unless you discover a photographic prodigy.

Actor headshots are not the most important thing in your acting arsenal, your acting is. Your actor headshots are more like the icing on the cake, the attractive packaging or like I said before, the business card that will suggest your ability. If you show professionalism in all things you do, one can only believe your craft will live up to that standard. To look even more professional, use virtual resumes by posting your media, like headshots and video, to sites like Talent Trove. If you and the photographer craft a product that incorporates these 4 tips, your chances of landing a role will increase dramatically. Good luck!