HEADSHOTS

The headshot is not a glamour or a vanity photograph. It's not meant to hide facial blemishes or wrinkles, nor it is meant to withstand the test of time.

The headshot is for 2 purposes:

1. To be so compelling that it makes a director call you in to meet with her / him.

2. So the director can remember you long after they've met you

Therefore, your headshot needs to look EXACTLY the way YOU look ... TODAY.
Make certain your photograph is the BEST representation of you that you can get.

To that end, here are some simple rules that many actors for one reason or another ignore:

1. A standard professional headshot (i.e., a photo of the head) should cover the area from the shoulders to the top of the head. Only. No further. No "busty" shots for women, no "beefcake" / shirtless shots for men.

2. The camera picks up EVERYTHING. BE YOURSELF in your photograph.
Don't force an emotion. If you're generally not one to smile, don't "force" one during the shooting. By the same token, please ... no overly-dramatic looks. Save the drama for the stage or the screen.
Be natural, but show something of yourself -- a unique quality that makes you YOU. If you're friendly, show it. If you're warm and sincere, show that warmth and sincerity. If you're intense, or business-like, show it. If you're a fun-loving or playful type, show it. BUT ... be GENUINE. Be YOU. The camera WILL pick up any phoniness.

3. No "over-the-shoulder" shots. Over-the-shoulder shots are old-time gimmicky "publicity" photos generally once ordered by agents for when their clients landed major multi-million dollar film or television deals. They are NOT the standard headshot.

4. No "angle" shots where you appear to be shot out of a canon from the bottom left corner of the photo and propelled into the upper right corner.

5. No glamour shots

6. No "full body" shots.

7. KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF AND AWAY FROM YOUR FACE. This includes your chin resting on your fist. ANY part of your face or neck that is hidden by the camera (i.e., a tilt of the head, positioning, odd lighting, shadow, etc.), or by the actor via his / her hands, fists, etc., makes a casting director wonder what you're hiding, i.e., surgical scars, a bad case of acne, etc., and you might not get called in.

8. No profile shots. Your headshot \should be one where you're sitting facing front and looking DIRECTLY into the lens of the camera. No gimmicks. If a photographer wants to position you any other way, don't permit it. It's YOUR money and YOUR career ... not the photographer's.

9. No headshots with half (or more) of your face in shadow. While it may look dramatic, you're not auditioning for "Phantom of the Opera" and we'll be wondering what's wrong with that part of your face that we can't see in the photo.

10. Have 2 resume headshots: 1 for film / television / video, and another for professional theatre. Make certain the one is a standard resume headshot.
Composites (photos of you with multiple looks: i.e., one with a mustache, one clean-shaven; one with glasses, one without; one look surprised, one looking mellow; one eating a carrot, one NOT eating, etc.) may be acceptable for film and video (but you STILL need a good standard headshot), but they should NOT be sent to professional theatres. It's insulting to a professional theatre director having a modicum of creativity. We KNOW that you can put on and take off glasses, we assume you probably eat, we know what people look like when they're surprised, and we can certainly envision what you might look like clean-shaven if you have facial hair (or vice versa).

11. Background. The focus in a headshot should be on your FACE ... not on the background. Don't permit ANY "background" to compete for attention with your face. The current trendy background we're seeing in a lot of actors' photographs is bricks or stones. It seems 20% - 30% of actors have a brick or stone wall in back of them which makes us notice the BACKGROUND rather than the actor.

Trendy backgrounds also "date" a photograph. By the time the next trend is in -- perhaps within a few months to a year -- the trend is old hat, and it may be time for new photographs causing you to spend more money too soon.
Keep the background NEUTRAL: NOTHING is to detract from your face. NOTHING.

12. What to wear: just like with the background, don't wear ANYTHING which competes for attention with your face. No loud prints. No stripes. No polka dots.
Keep it solid and 1 color: a standard button-down shirt, a nice blouse, a turtle neck or mock turtle sweater, etc. Again: NOTHING is to detract from your face.

13. Touch ups: Unless it's to hide a blemish that just emerged the night before your photo shoot, anything other than VERY slight air-brushing shouldn't be done. Both film and theatre directors want to know and see how you look TODAY -- wrinkles, character lines, laugh lines, and all.

I once called in an actor based on his photo expecting to audition a 40 year old man. Instead, when he showed up, he was 65+ years old. When I questioned him, he said he hasn't had any new photos made in the past 20 - 25 years. It fueled my anger as he wasted my time ... and his. I also once called in an actor expecting to audition -- based on the photo he sent to me -- a young man of approximately 19 years of age. Instead, a 43 year old man showed up. Similarly, I had called in a "young" actress based on her photo who -- when she showed up -- wasn't so young: it turned out that she had every blemish and wrinkle erased from her headshot making her appear 20 years younger in her photograph than she actually was.
Remember: these are not "vanity" photos or yearbook photos. They're not being framed for your nightstand, or given out to the family.

14. If you lose 20 or more pounds, it's time for new photographs, as most people -- when they lose weight -- also lose in their face. If you permanently change your appearance (permanent hair color, new permanent hair style, etc.,), it's time for new photographs.

The basic rule of thumb: hold up your photograph next to your face while looking in the mirror. Does your photo look EXACTLY like YOU look TODAY? If not, it's time for new photos.