Headshot Examples for Acting: Tips for a Standout Portfolio
Most actors fill their Instagram pages with photos, that circle around professional and sometimes… not-so-professional occasions from their lives.
While building a following online and posting tons of pictures to various platforms can be valuable as an actor, you don’t need that many photos to get invited for a casting session.
What you do need in your arsenal, is a great headshot!
A headshot is your visual introduction, your calling card, and often the first impression casting directors have of you.
In this blog post, I will cover everything you need to know about headshots, from understanding their importance to selecting the right photographer and how you can prepare for your photo session.
The Importance of Headshots
Actor headshots are more than just photographs; they introduce your brand to casting directors and producers. It’s your chance to show them who you are and what you can bring to their projects.
That’s why you don’t want to take this lightly. Decisions will be made based on this photo.
If your headshot looks amateurish, so will you. Treat your acting like a business if you want it to become a business and not just a hobby.
Choosing The Right Headshot Photographer
Choosing the right headshot photographer is crucial for a successful headshot session. Here’s what to keep in mind:
Research Their Work: Look for photographers with specific experience in acting headshots. Check their portfolios to ensure their style aligns with your vision.
Personality Matters: A good rapport with your photographer can make a significant difference in your comfort level during the session. And also ensures you understand each other when communicating about the images.
Ask Questions: Don’t hesitate to inquire about their process, experience, and any recommendations they might have prior to the photo session. This will inform you about how they work and their communication skills.
Headshot photographers need to possess many qualities. Its not just technical aspects like lighting and camera handling, so make sure you’ve got a good picture of the person before you decide to go with them.
Don’t just settle for a short conversation on Instagram. I recommend a phone call to make sure the chemistry is there between the two of you.
High Quality Acting Headshots
A headshot is not supposed to look like a fashion photo, which often emphasizes the clothing and poses. Keep those for your flashy Instagram page. In a headshot, you want to go for a natural expression with a professional, simple backdrop, where the focus is on your face and your natural skin colors rather than the clothes you’re wearing.
The reason is that you don’t know what character the casting director is casting for, and by dressing up for a specific type, you risk pigeonholing yourself.
And if you don’t look that way in private you could end up confusing the casting director. The last thing you want is for the casting director to be surprised when you show up for the casting session, not recognizing you from the photos.
That being said, a good headshot should still make the viewer curious about you as a person and actor. By knowing your type, you can present yourself with a vibe that is representative of your acting.
Good headshots have these qualities:
Natural Expression: Your headshot should capture a clear and authentic expression that reflects your personality. If smiling comes naturally to you, go for that. If you commonly have more serious expressions, go for that.
Professional Backdrop: An uncluttered, professional-looking background allows the focus to remain on you.
Clothes: choose neutral clothes that hint towards your type, but leave the focus on you.
Memorable Representation: Your headshot should accurately represent your type, age range, and, thereby, the characters you could portray.
Accurate Representation: Ensure your headshot reflects your type, age range, and the characters you’re likely to portray.
Format: 8×10
Color: Black-and-white headshots (like the one in the title of my blog post) were common in the past, but they have become obsolete in today’s industry. Now, colored headshots are preferred to stay current with casting directors’ preferences in 2024.
Here’s a sample of what I mean by choosing neutral clothes that hint towards your type. I’m wearing a pretty tight natural T-shirt here, so the focus is on my face and my natural skin colors rather than the clothes I’m wearing.
I also tend to be cast for more masculine characters, so the T-shirt is supposed to enhance my physicality a bit.
Commercial vs Theatrical Headshots
It is important to understand the difference between commercial and theatrical headshots.
Commercial headshots emphasize the individual’s brand vibe, while theatrical headshots aim to showcase the person’s acting range and ability to portray different characters.
It showcases your appearance and reflects your personality and acting style.
Finding Your Type
Your “type” refers to how others perceive you based on your looks and personality. Capturing this in your headshots can help you stand out to casting directors, because your photos while have a more precise expression.
If you are unsure what your type is, you can ask a friend if there’s a famous actor who looks similar to you. Then, try to figure out what characters that actor usually portrays. Is it the high-school dropout? Or the Wall Street banker, maybe?
It’s usually much easier for others to spot our type than trying to view ourselves from the outside.
You can keep your type in mind during the session, don’t try to portray a character; rather, communicate the type more subtly through body language and energy.
Here an example of a character portrait that would NOT be suitable for a headshot. This was made with a specific production in mind, and good for that purpose.
Preparing for a Headshot Session
Preparation is key to achieving a stunning acting headshot. When you are fully prepared, and know what you are trying to achieve. You can relax and have a good time during the session.
Your ideas might not work out as you initially planned, but having a place to start is much better than showing up confused.
Here are a few essential tips:
1. Choose the Right Outfit
Unless you have a passion for fashion and know the ins and outs of styling, hiring a stylist can save a lot of time and let you focus on being present for the shoot.
Stylists have access to a lot of clothes and can finish the work a lot faster than you.
Personally, I hate having to think about my clothes and whether they look neat, both when I prepare for the shoot and during the session. So I always hire somebody to help me with this part.
Here is what to consider:
Wear What You Love: Select clothing in which you feel comfortable and confident. This will translate into your photos.
Support Your Type: For theatrical headshots, choose fairly neutral outfits that hint towards your type. For commercial headshots, consider bright and lively colors, flattering fits, and timeless styles that showcase your versatility and approachability.
Consult Your Photographer: Speak with the photographer about suitable colors that complement your skin tone and work well in photography, and send photos of selected clothes. Generally, you want to go for more earthy colors, which are easier to color-correct.
2. Have a Vision
Have a clear vision of what you want to achieve with your headshots. This might include discussing specific looks or emotions you want to portray during the session. And what images would you like to leave with? A few full-body images and closeup portraits?
Planning for a theatrical headshot is usually about finding the right posture as well. It can be a good idea to look for inspirational images in advance. Look at the headshots you like and disect what style selections they have made.
You don’t want to mimic their photos, but you can use them for inspiration.
How are the actors holding their hands? Try to find postures you can try out that capture your range for theatrical auditions.
I like using my hand close to my face when I’m taking portraits; I find that this gives the shots more character.
In general, I think it’s better to look directly into the camera. To maximize the connection with your viewers.
When I compare the photo above to the one below, the first one makes me much more interested as a viewer. What do you think?
3. Bring Makeup & an Iron
If your budget doesn’t allow hiring a makeup artist, you should bring a bit of makeup, even if you don’t normally use makeup.
Because photo sessions can get very warm due to lighting, I always bring a bit of mattifying powder and a bit of eyebrow powder. Strong lighting has a tendency to make your eyebrows lighter, making the facial features disappear.
Remember to choose a color that matches your natural skin & hair color.
Also, wrinkles on your clothes can distract from your overall look. So remember to pack an iron or steamer to ensure your clothes are crisp and polished.
Once again, anything that draws attention away from your personality and physical expression is unwanted.
4. Bring Snacks
Headshot sessions can usually last for a minimum of two hours, depending on the quantity of photos you are taking.
Keeping the energy high is vital for the photos to look good, so remember to bring food so you don’t have to run out and buy snacks during the photo session and loose valuable time.
Personally, my sessions tend to last for a full day because I’m friends with the photographers I work with. So, it usually becomes a social event at the same time.
Which I believe is reflected in the images and ads to the vibe we manage to capture.
The Headshot Session Process
A great way of communicating your ideas visually is to show the photographer examples of photos you like.
Because it can be difficult to describe visuals verbally. You could start the session by looking at sample photos together on your phone.
A good idea is to send in your reference headshots in advance so the photographer has time to prepare the right lighting and lenses before you arrive.
In the full body shot below, we had the idea to use specific lighting that had the qualities of daylight but also lots of separation from the backdrop, giving the shot a lot of depth and space.
The goal was also to show my body type and physicality in a fairly neutral expression. I showed the photographer a few samples so we had the same idea from the start.
In the end I never used this particular image, because the clothes didn’t look good in camera. Its a good example of how clothes really can make or break your headshots.
The Start of A Photo Session
Usually, a session starts with a bit of experimentation to find the right lighting and angles.
When that part is done, it’s all about relaxing into the moment and putting yourself in the right state of mind so you can really shine in front of the camera.
Remember to show yourself in different expressions. If you have five photos that look super happy, you could diversify by adding different vibes. You want a broad yet accurate representation of yourself as an actor.
PRO TIP: Prepare for the shoot by listening to your favorite music on your way there. This will put you in the right emotional state.
Post-Session and Printing
After your photoshoot, you’ll likely be sent copies of the raw files so you can select your favorite images for retouching. This includes removing temporary blemishes, addressing any shine, and balancing the colors.
When selecting photos, consider if you need theatrical headshots that showcase your emotional range or maybe want to go for different expressions for character-driven performances in plays, films, and television shows.
Now is the time to remind yourself about your brand. How do you want to be perceived by the industry? Ask colleagues to look at your selection before making a decision. This is not about selecting a photo where you look the prettiest or most beautiful. Save that for the beauty shots!
Rather, look for photos that have captured the variations of your natural expressions.
Aim to get at least five copies printed in the formats you need. I usually want my photos in the 8×10 format.
Remember to store your photos in various places so that you don’t lose them in case your computer gets stolen or a hard drive breaks.
Conclusion
High-quality headshots are indispensable in a digital world, where people get to know you digitally before they get the chance to meet you in person.
Your headshot should be professional, memorable and accurately represent your type, age range, and character.
Investing time and resources into creating a standout headshot can open doors in your acting career.
By following these guidelines, you’re setting yourself up for success in your acting career, especially in competitive markets like Los Angeles.
But remember, honing your craft is what will make you stand out in the end. Photos are just a part of marketing.
