One of the most challenging requirements actors face — for a variety of reasons — is getting fantastic headshots. Your headshot is the single most critical element of your success until you’re a star, but to become a star, you must first look like you could be one. This doesn’t mean you have to a classic beauty like Elizabeth Taylor or a Handsome Leading Man like Marlon Brando was. But your headshots should express your charisma in some way to some extent.
Not every actor can have the charisma of the most famous stars who seem to naturally let the camera pierce the veil and see right into their souls. But I do believe that any actor who has gone through serious acting training can allow themselves to be seen… in a deeper way than when they started. When you do this, your headshot takes on an aliveness, a mystique, something interesting that somehow looks like more than the digital pixels that it actually consists of. When your mystique is somehow captured in a great photo, you have a much better chance of capturing the attention of the powers-that-be who can help you build those credits you need to get your career going.
To get an agent or a manager who can get you access to the auditions you want, you need spectacular headshots to catch their attention! The interesting thing about this is — if you’re like most actors — you pretty much hate getting your headshots done, because you’d much rather be in front of a camera filming you with motion pictures instead of still ones! Right? As an actor, you’re used to motion pictures. But unfortunately, there’s no getting around it, you have to have a great headshot.
So the real question is what can you do to get that fabulous shot! What can you do to get the Best Headshots of Your Life?
Let’s take a look and see. After reviewing hundreds of thousands of headshots over the years, here are a few tips that I’ve seen on what can make the difference and help you get your best headshots.
1. Use a professional headshot photographer who knows lighting.
Perfect lighting is critical and it’s also one of the hardest things to do. Great lighting is the number one thing that helps you get great photos. And being able to do great lighting is the number one skill that I’ve seen that really sets professional photographers apart from each other. Most professionals are okay at it, but a great photographer does lighting in a way that adds depth to your headshot. It’s part of their art form.
Having depth to your headshot photo — in the magical way they do it — adds dimension and makes you seem 3-D on a flat image. It’s like you come to life off the page or the screen!
When choosing a professional photographer, first pay attention to their lighting — or what looks like depth and dimension.
Secondly, keep in mind that Los Angeles — Hollywood — expects a specific type of headshot, so your photographer needs to know how to do Hollywood Headshots. New York actor photos and other cities have a different look than Los Angeles most of the time. For example, for New York and Chicago, sometimes actors wear heavy sweaters or heavy clothes — which is a dead giveaway it’s not made-for-Hollywood… because it’s always sunny and warm here. When you see a headshot with a heavy, dark-colored knitted sweater, most of the time it doesn’t feel right. Plus the lighting is usually different.
Your headshots need to look like YOUR VERSION of Hollywood. It starts with a photographer who is technically excellent and knows what is needed in Los Angeles — or perhaps in whatever other city you’re in.
2. Review several photographers’ websites carefully and compare them to each other.
If you look at just one photographer, they may wow you with their photos because they are good and clean and clear. But when you start to compare strong photograhers, their different skill levels really show up. Look at lots of professional headshot photographers. Ask your friends and classmates who they used. Then compare the photographers websites. But be sure to look at their headshots! A photographer is not a photographer is not a photographer. What I mean by that is they could be good at Modeling Shots, but not good at Headshots. They could do great landscapes but not headshots. And so on. You need a Great Headshot Photographer.
A great headshot photographer will be able to see the camera angles to get you at your best. As you start to compare one photographer to another, you will begin to see that special something that comes through in their style of headshots . Look at their galleries and check in intuitively how each of them make you feel. Then think about what makes you like one more than another.
3. Ladies, ALWAYS use a professional hair and makeup stylist for your shoot.
When I shoot with my favorite photographer, he does my hair and make-up. When he does it, I truly look the very best I possibly can look — and I feel like a million bucks. In fact, he’s so exceptional that every single actor I’ve referred to him says the same thing. And as a matter of fact, I even had him do a photo shoot of my mom for one of her milestone birthdays, and even though she’s not an actor, she felt the same way! That’s what the most talented hair and make-up people do. They know how to bring out your best features for the camera.
It just so happens that my photographer started as a hair and make-up person, and I think that along the way, he discovered he had a talent for photography, too. He also shoots high-profile celebrities because they love him too.
The point is that you need to look like a million dollar actor in your headshots, so be sure you use a professional photographer.
Guys, sometimes you need hair and (some) makeup, too, but you may be able to get away without it. Just keep in mind, if you want to become a star, you have to look like one BEFORE you become one.
4. Relax but look alive in your headshots. Let yourself be seen.
The real “you” is expressed first through your eyes. It emerges. It flows out… Of course your mouth, whether it’s a smile or a slight flirt or a smirk also matters, but the eyes have it first.
You probably know that you need to let a movie camera look right down into your soul when you’re doing a close-up. But for some reason, it’s seems to be harder for actors to let the headshot camera do that. But that’s exactly what you need to do — whether it’s a serious shot or a playful flirtatious one or a bad guy or whatever it might be.
You must Let yourself be seen — meaning let us have a glimpse of that which is inside of you — in addition to looking your best on the outside
Too many headshots I see look flat and lifeless. We need you to look SO ALIVE on that page the person looking at it feels like they’re ready to have a conversation with you. I’m not saying this is easy, but that is what we’re going for.
5. Know your casting and get shots that match it.
Your headshot conveys to Hollywood what roles you can play, AND that needs to match up to your vibe in person.
You might have a fabulously glamorous headshot or it might be your best James Dean, but if that’s not your casting, forget it. It will work against you. Your headshots must represent your correct branding.
Years ago, a client-to-be walked in my office door and my mouth dropped. This guy was the most handsome young heartthrob I had seen in a long time… Standing there… all 6’1″ right in front of me. He was gorgeous. Big blue eyes, a perfect smile, and a full head of dark wavy hair — I couldn’t speak for a moment because I wasn’t expecting this person to be my next client.
I looked at his headshots and they were great. They captured that handsome beauty! We proceeded to do an Agent Marketing Package, and he then got called in by several of the top agencies in town and ultimately signed with a good one. But on the other hand, some of the agencies told him that he didn’t really match his headshots…
You see, it wasn’t that his headshots didn’t look like him — they did. The problem was the vibe of his headshots and his vibe in person were not a match. In his headshots he looked like an All-American football star Homecoming King Tom Brady, with confidence, friendliness and swagger. But in person this guy had more of a sweet, boyish quality — so it was quite different than a teen hearthrob. Could he have developed more of that Tom Brady vibe in person? Perhaps, maybe, maybe not… The point is, what comes through in your headshots needs to be consistent with what gets expressed in person — that’s called BRANDING!
One more quick example on this… The truth is something similar happened to me many years ago when I was acting. I had headshots done and did an agent mailing for myself like I was doing for my clients. I got a bunch of calls including for good strong B level agents, even though I didn’t have great credits. They really liked my headshots. When I met with them, I wore the EXACT SAME OUTFIT as I had in my headshots… but nevertheless, two of them told me I didn’t look like my photo. DESPITE being dressed the same way! They told me that a different vibe came through in my headshots. (Those photos were by a different photographer than then one I mentioned above!) I ended up signing with an agent anyway, but my chance to sign with a higher level one didn’t work out because my in person vibe and the one in my photos were incongruent… so I missed out!
I hope this gives you a bit more of a sense on how to get great headshots and why IT IS SO CRITICAL.
To kind of summarize this…
Learning what makes a headshot great typically takes time and experience and you start to get a feel for it. As you do more shoots, try to learn from each one so the next session is better.
Before your shoot, get crystal clear on what roles your look and energy would be best suited for and think about how to make sure it comes through in your headshot. Even discuss it with your acting teacher and other professionals to see what they think. On the other hand, a great photographer can definitely help you with this, too.
Or you might want to consider a coaching or branding strategy session with Melody at Smart Girls to discuss your casting and prepare to make your photo shoot the best it can be. The session is also a great way to prepare mentally so you can be fully free to be greatest, most uninhibited self on your SHOOT DAY!
When you’re ready to seek an agent or manager and to put those great headshots to work, check out our Agent Marketing Package to help you get your photo in front of the right people. That package also includes having us help you choose your best headshots from your session… OR, if you haven’t gotten them done yet, this package includes discussing the kinds of shots you need in advance since we WANT you to get your best headshots to give you the best chances of success with the Agent Marketing Package.
Good luck! Now go look like the Star you want to BE!