Everything You Need To Know About Headshots!

So here it is! Everything I think a performer should know about headshots. I have tried to cover every aspect of the process in an effort to make the whole thing much simpler and less daunting. If you have any further questions, please let me know.

The Photographer.

The single best piece of advice I can give you about headshots is to do your research and pick a photographer you feel totally comfortable with. Browse their portfolio and talk to them. Most good headshot photographers will meet with you in person before the shoot if you ask. Remember that you are never going to be able to relax enough to get a shot that conveys your true personality if you think that your photographer is overbearing or you don’t feel that you can talk to them.

I don’t think that the price you pay for headshots necessarily has much to do with the results. I have seen prices for headshots in New York City range from $100 to $1500 and I have seen good and bad pictures from both ends of the spectrum. Many people think that if they pay top dollar, they will get the best shots but paying that much can give you severe anxiety which can ruin your shots. at the same time paying $100 for a quick "Glamour shots" session is probably a bad idea too!

One other thing to remember is that a great photographer is not the same thing as a great headshot photographer. I have worked with a great many outstanding photographers on other projects, but I would not trust the majority of them to deliver a useable performer’s headshot. The principle of a great headshot is that we capture the essence of you rather than make you look like artistic perfection. This is something that a lot of photographers who have little experience in the entertainment industry do not get.

Booking Your Shoot

DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! Many acting students are given a deadline by which they need to hand in headshots for their final performance. Every semester, more people call me for headshots during that final week than I can possibly shoot. Getting in early gives you so much more time to make an informed choice about which photographer to use and you won’t be stressing out about how to have your pictures taken, retouched and printed all in that one week.

Makeup

Makeup can be a little tricky. You don’t want to look drastically different than you would when you walk into an audition, but you do want to minimize any skin flaws. A skillful makeup artist will get this balance perfectly.

Some girls can do their own makeup very proficiently and this is great, because you can repeat the look whenever you head to an audition. However, if you know your makeup skills to be sub-par, we should book a makeup artist for the shoot. The MAs I use usually charge $75 to make you look like yourself on the best day of your life, with perfect skin!

Men can quite often get away without makeup. I very much doubt that most men are going to wear makeup to an audition, however if you have skin problems, a quick touch up can make you look better without that "made up" look. Dark circles under your eyes etc. would usually be cured by drinking plenty of water and getting enough sleep. But concealer etc. can be used as a last resort.

Clothing

Obviously, your choice of clothing will have a huge effect on the image you project in your final headshot. The most important thing is that you bring plenty of options. I have had people show up with one shirt before, and while it may be a great shirt, it hardly gives me much to work with. What if it is a great color for you but clashes with the background? Strong patterns are usually a bad idea unless you are going for a particular look . Be careful about wearing any jewelry that will detract from your face.

Often the simplest pieces are the best. A button up shirt, a strappy tank top or a simple sweater in a vibrant color that brings out your eyes can work very well. Remember that we will rarely see much lower than the neck line anyway.

The Day of the Shoot

Please, please, please get enough rest, drink plenty of water and eat breakfast before your shoot. All of these things will make you look five years younger and you will be so much more responsive which means that we can capture those great little nuances that make you you! If you feel tired or groggy, you WILL look tired and groggy. Instead of really working for the camera you will sit there feeling irritable and whole sequences of pictures will show you looking irritable! It is my job to get great reactions and expressions out of you, but this will only work if you are fully committed and wide awake.

For the same reason I always advise people to spring for the extra twenty bucks and take a cab to the shoot. Taking the Subway is not the end of the world, but there is no way you will be as relaxed as if you took a cab.

Finally, just do everything you can to stay calm the day of the shoot. If you are running late, just let me know. I don’t really mind waiting an extra 30 minutes for you, but it does make my life very difficult if you walk in looking totally frazzled and expect me to somehow make you look your best.

Black and White or Color

The only reason everyone’s headshots used to be in black and white was that it was cheaper. With digital, it costs the same and so almost everyone now goes with color. Usually the casting director wants to see what color your hair and eyes are.

What Happens After the Shoot?

Before you leave, we will sit down at the computer and take a quick look at what we shot so that you can be sure we are heading in the right direction and that you will be satisfied with the shots you have to choose between. I will then spend some time doing some basic color, contrast and brightness correction on every shot before posting all the shots to your own gallery on the web. I will give you a password and you will be able to view your pictures at home by using the “Proofing” link on my website. Then comes the most important thing that you add to the whole process;

Picking Your Headshots

Don’t do it alone. The best thing you can do is to get a variety of opinions from people you trust. The great thing about the online gallery is that you can email the link and password to whomever you like. If you can get the opinion of someone who works in the industry you probably have a better chance of getting it right ( acting teachers are great for this!).

If everyone you ask chooses one shot but you like another, I would err on the side of the one they picked. You will probably choose a shot that shows you looking the way you want to look. Everyone else will probably pick the shot that is an honest depiction of you and your personality. At the end of the day, that is what the casting director wants to see. The one exception to that rule is your parents. Unless they have worked for years as a casting director, don’t trust a word they say about your headshots! They probably just want to see a picture that reminds them of the way you were as a child.

Retouching

You should pick your two favorite shots, preferably in contrasting styles or looks. Maybe one would be better for film and TV and one for theatre. Either give me a call or email me to let me know which ones. Also consider if there is anything in particular you want changed in the shot.

I always retouch two files as part of my standard package. This includes removing pimples, tidying stray hairs, whitening eyes and teeth and gently smoothing your skin as well as any other minor requests you may have. Retouching software is very powerful these days and there is very little that you could ask me to do that would be impossible. It is important to use good judgment however. You want to be recognizable when you walk into the audition and although I could slim you down or change your hair or eye color, it is probably not a good idea to create a version of yourself that you are unable to live up to. The only times I have actually re-shaped someone’s body it was because of a bad camera angle or too much cleavage for decency.

Prints

When I am done with retouching your pictures, I will send you a CD containing the re-touched files as well as high resolution copies of every shot we took. Then comes the very easy but often misunderstood process of getting your prints made.

All you really have to do is bring your CD to a duplication specialist, tell them which file you want printed and come back to pick up the prints.

There are a great many companies who provide this service. The cheapest can be found online and you can often upload your file from home and have the prints shipped directly to you. I always recommend Reproductions (www.Reproductions.com). They have more experience with this work than practically anyone, they provide excellent quality prints, but the best thing is their service. You can take your CD down to their office on the South side of Bryant Park and they will show you exactly what you are going to get. They pull up your image on a color-correct screen (when you look at pictures on your computer at home, the color will not be the same as when they are printed). You can choose whether you want them to add a custom border or title and they will run off a proof copy before they print the full order so you can ensure that everything is perfect. Their prices are also pretty reasonable for the level of quality you are getting.

Well, I hope that this little article has been helpful. Please get in touch if you have any questions. I hope that when it comes time to choose a headshot photographer, you will give me a call.