I'm sick of seeing lousy headshots, so I wanted to help people NOT get crappy headshots the first time or NEVER AGAIN!

These are some tips that I've gleaned from meeting with some of the Top LA Agencies (KSR, Abrams, CESD, Commercial Talent, APA, etc), Top Casting directors, and photographers.

Feel free to question, disagree with, or add stuff.

Headshot Tips:

-When looking for a photographer for YOU, DON'T ask other people who they used (especially if they DON'T look like you) nor use a photographer based solely on name. What might be awesome for other people might suck for you.

Go to http://reproductions.com or other photobooks such as Argentum's and find photographers that photograph people like you well ie. Skin tone, hair color, eye color, ethnicity, age range, physical structure, etc. Choose your top 5 and meet with ALL of them! You want to get their philosophies and their personalities. You certainly don't want to work with someone whose personality sucks for you.

-In LA, a good price range is $250-500. Anything beyond $500 is for some reputable name photographer like Robert Kim or some overpriced quack like Kevyn Major Howard.

-With regards to looks, you DON'T want character shots ie. literally dressing like a cop, doctor, etc. NO PROPS EITHER! This is an insult to the casting directors and will get you laughed out of this business.

You want 3-4 GENERAL LOOKS that can suggest multiple roles or essences!

For example, a business suit look can suggest FBI, lawyer detective, secretary, business person,etc. A casual look (jeans and t-shirt) can suggest high school, college, blue collar. An upscale j-crew/Banana Republic look can suggest young parent, preppy, white collar, etc.

These 3-4 looks you choose should be based on how you know you REALISTICALLY will be cast. If you're a woman in your late 40s you're most likely not going to win dressing like a college student. If you're in your late teens or early 20s, a full business suit won't help you that much, maybe a slighty unbuttoned dress shirt with an undone tie and no coat.

-COLOR IS STANDARD!

-For commercial headshots, it's usually smiling and brighter colors. For theatrical (film/tv) it's usually a more serious/intense expression and muted colors. Of course there are exceptions to the rules. My top commercial headshot is also one of my most used theatrical shots, especially since I like doing comedy.

-If you want to be serious, you NEED PROFESSIONAL headshots. For each cheap actor out there, there are a 100 seriously investing in their career.

-It's important that your head and upper torso are clear so agents and casting directors can fairly judge you physically.

-8X10 is standard size. Anything bigger or smaller will be filed in the circular file cabinet(garbage can).

-You should ONLY have your name printed on the front below your photo. Left, center, or right is subjective.

-NEVER print your agency logo on the headshot UNLESS your agency is paying for it. What if you leave or the agency goes under and you printed a bunch with an agency logo? MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN!

-Avoid printing stuff on the back.

Ink will smudge on photo paper. Even if you downgrade to Lithos (a lower quality headshot that can be printed on), the headshot is now dated for a serious actor is constantly updating his or her resume.

You should have your resume (that has your email and CELL phone number printed on it) neatly cut to fit your 8X10 headshot and stapled to the back.

-Have either a white or black border surround your photo. The full bleed (no border) is dated and tacky. You can also neatly hide the staples by stapling where the photo and border meet.

-NO GLOSSY. Get matte or pearl finish (non glossy). Most indoor lighting tends to reflect off of glossies making it difficult for the agents and casting directors to see.

-No busy patterns or jewelry that will take away from your face.

Tell your photographer to avoid:
-Landscape cropping. When a landscape photo is posted online on LA Casting or Actors access, it's appears very tiny compared to a photo that was cropped portrait. CDs get submissions as really tiny thumbnails. They might miss your photo if it's smaller than the majority of photos that are cropped portrait.

-Chopping off the top of the head. When too much of your head is chopped off, it makes it a little difficult as to what you really look like. Cropping off a small part of the top of your head is forgivable, but not to the extent where you look like Hannibal Lecter or Sylar from Heroes' victims.

-Too close. Don't get it cropped too close to where people can't see your body. At least your upper torso should be visible in your shots so CDs/Agents have a fair idea of what you look like physically.

-Silly poses. Headshots are supposed to be as natural as rain. Making stupid poses will just make you look stupider. Such common poses include, but not limited to:
1. Sitting on the toilet. This is where you're sitting down but leaning WAY forward.
2. My head is too heavy. Don't do a headshot where your hand is under your chin or even touching your head.
3. Look at me, I have a sexy back! I've seen some headshots where people are in contorted poses, looking over his or her shoulder. It's not natural.
4. I'm a mermaid! This is where you're laying on your stomach with your feet up.
5. Leading with my shoulder
6. I got sexy legs! This where you're sitting down and your knees are visible.

Except for the printing on the back of the headshot, which I DO do and always have, this is all absolutely correct.

Newbies- don't debate this or ignore it. Just read it, know it and live by it.

People- let's keep this bumped so all the newbies see it. That way, we might have less appalling shots to endure in the future too- LOL!!!

Thanks once again for the great headshot information TRUTH and Miss Stone; good advice as always.

More things to add:

-Your headshots need to LOOK like YOU on a REGULAR weekday!

Do NOT wear makeup or style yourself in a fashion that would make you look too glamorous ie. As if you're trying to be sexy at hip club on a Saturday night.

-Another thing to tell your photographer to avoid:

Shooting you at weird angles, especially angles that would distort how you really look.

Asking your photographer/make-up artists to so the natural look when doing make-up. My photographer told the make up artists to do the natural look and not the model look.

Thank you for your post. I wish i read this earlier. I paid $100 for a headshot which turned out like a highschool graduation photo. Since I didn't know any better, I ordered prints too. All in all I wasted $300.

One question: you said "meet all 5 photographers" - i didn't realize that I can ask this.. So just meet them in their studio or a cafe? photographers willingly do this?

Thanks again for taking time to post this.

A good photog will meet with you before the shoot.

AMO37 is correct!

You NEVER call them and meet them the first time when you shoot. What if they're a jerk or sleazy? That's why you meet with them before.

It's like if you were a CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation, would you hire some random stranger without interviewing them? NO!

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I have to say...
My main headshot is a "sitting on toilet" pose... which is basically sitting, resting your elbows on your knees and leaning forward

as long as the photo is taken head on, and not from the side
the pose works.

quote:

Originally posted by FaithLove:
I have to say...
My main headshot is a "sitting on toilet" pose... which is basically sitting, resting your elbows on your knees and leaning forward

as long as the photo is taken head on, and not from the side
the pose works.

Yes, the fact that you're at least facing forward doesn't make that pose obvious and thus forgivable.

I'm so sick of seeing that pose from the side, like how Kevyn Major Howard shoots his clients.

REVISION TO THE BAD POSES SECTION:
1. Sitting on the toilet. This is where you're sitting down but leaning WAY forward AND SHOT FROM THE SIDE.

I think this is a great thread, the only part I disagree with to some extent is this:

quote:

-When looking for a photographer for YOU, DON'T ask other people who they used (especially if they DON'T look like you) nor use a photographer based solely on name. What might be awesome for other people might suck for you.
Go to http://reproductions.com or other photobooks such as Argentum's and find photographers that photograph people like you well.....

I think it's fine to ask other actors who they used. The Reproductions books are great but can be very overwhelming. If you have some actor-friends to consult, why not? I checked with a few of my actor buddies last time I needed headshots and wrote down some of their recommendations. Then, I checked out their websites for myself. I went to consult with the photographer that I liked the most.

When I looked at photos, I really looked to make sure the photos were good and not just photos of beautiful people. As truthteller said, it's good to know yourself and have a sense of your type. I am someone who is pretty, but I'm also not a soap-actor type (those people have such sex-kitten-ish look, for the most part), or the type who would be on the CW. (Without giving my age: I'm young-looking, but definitely not 18.)

Anyway. So I looked closely to find not just pretty people but "real people" and people of different age ranges. I looked at the young women's photos: Did they look appealing and fresh-faced, without being overly glamorous? (A lot of that comes down to the makeup artist that the photographer uses, if he/she uses a particular person)

Anyway - yeah gotta consider all that and the consultation is of course very important. With the photographer I ended up using, I got a much better sense of her abilities from meeting her and looking through her whole book, rather than just her website. Her web page really doesn't do her justice! It's fine but I much preferred her book - and meeting her in person, I liked her personality and had a chance to ask her some questions.

Thanks Justine. I've been meaning to clarify that tip.

Revision to Headshot Photographer search:

-When looking for a photographer for YOU, DON'T base your decision solely on whom other people used (especially if they DON'T look like you) nor use a photographer based solely on name. What might be awesome for other people might suck for you.

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