Recently I have seen some headshots which make the actor/actress look years younger. I guess I wonder what the point is of this since the idea is to have a headshot that looks like you.

Anyone else?

If you can do it with lighting, clothing, posing, fine. Even some filters will smooth skin. BUT not in Photoshop. In post you can touch up blemishes, stray hairs, brighten eyes and teeth, but no morphing.
There are limits. The photographer can use his craft to highlight certain features by painting with light. That's why you go to a professional.

quote:

Originally posted by childacts:
Recently I have seen some headshots which make the actor/actress look years younger. I guess I wonder what the point is of this since the idea is to have a headshot that looks like you.
Anyone else?

You may discover that you've done too much retouching when a casting director looks at your headshot, then you, then back to your heasdshot, then laughs. That's a pretty good indication that you've gone over the line!

On a more serious note, the question of how much retouching is appropriate in your particular case is often difficult and personal. It should always be discussed in advance between the actor and the photographer. In any case, you should know that any digital retouching done to your photos can be easily altered to fit your tastes and needs, or erased entirely.

www.robertkim.com

i was at a commecial audition yesterday and when the monitor lined us up she mixed up the order headshots and when she got to the guy behind me she said "wait....um is this YOU?!?!"

i dont think he understood how different he looked and just "yea thats me"

she smiled quietly and said "um...ok"


i say retouch pimples/hairs/little things but leave your face alone

It is crucial that your headshots look like you.

As some of you know, the other half of my life is spent as an indie filmmaker. Casting my first film, I was looking for a very, young, attractive woman to play a certain role. From hundreds of submissions, I found many that could play the role potentially, but there was this one woman who looked absolutely perfect for the role. When she wasn't available for the auditions, I decided to call her in for the callbacks ... Much to my surprise, a very weathered 65 year-old walked in the door. She looked vaguely like her picture, but nothing like the 20-something I was looking for for that role. Needless to say, she didn't get the part -- the only thing she accomplished was wasting time for both of us!

If you walk in the room and you don't look like your headshot, the CD (and the director if he/she is in the room), will be instantly disappointed. They want to see the person in the picture. When you look like a different person, you are starting out at a severe disadvantage, and your chances of booking the job all but disappears.

So, your headshot should be you at your best, but it should definitely look like YOU. Photoshop is great for fixing skin issues (but the skin should look like skin, not plastic), stray hairs, brightening up the teeth, etc. but it should NEVER be used to alter the face.

Good luck.

Ron

I'm totally with Ron when he says "your headshot should look like YOU."

A general rule I have for retouching is that if I don't notice it in person, then it can be retouched.

If you have a Cindy Crawford-type mole or scar or something that really defines your face, leave it or minimize it just a little. But if it's a mark or blemish that noone would even remember you had, you can get rid of it.

friend of mine shot with hobermannn... paid a grand, pics werent photoshopped but it was just as bad.

shes fat.

the poses used made her look thin.

alot of looking down type shots that thinned her face..

flattering yes. but as headshots they are useless. Unless she loses weight of course, then the shots will match the person.

so when it comes to headshots, less posing, less making ppl look flattering, less of everything and just let the pic be, a picture of your head, as is.