Hello everyone. I am new on the scene and just got a round of head shots done. I am living in NYC and am taking the plunge into the world of acting.
I have been sleuthing around the forums here, soaking up the wealth of knowledge and advice that has been supplied. I was hoping to get some feedback on my shots as well as some opinions of which ones strike you all as keepers.

Here is the link

Thank you!

These are awful.

And the River Phoenix 90s haircut isn't going to help you that much unless you don't mind being typecast as biker/hick

Hi Gabe,
From a photography perspective the angles of these and the shadows are really problematic for me and they don't come off as professional. From my experience working with actors, the way you are posing in these make it look like you are really uncomfortable having your photo taken, like you couldn't focus or be serious and that doesn't make you look like a confident actor, rather you look like you were kind of mocking the process of having your photo taken. You need a shot looking fearlessly into the camera and not apologizing for it. I think you would really benefit from professional headshots because you have a very specific and cool look.
Hope that helps
Joanna
www.joannabrooks.com
Headshots LA

Typecast is not a bad thing, as long as you own it yourself.
But you need to look at the camera and connect through your eyes. Half of those you are not looking at the camera, and in the other half you're not connecting and saying "this is who I am and what I bring to the table."
And the lighting is completely off. No dramatic shading needed, especially on your face lines.

I appreciate all of the above advice, the outside perspective is invaluable. I hear what you are saying with the shadows, direction and lack of connection. I will do some research on NY photographers and see what round 2 produces. thanks for dishing it out.

Gabriel

Gabriel, I couldn't agree more with what the above posters have to say. Don't think of a headshot session as your time (or your photographer's time) to be artsy or to create a really "cool" portrait. Headshots are a very specific art form -- there are rules and if you break them no one will think you're a professional. You need to make eye contact. You need to be relatively evenly lit (not flatly lit, but lit so that none of your face falls into deep shadows). Your features can't be distorted by wide-angled lenses or by strange camera angles or odd poses. And most importantly, the photo should look like you on your best of days.

Yeah it looks like the photographer was getting "experimental" and trying out different lighting and angles, but the results don't work and that's not how you want to approach headshots anyway. If you want to be taken seriously, you'll want to hire a photographer that actually excels in actor headshots.

Luckily for you, there's LOTS of 'em in the NYC area. You can start your search here at backstage, and/or let Google be your guide.

Good luck.

A couple of these seem like they could be website photos if you're going for "hipster." Check out lemon lime's website. Almost every one of their clients has a secondary shot in this vein.

These shots are pretty cool on their own -- however, they don't work as headshots. The lighting is to extreme, angles aren't flattering, and expressions aren't authentic.

Find a local headshot photographer to get you some shots that'll work better