Are either of these good which one would you pick?

The shot itself looks pretty amateur - was this taken by a headshot photographer or just someone with a camera?

The background and your shirt under the vest are too similar.

Also, I think you would have benefited from having a make-up artist/hairstylist for the shoot. Your hairstyle is kind of flat/uneven and the lack of make-up, especially on your lips which look dry, is apparent.

In the competitive landscape of NYC, if you're submitting this photo online or in mailings, I don't think you're going to get called in as frequently as you would if you had better shots. You have a good look and you deserve a better presentation than this photo.

it was taken by my aunt who is photography major and graduated in 05. She is still working on headshots she usually does my portfolio/glamor/full shots. - It was sufficient for my college stuff, but didnt know if it was good enough for professional. Thanks

This is one of my dance portfolio pictures that she did for me what do you think about this one? this is usually her style.- Both images have not been retouched- I cant find the touched images

No, You can NOT use a glamour shot or wear a costume in a headshot.

Also, in both shots, you look like someone waiting to get their picture taken. That's no good. You need to show personality and have a connection with the camera.

You really need a photographer who specializes in actor heashots. Someone who just "majored in photography" isn't going to get you the kind of shots you need.

Nope! You need to study how headshots are done in LA and NY.

If you submitted that dance photo to anything in NYC, you would not get a second look.

Sorry for the tough love, but it's not going to cut it.

Hi Katherine,
Your headshots need to show your personality and they can't be dance pictures. You can have a dance photo in addition to your headshots but this dance photo wouldn't work because The background is very distracting and your eyes and face in that photo is out of focus. I also think a dance photo needs to show a dance pose, not an arm pose so this doesn't really show what you can do with your body. If you want to p.m. me, I am happy to show you some examples of "dance photos" so you understand the difference. I would love to talk about the headshot you posted but it isn't loading for me all the way. From what I can see, I already feel that it isn't professional enough and I recommend that you have your Aunt look at headshot sites and examples in major markets so that she understands what the industry standard is for a headshot. The thing is, you are in steep competition in your age range and you need a great headshot to get proper consideration.
Hope that helps
Joanna
Headshots Los Angeles
www.joannabrooks.com