You’ve finally taken the advice everyone’s been banging on about to “get new headshots!” and “update your materials!” First things first, congratulations are in order. Go you! Committing to a headshot session is a real investment of time, energy and (let’s face it), money into your acting career. A great headshot is a core component of your actor’s toolkit. Headshots help you start to achieve, and continue to amass, real success in your acting career. They can help you establish your credibility as an actor, land an agent, and increase your audition opportunities. So, yeah. They’re important.
But not enough is said about how much of getting a great headshot comes down to the prep work involved in the days and weeks before the shoot.
Once the session is booked and you’ve ponied up the cash, you may be starting to freak out a little. That’s a lot of cash you’ve fronted! (Anywhere between $300 and $800 dollars, depending on the photographer) That’s a serious investment, and you want to make sure you get the bang for your buck.
If you take on board everything you read today in this article, you will be fully prepared for a stellar headshot session and guaranteed a knock out shot that will serve you for years to come. So how does one prepare for a headshot session? Let’s find out!
Planning for Your Actor Headshot Session
As the saying goes, “begin with the end in mind.” The first step here is to get clear on your goals. Depending on what stage of your career you’re in, you’re likely to have slightly different aims for the session. Are these headshots going to be used to secure representation? Will they be used by your agent to pitch you for roles? Either way, the headshots will need to tell a story about who you are as an actor.
Preparing for headshots is actually a lot like preparing for an acting role. You want to prepare thoroughly beforehand, then make as few decisions as possible on the shoot day and let it all go so you can be relaxed and playful in front of the camera.
How to Show Your Casting Type in Your Actor Headshot
People get funny about the word ‘type’. It can be a bit confusing but here’s how I think of it. Your ‘casting type’ is the story your face and vibe tell naturally, for free, when people look at you. For example, you might have “warm dad vibes” or give “troubled teen heartthrob” energy. Perhaps you’re a “bookish girl next door with a heart of gold” or a “laid back surfer with a wicked sense of humour.”
Reflect on the roles you’ve gotten, roles you’d like to get and roles would never get. Have you ever been told you look like any celebrities? Who? What roles do they play? Knowing your casting type is a huge advantage as you go into your headshot prep.
For example, I often get called in to audition for “smart, type A characters with a bit of a quirky side”. For celebrity comparisons, I’ve gotten actors like Zooey Deschanel, Liv Tyler, and Dakota Johnson. (Okay, I get it! I’m a brunette with bangs!) Characters that align with my casting are Annie in Community, Peggy in Mad Men and Eloise in Bridgerton.
This is an enormously helpful exercise to keep you on track as you’re prepping. When deciding your outfit, hair and makeup style, and even the types of poses and energy you bring to shoot day, keep this front of mind. Do those elements serve the storytelling of this character? Consider it your North Star, guiding you towards creating a headshot that works for you.
How To Create a Moodboard for Your Headshots
I promise, your photographer is going to love you for this one. A headshot is a bit like a haircut! First, you need to know what you want. Then you need to communicate it clearly, preferably with a visual reference. Creating a moodpboard helps with both of these.
As you start preparing your moodboard, do a little dive into the IMDBPro of your celebrity doppelgängers, and the actors who play characters in your casting. Check out their headshots and the other kinds of roles they’ve played. You should be starting to develop the eye now for what vibes you’re looking for in your headshot.
Next step is the fun one! We’re going to play detective. Here’s where your goals from before come into play.
If you are looking to get an agent, it’s time to get specific. Is there a dream agency you have? An agency your friends are repped by that you wish you were a part of? Once you have a target list of agencies, start going through their actors and their casting profiles if they’re available. Get creative. IMDBPro often will credit the photographer who took the photo, and you can go look at the style of those photos.
When I created my moodboard, I could
see that the ‘smart, quirky type’ I’m going for is being shot against primarily cool toned backgrounds in studio, and in outdoor lighting leans more towards a grey/green/black colour tone. Since I’m quite a bright personality and am interested in working in the comedy and sitcom I would also be interested in shooting against some brighter natural lighting backgrounds so I also have an option that conveys a more happy bubbly character (More Jess from New Girl than Summer from 500 Days of Summer, for example). It would also be good to try both outdoor settings (as a brunette) to make sure my hair doesn’t fade into the darker background too much.
Going to your photographer armed with this information and some sample shots begins to establish a highly collaborative and relaxed working relationship, and you will be sure to get exactly what you want if you give them time to prepare!
What to Wear For you Headshots
Most advice online around headshot sessions keeps it pretty basic with advice like ‘wear something flattering’. That’s all well and good, but if you’ve gotten this far I can tell you’re the type of actor who wants to dive deeper. I would be remiss, however, not to lay out the general advice first. Before we get strategic, let’s make sure you’re across the basic rules.
Do wear:
- Solid colours that provide contrast to and complement your skin tone.
- Very minimal patterns (some polka dots, florals, or lace are okay)
- Well tailored and tighter fitting clothes – they are more flattering on camera.
- Clothes that are crease free, ironed and in good condition.
- Clothes that flatter you and you feel confident in.
Don’t wear
- Visible logos or busy distracting colours or patterns.
- Anything that detracts from your face (don’t be the hat guy)
- A strapless top with too low a neckline. You might end up looking naked!
A note on accessories. Fewer is better, but a thoughtful addition of one or two jewellery pieces that are understated can help tell the story of you. Go back to your North Star, here. If your casting is ‘Offbeat Fashion Influencer’ and you already look like you hang out in Neukölln, Berlin and ferment your own kimchi, you go ahead and rock that silver chain necklace!
Alright, now let’s get to the good stuff: wardrobe.
With headshots, it’s really all about your choice of top. You might be thinking, how much difference can a shirt really make? A lot, actually. The four main elements to think about when choosing your headshot shirts are: necklines, style (and texture), fit, and colour.
A great hack here to help you figure out colours that are flattering on you is to do a search and analyse photos of your celebrity lookalikes from events or other photo shoots. They have a team of professional stylists paid to help them look their best, so the colours they’re dressing in and styles they’re wearing have been vetted and purposely selected to help them look their best. If you’re super keen, you could even think about ‘getting your colours done’.
Just to give you an example, a quick google search tells me that: black, ruby, navy, cream, heather grey and seafoam green are very complementary colours on the celebrities that have my same colouring and look. From my own past headshot sessions and other photos, I know that necklines that are flattering on me are boatneck, off shoulder, sweetheart, strapless, asymmetric, and mock neck.
It helps to get specific here! Once you’ve got your parameters, comb through your closet and see what fits the brief. If you don’t have anything that is appropriate, this is absolutely an excuse to go shopping!
Additional Costs for Headshots
Before we go too much further, now is a good time to mention that (especially for women) there may be some additional costs involved. Ah, the pink tax, am I right ladies? But even for men, do have a read through here and see if there’s any grooming or maintenance you need to get on top of before your session.
- Haircut: If you are getting a haircut before the session, it will be your typical price. Budget between $50 and >$200.
- Hair styling: Blow dry on the day of the session will set you back around $50-$80.
- Makeup: It’s entirely up to you whether you want to get a professional make up artist for the session. If it will help you feel more confident, go for it! Rates vary massively, so budget at least $100 and be prepared to pay more depending on your artist
- Clothes: This will entirely depend on whether you already have suitable options in your closet already. Don’t give in to the urge to be frugal here. A new $50-$100 top that absolutely screams you and that makes you look fantastic is well worth the investment. A cheap t-shirt on camera looks just that: cheap. You’re better than that.
How to Look Good in Headshots When You’re Not ‘Photogenic’
It’s a really common worry for actors. “I don’t know what to do with my hands!” Or “I just feel awkward and weird getting photos taken.” This is super normal, but it’s also not an excuse to just give up. No matter how ‘un-photogenic’ you fear you may be, you can get confident in front of top the camera. It just might take a little more prep than those who are blessed by the photogenic gods.
Practice makes perfect. So let’s get it out of the way: it is not narcissistic to practice in front of the mirror. The result of these photos will be your calling card in the industry, and you want to end up with an image you are proud to show the world!
It’s a great idea to practice some classic headshot poses at home and in front of the camera before your shoot.
Again, I encourage you to refer to your moodpboard here. It will spark some great ideas for different poses that will help you tell the story you want to tell. Your photographer will also be a huge help on the day, so work with them and have fun!
A great headshot pose is going to be made up of 3 things, your eyes, your facial expression, and your body position or your ‘pose’.
Headshot Poses for Actors
Your headshot pose will mainly be made up of your body and head position and angles, and may involve your arms to some degree. In a headshot, parts of your upper arms may still be visible, so for a flattering shot keep in mind that pressing your arms to your body will make your silhouette look wider. The general rule of thumb is to create space between the arms and the body, which will create ‘triangles’ of space. This may be hands in pockets, and arm on your hip, hands on your lower back, or even just leaving a little space between your bicep and chest to help elongate the upper arm.
Creating space between the arms and the body looks natural, so definitely play around with some poses that incorporate space between the arm and body!
Some posing ideas you can practice before your shoot.
- Body angled away from the camera with the face straight on.
- Your face straight on and your head turned to your best side, looking down the camera.
- Shoulder to the side, arm resting away from the body, looking at the camera.
- Arms crossed on a block in front of you, one hand tucked in, with your head at an angle and eyes down the camera.
- The ‘pizza box’: facing straight on to the camera, holding your arms out to each side with your palms facing up.
There are other body positioning tricks your headshot photographer may instruct you to do, like moving your forehead towards the camera to help create a flattering depth between your chin and neck. Definitely be guided by the photographer on this one, you can always ask to see a shot during the session if you feel like it’s a bit weird. Usually things that feel weird in person look great on camera. It’s just one of those things!
How to Make Your Eyes Pop in a Headshot
The most important part of a headshot photograph is undoubtedly your facial expression and your eyes. Eyes are 80% of the booking power in a headshot. Your eyes are your weapon in a headshot session, and you can definitely use this to your advantage!
First, know that your eyeline will be straight down the middle of the camera. If you feel a little uncomfortable doing this (you’re an actor, it makes sense! Usually we’re trying as hard as possible NOT to look at the camera!) then practice at home beforehand. Some tips to help make your eyes as engaging as possible during a headshot session.
- Look through the lens of the camera. Imagine the lens is a tunnel and focus your gaze deep inside it, as if you are searching for something.
- Smile with your eyes. Ah, the famous Tyra Banks ‘smize’. But what is that?! It’s simple. Avoid blank eyes by lightly raising the lower lids of your eyes, which is what happens naturally when we smile. You can practice this micro movement until it feels easy and natural. If it helps, a technique is to smile normally, then keep your eyes in the same position as you release the smile.
- Engage the camera. Pretend the camera is a scene partner, a loved one or close friend, and interact with it. You can try imagining it’s actually a very cute person on the other end of the bar and you’re trying to get them to come over, or that its a friend youre sharing a look with across a room when you’ve both seen something gossip worthy happen, but you can’t talk about it yet.
- Trust your photographer and lean into your rapport with them.
The photographer will be making sure you have a ‘catch light’ in your eyes, which is what gives it that little sparkle in the final product!
Headshot Photography Checklist For Actors
It can be helpful to have a little checklist with what you need to do to prepare! Here’s a handy one to help you get organised.
1 month – 2 weeks before
- If you are planning on getting your hair styled for the shoot (eg. a blow dry) book early to make sure you get a time that works with your headshot session! You want to leave plenty of time so you’re relaxed and feeling loose with your photographer, not tense and rushing from appointment to appointment!
- Plan your outfits and start shopping if you need to.
1-2 weeks before:
- If you need a haircut, the week or two before your session is the time to do it! Don’t go the day before. Please, promise me? Even the best haircut takes a few days to settle in and look its best.
A few days before:
- Get plenty of sleep. You want to look rested and bright for the session!
Avoid alcohol and salty foods, these can cause bloating, dull your skin (and eyes) and zap your energy.
Drink plenty of water to help give your skin a healthy, radiant look. - The day before:
- Steam or iron any clothes and have them on hangers, ready to go.
- Pack your bags.
Things to bring on the shoot day:
- All your wardrobe changes
- Translucent powder and fluffy brush, to help eliminate shine or gloss. The camera hates shine, and the powder will help matte-ify your skin and make you look flawless, baby!
- A small mirror for touch ups in the studio or on location.
- A winning attitude. You have absolutely got this!
So there you have it. That’s everything you need to know to properly prepare for a headshot session, and walk away with some absolutely killer shots! My final word of warning here is to not get too obsessive. At the end of the day, it’s a photo shoot, not brain surgery. Put the prep work in, but when it comes time just relax and enjoy it! You’re going to love how they turn out (and on the off chance you don’t, there’s no law against booking another session). So go book that photographer, get excited, and get set to stun the world with those shiny new shots.
