THE PROBLEM

Ok, so you’re an actor.

If you’re tired of being told your headshots aren’t working, don’t look professional, aren’t lit correctly…or any number of the reasons your acting calling card is falling short of perfection…then this blog is for you.

You have a friend who’s got a nice camera and a nice lens.  You have them take your headshots.  You get them back and figure, these should work for now.

You submit them to agencies or forward them to your agent.  You get no hits if you’re submitting, or your reps say they can’t use them.  You get ridiculed when you ask for feedback.  You’re told you don’t take your career seriously, so agents and casting directors won’t either.

You get friend and agent photographer recommendations.  You do your research.  There are several professional photographers in the area.  Some advertise themselves as the “top” headshot photographer or the “best” by some actor magazine.  Some advertise themselves as a “celebrity” photographer.   Some boast of their affordability and their reasonably priced specials.  You go to the cheaper one; you’re told you should have spent more money.  You go to the “top” photographer or the “celebrity” photographer, and you’re told that your pictures are still not usable….somehow the magic those photographers worked for so many people, isn’t working for you.

You save money; it doesn’t work.

You spend money, it doesn’t work.

At the same time, some photographer is out there explaining all their business expenses to you and why it costs them so much to do business, which you could care less about, while you sadly examine your wasted shots.

You feel like you can’t win.

I’m a headshot photographer for actors, based in Atlanta Georgia.  My portfolio can be viewed at www.rachellambphotography.com.

This blog is going to be two parts.  I’m going to lead with, PT 1 Things Your Headshot Should Have Had and PT 2 Things Rachel Lamb Thinks Your Headshot Should Have Had which is more subjective, and according to my own style and theories.

PT 1 Things Your Headshot Should Have Had

1. It looks like you.

   If you’ve changed your hair style, gotten a new piercing, or maybe haven’t had new shots done in awhile, consider getting new shots.  Your headshots shouldn’t look younger, older, more ‘attractive’, less ‘attractive’, thinner, or heavier than you come across when you walk through the door for the casting director.  If you have tattoos and rock an alternative look, show them.  If you have a character quality to you, don’t try to be a leading lady/man.  Alternatively, if you’re a leading man or lady, don’t try to look like a character.  Look like you.  Look like your age.  Have the same hair as when you walk through the door. 

2. It gets you auditions.  

   If it’s not getting you called in, it’s not working.  

3. It looks great in a thumbnail. 

   Casting directors use online casting services.  Their first glimpse of your headshot is going to be in the form of a tiny thumbnail.  One way to pick a headshot that looks great in a thumbnail is to scroll through your proofs; note images that grab you.  Then, from those images, make your final selection.  I’m actually more and more, of a fan, of horizontally taken headshots because they tend to grab your eye in a thumbnail. It’s good to have horizontal options delivered to you.  There was a time when horizontal was a big no-no in the industry; however, there was also a time when headshots were black and white, so things change.  Generally the rule of thirds makes tends to make a more engaging headshot in the thumbnail.  Eyes falling on a horizontal third, and/ or nose falling on a vertical third.  Even if the subject is dead center, like in the image above, eyes fall on a horizontal third.

   

4. It captures your personality. 

   As an actor, and a human being, you are unique.  You want your headshot to accurately convey aspects of your personality.  If you’re quirky, your headshots should capture that.  If you have a sweet, or shy characteristic to your personality, then don’t try to look like Tom Cruise in an action film.  Some actors have a personality that is very different than the characters they generally go out for.  For example, I knew an actor who was an intelligent doctor with his own private practice as his day job, but he regularly books roles for low status characters.  Most actors I’ve met don’t have this issue.  The bubbly college aged girl in real life, is the same as the bubbly college aged girl they get called in for, but, if you are one of those actors, make sure your unique qualities are captured in your headshots.

5. Your headshot is in focus.

   Most things, when it comes to portrait photography, are a style preference like backdrops, or natural vs artificial light source.   However, an out of focus photo, is a bad photo for headshots, from a technical perspective.  There is no saving a blurry photo.  Eyes are the most important when it comes to headshots.  Preferably, both eyeballs should be in focus; however, the eyeball closest to the camera lens is the eyeball that should be in focus, in traditional portrait photography.  In 2018, where an iPhone can take a decent, in focus, well lit headshot, there’s no excuse for an actor’s face that’s out of focus taken with a DSLR.  Most of the face should be in focus.  If your photographer is shooting with a shallow depth of field at certain distances to the subject, with some lens lengths, that will cause a headshot to lose focus on ears, chin, forehead, and/ or the other eyeball.  You can get away with a couple of those, but if only one eye and half a nose is in focus, it’s probably not a great headshot.  If I can draw a circle around the rim of your face where it’s losing focus, you’re losing too much.   If it was up to me, I would make this point “#1” except that I’ve seen people work with terrible, out of focus headshots, if they have a unique, in demand type… so here it sits at #5 on my list.

6. Your headshot is lit well, and exposed correctly.  

   If your image is blown out or underexposed, it won’t have a “pop” to it.  It won’t look good in a thumbnail.  Underexposed looks too dark, and in an overexposed image, the highlights of the images are blown and the contrast and saturation is low.  The blacks and whites, should have detail and not be totally crushed or blown.  If your highlight, turns super white surrounded by orange edges, this is a blown highlight.  You shouldn’t have undereye shadows, or too much reflected (attempted) fill light making you look flashlight fabulous, like you’re at a campfire telling a ghost story.  There shouldn’t be a shadow across your forehead in the shape of leaves.  There shouldn’t be a hard black shadow under your chin from a studio light.  Photography lighting is about highlights and shadows.  You want the highlights (the lighter parts) and the shadows (the darker parts) to accurately portray the features of your face.  If there are no shadows at all, your image is considered flatly lit.  When someone says you have a “badly lit” headshot, try looking at where the highlights and shadows fall in the picture.  Then compare it to images you like, and see if that’s what they mean. 

7. Your headshot accurately shows your skin tone.

   If the color temperature of your image is too warm or cool, if there is a color cast from trees that color your image green, or if your image colors are heavily stylized in an Instagram filter kind of way, your skin tone may look too yellow, blue, green, or desaturated/saturated. Images can feel overall warmer or cooler, as long as your skin tone isn’t wildly incorrect.  However, color casts will not work for you in a thumbnail.  If your image is overall green, pink, purple, or another color, it won’t look good next to other headshots in a thumbnail on casting sites.

8. Your headshot is in a style liked by your agent.

   Agents, like casting directors, all have different opinions.   Some agents hate studio looking shots.  Some agents want “outdoor” shots.  If the agent says they hate studio shots, ask if they hate studio backdrops, or studio lighting.  If they want outdoor shots, ask if they want it shot outdoors, or if they just prefer natural lighting.  I always ask potential clients what they mean by ‘outdoor” shots because 90% of the time, the client means natural lighting which you can get indoors, and 8% of the time, they want green in the picture, and 2% of the time they want the picture actually taken outdoors, with artificial light.  Ask for examples of headshots your reps like, and you should be able to find the right fit.  Your agent has the power to submit you, so even if you have different tastes, you hired them for a reason and lean towards trusting their judgement.

   

   This image is naturally lit, with an outdoor background, but taken in an indoor studio.

PT 2 Things (Rachel Lamb Thinks) Your Headshot Should Have Had

1. Your headshot has a clear type.

   Know what characters you’re most likely going to go out for, and make sure your headshot looks like that.  There are so many roles out there for every age range and every type.  Be open to “not attractive” types.  Within these ages and different careers, there are all types of people. There are friendly nurses, snarky doctors, uptight beat cops, and dirty detectives.  Know that, just because you wear a certain wardrobe, it won’t change your type if you are not it.  It will just look like you’re wearing a costume.   Typically leading ladies, wearing glasses, won’t look quirky.  They look like they’re a model in a Lens Crafter commercial.  Leading men, and leading ladies in my experience, don’t tend to have a huge range of “types,” and sometimes shooting theatrical and commercial headshots in one wardrobe look is sufficient.

   

   Example of the same wardrobe, but the wardrobe doesn’t make the “type” We went for snarky dude in the office and clean cut young cop/paramedic/etc. (I turned up the blue tones in the second one deliberately to hint at the career subtly but the skin tones for both images are still accurate)

   

2. Your headshot isn’t schm-act-y.

   If you’re an actor who feels like you’re great in video and terrible with still photography, you might enjoy this tip.  I use techniques with a lot of my clients from “Audition for your Career, not the Job” by Tim Phillips.  It’s a book for on-camera auditioning, but it translates well to still photography.  Being self conscious in a photoshoot is similar to “being in your head” while acting; you’re aware of the unnatural thing you’re doing and it can show.  I don’t like when actors “make a serious face” to be “theatrical.”  It can look a little hokey to me.  I prefer what I term, an “active neutral face.” In on camera acting and still photography, less is more.  I’d rather the viewer wonder what the actor is thinking, instead of an actor trying to show the world an expression they’ve contrived.  It’s similar to why a mob boss in a film is intimidating with his stillness, and a business person trying to look intimidating looks insecure.

3. Your headshot wardrobe isn’t a costume.

   ….unless you want work as background talent.

4. Your headshot doesn’t have hands in the picture.

   …because it looks like bad 80s glamour shots. Also, look at the lens, not off into the distance… pondering.

5. Your headshot wardrobe colors compliment you.

   …I remember I watched a youtube video of a commercial acting teacher recommending that everyone wear light blue for their auditions.  This made me laugh because I’m asian, with olive undertones, hazel eyes, and naturally dark brown hair…. light blue was not a color for me.   So…know your colors.  With google and pinterest, you should be able to figure out your colors.

6. Your headshot doesn’t have distracting bokah, lens flares, or hairlights.

   … This isn’t a right or wrong thing; I think it can be done.  I’ve seen some photographers do it well.   Separation from the background is not a bad thing, normally.  Dimension is not a bad thing, but, know the eye tends to be drawn to the brightest part of an image.  I prefer the first thing a casting director sees in the image is the actor’s eyes.  If there is a complimentary hairlight/ flare/bokah that just enhances the overall image without stealing focus, it’s fine.  I love all these things, but for actors’ headshots… getting called in for auditions means you gotta see the person before the style.

   

   Look how stylistically cool this is. It’s not a headshot.

7. Your headshot has age appropriate wardrobe.

   I get a lot of actors in their late teens and 20s who come in with their current headshots that you can’t really tell their type, or age.  It’s because they go out and buy solid t-shirts because their acting teacher, from a different generation, told them to.  If you’re young, trust your wardrobe.  Younger people tend to be trendy.  If you wear a solid v-neck shirt or tank top that was in style in 2003, then you’ll look like you’re in your 30s.  Full Disclosure: I also don’t personally believe in only solid colored wardrobe.  I’ve put actors in plaid.  I’ve also taken actors out of plaid because it wasn’t working and it was distracting.  There are hair trends, makeup trends, and clothing trends that give away age.  It’s because if you’re 30, you still might do your hair and makeup in the style of 2005, and own clothes from a decade ago.  19 year olds do their hair and makeup like the You tube and Instagram tutorials tell them to, and style themselves using tips from fashion bloggers.  Stay true to yourself, actors.  They need all types on screen and on stage.

   

   Jessica is wearing a trendy half up/ half down style, with trendy makeup, and feels college aged to mid 20s.

   

   Same wardrobe and Jessica’s hair puts her more into the late 20s early 30s age range, even with the trendy eye makeup

   

   Sofia frequently goes out for quirky and 18TPY

8. Your headshot is shot by a photographer you clicked with.

   You need to be comfortable with your photographer.  Everyone has a different personality.  There are plenty of actors and photographers.   Make sure your tastes and styles are aligned with the person who is shooting you.  It’s just like auditing an acting class.  Do you trust that person’s judgement? If you have a concern during shooting, do you feel comfortable discussing that with the photographer?  Do they make your concerns valid?  You’re the customer and it’s your shoot that you’re paying for.  You don’t want to go home after dropping a ton of money and unhappy with your shots.  I personally refer out clients from the beginning, that I don’t feel like we are a good fit.  If they send me shots that are a totally different style from my own, or are retouched totally differently, I know that my work might not be what they’re looking for, unbeknownst to them.  Although I am a business owner, at the end of the day, many happy clients will do more for my business than one very unhappy one, that probably wasn’t originally a fit from the get go.  Everybody wins.

   

   Hey it’s me. I’m fun and I love cats.

9. Your headshot is a little more than just your head. 

   Ok so there are lots of people in the industry who recommend that a headshot is a shot of just your head.  However,  an extremely close image of a person’s head doesn’t always give enough information for body type.  This especially doesn’t serve actors with athletic body types (who go out for athletic roles…like young cop for example).  I like to leave a little bit of room in some images to show part of a person’s arm to suggest body type, if possible.

10. Your headshot is retouched naturally.

    Less is more.  The difference between professional retouching and amateur retouching is in the details.  An Instagram filter changes the entire image. Anyone can do that, and it will over-adjust highlights, shadows, warmth, and the over-smooth the skin.  One of the most important things I learned early on with retouching is what you leave in the picture is more important than what you take out.

11. Your headshot isn’t outdated when it comes to headshot photography trends.

    Pay attention to headshot trends.  If you didn’t, you’d still go out and get a black and white headshot.  One of the “best” photographers from 5-10 years ago may have a dated look today.  There was a time when solid paper backdrops were a go to, but several casting directors on both coasts have expressed they like some dimension in images.  West coast headshots tend to be naturally lit (or appear naturally lit), and east coast headshots tend to be studio lit and a little more cinematic.  Every actor is different.  Some actors benefit from studio lit cinematic headshots, and some don’t.  Some actors benefit from paper backdrops, other’s don’t.  I still use white paper for period piece, and colorful paper for anyone going out for Nickelodeon or Disney.  Make sure when shopping a photographer, they have clients that look like you, in your type and age range.  This way, you will most likely like their work when they shoot you too. Trends aren’t everything.  I listed this last because what your agent wants, and the casting offices that you want to get called in by, like, are going to supersede any photographer’s style.

    

    Cam has a solid backdrop with a tad of non-overpowering/distracting dimension, to draw your eye towards his eyes, plus pop in a thumbnail.

 

I hope these helped.  Share with a friend!

Rachel Lamb