Actors: 10 Tips on Getting a Great Headshot

Headshots are hard! For many they are a necessary evil: that thing we invest a ton of money and energy into, that photo which feels like it carries with it the power to determine the course of our careers. Sometimes we have to remember that a headshot is really just a photo of our faces. Sounds simple, and yet it does have a mysterious complexity to it. What makes a great headshot? Read on for ten tips to taking a great headshot you will be proud of.

1. Find the right photographer for you. There are so many great headshot photographers! Finding the right one for you isn’t just about the price point or the package. Look at their body of work. Check out their socials. Having your headshot taken can be a really vulnerable thing, so it’s important to choose a photographer you feel safe being your authentic self with. After all, that’s what you’re trying to get a photo of!

2. Take some time to prepare your angles before the day. Yes, it’s shallow, but we all have a “better side.” You don’t have to spend hours rehearsing facial expressions in front of a mirror - and you really shouldn’t - but do take some time to try on different outfits and see how you’d like to stand or sit in them. Remember that triangles are helpful in many photos, so hands-on-hips poses have a place in photography for a reason! This is also a great time to brainstorm without the pressure of being in front of a lens with only a couple hours to capture everything.

3. Come with clothing options, and choose things that make you feel good. For each “look” you want to achieve: bring a few options. Choose fabrics that feel nice on your skin, colours that compliment your eyes and skin tone, shapes that make you feel good in your body. You know that shirt that looks great on you but makes you itchy? Leave it at home. It’s vulnerable enough to try to “capture how you look on your best day,” as they say, without feeling like you have to constantly adjust that top that just doesn’t sit right.

4. Consult your agent before you shoot. Your agent knows how they are marketing you and what they are submitting you for. Asking your agent what kind of photos they need will help both of you. Maybe you don’t have a great commercial shot at the moment, maybe you need something more “CW.” Get some guidance from this incredible resource! A caution to take this with a grain of salt… If your agent gives you the standard “one girl next door, one tough but sexy, one business look” response, remember that it is guidance only. This is not written in stone. The main goal is to capture you.

5. If you’re working with a makeup artist/hair stylist don’t be shy to speak up if what they’re doing doesn’t quite feel “you.” If you have the option to work with a make-up artist with whom you’ve worked before, all the better, but this isn’t always feasible. Remember that, even though it is the job of the artist to know how to make you look amazing, you are also the person styling yourself for your own auditions. If someone makes you up in a way that is completely different from how you look when you enter an audition or submit a self-tape, this will not serve you. You don’t want to look at a headshot and think, “I look incredible here, but I never look like that in real life!” Take the time to have a chat with your artist about what you usually do (i.e. mascara, no liner; nude lips, etc) so they can create a look which is aligned with how you see yourself and how casting is accustomed to seeing you.

6. Lay off the salts the day before and get some rest! Having too much salt in your diet the day before a shoot can make your eyes and skin look a little puffy, and might even make you feel bloated. Keep hydrated and get a good night’s sleep so you arrive at your headshot session looking and feeling bright and rested.

7. Have a thought in your mind so your eyes are active. It doesn’t matter how gorgeous or strong your face and body look if your eyes are dead. Put on music that makes you feel good, or go through a scene or monologue in your head. Find a drone note, a thought, that you can engage with. Having active eyes in your headshot is what will take it from a great photo of you to a great headshot.

8. Take breaks! After posing for a few photos we all tend to get a little bit of tension creeping into our faces. When you get your headshots done it is your time, so take it. Take a moment to take a breath, close your eyes, relax the muscles in your face. Be mindful of tension around your eyes and mouth. Blubber your lips or do a few jumping jacks if you need to! Something about having to “be yourself” as an actor can be so much more challenging than getting into character. Give yourself permission to take a breath. Muscling through shot after shot will only tire out your eyes, so having more photos won’t mean much if they don’t capture you at your most grounded.

9. Look down between shots. Just like taking a break to relax your face, looking down or briefly closing your eyes between shots will help keep your eyes looking fresh and bright. If you can time it so that you look down, inhale, and look up as you exhale you will really allow your energy to reach through the lens.

10. Don’t aim for perfection. Aim to look like you. Headshots aren’t about taking the most glamorous or beautiful photo. They’re about taking an authentic photo of you. While insecurities may arise on the day, remind yourself that none of us are here to be perfect (whatever that means). What your agent wants to see, what casting wants to see, is who they are or might be working with. Headshots have to be both general and specific enough that we can see who you are and where we can place you. Don’t worry about that zit on your face or the scar on your arm or gremlin is speaking to you from your pain body. You are yourself, and taking headshots is about capturing the incredible uniqueness that is you.