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Actors Headshot Question
My hair is growing out- fast. So I need new acting headshots frequently. That was not my intent at this shoot, but I kind of like how this came out. I am thinking of using it as a headshot, but I am not sure if it is appropriate. A head shot is supposed to represent your true face, and in this shot I have a lot of makeup on and fasle eyelashes...Is it too much? Feb 08 06 06:46 pm Link i can't see it, captain Feb 08 06 06:48 pm Link I don't know, but it's certainly an awesome photo of you! (assuming it's the first one in your portfolio) Feb 08 06 06:48 pm Link cant see. Feb 08 06 07:19 pm Link Are you linking straight to a picture in your email? it's not working and when i try copying and pasting the url it leads to gmail. *********************** nevermind! problem solved Feb 08 06 07:45 pm Link Well, for some reason the picture won't show for me. But to give a solution to your dilemna. As a working actor I can tell you this... Many actresses with long or fast growing hair will wear their hair back. Even in a pony tail. For black and white photos this is ideal considering it will show your face and only your face removin the distraction that is your hair length. B&W accents a person's face in it's truth. Also get the headshot done as a 1/2 or 3/4 body shot...stopping at just below your waist or mid thigh (suggested for ALL unknown actors.) But emphasis remains on your face by blowing out background and wearing form fitting (not tight) jeans and a simple solid color shirt. A simple beauty shot with a pony tail. No matter how much your hair changes casting directors still see what YOU look like without your hair interfering. Sorry, I went a little beyond just the hair issue. Feb 08 06 07:45 pm Link "A head shot is supposed to represent your true face," Katie, where did you hear this? I thought head shots were used to show your versitility. The one actor I photographed, wants several head shots with different looks. The first ones I took of him he wore a beard with long-ish hair. He wants some with a mustache only, go-tee(sp?), fu manchu(sp?) and finally clean shaven. IMHO, the more varity you have the more marketable you are. My 2 cents. Feb 08 06 07:54 pm Link I fixed the URL...is that better? Feb 08 06 08:29 pm Link Henricus wrote: Well, that statement Katie made is right. Feb 08 06 08:47 pm Link This is a great modeling shot, but you may need one with teeth for acting. Smile, that is. Feb 08 06 08:51 pm Link I don't think it's too much at all. Good, neutral makeup, the lashes don't look tacky or fake at all. You look very pretty. Feb 08 06 08:57 pm Link I think the lashes might throw it off a little. Aren't headshots in color in NY now? Feb 08 06 09:09 pm Link Katie.....that is "almost" a great headshot. Don't use it. 1. Get rid of the eye lashes. It's not you and it puts too much attention around your eyes and not on your eyes. 2. The black background is a no. Unless you're doing theatre. Commercial headshots...get out of the studio...or get an interesting lifestyle backdrop. A living room, kitchen, bookstore, office, etc... 3. Your skin. NOOOO!!!! That headshot would get tossed for that reason alone. In this particular one, you can see the bluring done to your skin. Important Note: The only things you should ever do to a headshot... 1. Fixing temporary blemishes and scars. 2. Color-correction. 3. Lighting correction. The things you shouldn't ever do to a headshot... 1. No skin smoothing. You will NEVER look like that on camera. The plastic look is a no-go. Just get a GOOD make-up artist. 2. (Future reference) No photographer's copyright logo. CDs do NOT care who took the photograph. 3. Do not use colors that are too similar or too different. Soft, mid-level colors are always recommended. Contrasting colors give you a harsh image. Too hot. Too similar of colors blends everything together. Too cold. You look like little more than a head and nothing else. Feb 08 06 09:16 pm Link Angelus wrote: I stand corrected Feb 08 06 09:18 pm Link ...Stacy wrote: About half of NY is color. Feb 08 06 09:24 pm Link it's nice, but you look a little lustful in my opinion (a little "come hither")...a lot of the well known ppl have their headshots up on imdb.com....that might be a good place to look for ideas! Feb 08 06 09:26 pm Link Angelus Thanks a lot for all the advice... My acting has been on hold for a while and I feel like I am falling out of the loop. Thank you for your winsdom. Feb 08 06 10:06 pm Link i like it... most actors use studio shots with muslim backdrops for headshots but this one has that simplistic look that casting directors will probably look for. in my opinion headshots are the hardest photos to take and this is a good one of you.... use it until you get something that you think will be better for it. Feb 08 06 10:17 pm Link Brian Rawson wrote: Um, why muslims? Feb 08 06 10:30 pm Link If you don't look like your headshot, when you walk into the casting agents office you will not get the work. If you don't wear false eyelashes on a regular basis or wear that much makeup, don't use it as a headshot. I don't think your agency would let you use it anyway. shawn Feb 08 06 10:34 pm Link David Moyle wrote: I never said I liked those backdrops but thats just what appears to me to be the standard for acting. Feb 08 06 10:36 pm Link Brian Rawson wrote: Oh, you meant Muslins...with an "N". Feb 08 06 10:42 pm Link David Moyle wrote: See, there I go again... I'm not perfect and my spelling is far from perfect. I meant the backdrop, not the people.... sorry about that one. Feb 08 06 10:48 pm Link David Moyle wrote: lol...you really didn't know he meant muslins? Feb 08 06 10:48 pm Link Nemi wrote: Yes, I did, (I own a few) I was just being a snot! Feb 08 06 10:50 pm Link Brian Rawson wrote: Just razzin you! Feb 08 06 10:51 pm Link Brian Rawson wrote: And those are the same actors who pay $99 for their headshots and wonder why they're still waiting tables. Feb 08 06 10:57 pm Link Katie, I think you've too much makeup, and there's something about the tilt of your head that throws me off. As a model shot, it's better, but I don't see an actor there. (And can you use a non-watermarked version--or at least a different watermark--for your web promotions? That one is particularly huge, ugly, and obtrusive.) Feb 08 06 11:03 pm Link Brian Diaz wrote: Not fot web promotions....but hes willing to take it off for printing ( thank god) Feb 09 06 12:34 am Link From what I know, Kitapanda's pretty correct. This is a good shot of you, but it's a bit too "modely". And the hair thing is a problem. You have to find your look and stick with it. Your headshot should look exactly like you really look. You can't submit a short hair shot and show up with it long. Or submit a shot that makes you look all glammed up and you're really kinda nerdy. Knew a girl like that, she just couldn't accept what her real look was. She kept trying to be an ingenue when she was a character girl. Oh, and a casting director told me once that you should have one spot of light in your eye. Odd comment I thought, but he said no reflections or several give an unnatural feeling that he didn't like. Feb 09 06 12:42 am Link photog in boxes wrote: I realize this, and thats why I need new headshots so often....woe is me. Feb 09 06 12:47 am Link I agree the eye make-up is a bit too heavy for an actor's headshot and the angle obscures your features slightly. Of course, the big elephant-sized watermark would also be a no-no, but I assume that wouldn't be on the print itself anyway. It's a nice b&w beauty shot, but I'd try to get something simpler for acting. Feb 09 06 01:32 am Link Brian Diaz wrote: Actually Katie Holmes was rockin a Muslin background headshot but i dont think she is the waitress type.... well besides playing one on tv Feb 09 06 02:50 am Link Brian Rawson wrote: Was it wronkled up? Feb 09 06 02:58 am Link I shoot primarily headshots myself, my closest friends are casting directors, AND I live with one. And I can say that every single thing Angelus has said in this topic is 100% correct, and anyone getting headshots should study what he said before showing up to a session. What you have is a great photo, but too much for a headshot. And I don't know what the situation is in New York, but in LA it's only color. Also, hair should be simple. Your face matters, your hair gets changed the second you show up on set. - Chris Feb 09 06 02:59 am Link Nemi wrote: You should NOT use this as an acting headshot. This shot is too made up, too modely, and black & white. Plus is not a flattering angle and the slight barrel distortion is just enough to say there is something off about the photo. Though there are still a lot of people who make the hiring decisions who like B&W shots, LA is quickly moving to color. When you are casting online color stands out from the B&W, so go with color. Henricus wrote: No. Headshots are not supposed to show your versatility. Headshots are supposed to represent you looking like you on a good day. This actor you just shot doesn't sound like he knows what the hell he's doing. He is all over the place and his ideas scream amateur. Maybe it's a Texas thing. Sara Beth wrote: I shot headshots today of someone who looked up women in her type to see what they used. Just remember that the shots on IMDb could be their publicity shots and not the same as the ones their agents submit. Brian Rawson wrote: Katie, don't waste time and money on a shot that is not good. Having no shot is better than having a bad shot. Feb 09 06 03:21 am Link If someone doing a casting were to look at a 'plain' picture of an actor, they would be able to imagine that person with whatever makeup - or look - they wanted. But if the person in the picture already has makeup on, unless it's pretty neutral, then the person looking at the picture has to mentally remove that make-up before considering the actor for a part. It's easier to keep things plain and simple. Feb 09 06 03:40 am Link photog in boxes wrote: They're called highlights, and they're meant to be from the main lighting source, and it gives the eyes a sparkle of life. Apparently. These days they're often added during manipulation. There should be one in each eye, in the same place, and they should gleam like the Star of Bethlehem. Feb 09 06 03:49 am Link HEADSHOT TIPS FROM A WORKING ACTOR More important than my acting experience, in this matter, is my directing experience. I have been on the other side of the table as the one hiring you. How long do you think the average high volume casting office spends looking at your submitted photo? I would say less than 2.5 seconds. If you get more than three seconds, you're probably getting called in. The following tips are what I have come to learn works for professional actors. Know why you are taking the photo. What is your age range-- your realistic age range? What are your agents going to submit you for? What type of roles? Be natural Your headshots should represent you in yout truest light. Let you personality and uniqueness shine through in the photos. If you are not a big smile person, don't smile big in the shot because it won't look natural. Wear simple clothes. Unlike modeling, this is not a fashion show. Who you are wearing should not be the focus of your headshot. Simple solid colors. No patterns. Nothing that is going to distract from your face. Do your own makeup. People have different opinions on this and mine is not in the majority. A great makeup artist can do magic, but unless you are going to hire that magician before every one of your auditions you need to do your own makeup. With that said, if you do use a makeup artist, make sure to find out what they are using on you. Makeup should be at a minimum on women and none on men. You need to be able to reproduce the look in your headshot at a moments notice. No character shots Don't wear costumes. No waitres or cop uniforms. No Props If you wear glasses that's fine. Wear them in your shots. Other than that don't use things that will take the attention away from you. Shoot with natural light No photograher tag. The only name on the front of the photo should be yours. No copyright notice or anything like that. One single shot Do not do picture in picture or some sort of composite layout. There should only be one shot of you. Borders are your friend. You can go with black borders, white borders, key line black on white, sloppy, etc.... Do not select your own photo. Have your manager, agents, or casting director choose your picture. Let the people that will be doing the submitting and calling you in make the picks. If they love your headshot (even if you hate it) it is a good shot. No retouching We want to see you as you. Your headshot should look so much like you that it should look like took it just before walking into the audition. The above tips are for Los Angeles based actors. Make sure to talk to working actors, agents, and casting directors in your area as each region has their own nuances. Good luck. Gregory These are headshots of actual working actors in Los Angeles. Feb 09 06 11:31 am Link ...Stacy wrote: Took the words out of my mouth. Feb 09 06 02:46 pm Link |