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Yes, the right photographer is a huge piece of the puzzle. BUT, you as the actor must also be prepared in order to get a great headshot. What’s the difference between an okay headshot and a *Great one? Auditions! You’ll know you have a great headshot if it gets you in the door, if it makes people want to meet you.
An average headshot might look nice, even beautiful, but a *Great headshot has an energy that pulls people in. It’s the same thing that great film actors are able to do with the camera, they make it come to them, it communicates enough of who an actor is and yet it leaves room for interpretation. How do you do that?
This is the most important aspect of a *Great headshot. Your eyes must have energy, thought, activity, emotion behind them that beckons to the onlooker. What they say exactly depends on the type of parts you want to audition for. If you’re a Femme Fatale type, then it’s something like, “Hey there stranger…” If you’re an action hero type then it’s maybe “I’ve got this.” What this means is that while the photographer is taking your photo you should be ACTING, not MODELING.
If you know the types of parts you are likely to play, you can come in character to your photoshoot. I don’t mean go out and buy an LAPD uniform because you play cops all the time. I DO mean that if you play cops, you can have the body language of a police office in your headshot: squared shoulders, chest out, at attention. And if you play cops you probably also play military, thugs, maybe even villains. So how can you dress in a way that SUGGESTS all these roles are in your wheelhouse? Maybe a dark blue or green or black t-shirt? And maybe your attitude and body language is “I’ve got this” like a hero, but you’re thinking, “And you don’t want to piss me off.” So it’s layered, like your performances will be. This picture should represent probably at least the 3 main types you can play.
DO that research. You will save yourself money and heartache and possibly years of spinning your wheels. You can look at websites, you can see books for various photographers at local print shops. Also ask the actors who have what you want (a *Great headshot), who took theirs?
Once you find AT LEAST 3 photographers whose work you like, and you’ve seen their websites, call them on the telephone and ask them questions about their process.
Like, how do they generally work with actors to get the best out of them? Do they use natural light or studio light? Do they have an in-house makeup artist? Can you bring your own if you want? Do they shoot digital or film? Can you bring your own if you want? Can you bring some music?
Now, if you like what you hear, ask if you can meet with the photographer for a quick 5 minutes. The idea is to see if you jibe well together. Nothing sucks more than showing up on the day of your shoot and discovering that the photographer’s energy feels yucky to you–they’re type A and you’re type B, it’s just not a match. Perhaps that sounds too airy-fairy, but we’re actors right?
Not in your research. Not in your preparation. Not in your shoot. Not in choosing the final photo. Not in the printing. BE PRESENT. You can help yourself relax by setting a date where you’ll have plenty of time to rest the night before, you won’t have to race to get to the location. Plan ahead. And make sure there aren’t nine million actors also scheduled before and after you (if at all possible), so the photographer is not rushed either. This may be tough with the popular ones but if you schedule for a less busy time of year (say, December) you’ll have more wiggle room.
Many photographers are shooting on digital now so you have LOTS of choices. Personally, I still prefer film for the depth it offers. But digital does get you more choices. Once you get that CD or proof sheet, see what jumps out at you right away.
Then print out 4X6 copies of the ones you like. Pass them around to other actors and tell them to put a check mark on the backs of the ones they like.
Narrow it down to maybe 10-15. Now, run those 10-15 by your agent and any Casting Directors you know who will give you feedback. (This way you are sure YOU get a headshot YOU like because you chose the original 10-15 that you printed).
You know how when you see the red circles within red circles on white background you think of Target? Or when you see the golden arches you think of McDonalds? That’s marketing– using a logo, an image, to represent a product. For an actor the headshot IS THAT LOGO. So, this photo goes everywhere:
Your Facebook page, your Twitter icon, your IMDB page, your Actors Access or Breakdown Services page, e-TALENTA, your Instagram account, your website. It’s the one image that should be consistent.
It’s worth the money for quality printing. I like the “photo heavy litho.” It looks like a photo but has the thickness of a litho. Wherever you go to print your headshot, don’t skimp now. And don’t over-retouch! It’s obvious and it makes you look like a model not an actor. But do SOME retouching, (whiten the eyes, the teeth) it should look professional but not like the cover of Cosmo. You want it to look like YOU, not like a cartoon of you.
Break a leg!
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Dufflyn Lammers has been a working actor and published writer for 20 years. Her one woman show "DISCOVERED" was a 2017 Duende Distinction Award nominee in its debut at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. She brought the show to the West End in London in 2017 and continues to tour internationally. Lammers has been a working actor and published writer for 20 years. She is now an International Recovery Coach, (CPC) and a Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS). She is trained in intervention and is now the Director of European Services for the LA company Connections in Recovery. She is best known for her unique brand of “page-to-stage” spoken word, combining profound insight and shameless comedy. Lammers led her Los Feliz slam team to the the National Poetry Slam for five years running. She has published poems in journals as varied as Iowa Woman and The Museletter of the National Association for Poetry Therapy.She is a regular contributor at TheFix.com the world’s leading resource on addiction and recovery. In 2014, Lammers co-edited the spoken word anthology Chorus with Saul Williams. She studied Creative Writing at Sarah Lawrence College (BA). She has brought her poetry show to Universities all over the USA–from Smith College to UC Irvine. She has toured colleges throughout the US with her spoken word show. She has also appeared on RUSSELL SIMMONS DEF POETRY JAM (HBO), CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS), ENTOURAGE (HBO), and in countless independent films and commercials. In 2011 Lammers wrote, produced, and starred in the short film “Raven,” a film about addiction which won Best Experimental Short at the LA International Underground Film Festival. She has also worked with the LAPD in the Detective Training Unit and with At-Risk Youth using writing and acting exercises to facilitate discovery and recovery in traumatized and underserved populations. Dufflyn Lammers worked with the LA-based Networking company Act Now for 11 years where she was a coach and consultant for actors. She is now empowering others through individual coaching and workshops that use creative writing and improv to teach life skills. She resides in Paris, France.
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