3 Critical Questions For Choosing Your Best Headshots

Your head shot is an essential tool for getting work but you should also think of it as an investment. You can’t just ask a friend to take a photo of you sitting on your couch and expect a good response. You will need to hire an experienced photographer who knows how take head shot photos.

Considering how cheap digital photos are, photographers these days typically take hundreds of photos in one sitting.  Out of that, you will need to choose the best 1, 2 or 3. However, the one you like the most might not be the one that attracts talent agents.

So how do you choose the right head shot?  Use these 3 questions to help:

1.  Is the photo technically perfect?

Believe it or not, your favorite photo might not be technically correct.  You might have moved without thinking about it, the lighting is off, or a hair is distractingly out of place. These are things the photographer should catch, but they may not. Make sure the head shot you are considering is technically flawless. 

Areas to play extra close attention to are:

• Look for the photo to be in focus, especially on your face.
• Is it free of white, shiny, hot spots from the lighting, like on your forehead or your nose?
• Are there any stray hairs or lint somewhere that will draw the talent agent’s eyes from your face to the mistake?

Any time you answer “yes” to these questions, you have to reject the photo or get it touched up in Photoshop or at the lab.  Talent agents receive dozens of head shots a day and are looking for reasons to throw them out.  Don’t let poor technical quality be the reason yours is “filed” in the trash.

2.  Does the head shot make you castable by entertainment industry professionals while also representing you at your best?

The headshot must make it clear how to Cast you.  Talent agents need to be able to sell you for specific kinds of roles, so your head shot needs to reflect that type. For example, if you are looking to be cast as a villain or antagonist, don’t pick a photo of you smiling.  No one photo can be all sides of an actor, but if you think about what roles you want to get, that will make it easier to choose.

Ultimately, your head shot has to look like you and capture your essence in the eyes of professionals. Your photographer should help you during the photo shoot to get your best look. Don’t be afraid to ask their opinion on which option expresses you best, as they often have a good sense of what Casting and talent agents are looking for.

3.  Do you feel like it represents “you?”

Since you will be sending out hundreds of these photos, and they will be the first contact for many of the talent agents who receive it, you need to feel good about the head shot.

Don’t choose one that you have concerns about, such as how you just hate your hair fixed that way, or you think it’s a bad angle on your nose. This photo represents you and your talent!  It should have your good thoughts toward it, too.

You need to feel as confident about the head shot as you do about your acting ability. Choose a photo that makes you proud when you send out your cover letter mailing to talent agents and managers. You want the real inner “you” to come through so that it sets you apart in some unexplainable way.  Yes the photo must do the job in what it looks like, but that eternal quality that represents the “you” beyond what we see must also come through. If you don’t like a photo, there’s a good chance it’s not the right one.  Pick one that you like that industry professionals also like.

If you take these three questions into account and can answer them in the positive way, you are well on your way to choosing a great headshot for you!

via Smart Girls Productions. Order their Hollywood Headshot Handbook ebook:  http://smartg.com/buzz/hollywood-headshots/

So good luck and get booked!

CMJ