Headshot Photographer for the Newbie Actor

Headshot Photographer for the Newbie Actor

So you're about to get your first headshots

This easy-to-follow guide will tell you everything you need to know.

Did you move all the way to LA to be an actor?

You saved up your money and moved to Los Angeles and you want to be an actor. The very first step to being an actor in Los Angeles is getting your acting headshots taken by a professional headshot photographer.

Ok how do I even get started?

The first thing you need to do is select a headshot photographer.  Start doing your research using Google,  Actors Access,  LA Casting, and ask your acting friends if they know a headshot photographer that they recommend. However, select the photographer that’s the best fit for you.

Am I Ready?

After you've selected your headshot photographer now it's time to get yourself ready to take your headshots.  The first thing you need to do is get your outfits together (also known as looks). This is an important step. The clothes you wear follow a specific formula for acting headshots. I've written the complete post about what to wear for acting headshots here.

Should you get a makeup artist?

Getting a makeup artist for your first acting headshot is always a good idea. I know you’re a starving actor and you're trying to save money. If you think you can do it yourself go for it.  The main thing is you want your makeup to look nice, but natural, don't overdo it with heavy eye makeup or fake eyelashes.  Also don't want to wear red lipstick. Natural colors work much better.

Now it's time to prepare yourself.

You've picked a photographer, you got your looks together, decided on a makeup artist, now it's time to prepare for the actual day of your headshots.

You need to be completely prepared the day of your headshots.  Have your hair cut if it needs to be.  Be sure to have all your clothes cleaned and pressed.  Get a good night's sleep the night before your headshots.  that means no late-night partying! Also try not to be too nervous and worried about getting everything ready the night before your headshots.  this is a common mistake. People stay up late getting all the clothes ready and all that stuff and then their mind is racing when they try to go to sleep. They can't sleep and wake up really tired.  I recommend having everything together before 6 p.m. the day before your headshots.  Then spend the rest of the night relaxing and watch some Netflix. Or whatever.

Now when you show up to your headshot appointment be sure to tell the photographer this is your first time doing headshots.  I always like to tell newbies what to expect during their headshot session.  I’ll give them little tips and tricks so I can get the most out of their expressions.  If you have any questions be sure to ask the photographer. I’m always more than happy to help. If you feel a little nervous say so. Then I can make that extra effort to make t you feel more at ease and comfortable. Now we’re going to get some great photos.

Is that it? …Nope

After the shoot I need to select the headshots that you’ll be send out for castings. You'll have lots of pictures so you need to go through them with the eye of selecting headshots not of selecting a photo that you like.   Be sure to ask your acting friends to give their input on your choices for your selected headshots.

Yeah! It’s time to book your First Acting Gig.

After you have your photos selected you need to post your headshots and your profile on LA Casting and Actors Access.  This is a great place to get started with your acting career.  You can submit yourself for acting jobs and submit yourself to agents.

What do I Wear for My Acting Headshots

What do I Wear for My Acting Headshots

Acting Headshot Wardrobe

Need Help Selecting What to Wear for you Headshot Session?

Your wardrobe for you headshot photography session is very important. You want to be prepared.  Putting together the right outfits for your session is a big part of a successful Headshot Photoshoot. Read on to get super prepared for your next headshot session.

Here's how you pick the right clothes

It all starts with research. Have an idea of the characters you would play.  If you’re not sure, ask your agent or manager.

Think of it as type casting yourself.  Who would you play on TV or in a Movie?

Here's an Excellent way to get Character Ideas!!!

Go over your past audition from the last year.  What Character types got you the most attention or interest from casting directors? Now focus on these.

Another GREAT form of research!

Look at the breakdowns and see what characters are the casting directors looking for?

Fresh girl next door,  Bad ass tough chick, Lovable nerd, New York detective, Street thug.  Handsome leading man. You get the idea.  

Now put together outfits that ARE those characters. Give them some personality. If you’re wearing that outfit in a photo and you cover up your face, people know who they are looking at. It’s best to bring 2 outfits for each.  It’s good to have options.

That's not all:

Don’t over think it. You’re outfits don’t need to be overly complicated.

A simple tank top tells a story, but so does a black tee shirt and a brown leather jacket. A shirt with a cardigan sweater and some glasses and you’re a nerd.  A tee shirt layered with a flannel shirt and a now you're a hipster. Make sure your outfits tell the story of the type of character you want to portray.  It can take only 2 or 3 pieces to make an outfit.

I can't emphasize this enough:

Do not bring a bunch of clothes and just hope you brought the right stuff.

This happens all the time.

An actor will show up to their session with 2 suitcases of everything in their closet. This tells me that you have not prepared. Your headshot are very important.  Leaving it up to chance is not a good idea.  Do your research. Put your looks together.  Come prepared.
Your color selection is very important. You want your photo to pop when it comes up on the casting websites. Remember the thumbnails are very small and you only have one chance to catch their attention.

Primary colors are a great way to make an outfit POP.  

Layering them with shirts and jackets adds to the character. The colors also need to support the character.  You wouldn’t wear a yellow tee shirt for your strong leading man shot.  You could however wear a yellow tee shirt with a cardigan sweater for your nerd look.

Good Headshot Wardrobe

Girl next door - A sweater or conservative top.  light and fresh looking. Primary colors
Lovable nerd - Glasses (With the lenses popped out) Colorful tee shirt with a cardigan sweater.  Colorful tee shirt and a hoody- Think “Big Bang Theory” 
Tough Street Look - Tee shirt and leather jacket.
Handsome leading man - Tee shirt or sweater with a brown leather jacket.
Detective - Suit jacket with a tie for men. Blouse and jacket for women
Business - Blouse and jacket for women and suit jacket and tie for men
Young Mom - Sweater or colorfuls tee with a layered shirt
Young Dad - Sweater or colorful tee with a layered shirt

These are just some examples. Feel free to expand on these. Be sure to put together the looks that are right for you.

Not So Good Wardrobe...

2 tank tops and a tee shirt.  (It happens more often than you’d think) Please put some thought into your characters. This isn’t about taking just a pretty picture of you. It’s about you connecting with the casting directors. You want them to see you as the filling the role of the character they are casting for. 

Bringing 3 suitcases full of everything you own. (That means you've put no thought into how you should be marketed) Do your research and then put the work into putting together your outfits.  You may find that you’ll need to pick up a few things to add to the looks.

Grooming...

Be sure to come looking your best. I know it sounds obvious. Remember these photos are going to get you work.  Be prepared.  Here’s a few tips.

Make sure your hair looks it’s best.  Cut, Color and Style. Is it time to get your roots done? 
Eyebrows. Do a little shaping and get rid of those stray hairs.  See a professional if you need to. 
Shave? Clean shaven or a little stubble? You can do both.  Come with a little stubble then shave to get your clean cut looks.

Be sure to bring anything with you to touch up or improve your grooming. Hair products, Brush, comb, razor, makeup. Powder is important for girls as well as guys.  It helps take down the oily shine from your skin.  Remember, what you think looks good at home in the mirror, might not look the same in your photos.  

Follow all these tips and you’re going to get some great headshots.
 

Affordable Acting Headshots

Affordable Acting Headshots

Affordable Headshots for Everyone

Affordable headshots are not cheap headshots.

We can always find a great value by shopping around for anything we buy. Whenever I shop for anything, I always look to get the best price and the best quality that I can get.

You can do the same thing when shopping around for your acting headshots.

Get on google and check out the different websites of all the headshot photographers.  Find a price point that you're comfortable with, but also check the quality of the headshots.  

Check out our: Mens Acting Headshots and our Womens Acting Headshots

Is the photographer using great lighting?

Lighting is very important for your headshots.  Great lighting makes you look professional.  Bad lighting makes you look unprofessional.

Is the photographer capturing excellent expressions that helps to give the essence of the character you're trying to portray? A big part of what you can do to make your affordable headshots session successful is to have the appropriate wardrobe for each look.  

If you have these three elements; excellent lighting, perfect wardrobe and great expressions your headshots will be a success.

I Just Need to Add a Few Headshot Looks

This will save you some money

Sometimes you just want to add a couple of looks to your headshot portfolio. This is not the time to go out and spend $1,000 on just updating a couple looks. I just did my headshot session last week but my agent wants me to add one or two more looks. Find an excellent photographer that uses beautiful light and is an excellent value.  This a great way to go when adding on these extra looks.  At LAphotoSpot you're going to get affordable headshots that aren't cheap headshots.

This is My first Time Getting Headshots

You don't want to spend $1000 right?

Let's say this is your first time getting head shots.   Like anything we do the more we do it the better we get at it. It's always a good idea to get as prepared as you can when you're going to get your pictures taken. However, the first time you get your headshots taken you're probably going to make a few mistakes, or not be as prepared as you should be. Why would you want to spend $1,000 on your headshots for the first time and then turn around and say “wow I wish I would have been a little more prepared”  or “wow I wish I would have hired a makeup artist instead of doing my own makeup.”  So what do we do now, schedule another $1,000 headshot session?

We've all heard the term starving actor.  At LAphotoSpot we strive to give Great headshots at a Great price.  We like to support the actor by giving them quality headshots and not taking all their money.  Like I said earlier, affordable headshots don't need to be cheap headshots.

How I became a Headshot Photographer

How I Became a Headshot Photographer

From Business Degree to Fashion Photographer

This is my first blog post I thought it'd be interesting to explain to you guys my path of how I came to be a headshot photographer. I grew up in the state of Idaho.  Basically there's nothing in Idaho.  it’s really really boring. In highschool I was playing guitar in a band doing the standard “I want to be in a rack band highschool thing.  One day I had a camera I was taking pictures of my girlfriend. The photos turned out really good and I thought someday I might want to be a photographer.  After college, I got my degree in Business Administration, not photography, strange as that may seem.  Wanting to get out of Idaho I moved to Seattle.  One day at the beach I was looking at some fashion magazines and I thought I wanted to try and be a photographer.  I had no idea how I was going to do it, or what it took to become a photographer, or any clue of what to do.  I was just looking at the pictures in the magazine thinking to myself “if somebody else can do it, there's no reason why I can't do it.”  After I 100% decided to make the change to be a photographer I traded my guitar and some other musical equipment to a friend for his camera and started being a photographer. At this point I made a couple friends who are also interested in photography one guy was just getting started like me and we would take pictures and talk about them and share them with each other.  My other friend had been doing it for a couple years.  He was working with the local modeling agencies. We were all friends hanging out talking about photography.  One day the guy who was a photographer for a couple of years had a friend show up and was sleeping on his couch.  He was a male model and he had just returned from Milan Italy where he was modeling.  He said to us “hey you guys should go to Milan and shoot fashion photography there.”  For some reason, I don’t know why, we decided that was good idea.  So one of my friends and I started saving our money and made the trip to Milan.  I lived there for a year and a half shooting fashion photography for the modeling agencies in Milan. It was an awesome experience and I really loved it.  And of course the food and wine in Italy are really really good.

Transition to Headshot Photographer in Los Angeles

After a year and a half I move back to Seattle and was working as a photographer.  I don't know if you've ever been to Seattle, but it rains a lot, I mean it rains A LOT.  That's when I decided to move to California. I saved up my money, packed up my car full of all my belongings and drove to Los Angeles. I think this is why I can relate to all the aspiring actors who move to Los Angeles. When I first arrived in Los Angeles I was still shooting fashion photography.  After a few years I saw that there was a lot of the actors in LA and they all needed headshots. I thought it would be a good idea to start doing headshot photography.  It turned out to be a  really good decision.  After my background doing fashion photography the transition to headshot photography was very easy for me.  I understood about lighting and using natural light and catching people's expressions. I had some friends were doing acting and modeling and I decided to their head shots for free first. After about a year shooting headshots I got my studio in downtown Los Angeles.  I've been at the same studio for the past 10 years.  Everyday new actors come in to get their headshots.  I love meeting new people and hearing their stories and how they came to Los Angeles.  It's very rewarding to give people awesome headshots as they pursue their acting careers. I love to see people succeed in their dreams.

For Photographer info Checkout The Photographer Directory

Acting Headshots

Acting Headshots