The Acting Headshot Preparation Guide

This is everything you need to know to get ready for your acting headshots.

This is a step by step guide to help you have a successful acting headshot session. I’ve been shooting acting headshots for 18 years. I’m sharing with you the things I’ve learned that will help you have a successful headshot shoot. Put in the work before you get to the studio and it will pay off.

You’ve already selected your photographer and scheduled your acting headshot session. Now it’s time to get EVERYTHING ready for your headshot session. Your acting headshots are an investment in your career. Spend the extra effort to get properly prepared and it will pay off big time.

(If your shooting Business Headshots just wear the wardrobe that’s standard for your industry)

Research Your Character Types

This is the first step in getting prepared. You need to think about what type of characters you can play. Forget about what type of person you are. What type can you play? I’ve seen guys with facial stubble put on a dark hoodie and have the bad guy look, shave, put on a suit and tie and do a business headshot. You can play way more than you think. We do have our natural limitations. A 20 year old woman can’t play a grandmother for example.

Start with taking an assessment of yourself. Your age, gender, thin, heavy, curvy, young, middle aged, tall, short, ethnicity, and so on… Write these down to give yourself a clear picture of your natural lane.
Ask your friends and other actors how they see you. It’s best to keep track, write these down also. You might start to see some character types stand out. That’s good.
Browse the casting sites. Start looking for posting on the casting sites and see what kind of rolls they're looking for. If you see some postings and think “Oh, I could play that” Write that down too.
Watch TV and Movies. You’ll start to see similar character types in more than one show or movie. Add these to your list. The great thing about this resource is these character types are actual rolls that real actors are getting booked to play.

What is an Acting Headshot Look

A look is very simple. It’s what that character type would wear. It’s one outfit that defines that character. Someone should be able to look at you wearing that outfit and know what character type you are. Your headshot session will be broken down into looks. 2 Looks, 3 Looks, or whatever you decide.

How to Define Your Acting Headshot Looks
A look is what you wear and how you’re styled for your headshots. A gray tank top and a black leather jacket with a little darker eye makeup and your hair parted in the middle all work together to create a Look. A suit and a tie with your hair neatly combed is a look.

You should now have a list of potential character types. Obviously you can’t take headshots for all of them. You need to distill them down into looks. Some of them you can group together and 1 look could work for more than 1 character. For example: A detective with a jacket and tie could also be a businessman. If you’re having trouble narrowing it down, post a poll on social media. Crowdsourcing is a great way to get feedback on your list. Work on your list until you can get it down to the number of looks you plan on doing. 2 to 5 should be good.

That’s progress. You have your looks defined.

How to Research Your looks

Google Image Search
You have your looks defined. Now what makes that look. Let’s say one of your looks is “techy nerd”. Now it’s time to research that look. You can start with doing a Google Image search. You’ll need to be creative with your search terms to get the results you're looking for. The search term “techy nerd” in google images just returns a bunch of random tech stuff, but if you make it “Techy Nerd Outfit” you get some great results. Play with the search terms until you get what you're looking for. Remember these are just for inspiration. You’ll need to make it your own.

TV Shows and Movies
You can also see what characters in TV shows or movies are wearing that fit the looks you have. A detective looks, check out the latest TV Police procedurals. Love interests, Check out the latest romantic comedy. Look for common clothing options that will work for you.

Other Actors Headshots
Do a search for acting headshots and see what comes up. Go through the results and find other actors outfits that would work for the looks you have defined.

It’s best to save all the images to a folder on your computer. Put the inspiration photos for each look in their separate folders. Now you’re organized and it’s time to start putting the wardrobe together for your looks

GETTING YOUR WARDROBE TOGETHER

This is the most important thing you can do to prepare for your headshots. If you want to take your headshots to the next level you need the correct wardrobe. I can’t emphasize this enough.

DO NOT USE LIGHT COLORS OR PASTELS - No light Blue, Light Yellow, Light Pink and so on.

The first place to start is in your closet. (But this may not be the best place) Go through your clothes and see what lines up with your look research. Remember this isn’t about what you like to wear. It’s about what clothes are right for the looks you’ve defined. It’s OK if you can’t find everything in your closet. In fact, I don’t expect you to. Just get what you can. Then it’s time to add.

You can always try looking through a friend's closet and see if you can get some help there.

Time to Go Shopping
I know you’re already spending a lot on your headshots and buying clothes is another added expense. Here’s some inexpensive options.

ROSS Dress For Less. A great place to find those missing pieces. You’ll be surprised at how inexpensive the clothes are there.
Goodwill. This can be a great place for some character pieces, and it’s cheap!
The Mall. Now this is where the clothes get a little more expensive. If you got the cash, go for it, if not, there’s always buy and return. You buy the clothes, be sure to keep the receipt and return them after the shoot. This should be your last option.

As I stated before getting your wardrobe together is the most important part of preparing for your headshot session. Put in the effort. It’ll be worth it.

LIST OF ACTING HEADSHOT LOOKS

Use these as inspiration. This is not a complete list, but a little help to get you started. Feel free to use your own interpretation.

HOW TO PRACTICE YOUR EXPRESSIONS

Practicing your expressions in the mirror is very helpful. I’m sure that very few actors do this before a headshot shoot. Your expressions are a big part of a great headshot. You wouldn’t go to an audition without rehearsing would you? Just jump in front of a mirror and practice these different expressions.

The Commercial Expression
The commercial acting headshot expression is all about being friendly, warm and inviting. Practice your different smiles. Big smile, small smile, a teeth smile, no teeth smile and everything else that’s commercial.

The Dramatic Expression
Theatrical acting expressions can be difficult for a lot of actors. Some will start with just not smiling and think that’s a serious expression. It’s not. It’s a blank expression. That’s the last thing you want. The theatrical acting headshot expression is mostly in the eyes. You just make a small squint from the bottom eyelids pushed up. It’s called a smize. It’s an intense eye look, don't scrunch up your forehead. Just push up your bottom eyelids in a small squint. You’ll need to add a very small little smile. Not too much. This keeps you from looking angry. Play with this combination. It’s very subtle, but it says a lot.

The Quirky Expression
Most people overdo this expression. It’s really quite simple. Just make a regular smilee, cock your head a little and raise up your eyebrows. Acting too goofy just looks odd. Keep it simple.

Free Style Expressions
Now you can just freestyle some expressions. Play with your own ideas. The idea is to get a feel for what your face is doing. You’ll be so much more comfortable in front of the camera after you're at home in the mirror expression practice.

MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING

Do you need a Makeup/Hair Artist?

For women I’d say most need a makeup and hair stylist. Some are very comfortable doing their own makeup and do a good job. If that’s you, by all means do your own. How do you know if you should hire a makeup artist? If you know how to do a simple clean natural look then you can do your own. If not, it’s best to get a makeup artist. There’s 2 different types of women who really should get a makeup artist.

The “I never wear makeup or very little makeup” Person
You should definitely get a makeup artist. They will take your headshot to the next level by giving you a clean polished look. I know makeup is not your thing and you may feel strange with it in your face, but trust me, you’ll be glad you hired one. A makeup artist is on every TV and Movie set and you will be wearing it. Get used to it.

The “I overdo it” Makeup Person
You love doing your makeup. You know all the tricks. You wear false eyelashes everyday. Believe me you need a makeup artist. Why? Because you overdo it. You need a makeup artist that knows how to do simple natural clean makeup. No false eyelashes, no heavy contouring, and no unnecessary lip liners. You are also going to feel strange wearing makeup that’s not what you normally wear. Get used to it. When you show up for your TV or Film gig the makeup artist is going to do the makeup that’s right for your character. They don’t care what you wear for makeup every day.

HOW TO ARRIVE AT THE STUDIO

If you’re doing your own makeup, come mostly camera ready. Bring everything you need to touch up. Also bring hair styling supplies. It’s best to be prepared for anything that may come up. Do not show up at the studio with no makeup and plan on doing it at the studio. You’re just wasting everyone's time while they wait for you to do your makeup. Be a professional. Come camera ready.

If you’ve hired the makeup artist. Come to the studio with a clean face and no makeup on. Have your hair styled in your basic style. That gives the makeup artist a good place to start from when they style your hair. They can add a little curl, straighten and a lot of other styles that will change things up.

For men, this is simple. Most men don’t need a makeup artist. Some like to have one. It’s up to you. What you do need is a little powder to keep the shine down. Go to a makeup counter at one of the department stores and explain to them that you need powder to keep the shine down. They’ll be able to get you what you need. Do a little practice at home with it so that you can find the balance of just enough and not over doing it

THE DAY BEFORE YOUR HEADSHOT SESSION

Don’t Party!!! I know that sounds obvious, but seriously, don’t Party!!!

Instead you should spend the time organizing your looks. Press or iron anything that needs it. Put things on hangers. Use a garment bag if you have one. If not, you can use a plastic trash bag to cover them. Get your extras together too. Makeup, hair stuff and whatever else you’ll need. Make a checklist of everything you’ll need so that you don’t forget anything.

It’s best to get all this organized well before the evening. I like to have all my stuff ready to go before 6PM at night. If you do your organizing after 9PM for the next day, you’ll have trouble sleeping. Your mind will be racing on all the outfits and it will be difficult to sleep. Do it early. It might be good to do a little facial expression practice in the mirror too. But also, do it early.

DAY OF YOUR HEADSHOT SESSION

You should be fresh and ready to go. You didn’t party so you're feeling great. You get your stuff together early so your mind was relaxed and you got a great night's sleep. Now do a google map of the address so that you know how long it will take you to get to the studio. Remember to show up 10 minutes early. You’re a professional, don’t be late.

Now slowly and relaxed put everything in your car. The key is to not be in a rush. Comfortably load your stuff and drive to the studio. Don’t rush, be zen like.

Mindset

It’s great to have the proper mindset the day of your headshot session. Getting your acting headshots is a team effort. Having positive energy and joy will lead to a great experience and great acting headshots. Spend a few minutes to relax and visualize a wonderful headshot experience where you and the photographer work together to get you amazing headshots. Bring this positive energy with you to the studio. Your positivity will shine through and your headshots will be amazing.

At the Studio

Spend the time to settle in and feel relaxed. Communicate with your photographer your expectations and what you want to achieve with your acting headshots. Go over your looks and the wardrobe you brought. Be sure to speak up if you have any concerns or questions. You and the photographer are now a team working together to get you a great headshot session. It’s going to turn out amazing!!

ACTING HEADSHOT PREPARATION GUIDE