Actor Headshots: the ethics of retouching
This post is about actor headshots. To retouch, or not to retouch? That is the question. But first...
Be honest. How long does it take you to snap a perfect selfie?
Pose... *click*… jeez, I look deranged.
And then, 25 attempts later, what happens after you’ve taken a decent shot?
It’s time for the filters and editing.
Selfie harm
Does our obsessive photo retouching do any harm? The renowned portrait photographer Rankin thinks it does.
For a recent project called Selfie Harm, he took portraits of 15 teenagers and asked them to edit the photos for a ‘social media ready’ look.
Guess what?
Not one left their image untouched. Enhanced eyes, thinner noses and smoother skin were the most common alternations. Some of the teenagers were virtually unrecognisable.
Rankin, Eve, 18, "Selfie Harm" for Visual Diet. Photo courtesy of Rankin.
What’s the problem with photo editing?
Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s no problem with editing a photograph. Retouching is a standard technique for ensuring we get the best version of you.
There is, however, a major issue if that photo has been so heavily retouched that it no longer looks like you... especially if you’re an actor.
Imagine, just for a moment, that you’re a casting director. Sifting through actors’ headshots, you find the perfect face for a role.
After doing a little happy dance, you invite them in for an audition.
The actor walks into the room.
It’s immediately obvious that they’ve wasted your time.
The art of authenticity
You want a professional headshot that makes you look your best... OK, you already know that. Casting directors won’t be impressed by a selfie in pyjamas, lying on the sofa eating Pringles.
But here’s the thing:
Your headshot should express who you really are. It’s a chance to be the optimum you, not the person you’d be if only you had three wishes.
It’s all about authenticity – and sometimes, that means warts, wrinkles and all. Do you have a huge nose, bug eyes, crooked teeth and jug ears?
Great! A casting director needs exactly that look for her next multi-million-pound TV series.
Here's a story...
A woman came into my studio recently with her teenage son, a child actor. He was a great looking guy, but there was a problem:
Spots. The poor kid was having a serious eruption and was about to ask the doctor for a heavy-duty ointment.
‘Can you retouch to get rid of the spots?’, his mother asked. `Yes’, I replied. After all, it was just unfortunate timing.
Even so, here’s what I did:
I gave the woman and her son two sets of photographs. In one, the spots were almost invisible and in the second, they were in full bloom.
I advised her that she should use the first set until the spots had cleared up to keep on the good side of casting directors, and the second when the spots had cleared up.
But for many casting directors, that second set of photographs might also be exactly what they’re looking for - a good looking spotty teenager.
Express your personality
As an actor, a professional headshot isn’t solely about your look. It's also about your personality.
The photos need to answer a whole variety of questions going through casting directors’ minds while they’re sifting through CVs. These could include:
· What are you like as a person?
· Will we get on?
· How will you get on with everyone on set?
· How easy are you to work with?
Now, I know what you’re thinking:
How can a few headshots express everything about my personality?
Actually, that’s down to me.
Being an actor doesn’t make you a natural in front of the camera. After all, you spend all day playing other people. When you get to the studio, it’s my job to make you feel comfortable enough to play yourself.
And by ‘yourself’, I mean the unique, multifaceted, complex person that is... you.
We’ll be working together to create a series of shots with different looks, moods and expressions to showcase your versatility to casting directors. Each shot will be as authentic as the next. And you can’t create authenticity with Photoshop.