Essential tips for acting headshots

Like any other business, as a performer it’s essential that you have the right tools to market to market yourself. And of all those tools, your headshot is the single-most important asset you have to build and sustain your career; whilst an up to date CV and showreel are key elements of your marketing portfolio, and you need to have nailed your self-tape and audition techniques, it’s invariably your headshot that will determine whether or not you will even be considered for a role in the first place.

With that in mind, I thought I’d offer a few thoughts on how to make sure your headshot is helping you get your foot in the door.

Some facts and figures

A recent study by Queen Mary University of London showing that only 2% of actors make a living from the profession and that 90% are out of work at any one time would be sufficient to have most aspiring thespians reaching for the scotch, if only we could afford a drink in the first place.

Michael Simkins, The Guardian

If those stats weren’t sobering enough, consider the fact that there are currently more than 65,000 actors on Spotlight, and if you include other casting directories that figure leaps up to around 200,000. By the Queen Mary study’s reckoning, that’s around 180,000 actors potentially looking for work at any given time. That’s a pretty big crowd to stand out from.

Even though that’s industry-wide, it’s still pretty scary when you consider it’s not uncommon for casting directors to receive thousands of submissions for major roles, especially as nowadays the breakdown will often have been sent out to agents and managers all over the world.

Whilst it would be wonderful to think that the selection process involves a careful consideration of the finer nuances of what each and every actor might bring to the role, the truth is that you’re much more likely to be taken at face value - literally. Your headshot will typically be reduced to a thumbnail image on the casting director’s laptop alongside countless others, meaning that you have barely a split second to create that gut impression that you might be worth considering for the role - if they like your look, they might just click on your headshot to check out your résumé.

Keeping it real

Spookily, I just checked my Twitter feed as I was writing this and saw this post from the Association of Professional Headshot Photographers, quoting a key statistic from a survey they conducted amongst casting directors, exploring attitudes towards headshots and what differentiates the good from the bad.

I’m not sure who the 3% of casting directors are who don’t seem to mind whether or not an actor who walks into the audition room looks anything like the headshot they’ve been called in on, but you can be pretty sure that you won’t be remembered kindly by the other 97% if you fail to heed this advice: it’s all very well having an amazing headshot that opens doors all over town, but if it looks nothing like you, it’s odds-on that they will close equally quickly.

So whilst it may be tempting to include only the most flattering representations of you in your headshot portfolio, vanity should always take a back seat to authenticity.

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of judicious retouching if you’re unlucky enough to have a bad skin day on the day of your shoot, but even though you might be deeply grateful to the headshot photographer / retoucher who’s managed to take 10 years off your age, ask yourself if they’re really doing your career any favours.

Narrowing the odds

Much more important than capturing the most beautiful version of you during your headshot session is the need to capture your range as a performer. But be realistic - whilst the holy grail for any actor might seem to be the ability to pay any role in any genre, there are very few that have the opportunity to demonstrate that kind of versatility in their careers, even if they’re one of those rare talents that genuinely have the ability to do so.

The slightly more prosaic truth is that you are much more likely to fall into a relatively limited range of potential categories based on factors such as your appearance, your experience and the quality of your voice. And it’s the actors who have a clear and realistic understanding of their likely casting bracket who tend to be the most successful at marketing themselves.

As in any other business, successful marketing comes down to understanding your niche, and once you understand how to position yourself and where you fit in, it’s much easier to put together the right kind of headshot portfolio that will help agents put you forward for the roles that you stand a good chance of landing.

So, when you’re booking your next headshot session, make sure that you plan enough time to talk in detail with your photographer about what range of looks you would like to try and capture during the session. And be prepared to take their advice - you might be surprised by the difference between what you see in the mirror and how others see you and getting feedback from experts in their own fields is all a part of really starting to understand your own brand.