Once your photo session is complete, you’ll receive a gallery of unedited and untouched images from your session.
From there it’s time to whittle the collection down to the main images you’ll want in your actor portfolio.
How do you choose what’s best?
Below are some tips to help you with the narrowing down process:
1. You want to show variety, not only in how you can look but also expressions, emotions, and everything in between.
You want to show casting directors what sort of depth you have.
Having a bunch of smiling photos of you looking cute, well, that’s amazing – for social media and for certain parts you might like to land.
But your acting portfolio should show your range.
Can you convey emotion with your eyes, with a smirk, with the tilt of your head?
What story can you tell with a simple look?
The more depth you can show casting directors in your images, the better chances you have of landing that prized role.
2. Which images show you in the part you are aiming for? If you’re going for a high drama part or a light hearted comedy part, you’ll want to submit the heashot or headshots that works best for the part you are hoping to land.
Send the headshot that embodies the emotion of the character you are aiming to play.
Dramatic roll? Send that gritty, street scene headshot with the dappled light.
Light hearted comedy? Send that headshot of you laughing with the bright colorful backdrop and clean lighting.
Gear the headshot/s towards the parts you are hoping to land.
It helps the casting director to envision you in that part, and playing that specific character.
If you can show that depth, then your headshot will end up on the top of the pile with high potential for a call to read for that part.
3. Your acting headshot is your professional calling card, and the best way to capture the attention of a casting director.
And once you make that impression on a casting director, they’ll keep you in mind for any future rolls they may see come through that you might be a great fit for.
Your headshot isn’t a one and done. A great headshot could potentially put you in the forefront of a casting director’s mind and therefore afford you a wealth of opportunities in the acting world.
When in doubt about what to choose? Lean into your circle to get feedback. Tap into your actor friends or friends in the business.
Ask your photographer too! We are skilled at seeing the best photo out of a whole bunch. We can narrow down images for you pretty quickly, so do not be afraid to ask for help from your photographer.
That should be part of what you are investing in when hiring a photographer, help and guidance though the whole process.
4. You should have atleast 2 solid headshots to use when looking to book acting jobs.
They should be geared towards the rolls that you most hope to be cast.
If you’re just starting out, I’d suggest a solid smile and a solid serious image. If you’ve been at this for a little bit and have some experience, you may have an acting niche or a specific reason people book with you.
If that’s the case, you absolutely want current images of you showcasing your specific talents.
Though please note, if you bring a prop to use in your headshots, and it’s something you should be skilled at using or playing, make sure you can!
A casting director will absolutely assume you can use or play – and you will not want to disappoint.
Thoughts on Retouching, Filters and (eep!) AI Headshots:
In this day and age, there are a ton of people over using filters, retouching, and AI Headshots.
While those might be okay for cheap stock imagery or anywhere where quality and authenticity do not matter
(it usually always matters so… beware) – I would suggest avoiding overly retouching your images or using AI for your actor headshots and portfolio.
While a light retouch of your images is fine and expected, overusing filters or retouching, or worse, using images that are photo illustrations (AI) and are not you is no bueno.
A casting director will take one look at that overly processed or fake headshot and will not even call you. They’ll barely look at it, truth be told. Your headshot will go into that digital trash bin.
And if it’s that overly processed or fake, you’ll be passed over time and time again.
Or worse, you may show up because they want to take a chance on you – and when you walk in, if you do not look anything like your image, that right there will cause them to distrust you – and you may risk never getting a call back again.
I highly suggest using images of yourself – with a light retouch, no filters and certainly avoiding photo illustrations that aren’t you, at all costs.
Be authentic, be YOU – and break a leg 😉
