Getting your Professional Acting Headshots taken is one of the most important aspects of starting your acting career (or continuing a great career onward!).

Here is our detailed list of Acting Headshot Do’s and Don’ts

How your prepare for your acting headshot session will make a world of difference to how professional your headshots will be. The photographer plays the biggest role in providing excellent headshots for you as an actor, but if you don’t prepare correctly, you may still not have headshots that work for you (and may even work against you).

Read on to discover the Do’s and Don’ts of acting headshots, and how you can prepare yourself for success in your acting headshot session.

Headshot Do’s for Actors

Do shop around for a photographer that makes you feel comfortable, and who can deliver headshots that work.

Picking a photographer for acting headshots is the first, and most important thing you can do to have a successful headshot session.

Your photographer’s work should be consistent, and their style of headshots should align with your goals. Remember: your top priority is not just looking beautiful. Your priority should be getting actor headshots that will yield results.

Your photographer should know industry standards and expectations, and be able to meet them consistently. From lighting to backdrops, focus and posing, and even directing you on hair, makeup, and outfits, having this type of expertise is vital for you as an actor to your success. Casting directors and agencies are looking for very specific images to consider you a strong candidate for the role.

Eldeen Annette specializes in headshots for actors in Orlando, Florida

Do prepare your skin and facial details.

You may not think of your skin preparation as being a big deal for professional portraits, but please understand how important these details are!

Before your session, make sure the check for stray, unwanted hairs. Nose hairs, stray eyebrow hairs, chin hairs, and even peach fuzz should be taken care of the day before your session.

Your skin should be free of dry patches if possible. Moisturize, and keep your lips fresh to avoid excess photoshopping needs.

Make sure your eyes are free of crusties, and sleep well the night before to avoid redness. All of these details may be a bit annoying to deal with, but are important to looking your best during these close-up headshots where our goals is to create images that help you feel and look your best - as naturally as possible.

Do try on your clothes first, and prepare your clothing for success.

You’d be surprised how often actors bring clothing for their headshot session that has never been tried on.

It’s very important to put each outfit on and see how it fits your body. Clothing should fit your body well, and ideally, not be too baggy or boxy.

When you have a layered look, it is also important to put the outfit together to make sure they work well as a full outfit. For instance, sometimes collars may not line up well and you’ll need to opt for an alternate undershirt if you are wearing a blazer for a detective look or lawyer type.

It’s also very important not to bring clothing straight from the store that hasn’t been pressed. Those strong wrinkles are very difficult to get out with the steamer we have here at the studio.

DO hang your clothing on hangers, free of wrinkles and pet hair or lint!

If possible, run your outfit choices by your agency or coach for another professional’s input who knows your types and needs.

Do wear a little makeup (but keep it simple).

Men don’t need to normally wear makeup, but women should even out skin tone, and keep eye-liner and shadows simple. While we do want your eyes defined, anything that looks too glam will be rejected by agencies. Keep your lip color pretty neutral (unless the look calls for something more extreme). Use blush, but keep it natural, and make sure your eyes look clean and sharp.

Do wear flattering, solid colors.

Solid colors are always the safest choice for acting headshots. This general rule can definitely be broken if print or texture is going to benefit your type, however! But if you are unsure, stick with solid colors, and add a layer that speaks to your character / type.

Pick colors that enhance your eye color, hair color, and skin tone. If you aren’t sure what your colors are, take photos of yourself in each color in flat, natural light, and see what looks like it has the most life and is the most attractive.

We do have a few hard-and-fast rules, however. NEVER wear ultra-bright clothing like neon green or hot pink. These colors do not photograph well and will detract from your expression. Do not wear ultra-light pastels - the camera will make them look white, and they wash out most skin tones.

Good colors for adult acting headshots:

Olive green, and sometimes emerald green
Medium blue or turquoise
Mauve or red for powerful types
Jewel tones
Yellow (not too pastel or neon)

If you’re still unsure what will look best on camera, send your photographer a selfie or current headshot, and your clothing choices to get another opinion to help you pick the best outfit colors for your headshots.

Here is an example of how an ultra-bright color takes over a photo. Avoid neon colors.

Do prepare your looks based on your unique talents and booking goals. Dress for your type.

The goal of acting headshots is to immediately, and effectively, communicate your abilities, look, and type as an actor.

Wearing the correct outfit for each type is vitally important to communicating to casting directors that you are right for the role.

Make sure your hair, makeup, outfit, and practiced-expression will show clients and directors what you can offer for the specific role. If you are going for a doctor, wear something clean, or scrubs, and keep hair tidy. Your expression will most-likely need to be warm and inviting. You may even consider wearing glasses for this type of acting position. You wouldn’t want to wear something that a leading lady would wear in this case, or someone that is street-smart.

While neutral headshot looks are important to have (and commercial!), prepare each look according to what types you excel at.

Do practice in the mirror.

A photographer can help you with simple, neutral expressions, but it is your job as an actor to know how to express for types. If you are a comedic actor, practice expressions that read well and will let casting directors know what you have to offer. A photographer’s job is to create an environment, lighting setup, and background to allow your character to shine. It’s your job to bring that character we are capturing on camera.

Do book a stylist who knows the industry, or come ready to go with these specific hair and makeup standards…

If you do not excel at hair and makeup, and are a woman, book a stylist for your session that regularly works with acting headshot photographers.

Hair and makeup for actors is going to be different than everyday wear, or evening wear. Each look may need slight adjustments, and a professional makeup artist will know how to enhance your type without taking away from your true appearance.

At the same time, you will want to look in your headshots very similar to how you look when you do an online or in-person audition. Bring reference photos for hair if you have something specific in mind, and the stylist will create a look that works well on camera, reads to the character, and will also make you feel like yourself!

Do think of a playlist of music to play during the session.

Having music playing can really help us relax and get in the mood for a photo shoot! And when your acting photographer asks what music artist you love, have an answer ready (don’t just say, “I like everything”.. because.. that’s just not true!). We want you to feel at peace, happy, and comfortable for your session.

Pick an artist that makes you feel energy and at ease…. someone that makes you feel happy. We often ask, “Who do you listen to during a road trip?”

You can even get a spotify playlist ready to go and we can play it right from your phone!

Do professionally format your headshot to industry standards.

Your headshots need to be cropped very specifically for actors to stand out online and printed. A headshot is just that - a shot of your head (plus a bit of chest). Often, the most effective and modern format for your headshots to be cropped is up close, with the top of your head cut off ever-so-slightly, and cut just below mid-chest.

Try making your crop off-center slightly for an added modern appeal that can draw in an audience. If your head is turned one way, leave more empty space on the opposite side, as if you are looking in that direction. Small details make a world of difference, even though to the naked eye, these differences may seem imperceptible.

Cropping matters!

Headshot Don’ts for Actors

Don’t use an unprofessional photo (or a selfie) as an acting headshot.
Don’t wear so much makeup that you don’t look natural.
Don’t wear distracting patterns or colors.
Don’t choose a pose or look that plays against the types you intend to audition for.
Don’t airbrush out all your freckles or laugh lines.

Now that you know what you can do to prepare for a successful headshot session, let’s get you booked at our Orlando Acting Headshot Studio!

Book online or call for more details.

Headshot Do’s and Don’ts