What should I bring to a headshot session?

Thursday, December 4th, 2008 Headshot Q&A

Here’s the thing. Trends have changed in LA. Used to be that headshots were in black and white. Used to be that three quarter head shots were it. Used to be, used to be, used to be. Digital advancements in both cameras and printers have made it possible for the color headshot to be reproduced cheaply and for the birth of online casting. There are hardly any more paper submissions. In fact, most auditions arrive via email these days. Since all your photos are submitted digitally, and since the thumbnails online get really really small, the smartest thing to do is to shoot mainly close ups. Makes sense right? You don’t want your face getting lost in the thumbnail which is the only thing casting directors really see…unless they click on your headshot (but that’s a whole other topic of discussion). The agents I work with want to see your face and not your body. The 90s are gone folks! Having said that, stop bringing your shoe collection, all your skirts and all your pants to photo shoots! Start bringing the brightest most saturated colors (tops) you have in your closet. Your goal with color headshots online is to bring as much color into the headshot as possible so that you pop. If your closet is full of browns, blacks and generally muted colors, go shopping and don’t take the tags off! Also bring accessories. Bring the things that make you…you. Bring your hats, your jewelry, and whatever else makes you unique. Just don’t pull clothes out of the closet you haven’t worn in years because you’re going to a photo shoot. Bring your favorite clothes. After all, just as you put your best foot forward on a first date (and hopefully on the second one too), headshots are you on your best day! So don’t show up to your headshot session unprepared and always bring plenty of clothes based on the above mentioned guidelines so that your photographer can give you some ideas of what works best!

Below are some samples of great saturated colors that work…courtesy of Jake Martin, one of my clients who actually took my advice on clothing!