hollywood agent
For a beginning actor, are cheap headshots, the best headshots?
The answer is no, and not because I’m biased. Here’s why.
If you don’t have an agent, and you’re just starting out, you’ve probably heard from other actors that if you spend money on headshots, once you get an agent, your agent is going to ask you to re-shoot. Why not take some cheap headshots now, get an agent, and then spend the money on good ones? Read these two sentences again. Now think about it. This is probably the worst advise you’ll ever get from another actor. The reason why most agents ask actors to re-shoot in the first place is because they get cheap headshots to begin with! In the end having to shoot twice, rather than shooting once and spending the money then, ends up costing you more. Regardless of how expensive or cheap a headshot is, you still have to spend the money reproducing them and distributing them. So why spend that money twice? If you do it right the first time, not only will it cost you less in the long run, but any legitimate agent who isn’t benefiting from illegal kickbacks, is going to recognize your headshots to be high quality and not ask you to re-shoot.
Professional headshots should not only score you great representation, but they should also bring back a return on your investment for years to come. At that point, the only reason to re-shoot would be if your look has drastically changed.
Commercial Headshot
Theatrical Headshot
What’s the most important thing an actor should convey in his or her headshot?
Los Angeles Headshot Photographers
Recently I was asked to contribute to a Backstage West column called “Ask A Photographer”.
Halley Bondy, one of the news reporters from Backstage West asked me to answer this question with 200 words or less. Oh Boy! Well here goes! Look for the December 11th issue!
The most important thing to convey in a headshot is specific marketing! The biggest mistake most actors make is taking a pretty picture that says nothing about them. Everyone can take a pretty picture but a picture that is directly targeting specific age ranges, and specific casting calls, such as “business man”, “young Mom”, “victim” or “girl next door”, is the picture that will get attention. If you present your agents with the marketing tools they need to get you in the door, you’re already one step ahead of the game. If you don’t have an agent, and you submit a variety of photos with marketing range, the chances of being called in are greater, since you’ve eliminated the guesswork as to what market you fall into! You can figure out your market by narrowing down your age range, and by doing a little research observing where “you” are cast on TV. There are also many workshops such as at Sam Christensen Studios that focus on just that! Remember, this is a business and your headshot is like a big business card. If the business card doesn’t tell us what market you fall into, the chances of getting called in for auditions are slimmer.
I’ve since started my own column of Q&A for actors. Feel free to throw in your questions in the comment box and I’ll be happy to respond. Be sure to subscribe to this feed to be notified when your questions are answered!
Victim headshot
Business Headshot
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