E-mail: gary@actorsco.com
Studio located at the
Chesapeake Arts Center, 194 Hammonds Lane, Brooklyn Park, MD 21225
Sessions by appointment Monday thru Friday
Photo Tips:
Headshot Goals
A “great photograph” is a meaningless objective. Know what will work for you.
Realistically represent yourself so that the Casting Director can get you work. If you misrepresent yourself, you are thwarting your chances. I’ve seen actors called in for the wrong reasons because their headshot looked younger than they did in person and others because the headshot actually looked older. They weren’t considered. I had an actor tell me that he was standing in line in New York and someone glanced at his photo, which I had shot. The other actor said, “What a great headshot; that looks exactly like you.” It’s sad that that seemed unusual enough to comment. Keep it current and accurate.
Present the majority of your face. Leave art for the mantle. Don’t turn too far away from lens. If we can’t see your face, we may be curious but not in a positive sense. We may wonder what you’re hiding, but we’re too busy to care. Be confident enough to present yourself committed to the lens. Your confidence (or lack thereof) will read.
You must make a connection with the viewer—not your wardrobe, jewelry, background or photographic style. In fact, if any of those things draw attention, then you aren’t interesting enough. P.S. wide-eyed blank stares don’t connect. Be interesting. Engage the camera and the viewer will follow.
You don’t have to fall in love with your headshot; you just need to know it works. This is a tool to serve a specific purpose. This isn’t a glamour shot, or mantle shot; it’s a headshot. Be careful about having people outside of the industry help in your selection. They’re looking for different things with different motives. At one point in my career, I had a headshot that I wouldn’t frame, but it was exactly what I wanted for my place in the market. It worked for the roles which suited me. I didn’t personally love it, but I loved what it accomplished.
You should consider where you fit in the marketplace. Determine what roles are most suitable for you in the marketplace. Many actors (this one included) likes the thought that an actor can play many roles. That concept is much more practical in local theatre than film and television. For the most part, like it or not, you’ll be typed. If you want to work, you’ll be better considering the roles for which you are most suitable rather than what you hope to play (they still haven’t called me for Bond). Don’t make a choice that will conflict with that consideration.
Side note: If you are submitting a headshot via email, keep the size to 100KB or less. As an experiment, send your multi-megabyte jpeg file to a friend and have them open it in their email window. Have them tell you what part of your face is magnified beyond your wishes. Ask them to count the hairs visible where you wouldn’t want them visible. Unless someone is asking for a large file, save bandwidth and embarrassment.
If you have any specific questions, email me. I’ll certainly reply to you via email and I may post your question (anonymously) and my answer here.