Is there a standard for acting head shots? I have a lot of requests

I searched and couldn't come up with a thread on this, and I apologize if I'm asking a redundant question.

I frequently work as a background actor (extra) in the Atlanta area. It doesn't pay well, but I meet a lot of fun and interesting people, along with quite a few big name celebrities. I'm doing it to gain acting experience, for the fun of it, for the excitement of it, and to earn a few extra dollars toward my photography "hobby".

I put "hobby" in quotes because it's already become professional in that I've done about ten paying jobs now of families, seniors, a casual "wedding" (renewal of vows), a retirement party, and more. Each client has been very pleased with the results and have enthusiastically sent more clients my way.

Sorry to be so long-winded.

Anyway, I meet a lot of Atlanta actors on set who ask me about head shots, and I would love to start doing this. I have the gear, the experience in portraits, and the confidence that I'll do the job right.

But I don't know what the standards are these days in terms of product, package, price, etc.

Thank you for any insight. Oh, and I want to be a photographer who makes good money at it but I also want to help out beginning actors by giving them a nice break on the price as a goodwill gesture. The reason: networking. I'm also trying to get acting parts, so obviously when people help each other it creates mutual success.

Thanks again.

Mike

EOS-Mike wrote in post #16976242
I searched and couldn't come up with a thread on this, and I apologize if I'm asking a redundant question.

I frequently work as a background actor (extra) in the Atlanta area. It doesn't pay well, but I meet a lot of fun and interesting people, along with quite a few big name celebrities. I'm doing it to gain acting experience, for the fun of it, for the excitement of it, and to earn a few extra dollars toward my photography "hobby".

I put "hobby" in quotes because it's already become professional in that I've done about ten paying jobs now of families, seniors, a casual "wedding" (renewal of vows), a retirement party, and more. Each client has been very pleased with the results and have enthusiastically sent more clients my way.

Sorry to be so long-winded.

Anyway, I meet a lot of Atlanta actors on set who ask me about head shots, and I would love to start doing this. I have the gear, the experience in portraits, and the confidence that I'll do the job right.

But I don't know what the standards are these days in terms of product, package, price, etc.

Thank you for any insight. Oh, and I want to be a photographer who makes good money at it but I also want to help out beginning actors by giving them a nice break on the price as a goodwill gesture. The reason: networking. I'm also trying to get acting parts, so obviously when people help each other it creates mutual success.

Thanks again.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I'm a headshot photographer in the UK.

Taking a good headshot is a serious business. Actors depend on a headshot as their calling card. So don't think it's like photographing your buddies.

Your resources for information are huge. Look up the casting agencies, see what their requirements are in your area. Learn how to shoot for 10x8's.

There are a lot of videos on Youtube, half of them are useful - the rest are dreadfully misleading. I am tired of seeing happy-snappy studio portraits with less expression than your average garden slug and high glam retouching (which will probably get your subject chucked out before they even hear the words "audition").

A good headshot photographer needs really good people skills as well as photography knowledge. Getting the expression you know will get an actor a job is not always easy, in fact sometimes it is damn difficult.

Will I spell out "this is how to do a headshot" here? No chance. Not even slightly possible. And if you watch some Youtube video that says you can learn all there is to know in 5 minutes, wellll.

You are in for one heck of a learning curve, be warned. Oh, and did I mention it is one of THE most competitive areas of photography?

Best of luck,
Jenny

When casting people go through a pile of comps, it takes about 1 second for each one, front & back, & then yours goes into the reject pile if you haven't caught their attention. So I always recommended a good representative head shot on the front & a full body shot on the back. If the comp was going to be more than the one page, I'd lean toward more head shots w/different "looks".

You can get a bit more creative for the shots for their Book because you have a dozen or so images to work with. As they gain more experience & jobs, they will replace some of them with tear sheets of projects that they were hired for. It's an ongoing project, because they need something new in the Book to have a reason to go back to clients that they've already talked to.

Actors headshots have a very specific purpose and style necessary to get paid work. You won't build any goodwill if your photos don't work. Almost all good headshot photographers are also the top commercial and fashion photographers.

You need to first study the headshots of top working actors at agencies in your area and analyze your ability to produce the same product. Talk to agents at the best agencies to have them provide you samples of what works.

P.S. your website is down

Thanks, everyone. Good information. I definitely don't want to mess anyone up by not doing it right. I'll keep learning.

I got hired for another week on a film, so that's fun (background acting), and I'll learn more on that set as well. I'm also interested in learning about production stills (most photographers are using a blimp on their gear).

Yes, my website is down. I'm retooling.

Start by looking at other actors' headshots (they'll have them on their phones, if not printed ones in their bags). Find out who shot them and look at their websites to see what the standards are in your area. Look at headshot photographers in LA and NYC to see what the standards are in the Meccas of acting.

Remember that while all headshots are portrait photography, not all portrait photography makes a good headshot. I've seen actors with great portrait photos that are terrible headshots -- mostly because they are too artsy. Hands on faces, clothes and backgrounds that overwhelm, poses or lighting that take away from what is important: the actor's face. I think the headshot photographer has to be able to suppress their ego a bit (with the exception of Peter Hurley ) and be sure the shot is always about the actor and not the photographer.

(I think Mr. Hurley is an incredibly talented headshot photographer (though he can be a bit much) and his "headshot photographers are 90% therapist 10% photographer" line is spot on. Look up his videos on YouTube)

AlFooteIII wrote in post #16979164
Start by looking at other actors' headshots (they'll have them on their phones, if not printed ones in their bags). Find out who shot them and look at their websites to see what the standards are in your area. Look at headshot photographers in LA and NYC to see what the standards are in the Meccas of acting.

Remember that while all headshots are portrait photography, not all portrait photography makes a good headshot. I've seen actors with great portrait photos that are terrible headshots -- mostly because they are too artsy. Hands on faces, clothes and backgrounds that overwhelm, poses or lighting that take away from what is important: the actor's face. I think the headshot photographer has to be able to suppress their ego a bit (with the exception of Peter Hurley ) and be sure the shot is always about the actor and not the photographer.

(I think Mr. Hurley is an incredibly talented headshot photographer (though he can be a bit much) and his "headshot photographers are 90% therapist 10% photographer" line is spot on. Look up his videos on YouTube)

Amazing. Have you read a post of mine somewhere else? I don't think I've ever read anyone who so echoed my own views.

Up to the point you mention Hurley. Sorry, I'm no fan of his work. For me, it is too production line and all about the photographer and little about the subject.

Expression, expression and expression. And it has to match the subjects Type. Not just A N Other Smug Mode shot with squinchy eyes. It's incredible what works and what doesn't with each subject - I got an awesome expression today after telling an actress to look bored and pissed off to the point of wanting to explode, wow! lol

It is fantastic fun, seriously challenging, at times mentally and physically exhausting and I love it