When it comes to acting, your best shot at getting in front of casting directors is to make sure your headshot represents the role you are going for. This is why I nearly always recommend a session that has
Acting Headshots with Different Looks.
There are several reasons why having multiple looks is going to be more beneficial to your journey. Let’s talk a bit about why they are so important for actors who are serious about creating a career out of acting in films, shows, and commercials.
It’s important to know your type as an actor before your schedule your acting headshot photography session.
If you are ready to amp up your career and start going for bigger roles, different looks are a must for your headshots. But before you schedule your acting headshots in Orlando, have a good idea of what your type is, so your session is successful, and we can get you the headshots that will elevate your career and work for you instead of potentially against your ability to secure roles.
According to Actor’s Checklist:
If you want to be considered castable, you must discover your type, enhance it, and learn to play it superbly. But identifying with a character psychologically doesn't necessarily mean you will be able to play the role effectively.
At a preliminary stage the director is getting a sense of the available talent from which to choose the cast. Some known qualities that directors are generally watching for include:
Something in the actor’s personality that suggests the character
Voice and ability to project
Physical appearance and characteristics as they relate to the role
Ability to focus and take direction if offered
Stage presence and poise.
A match with the theatrical requirements of the role.
What is a “type” for actors?
Type refers to the typical personality or style of role that best matches your abilities as an actor, look, and personality. Roles like, “lady boss, leading man, best friend, dad, etc., are examples of types of roles you may relate to.
Casting directors do use stereotypical descriptions when publicizing audition opportunities. That is one reason why it’s so important to fill the needs of the casting notice in your headshot.
Before your audition for a role, you need to have a headshot that matches that role’s type so the casting director can instantly and easily imagine you in the role.
How do you know what your type is?
Aside from honing your skills and getting to know your role preferences as an actor, there are a few other things to consider, so you can be a successful actor.
You may speak a language that is required for the role, you might excel at certain expressions or have a vocal range that is needed for a particular role… Read FilmD’s considerations to help you land on some types to start honing in on.
How to know your type - advice from experts in the film industry:
According to FilmD, Start by examining your physical traits.
Age – Determine your playing range. While most actors can play a few years younger or older than their real age, try to be honest with yourself about what ages you can realistically play. Remember, the camera will pick up every wrinkle!
Height and weight – Your body type plays a role in determining your type. While these physical traits have absolutely nothing to do with acting ability, many casting directors have an image of the character type in their minds and your physical traits will play a factor in your suitability.
Looks – Things like hair colour and attractiveness can also be important in determining your type. If you are conventionally attractive, for instance, you may fit well into the Queen Bee or Jock type. If you have more unusual features, you may find yourself better suited to play outcast types. While some actors assume that good looks are crucial for success, there are plenty of excellent leading roles that suit actors with more unconventional looks.
Personality – Think about the dominant aspects of your personality. Are you always making jokes? Do you tend to keep quiet and pensive or even awkward in social situations? Are you confident and outspoken? These types of personality traits will help you to portray certain types of characters with more ease and with more depth and detail than some other actors. Play to your strengths!
Vocal type – Think about the quality of your voice and natural accent. Different vocal qualities instantly give off a different impression.
Ask A Professional Casting Director For Guidance
If you have thought about your unique traits and still can’t place yourself within a specific “type,” you may benefit from speaking to professionals in the industry. A casting director is a great place to start as it is their job to look at actors and decide what roles they may be suited to.
Reach out to casting directors and casting director’s assistants on social media and ask them if they wouldn’t mind taking a look at a few of your photos and clips. Try to contact lesser known casting directors as they will be more likely to have the time and willingness to help out.
If you can’t find a casting director who is available to help you, try contacting other industry professionals. Directors, cinematographers, and even other actors can be very helpful as a second pair of eyes. Find open Facebook groups that are geared towards emerging film artists and make a public post — you’re bound to receive lots of comments offering suggestions of various character types you may suit.
Common types for actors
You might find after several auditions that you are often trying for similar roles for TV or film. This is ok! It simply means you’ve zoned in on a type you are good at and enjoy playing.
Or, you may try for all kinds of roles, hoping to show of your range to casting directors (and yourself). While it’s encouraged to learn to play many types, it’s important to remember that most directors don’t have time to imagine what changes they could make to you in order to help you fit the role.
Casting directors will usually take one quick look at your headshot and decide whether you’re the right type to play the role. This is why it’s so important to have different types represented in your headshots.
Type-specific headshots are vital to getting you seen by casting directors. Even the most complex scripts can depend on character types. Sometimes these types will be quite obvious.
Here are a few examples of common character types that often appear in scripts.
The Girl Next Door / Best Friend
Doctor or Nurse
Boss / Detective / Cop
Queen Bee or Mean Girl
Business Man or Woman
The Geek (often a comedic role)
Parental Figure
Teacher / Librarian
Bad Boy / Rebel
Leading Man or Hero
Vixen / Cougar
You’ve done some research, talked to your coaches and agency, and narrowed down your best roles.
Now that you know your types, let’s talk about:
How to prepare for your multi-look acting headshot session.
Having a great set of looks and variety in your acting headshot is much more than just bringing a few outfits that you like. Casting directors are pretty particular, so let’s go through what you can do to prepare yourself for a successful shoot.
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It’s generally recommended that your acting headshots are not too ‘on the nose’ regarding your outfit and appearance. Your acting headshots need to be applicable to all roles that may fit within one type. For instance, “Boss Lady” type is likely the same look as Detective, Cop, Lawyer, etc. So we wouldn’t want to wear an outfit that has police gear most likely.
There are exceptions to this rule, however, and sometimes we will toss on a very accurate outfit to the role if you know for certain you’ll be only using that headshot for that particular role.
For instance, the actor featured here often plays the role of French Chef! So, he has acquired an outfit that speaks directly to that role and can’t be used any other way.
However, this is not normally recommend if you would like your headshots to be more versatile.
Normally, you will need to stay with a “hint of” each type so your actor headshots have more runway and use.
A “hint of” clothing will be items like glasses, a tie/bow-tie, blazer, hoodie, and certain colors and patterns that are likely to represent your type.
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Each type will have specific hairstyle, makeup, and accessories that should be brought to your headshot photography session. These accessories should be subtle, but can pack a punch and give clear communication to your casting directors about casting types.
A nerd, teacher, grandma, etc. should have glasses. Glasses must have no lenses in them (frames only). We have a few options here at the photography studio, but if you are feeling up to it, go shopping at inexpensive stores or online where you can find costume glasses that are easy to pop the lenses out of for the photo shoot.
Your hairstyle is vital to communicating type. Do a bit of research and see what style works best with your hair, and will also be appropriate for the type. If you are opting to come with your hair and makeup done (as opposed to having a professional stylist), practice the styling and make sure that as many flyaways are tamed as possible.
Bring hair supplies to your session, like ties, bobby pins, and clips.
Your makeup should never be overdone, no matter what type you are going for. But well-tailored eye-liner, mascara, and lip color are always recommended. Keep makeup pretty natural so that casting directors know what you really look like :) If you must, bring a nice bold red (for types like Vixen) that we can do a small set of images with.
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Make sure your outfits could be imagined in the film or show. Avoid pastel colors, very bright colors, and tiny textures in your fabric (like ribbing from a tank top or sweater). Make sure your clothing is on hangers, free of wrinkles, and has no lint / pet hair.
Unsure what to bring? Ask your agency, coach, and if all else fails, bring a few choices for us to go through.
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One element that actors often neglect is practicing expressions that represent their characters. Each type will have a unique personality, so take some time in the mirror, turn on some appropriate music for the type, and envision the role. We want a genuine connection with the camera in a way that easily helps directors imagine your face and expression in their production.
What we do during your multi-look acting headshot session to create variety that works.
There are few simple, but very important steps that we take during every multi-look session (whether it’s 2 looks, 3, or 4) so that you acting headshots have the range you need to get noticed.
We will choose the best background for your look
Your type is not only defined by your expression, pose, outfit, and styling, but in background (and lighting) as well. Sometimes, a type may need a simple, flat background to pop, and sometimes we will need an environmental background to help casting directors envision you in the role.
Your outfit colors and style will also play a role in which background we pick. Directors want to see the shape of your body easily, hair color, and facial structure.
A background can’t be too busy, but should bring all the attention to your face, while also complimenting your character. We have lots of background options here at the photo studio to choose from, so your headshot is going to shine no matter what type we are going for in your portrait.
Photography lighting matters!
Each look can be either enhanced or diminishes with lighting. My job as a photographer is to make sure you are flattered, and that your characters is made clear through lighting.
You may notice on my website that nearly no two images are alike. The past 2 decades as an acting headshot photographer (and also business headshot photographer, model photographer, and editorial photographer) have given me the skill I need to tailor sessions to your needs effectively.
Sometimes, your acting headshots need lighting that is somewhat dramatic (but not too dark!). Other times, in the case of comedic looks, for instance, we need bright, punchy light to help your look read well.
Many times, casting directors in Orlando (especially Central Florida and Miami) like to see all-natural lighting. We have a great commercial market here in Orlando, and natural light can read the most friendly and approachable. I have a certain area of my space where natural light is beautiful, effective, and incredibly professional for acting headshots.
Check out Bri’s Commercial Acting Headshot Look with all-natural lighting at our Orlando photography studio. She is just glowing, isn’t she?
I will guide you through expressions and posing that best reflect your type.
With each look, it’s vital that you express your character using your posing and facial expression. …and you need to really believe what your are expressing! If your comedic expression, for instance, isn’t full-send, your headshot may be passed over and you might read as an actor who isn’t fully committed or able to fulfill the responsibilities of the role.
While I will coach you, it’s necessary for you to practice your expressions at home, or even have someone take your photos casually to see how your expression reads on camera.
Usually with our first look tends to be pretty neutral, so we just need to make a deep and instant connection with the viewer. We need directors to feel that there is “something more” they want to know about you.
Then, with your more tailored or specific looks, we can play with expression a bit and sink into your role.
With every look, however, we capture a full range of expressions because you never know what might be most appropriate for roles that pop up.
FAQ
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Each look includes one outfit in total. If you would like to do headshots with a jacket or other accessory, the addition of that item constitutes as another look (so may as well change the color of the top underneath and get a fully different look with the adjusted outfit!).
I like to get a full range of expression and posing with each individual outfit, so making small adjustments to the outfit acts as a new set of images in order to make sure we have success with every outfit we photograph.
The only exception to this rule would be the addition of glasses. In looks where we would like glasses, I will split the shoot in half so we have both options.
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Plan for about 40 minutes per outfit.
We shoot for about 30 minutes per look, and need about 10 minutes of adjustment time for setup and styling.
If you have opted to have professional hair/makeup, the artist will take about an hour for the initial set, then make minor adjustment between looks.
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You will have access to view your full set of headshots within 24 hour of your session. Then, when you have chosen your favorites for editing, the turnaround time is 48 hours.
READY TO BOOK?
READY TO BOOK?
Choose a 2, 3, or 4 look acting headshot session on the product page and check out! We will then get your calendars lined up and get you booked in. Start planning outfits, get in touch with your coach or agency, and get ready to have some fun collecting a wide range of acting headshots that will propel you into auditions, and your acting career!