For Prints Charm'n, the best head shot printers in L.A.
For Prints Charm'n, the best head shot printers in L.A.
Tips on how to prepare for your headshot
| Many of you who are new to all this are asking yourselves, "what's next?" For those who are already familiar with all of this, please file this page under the "Department of Redundancy" Department. :) |
| Types of headshots |
| For the most part, there are two types of actor's headshots: 1) Commercial 2) Theatrical |
| Commercial headshots: Can best be characterized by having a warm, friendly, well groomed look, with a nice smile. |
| Theatrical headshots: Less "commercial" looking. With more elements of your true character as a person. Generally more serious looking than a commercial headshot. |
| What to wear? |
| Try to keep it simple. You can wear just about anything as long as it's simple and "works" with your look. I often tell people to stay away from pure white or pure black because it has a tendency to lose ALL detail when you reproduce them later on. Try to keep the jewelry to an absolute minimum as well. We want to keep the focus on you, not your earrings or necklace. This rule also applies on your clothes. Keep it simple. Try to stay away from distracting prints, i.e. plaid, stripes, and T-shirts that say "Take the Pepsi Challenge" |
| MOST IMPORTANT!!! |
| Your headshot MUST look like you. If you have flaws, then they shouldn't be hidden. Any casting director wants you to walk in the door after seeing your headshot and have it look just like you. So if you change your hair color, hair length, grow a beard etc, then you need to update your headshot. |
| Most of all HAVE FUN |
| Oscar Wilde said it best "Life is far too important to be taken seriously!" |
How to prepare for a Portfolio shoot
The first thing most modeling agencies ask to see is your portfolio. They will not schedule an interview unless you have a portfolio. Your portfolio is used to evaluate you, and will be the main reason for getting or not getting a position. When a booker in the agency looks through your portfolio, he or she should think, "This one looks good in the photos, so we should get many bookings for her and make lots of money." When an agency gets that kind of impression, you are on your way to becoming a successful model.
Ideally, a portfolio should have 24 eight-by-ten-inch photographs. However, modeling agencies will agree to interview a beginning model if the applicant has as many as 10 photographs. Here are some photographs you might include in your portfolio:
An informal head shot.
An editorial-style photo, in evening dress.
A full-length photo, in a casual outfit.
An editorial-style photo, in a sporty outfit.
An editorial-style photo, in a coat.
A photo of product-demonstration.
A full-length photo, in a swimming suit.
A full-length photo, in a T-shirt and shorts.
A full-length photo, in lingerie.
A profile head shot.
A profile head shot, in a hat.
A head shot, in perfect makeup and hair.
An advertising-style photo, in full-length dress.
A full-length sport-action photo.
A full-length editorial-style photo, outdoors in a dress.
A situational shot, creating a "slice-of-life" image. For example, getting surprised.
A catalog-style photo, with another model in casual dress.
If interested in specialty modeling, a photo featuring the part of your body that you want to model.
If interested in figure, art, seminude, or nude modeling, a tastefully-done photo showing your figure.