Picture Perfect: Know Your Type & Get Referrals

Know Your Type
A big part of getting the best headshot for you is knowing how to present yourself. Producers and casting directors may call you in based solely on your headshot, and they want to know what they’re getting into. You and your headshot should look like the same person. If you’re not a model-type, don’t glamorize your photograph. If you’re heavy-set, or have frizzy hair, or have an unusual smile, don’t try to hide these facts: let the different aspects of yourself that you’re trying to convey in your photographs start from within. There are parts out there for every physical type imaginable – most actors don’t look like Cameron Diaz, but that doesn’t stop them from getting work. Nine times out of ten, you’ll be cast based on how well you are able to convey a character’s emotions, and not on how closely you resemble Claudia Schiffer.

“But what is my type?” you ask. Knowing that you don’t look like Claudia Schiffer or Cameron Diaz is one thing – but stepping outside of yourself long enough to form a full and accurate sense of self is much more complicated. One way of doing so – at least for the purposes of planning your photo shoot – is to get an actual outside opinion. Ask your acting coach or drama teachers what kind of parts they envision you playing; ask your friends and family how they perceive you. Perhaps the best way to get an unbiased opinion is to ask strangers: one L.A.-based acting coach notoriously has his students pair up and go out in public (to the airport or a shopping mall, for example) with a list of questions to ask random passersby: do I have a particular regional or ethnic appearance? Am I more adolescent or matronly? Science geek or varsity letterman? If I were in a movie, would I play the good guy or the bad guy? Cinderella or the wicked stepmother? Leading man or goofy sidekick? Make up your own questions – challenge your own perceptions – you may discover something new about yourself.

Get Referrals
By far the best and easiest way to choose a photographer is to get personal recommendations from fellow actors or your acting coach. Look over your friends’ headshots and see whose you like best. If you don’t have any friends who are actors, you’ll have to do a bit more work. If you’re in L.A. or New York, you can get a list of photographers from the Working Actor’s Guide, which is updated every year and includes a directory of local photographers. It can be purchased at Samuel French theatrical bookstores in L.A. or New York (it can also be consulted online at http://www.workingactors.com, but is well worth the $25-$30 it costs to buy a hard copy).
If you’re not located in L.A. or New York, you’ll have to do things the old-fashioned way: by consulting the phone book. When making cold calls and initial inquiries, be sure to ask what type of pictures each photographer specializes in - you want to make sure you’re getting someone with experience taking headshots or portraits.

Once you’ve come up with a workable list of potential photographers, take your time comparing pricing and packages before making a final decision. Some photographers will let you keep your negatives, some won’t; some will charge you extra for this privilege. Some will offer you special deals on extra prints (if, for example, you want good copies of a few different looks); some will offer you discounts on future prints and re-shoots. Some will include business cards in the package; some will ask you to get these made separately. For an additional fee, some photographers will even offer to set up an online gallery (with both black and white and color shots) for you. Make sure you’ve shopped around before you make your decision. Depending on where you’re located, which photographer you settle on, and what kind of package you choose, most photo shoots will cost somewhere between $250 and $500.

Continue to: Picture Perfect Part 3