Head Shot Requirements...

[kevin_jhk]

Hello all... I am a photographer from the Okanagan. I have been approached by actors about head shots and am needing to know what actors require in a head shot and thought who better to ask then actors!!! Are touch ups permitted, presentation, do actors want the CD or prints, what size, Name on the front, info on the back???? I have my first head shot shoot on Sunday, so any suggestions would be very helpful. Thank you in advance

[KdLaneJr]

Originally Posted by kevin_jhk

Hello all... I am a photographer from the Okanagan. I have been approached by actors about head shots and am needing to know what actors require in a head shot and thought who better to ask then actors!!! Are touch ups permitted, presentation, do actors want the CD or prints, what size, Name on the front, info on the back???? I have my first head shot shoot on Sunday, so any suggestions would be very helpful. Thank you in advance

Then why ask here? Did you mistake this for an actors forum?

[brad]

It is not an easy question to answer... and what an actor wants and what an actor needs are often two different things.

There are a lot of different styles out there for acting headshots.. but in general, you need something well lit that shows the entire face square on to the camera with simple backgrounds and clothing. The idea is that the actor's face is the only part of the image that should attract the viewer's attention.

They will need it on CD so they can reproduce possibly several hundred images. You could create an 8x10 cropped version with a border and a simple font with their name for them on the cd as well... but places that print actor headshots may also do this (for a fee).. and if the actor has an agent, the agent may have exact specifications for that.

As for the info on the back, they should have their resume stapled to the back.

There is WAY more than just that... but that's a start.

[huntjax]

I mostly work with children. My experience has been that each agent likes different things in a headshot. NY, LA, and Dallas agents all like something different. Dallas agents seem to be the most particular. You should call your local agents and ask what they are looking for.
If you are asking what actors like to get??? Most headshot photographers charge per look and put the shoot on a disc. After the agent chooses the picture/pictures they like the actor sends the picture to the printer to crop and put on the border and agency logo if that is what the agency requires.
Touch ups are permitted as long as it looks like the actor. Don't change the eye color or take away all of someone's wrinkles. If someone has some blemishes that are not always there, remove them. A Casting Director wants to see the person in the picture not someone else.

[brad]

Originally Posted by huntjax

Touch ups are permitted as long as it looks like the actor. Don't change the eye color or take away all of someone's wrinkles. If someone has some blemishes that are not always there, remove them. A Casting Director wants to see the person in the picture not someone else.

This one is very important for actors and where a lot of photographers fail.. as a photographer, you want to make the person look better.. look fantastic.. so you start with a little and then add a little more.. and a little more.. and you make them look like the people in the ads of every magazine... they take that in to their audition and the first reaction they get is "you don't look like your headshot" ... guess what.. they won't get that job. The shot may look great, but you aren't creating a glamour portrait, you are creating a resume piece.