The Life of an Actor

As promised earlier in the week, I wanted to discuss actors’ headshots. Specifically, what goes into them, why they’re important, and what you need to look for as an actor when choosing a photographer.

Aside from having worked with a number of photographers for modeling and getting headshots of my own, I also have my own experience as a photographer to draw from. I’ve shot weddings, I’ve shot headshots for other actors, and I’ve done a fair bit of other portrait and other photography. You can see some of my work here and judge for yourself how much I know about photography.

First off, your headshots are your ultimate calling card as an actor. They need to be clean, feature your face and eyes (ie show that you have life and passion), and show both who you are and what types of roles you can play. It should go without saying that you want them to be as professional looking as possible.

There are a lot of ‘headshot photographers’ out there, no matter where you are in the world. Some are good and do amazing work, and some are jerks with a camera out to make a quick buck off actors. One thing I can’t stress enough when it comes to choosing a photographer is to RESEARCH. Look at headshots other actors are using. Ask them where they got them done. Ask them who they’ve worked with and liked and who they didn’t like. See what prices you think are reasonable and what services you get for the prices listed. Look at sample galleries on the photographer’s website – does their current work make you go “wow”, or “meh”?
Even if you know nothing about the practical side of photography (what goes in to composing and lighting a shot), chances are you’ll still have a gut reaction to photos you see. Pay attention to that gut reaction – it’s important.

Two things you will want to have for sure when getting headshots done are full-resolution copies of the photos (so you can make infinite prints on your own and avoid paying ridiculous fees*), and to either have a photographer that does retouching on your final photos, or get yourself a copy of Photoshop and learn what goes into the editing side of things. Yes, there’s a learning curve attached to the latter, but it’s one more skillset that you can add to your toolbelt.
From the editing side of things, I can tell you that it takes all of a minute or two to resize a photo for the web. Any headshot photographer who will only provide you with low-res copies of photos and who wants to charge you extra money to do resizing or to give you hi-res copies falls into the latter category I mentioned earlier – a jerk with a camera looking to make a quick buck.
As for retouching, it is sometimes a bit more tricky, but still shouldn’t take more than 5 – 10 minutes per photo. Yes, you want to look your best in your headshots, but you also don’t want them to look over-processed, either. Good retouching means covering up any small, temporary flaws (pimples, tired eyes, hair flyaways, colour balancing) while still having the photo look like you.

Ideally, a great headshot will be crisp and smooth, without any blurriness, pixellation, or other flaws no matter what size you look at it. A photo that looks good at small resolution on a computer screen may not always look nearly so professional when printed on an 8 x 10 glossy. Beware of photographers who only present their work at low-resolution, or have limited samples with a lot of people against the same backgrounds/on the same couch/in the same pose/etc.

In terms of pricing, you will often pay for what you get. A photographer who charges less will often (but not always!) produce photos that are okay or passable versus excellent. Rates are generally set based on experience and training, and demand – but the occasional jerk with a camera might also ridiculously mark up his rates just to squeeze more money out of you. Fees like $50 or $100 to resize and touch up ONE photo are quite unreasonable for the work that goes into it. Another thing to be wary of is how adamant the photographer is about you using ‘their’ stylist on the day of the shoot. Yes, having someone to help with hair and makeup is essential for you looking your best, and most photographers do have a stylist they recommend, but like agencies who absolutely insist you use only their photographer, this is another sign of less than professional work.

Ultimately? Use your common sense and judgment when it comes to selecting a photographer. Research on your own, ask around, and listen to your gut. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and ‘interview’ the photographer to make sure they’ll be a good fit – after all, they’ll be working for you and you want the best results.

*As for the ridiculous fees that are associated with headshot reproduction, here’s a tip that will save you some money. Most printing shops can print colour copies on a heavy gloss paper (at least 100lbs, they’ll know what you mean) for around $1/page. Way cheaper than $5 or $10 per 8×10 that some places charge.