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Headshots, they are a classic source of anxiety for actors. Lots of overthinking, lots of worry, but it remains your most essential marketing asset. You have to have a headshot. Why? Because casting directors and directors have to know what you look like. Let's dive into what makes a good headshot and how to avoid a bad one. Let's get the bad out of the way.
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As you know, I used to be an actor, and for many decades, I would go through the ritual of getting my headshots taken. Now, I believe in the power of the ritual of photography. I think that it's actually a spiritual experience, just my personal belief, where you can really channel into your future
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self or your greater self and create a version of yourself that you are manifesting into reality.
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Now, the bad side of this is when you're working with people that are just not on that wavelength,
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I have had headshot trauma. I know many actors who have also had headshot trauma, because you are
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vulnerable and you are exposed. When you're preparing for that ritual, it can be a very fragile time for an actor. You're really at the mercy of whoever is taking the photos and whoever is doing your hair and makeup.
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I've had terrible experiences with some photographers who would say mean things to me during the shoot, baffling,
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or makeup artists who would do things to my face that I did not want them to do, I didn't consent for them to do, that they said was a good idea. So just make sure that when you're going into the shoot, any little weird red flags that you feel as you're negotiating, setting it up with the photographer, the makeup artist, if you don't feel good about working with them,
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please don't work with them. You are vulnerable when you are getting your photograph taken and you need to advocate for yourself so that you are gonna have a good experience.
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You need to be able to be safe, comfortable, and in a good mood throughout the entire photo shoot if possible. Now, obviously nerves are gonna come up, but at the very least, you need to know that the artists that you're working with are gonna be on your side. Now, I have met some extraordinary photographers since those early days when I was an actor
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and didn't have very good boundaries.
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The photographers that I work with now are masterful. They know how to bring out the best in me, relax me, and make my face look better than I thought possible. So those are the kinds of people that you want to work with and hire. Sometimes they're very expensive. Sometimes they're not. You wanna find a photography session within your price range. You don't have to drain your bank account.
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1,000,
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1,500 I see people paying for photo shoots.
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You don't need to do that. You pay more to have more of a luxury experience, but you can get a good shoot for three, $400. Or if you have a friend who's a photographer, by all means go with your friend and they shoot you for free and maybe you do something to help them out as well. But don't have any vanity about needing to pay a lot of money to get a good shot. I know people who have extraordinary shots that they got for $0. I also know people who have extraordinary shots that cost almost two grand, including hair and makeup. It's what you can afford. And remember, there's many things for you to spend money on besides your headshot shoot. So just be mindful of that as you're budgeting out how to invest in your business and your marketing materials. There's two basic rules that you're gonna wanna bear in mind when doing your headshots. One is that you want the shot to be industry standard. Now, standards change, trends come and go. I don't wanna tell you what's invoked now because by the time you're watching this, that may have changed. It also changes depending on the market that you're in. New York is very different from LA, which is very different from London, which is gonna be different from Bollywood. So depending on the market, there's gonna be a different standard of photography that you're going to want to have for your shoot.
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So number one, be industry standard. And number two, you want the shot to represent the intersection of who you authentically are and where you intersect with the market.
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So it's who you are meets what the market wants of you.
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That's the sweet spot that is really going to get your photos traction and get you noticed. I like to go about this by suggesting three energies for my clients that you are familiar with, that feel like you, but that also the market can quickly get behind. So I'll give you some examples from some of my current clients and students. So one energy is the golden boy with killer instincts. It's something that that particular person can channel effortlessly that they spend a good portion of their life kind of living that out and feeling that energy. And also it's specific enough that when I say that you probably already have an image of what that person might look like. The outfit complimented the face, which complimented the entire energy that he was going for. Another example could be dark Disney princess. That's another client of mine. Face like Snow White, a look in her beautiful blue eyes, like you don't know what this girl's thinking. Is she going to fall in love with you? Is she going to kill you? You don't know, but it's specific enough that the market can figure out where to put her. And that energy is definitely part of her personality. Third example, Eastern European it girl.
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So if I just said it girl, that would be too generic and you might not know what I'm talking about. Like everyone has their own version of what that looks like. But Eastern European it girl, that's a little more specific, it's a little more fun. It could go dramatic, it could go comedic. And you start to get an idea of how this person is different than the rest. Eastern European it girl is the clothes, it's the makeup, it's the hair, it's the look, it's the feeling, it's everything altogether. And then that shot is what she sends out for auditions that happen to match that energy. Always bring more clothes than you need and always make a playlist. I sometimes make several playlists. I actually have a photo shoot coming up in about a week and I'm gonna make at least one playlist that is going to pump me up and put me in a good mood. As far as makeup and hair, if you hire somebody to do your hair and makeup, they should really help you with that. They usually say, come with clean, dry hair and no makeup on. So your makeup artist should be able to do your makeup in a way that's appropriate for a headshot, which is not a glam look. Unless you're doing a specific energy where you have a specifically made up glam look, you're gonna wanna go pretty neutral with your look. Your headshot should look like you on a great day. It should not look like you going on a date or you going to a wedding or you just getting out of bed, unless you're doing a survivor shot. But it really should be neutral makeup that just makes you look like you on a good day. So you wanna stay away from too much makeup.
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You also wanna stay away from too much retouching. I know photographers sometimes can get carried away. You want just enough retouching so that it looks like you and it looks like it hasn't been retouched. Now, sometimes photographers will wanna charge, say
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$50 to retouch per shot. I think that's too much. I would not wanna pay that.
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So I like to go to Fiverr where you can find people who can retouch for a much lower price. Or I know how to retouch so I usually just do it myself. Please for the love of God, do not use an AI generated headshot. I've seen a couple of them for audition submissions.
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Instantly out,
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gone. No,
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I need a real photo of your real face. I do not want something AI generated. Do not do that.
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Okay, here's some examples of headshots that I love. All these folks are friends and they allowed me to share these with you. So industry standards may have changed but these are some examples of what a great headshot looks like. You can see there's not too much retouching. Some of them have visible wrinkles or maybe a little gray in their hair. That's totally fine. You look how you look. And you can always take a photo shoot a year or two down the line if your look changes.
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Don't be ashamed of how you look. Everything that is you is exactly the thing that's going to book you the part. And as you can see from these photos, you can have a variety of looks and still have a captivating, very castable photo of yourself. Bottom line, it needs to look like you. It needs to be professional. It should be industry standard and
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love yourself before, during and after this very vulnerable process.
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If you end up doing a photo shoot after this and using some of this to inform your shoot,
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(Music)
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The Vermillion Podcast is sponsored by Vermillion, a home for artists. We offer classes, coaching, and community for creatives and innovators in the arts. If you're ready to find your voice and build the life of your dreams, we're here to support you every step of the way. Check out clubvermillion.com and schedule a free call today.
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