How to prepare for your headshot session and what to ask your photographer

A headshot is a professional tool, not just a beautiful photograph. Its sole purpose is to show a casting director the face of a person they can invite for an audition. Anything that hinders this goal—artistic lighting, heavy retouching, or complex makeup—reduces the value of the image, even if the shot looks visually striking.

How to Choose a Photographer

The key criterion is not their general skill level, but their specific experience with actor portraits. A wedding photographer with a stunning portfolio may take a beautiful portrait of you, but it won't necessarily work for a casting.

What to look for in their portfolio:

• The eyes are readable. In an actor's portrait, the gaze should be clear, not obscured by glares or shadows.
• Diverse faces. If every model in their portfolio looks the same, that is the photographer's "signature style," not your portrait.
• Even lighting. Dramatic shadows on one side of the face are aesthetically pleasing but almost always useless for casting.
• Invisible retouching. Skin should retain its texture rather than looking like a plastic surface.
• Full-length shots are present, not just close-ups.

Ask directly if they have experience working with actors and if they understand what is required for casting. An answer like "I'll make you look beautiful" is the wrong answer.

What to Agree Upon Before the Shoot

• Number of looks: How many outfit changes are included in the session and how much time is allocated.
• Final delivery: How many edited shots you will receive and the turnaround time.
• Raw files: Whether they provide the unedited originals—at least as previews for selection.
• Selection process: Who chooses the frames for retouching—it should be you, not the photographer.
• Scope of retouching: Specifically discuss that facial features should not be altered.
• Usage rights: You need the right to post the images anywhere without restrictions.
• Makeup artist: Is one provided, and is the cost included?

Note: Please be aware that rates, contract forms, and tax rules vary by market and region.

One Week Before

• Do not make radical changes to your hairstyle. Get your haircut at least a week prior so the hair has time to "settle."
• Avoid starting new skincare treatments; skin reactions can be unpredictable.
• Get plenty of sleep for two to three consecutive days, not just the night before.
• Reduce salt and alcohol intake two days before the shoot to avoid puffiness.
• Prepare your clothing and ensure everything is ironed.

What to Bring to the Shoot

• Five to seven tops in different tones: dark, light, medium, and one colored option. The bottom half is rarely visible in a headshot.
• Solid colors without prints or logos. Stripes and small checks can create a "moire" effect or distract in the frame.
• Different necklines: Round, V-neck, and a collared shirt.
• One "character" look: If you are frequently cast for a specific archetype, bring something that character would wear.
• A comb, styling products, blotting papers, and a mirror.
• Water and light snacks: a two-to-three-hour shoot is more exhausting than it seems.

What not to bring: flashy jewelry, watches, glasses with reflective lenses, or scarves. All of these draw attention away from your face.

What Lighting to Request

Use a phrasing that any photographer will understand: soft key light from the front, slightly above eye level, with light fill from below, and no harsh shadows on the face. This is the foundation of an actor's portrait.

What to avoid or decline if offered:

• Harsh side lighting that leaves half the face in deep shadow.
• Colored gels.
• Strong backlight that "eats" the contour of the head.
• Shooting against a window to create a silhouette.
• Smoke, lens flares, or foreground bokeh.

The background should be a solid, light gray, or neutral tone. It must not compete with your face.

How to Behave in Front of the Camera

The main problem with actor shoots is the attempt to "act." A headshot doesn't require a character; it requires presence.

• Chin slightly forward and down. This eliminates the appearance of a double chin and opens the eyes.
• Drop your shoulders. Tension in the shoulders is always visible in a photograph.
• Breathe. Holding your breath is read as tension/stiffness.
• Thought instead of expression. Think about something specific—your eyes will come alive naturally. A vacant "photographic" look happens when there is nothing in the mind.
• Avoid a full-tooth smile. One or two shots with an open smile are enough; the rest should be neutral and slightly warm.
• Ask for breaks. Every twenty minutes, stretch, drink water, and review the shots.

Number of Looks per Session

Three to four is reasonable. Any more leads to a drop in quality: by the fifth look, you will be tired, and your expressions will become repetitive. Each "look" consists of a change of top and a slight hair adjustment, not a full makeup change.

Make sure to take both a close-up portrait and a full-length shot for every look.

How to Select the Frames

Selection is more important than the shoot itself, and it should not be done immediately.

1. Review the previews a day or two later, not on the evening of the shoot.
2. First pass: cut out technical failures—closed eyes, blur, or strange facial distortions.
3. Second pass: keep the ones where the eyes look "alive." This is the only non-negotiable criterion.
4. Third pass: check for variety—different moods, rather than five nearly identical shots.
5. Show your selection to a professional in the industry, not to family. Family members choose where you look the most beautiful; a casting director chooses where you look the most like yourself.

Retouching: Where to Draw the Line

Allowed: Removing temporary blemishes—pimples, redness, a stray hair, or dust on clothing. Slightly evening out the skin tone.

Forbidden: Changing the shape of the face or nose, removing moles and scars, smoothing skin until it looks like plastic, changing eye color, or slimming the body. All of this will be revealed at the audition and will create the exact problem you took the photos to avoid.

Permanent features—moles, scars, gaps between teeth—are not flaws; they are the traits that make you memorable.

Summary

• Find a photographer with specific experience in actor portraits.
• Agree in advance on looks, deadlines, selection, and usage rights.
• Bring solid-colored tops in various tones; no prints or jewelry.
• Request soft key lighting from the front; reject "artistic" experiments.
• Aim for three to four looks per session, with close-ups and full-length shots for each.
• Select based on the "life" in the eyes and retouch only temporary imperfections.

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