Three Rules You Can’t Ignore
when choosing your outfits for acting headshots
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Excellent headshots are absolutely vital for an actor to get audition opportunities.
Your headshot must be:
An accurate representation of you (your unique characteristics, best qualities, scars, smile lines and all!)
A good showcase of your types (what role are you going for? Who is this character?)
Professional (do you take this career path seriously or not?)
Your clothing can make or break the effectiveness of your headshots.
Here are 3 rules that when followed, will help you communicate to casting directors clearly, and stand out as a professional in the industry.
1. Make sure all of your clothing is completely free of wrinkles
Simply put, iron your clothing and hang each item on a hanger. No exceptions, even with pants.
This rule seems obvious, but you may find that when it comes time to pack for your headshot session, you’re tempted to pack items like T-shirts, denim, flannels, etc. in a duffle bag, suitcase, or backpack. ….I mean… it didn’t have wrinkles when you packed it in there, right?
This is a guaranteed way to get off to a bad start in your session.
Do I have an iron and ironing board? Yes. Will I please iron your clothes so we can shoot them? Yes. But the time that I spend ironing your clothes will significantly decrease the amount of time we have to shoot. Let’s spend that time in front of the camera instead of … well.. watching me iron :)
2. Do not wear busy patterns, big earrings, distracting hats.…basically chaos, lol.
A fun outfit like this one may seem like a nice, specific type (artist, cool girl, boho, to name a few), but for headshots, it’s just way too busy.
When an outfit is too busy, it’s difficult to immediately notice the YOU in the image, and it’s too easy to focus on the chaos or pattern.
Avoid loud patterns, large earrings or necklaces, hats, and words on your shirt.
Don’t make it hard for casting directors to connect with you by wearing confusing clothing. We want to help YOU shine - your smile, your true appearance, and your eye contact.
Keep your outfits simple, 1-2 layers, and normally solid colored - especially if these are your only headshots.
However - there are exceptions to this rule! You can wear patterns if:
Your agency has asked for it. Sometimes they want a really specific type, or to market you for your very unique personality and qualities. In this case, you can even wear accessories and words on your shirt if needed. Always ask your coach or agency before bringing a loud outfit, however.
The pattern is simple and enhances the type in a way that doesn’t distract from your face. Smaller stripes, very small florals, plaid and sometimes polka dots are examples of patterns that are ok. I generally recommend pairing any pattern with a solid layer, however, whether it be a plain T-shirt underneath, or a solid-colored button-up or jacket.
This is your 4th or more look. In fact, I usually recommend to go more specific when you have several looks in your portfolio to help define your types further. A shirt with some words paired with a grungy black denim jacket would be a good example of a specific type that would be acceptable to break the rules for.
3. Avoid Super Bright, and Super Pale Colors
Often I have actors who think that a really bright shirt (like hot pink, chartreuse, or neon yellow) will help them pop off the screen.. but unfortunately, it just takes over in all the ways.
This photo here is a completely unedited example of a sweet client who brought in the cutest athletic outfit, but as you can see, the pink was overwhelming. Her skin tone is perfect in camera, but the outfit color completely dominated, and we were unable to shoot this look.
By contrast, very pale pastel colors tend to wash out every skin tone, and can even look white on camera (but not quite.. so… a dirty white? In any case - no.)
If you’ve been instructed by your agency to wear bold colors, think along the lines of true colors, like grass green, cobalt blue, or Christmas red.
Colors that work best are slightly muted colors like olive green or dust blue, or jewel tones like emerald green, teal, purple, medium maroon (not too dark), or gray. Black is always a good option if your type calls for it for your more theatrical look.
Where would you like to go from here?
What’s your type? Let’s make sure your headshots clearly and immediately show casting directors who you are and what you have to offer the role.
Have some questions about headshots?
Check out this FAQ that answers some common questions about headshot sessions here in my Orlando studio.
If you’ve still got more questions, I’d love for you to get in touch! I’d love to hear from you.
FAQ
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To book a headshot session here in my Orlando photo studio, choose whichever package meets your needs best here. Then once you complete payment, I will be in touch very soon to schedule your date
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Headshot sessions are scheduled only after you complete your order online.
I can usually schedule you within 1 week of your online order (weekends about 3 weeks out). Don’t worry - we will find a time that works for both of us (or all of us if you opted for hair/makeup)!
If you are on a time crunch, shoot me a message to ask about a certain date.
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Packages start at $274 for one look, and go from there depending on how many looks you need and if you book our professional hair and makeup artist.
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Orlando, Florida - about 10 minutes west of Universal Studios.