In this article, I'd like to continue explaining the most important looks for headshots, as there are 20 in total. This article will cover numbers 16 through 20. These looks should only be sought after once you've done the others because these are not as important.
16. Insanity: Being crazy, mad, and demented can really make a headshot pop. This is something that a lot of actors don't even think to do because it's so outrageous. But since you're an actor, you might as well try sending out some crazy headshots every once in a while just to see what happens. A while back, I wrote an important article about experimenting to get better. Rather than doing the same thing over and over, you should experiment because you never know when something better could lie around the corner. Even if the risk means possibly losing out on an opportunity.
17. Timidity: Being timid, bashful, shy, or even embarrassed can make a headshot more interesting. Typically, you want to look confident in your headshots. But every once in a while, playing the opposite can also have a powerful effect. A casting director looking at a shot that shows someone appearing very shy might think that that person would be perfect for that role. Again, however, all of these emotions in this article are for specific character roles, and are not good to do unless you've covered the first seven.
18. Anxiety: Being anxious, flustered, and even tense is great for a headshot, because again, these show specific characters. These emotions are extremely specific that can help you in branding. If you always tend to play the ruffled and upset characters, having it shown your headshot might be helpful.
19. Fright: Being horrified, terrified, or simply scared can help make a headshot more interesting. It is very rare that people have an expression of fright in headshots. This is the nineteenth most important emotion, and I recommend it very infrequently. It is only used for character looks, perhaps on a website (rather than being sent out for auditions). Therefore, I recommend you only ask for a horrified and scared look if you have extra time in your session.
20. Boredom: The lethargic and lackadaisical look of boredom is used very infrequently in headshots, but is another emotion that the human face can portray. You may only want to send this out in the very rare instance that a project is looking for someone who appears as the though they don't care at all about anything. But most of the time, if you submit a headshot that shows you looking bored, it won't look professional. So tread extremely carefully on this least important emotion for headshots.
Hopefully these different emotions I've written about in these past few articles have been helpful to you and will explain clearly what you can get from headshots. I personally put together this list and did a lot of research into it so that actors and photographers understand exactly what emotions are helpful for headshots and what the human face can portray. If you decide to hire me for a headshot session have no doubt that we will achieve each emotion you want fully, and we will get you a winning set of headshots.
Do you have any suggestions for other emotions that aren't covered in here? Leave a comment!
16. Insanity: Being crazy, mad, and demented can really make a headshot pop. This is something that a lot of actors don't even think to do because it's so outrageous. But since you're an actor, you might as well try sending out some crazy headshots every once in a while just to see what happens. A while back, I wrote an important article about experimenting to get better. Rather than doing the same thing over and over, you should experiment because you never know when something better could lie around the corner. Even if the risk means possibly losing out on an opportunity.
17. Timidity: Being timid, bashful, shy, or even embarrassed can make a headshot more interesting. Typically, you want to look confident in your headshots. But every once in a while, playing the opposite can also have a powerful effect. A casting director looking at a shot that shows someone appearing very shy might think that that person would be perfect for that role. Again, however, all of these emotions in this article are for specific character roles, and are not good to do unless you've covered the first seven.
18. Anxiety: Being anxious, flustered, and even tense is great for a headshot, because again, these show specific characters. These emotions are extremely specific that can help you in branding. If you always tend to play the ruffled and upset characters, having it shown your headshot might be helpful.
19. Fright: Being horrified, terrified, or simply scared can help make a headshot more interesting. It is very rare that people have an expression of fright in headshots. This is the nineteenth most important emotion, and I recommend it very infrequently. It is only used for character looks, perhaps on a website (rather than being sent out for auditions). Therefore, I recommend you only ask for a horrified and scared look if you have extra time in your session.
20. Boredom: The lethargic and lackadaisical look of boredom is used very infrequently in headshots, but is another emotion that the human face can portray. You may only want to send this out in the very rare instance that a project is looking for someone who appears as the though they don't care at all about anything. But most of the time, if you submit a headshot that shows you looking bored, it won't look professional. So tread extremely carefully on this least important emotion for headshots.
Hopefully these different emotions I've written about in these past few articles have been helpful to you and will explain clearly what you can get from headshots. I personally put together this list and did a lot of research into it so that actors and photographers understand exactly what emotions are helpful for headshots and what the human face can portray. If you decide to hire me for a headshot session have no doubt that we will achieve each emotion you want fully, and we will get you a winning set of headshots.
Do you have any suggestions for other emotions that aren't covered in here? Leave a comment!
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