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Note: This article is for actors. To learn about business/professional headshots, click here.
Headshots are closeup photos of actor's faces. They're used by casting directors to see what an actor looks like so they can determine whether an actor looks right for a part. In this article, we'll dive deep on what makes for a professional actor headshot, why they're so important, and what you need to know before booking your photoshoot. 
What are Headshots?So what are headshots? Well, as the name implies, headshots are photographs of people's heads. They're typically shot from chest up, showing what someone looks like so casting directors can get an idea of whether their right for the role or not. Looks are everything in the acting industry. If you don't look like the type of character a casting director wants, you won't be called in to audition. This is why your headshot must accurately represent what you currently look like (meaning minimal retouching and a photo that was taken recently) so casting directors can make a well-informed decision on whether to bring you in or not.
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Most casting directors follow a straightforward process when casting:
As you can see from the steps above, the headshot is almost always the first thing casting directors (or their assistants) look at to narrow down the pool of actors. That's why having a strong, professional one is so important!
- Ideally, they already know some actors: Most casting directors keep a rolodex of their favorite actors. If they know someone they like and think could be right for a certain role, they'll reach out directly and invite the actor to audition. Usually they'll fill in about 10-20 slots out of their 30-40 available audition slots in this fashion.
- Post the casting call: Next, they go online and post a breakdown, saying they’re looking for someone to play a specific role. They give some of the basics, including a physical description and general outline of the character’s personality so that applicants who aren’t a fit hopefully disqualify themselves before even submitting.
- Wait for responses: They can get 3,000-5,000 submissions within the first few days of posting if they post the project on Actor's Access or another major online submissions website because so many actors are looking for work. If they just post to Breakdown Services (only agents can access this), they'll still get 2,000-3,000 submissions.
- Narrow them down as fast as possible: They often ask their assistant to quickly sift through all the actors who submitted by looking at headshots and resumes to narrow disqualify those who are unprofessional and do not have what they are looking for.
- Look at reels and cover letters of the top 100-200 people: The final 100-200 people they’re left with will typically have their cover letters read (if they are shorter than 2-3 brief paragraphs), and they’ll have their reels and/or websites checked. At this point, the casting director wants to ensure that the actors they’re going to audition meet certain criteria, such as being highly talented and having a brand that fits the character they’re auditioning for. Many casting directors will also re-analyze each actor's headshot more closely.
- Invite the top 50-100 actors to submit a self-tape: They'll now ask the actors to send footage in that will give them an idea of whether the actor is qualified to come in for an actual audition. After watching these self-tapes, the top contenders are invited to fill in the remaining 10-20 audition slots.
As you can see from the steps above, the headshot is almost always the first thing casting directors (or their assistants) look at to narrow down the pool of actors. That's why having a strong, professional one is so important!
What are Headshots... Compared to Portraits?
A common misconception is that the words "headshot" and "portrait" mean the same thing. This couldn't be further from the truth.
In fact, there are a TON of differences between the two. Here's what qualifies as a headshot (vs. a portrait):
At the end of the day headshots are meant to be used for professional purposes only. The reason there are so many rules is that they need to give casting directors a realistic sense of what you look like so they can determine whether you're right or wrong for a part. That's all they should be used for.
In fact, there are a TON of differences between the two. Here's what qualifies as a headshot (vs. a portrait):
- A headshot is a type of portrait: A portrait is a broad term for any photograph of a person who is posing in some way for a camera. A headshot, on the other hand, is a form of a portrait, but more narrowly defined as a closeup of a person's face where they are looking directly at the camera.
- A portrait has almost no rules: In general, since portraits cover such a wide range of people photography, they can be done in virtually any way you want. The subject doesn't need to be looking at the camera, it can be a full-body shot, the subject can be wearing anything they want, the lighting can be as shadowy or bright as you want, etc. Headshots have very specific rules which are covered below.
- Lighting: In general, headshot lighting should be soft and flattering, and all one color-tone. There should not be too many shadows and the subject's face should be easily seen. For portraits, the lighting can be any way you want – you can use intense shadows and even light the image with all different colors if desired.
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Backdrops: For headshots, the background cannot be distracting. It should be simple – either blurred out natural scenery or a flat, even-colored or subtly mottled backdrop (white, light gray, or dark gray are common). Logos, words, and other distracting elements should never be in a headshot. But for portraits? Anything goes!
- Related: Backdrops for Actor Headshots
- Cropping: For headshots, the image should be cropped from chest up. It depends on whether the photo is being shot horizontally or vertically, but suffice it to say that a headshot should not be taken too far out (the absolute furthest would be from waist up). For portraits, they can be done as full-body, half body, or even extreme closeup shots (where it's so close that the only thing visible is your eye)!
- Focus: In headshots, both eyes should be in razor-sharp focus. The rest of the shot can be completely sharp OR somewhat blurry, with things further in the background blurred out completely. And as you can probably guess, in portraits, anything goes.
- Clothing: Keep it simple for headshots. Solid colors are best, and layering a jacket over a flat colored shirt is often a great idea. For portraits, there are no clothing rules. Learn more about what to wear in headshots here.
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Posing: For headshots, poses should be kept simple. Facing the body mostly forward tends to look best, with some slight angles to the left or right working nicely. Avoid shots where your body is turned away and you're looking back over your shoulders – save those for portraits where there are no posing rules.
- Related: How to Find Your Angles
- Related: How to Pose for Photos
- Props: Props are not recommended for headshots. Keep your hands out of the photo and keep accessories (including jewelry) to a minimum. For portraits however, props, hands, and accessories are totally fine!
- Retouching: Over-retouching a fun portrait for personal use is fine, but over-retouching a headshot to make you look younger or better than you do in real life is a recipe for disaster when you get called in for the audition and the casting director was expecting to see someone else.
At the end of the day headshots are meant to be used for professional purposes only. The reason there are so many rules is that they need to give casting directors a realistic sense of what you look like so they can determine whether you're right or wrong for a part. That's all they should be used for.
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Tips for a Great Headshot
Since headshots are so important to the casting process, they MUST be kept up to date – especially if you're looking for speaking roles as an actor. If you're simply looking for background (non-speaking) roles, casting directors don't care as much about what your headshot looks like or how expensive it appears.
Here are a few pointers to keep in mind about what constitutes a great, modern actor headshot:
If you want to dive way deeper on what makes for a great actor headshot, I highly recommend checking out my Ultimate Guide to Actor Headshots.
And if you want to learn how to hire a headshot photographer, read this.
Finally, here's a video if you want to go deeper on what are headshots:
Here are a few pointers to keep in mind about what constitutes a great, modern actor headshot:
- Indoor vs. Outdoor: Actor headshots can be shot indoors or outdoors – it usually won't make much of a difference to casting directors. Indoor headshots are usually done with studio lighting and have either blurry backgrounds or flat backdrops (gray, white, or black are most common, but some include colored backdrops). Outdoor headshots should have the background blurred so you stand out in the frame.
- Smiling vs. Serious: Ideally you should do some of both. If you're worried that your teeth are a bit crooked or slightly yellow, it's still a good idea take some big smile shots because retouching can fix that. If you wear braces, you should still take a smiling shot because casting directors need to know (related: Acting With Braces & How to Book More Work) Smiling shots are called "commercial headshots" and are great for submissions to comedic and friendly roles, or for TV commercials. On the other hand, serious shots, which cover a range of expressions from confident to sneaky, are called "legit shots" and should be used when applying to more serious roles, such as dramatic TV shows and films.
- Specific vs. Generalized: Most actors think they should do a generalized headshot that can be submitted to a wide variety of auditions. This is a huge mistake. It's WAY more effective to shoot a few different Type headshots and then submit the most relevant one to each audition. Example: if you're submitting for a role to play a psychologist, you'd want to use a completely different headshot than if you're submitting to play a blue-collar construction worker.
- Framing: The framing of your headshot should be at least waist up, but more ideally it should be taken closer, from chest up. Further out than that would be considered a body shot which, although useful for certain things like websites and social media pages, is unlikely to be noticed by a casting director looking through hundreds of shots on their screen. Remember, they're looking at many photos at once at a very small size, and when your photo is shot closer, they can see your face better since it's so small. When they see you more clearly, they'll be more likely to click on your shot and look through the rest of your submission.
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Horizontal vs. Vertical: In general, vertical headshots are easier to use and most casting directors prefer them. From about 2005-2012, horizontal headshots were very popular, but they've largely been fading since most online casting websites prefer vertical shots to be uploaded. Unless your outfit is not conducive to a vertical shot (meaning you can see cleavage or something else that's distracting below your neck), you should take your headshots vertically.
- Note: for the sake of this blog post, I mostly used horizontal headshots just because they worked better for the layout of the page.
- Natural vs. Studio Lighting: Some actors prefer natural light and some prefer studio light, but most casting directors don't care as long as they can see your face clearly. If the photographer uses specialized lighting to alter the shape of your face (making you thinner, for example), that's a BIG problem. Casting directors hate when actors look different in real life than they do in their headshot, so be sure to avoid that.
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Background: The background should not be distracting. If you're shooting with real life (as opposed to a flat backdrop) in the background, make sure it's extremely blurred out so you can't tell what's behind you. The sharper the background, the less professional and more distracting your headshot will look. You should also "pop" off the background, meaning if the background is really dark, you should be wearing a lighter color (or the photographer should light you in a specific way) so that you don't blend in with the background.
- If interested, you can download my bonus resource: The Ultimate Guide to Headshot Backdrops for Actors.
- Props: Avoid props and keep your hands out of the shot, unless it's being taken from the waist up. For true actor headshots shot (chest up), your hands should never be in the shot. The only "props" you can have would be glasses if you normally wear them. Keep jewelry and anything else that's not YOU out of the shot.
- Cropping and Dimensions: Actor headshots are usually printed on 8" by 10" paper, so they should be shot with a high-resolution camera so they appear sharp when printed big. It's common to crop off the tip of the hair in actor headshots, so don't worry if your photographer does this.
- Color vs. Black & White: Black and white was done in the past when it was more expensive to shoot and print photos in color, but nowadays since everything is digital, color is the way to go. Casting directors hate getting black and white headshots because it's impossible to know the color of your hair or eyes.
- Should Capture Your Type: An effective headshot will tell a casting director how to place you. Are you good at playing detective roles? Young mothers? Business CEO roles? If your headshot is unclear or you don't know what your Types are, casting directors will be significantly less likely to call you in for the audition. Learn how to find your Type in just 10 minutes.
If you want to dive way deeper on what makes for a great actor headshot, I highly recommend checking out my Ultimate Guide to Actor Headshots.
And if you want to learn how to hire a headshot photographer, read this.
Finally, here's a video if you want to go deeper on what are headshots:
Enjoyed this article?
Book more work by thinking "Outside the Industry."
Knowing what headshots are is just one part of growing your acting career.
As someone who has worked with people in thousands of industries (through my headshot business), I've been able to take growth strategies that work for businesses and apply them directly to actors – to help them grow their careers faster than most would think possible (examples: one of my clients landed his first-ever Broadway role in just 4 weeks of working with me, and a brand-new actress signed with a high-level agent in just six weeks of working with me).
I'd like to invite you to my free insider newsletter where I share my best material, including:
Download my free Actor's Toolkit to get started and you'll hear from me a few times a week with unique "outside the industry" strategies. I promise they'll help you build a career you're truly proud of.
As someone who has worked with people in thousands of industries (through my headshot business), I've been able to take growth strategies that work for businesses and apply them directly to actors – to help them grow their careers faster than most would think possible (examples: one of my clients landed his first-ever Broadway role in just 4 weeks of working with me, and a brand-new actress signed with a high-level agent in just six weeks of working with me).
I'd like to invite you to my free insider newsletter where I share my best material, including:
- How to network easily and authentically with casting directors – even if you hate self-promotion.
- How to find your Type and Brand in just 18 minutes (it doesn't require awkwardly asking lots of random people for feedback)
- How to find a hardworking and reliable agent – even if you don't have a strong resume or reel
- And much more...
Download my free Actor's Toolkit to get started and you'll hear from me a few times a week with unique "outside the industry" strategies. I promise they'll help you build a career you're truly proud of.
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Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses “outside the industry” thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 6,000 actors with their careers and actor headshots since 2009 and his photography studio City Headshots is ranked #1 on Yelp. He’s spoken at NYU, The New England Theater Conference, The Actor’s Green Room, and other venues. Want to book more acting work by thinking different? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com. |
Some Additional Q&A
Can a Headshot Be a Selfie?
In general, it's not recommended that you use a selfie for a headshot because it doesn't look professional to potential employers of casting directors. Learn more about this here: Bad Headshots vs. Good Headshots
Further Reading:
If you enjoyed this article (What Are Headshots? Everything You Need to Know), you might be interested in some of these:
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