Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Ask A Stage Goddess - What Do I Wear For My Headshots?



Here is one of the headshots from my most recent photo shoot a few weeks ago. I, like many actors, do not even really enjoy this part of our job. Unlike models I hear who absolutely love it! Maybe because they are getting paid. Actors hope to land a job as a result of having good headshots.  It is probably the most important tool of the trade. At the very least it will get us in the door.

I went through my closet and pulled out a lot of different “looks”. You really only need to be concerned with tops: shirts, blouses, jackets, sweaters, etc. since we only see the upper part of your body for headshots. (I must note that the pink I am wearing in this photo and the video is a dress). I was going for colors that look good on me, bright and colorful for commercials and darker colors for the more dramatic look for TV and film. The photographer helped me choose my wardrobe, he knew exactly what backdrop to use for each look. He is also phenomenal at lighting for Black actors which is important and not to be taken for granted. 



Let’s talk about hair and make up for a minute. For the men, if you are an actor, you should already be familiar and comfortable wearing make up for the camera, so you might want to put on a little powder to help keep down the shine. Ladies, I heard an amazing tip recently. DO NOT hire a hair stylist and make up artist for your photo shoot!! Why? Because you are the one who will be doing your own hair and make up for every audition. The last thing you want to do is submit a photo that doesn’t look like you when you walk into the audition room. You can definitely style your hair differently in your photos and change up the make up for a specific look if necessary. The more natural the better.

Get a good night’s rest, be one time and be prepared…Camera Ready! I like to listen to music during the shoot, it relaxes me and gets me into character. So load up that playlist on your iPhone and have fun!!

3 comments:

  1. Great tips! Your headshot looks fabulous! Your beautiful smile makes it shine. Pink does look great on you.

    ~Urailak

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  2. Good advice about not hiring a make-up artist for your head shot. I agree that you should be as natural as possible--all the time. hehe.

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