Headshot Q&A
Why should I hire a makeup artist for headshots?
Well for one, the work that you see in my portfolio, the work based on which you hire me, only looks as good as the lighting I use and the makeup artist I employ! If it wasn’t for the subtle touches of a makeup artist at work behind the scenes, my portraits wouldn’t look as clean, and consequently, you would think twice about hiring me. Having said that, when you do hire me, you expect your photos to look as good as the photos representing the body of work in my portfolio. I can almost guarantee that without a makeup artist, there will be an unrealistic expectation to see your face in a more “finished” light, like the faces you see in my portfolio. Without the whole package (makeup artist included) you might be let down.
I don’t shoot glamour headshots, and there is certainly a market for that sort of look where professional makeup is obviously essential, but even headshots that represent you as you are, need a little help from the makeup department. Why? Because headshots are a sort of business card where you’re selling yourself. They are what I call “the you on your best day”, so they should represent you in the best light possible without unrealistically changing your face. The best makeup artists will never change your face, furthermore, their makeup will never draw the focus away from you. On men, makeup will help even out skin tones, under eye circles, and get rid of blemishes that lighting alone can not get rid of. This in turn saves you money on retouching! In fact, when applied by an expert, the makeup will simply disappear while doing its job. For women, although hard to believe for those of us wearing makeup all our lives, makeup for camera is very different than makeup for every day use. Coverage could seem significantly more than what women are used to, however, colors should be kept light to prevent you from looking overdone. When applying their own makeup, while some women don’t wear enough, others tend to overdo what’s needed for camera. The camera picks up all sorts of subtleties such as mismatched colors, smudges, smears, that a professional makeup artist is aware of and works to prevent.
Last but not least, if you chose to do your own makeup, while shooting, the last thing you should be concerning yourself with is…makeup! Your focus should always be the photographer and his or her direction. Makeup artists are a good idea to have on hand since they will always be there to touch up shine, sweat, caking makeup etc., without you having to think about it.
I was on a shoot once where my client chose to do her own makeup. It happened to be a hot day and her makeup started caking and becoming blotchy. However, the more she tried to blend it, the more blotchy it became. Basically it was a disaster because her focus was pulled from the shoot and her makeup wasn’t doing the job! The foundation she used did not agree with the shooting conditions, something that could have been avoided with a professional makeup artist using professional products. In the end, retouching was her only salvation.
One last note: In the case of severe dark circles, sometimes even retouching can’t fix it fully, unless you don’t mind losing all definition under your eyes and looking like an alien.
Here are some samples of my long time, loyal, favorite client, Tim Wadhams. Sorry Tim!
These photos were taken at different times and they are samples of some serious under eye bags! Tim has no makeup in the headshot on the left. He does have makeup in the headshot on the right. Both photos are NOT retouched so that you can get a realistic idea of how much makeup can help in a more severe case.
Headshot with and without professional makeup
And now just for kicks, both photos, retouched. Even with retouching the one with makeup applied looks better!
Retouched headshots
What should I bring to a headshot session?
Here’s the thing. Trends have changed in LA. Used to be that headshots were in black and white. Used to be that three quarter head shots were it. Used to be, used to be, used to be. Digital advancements in both cameras and printers have made it possible for the color headshot to be reproduced cheaply and for the birth of online casting. There are hardly any more paper submissions. In fact, most auditions arrive via email these days. Since all your photos are submitted digitally, and since the thumbnails online get really really small, the smartest thing to do is to shoot mainly close ups. Makes sense right? You don’t want your face getting lost in the thumbnail which is the only thing casting directors really see…unless they click on your headshot (but that’s a whole other topic of discussion). The agents I work with want to see your face and not your body. The 90s are gone folks! Having said that, stop bringing your shoe collection, all your skirts and all your pants to photo shoots! Start bringing the brightest most saturated colors (tops) you have in your closet. Your goal with color headshots online is to bring as much color into the headshot as possible so that you pop. If your closet is full of browns, blacks and generally muted colors, go shopping and don’t take the tags off! Also bring accessories. Bring the things that make you…you. Bring your hats, your jewelry, and whatever else makes you unique. Just don’t pull clothes out of the closet you haven’t worn in years because you’re going to a photo shoot. Bring your favorite clothes. After all, just as you put your best foot forward on a first date (and hopefully on the second one too), headshots are you on your best day! So don’t show up to your headshot session unprepared and always bring plenty of clothes based on the above mentioned guidelines so that your photographer can give you some ideas of what works best!
Below are some samples of great saturated colors that work…courtesy of Jake Martin, one of my clients who actually took my advice on clothing!
Headshot with bright colors
Headshot with great wardrobe colors
Headshot with blue to accent the black suit
What’s the most important thing an actor should convey in his or her headshot?
Recently I was asked to contribute to a Backstage West column called “Ask A Photographer”.
Halley Bondy, one of the news reporters from Backstage West asked me to answer this question with 200 words or less. Oh Boy! Well here goes! Look for the December 11th issue!
The most important thing to convey in a headshot is specific marketing! The biggest mistake most actors make is taking a pretty picture that says nothing about them. Everyone can take a pretty picture but a picture that is directly targeting specific age ranges, and specific casting calls, such as “business man”, “young Mom”, “victim” or “girl next door”, is the picture that will get attention. If you present your agents with the marketing tools they need to get you in the door, you’re already one step ahead of the game. If you don’t have an agent, and you submit a variety of photos with marketing range, the chances of being called in are greater, since you’ve eliminated the guesswork as to what market you fall into! You can figure out your market by narrowing down your age range, and by doing a little research observing where “you” are cast on TV. There are also many workshops such as at Sam Christensen Studios that focus on just that! Remember, this is a business and your headshot is like a big business card. If the business card doesn’t tell us what market you fall into, the chances of getting called in for auditions are slimmer.
I’ve since started my own column of Q&A for actors. Feel free to throw in your questions in the comment box and I’ll be happy to respond. Be sure to subscribe to this feed to be notified when your questions are answered!
Victim headshot
Business Headshot
