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Images Matter
If you are serious about your career as a Model, Actor, or Entertainer, your “Image” is Everything.
Professional Portfolio Images are a must for Models, Actors, and Entertainers of all ages. The “look” can be tailored to your specific needs from casual to corporate, modern to traditional. And a well-rounded portfolio or composite card shows a mix of looks to best match a client’s needs.
You want your pictures to be uniquely you— an extension of your personality—the kind of images your eyes return to time after time.
Every Model, Actor and Entertainer is expected to have a Professional Headshot, either a print, or more commonly, a digital headshot image to provide to casting directors for any audition you may have. Many individuals have several different headshot images, each depicting a different look.
Most agencies, casting directors and clients prefer images to be submitted electronically and you can keep your digital images on your computer, a smart phone or a flash drive/memory stick to electronically distribute and market your skills and talent.
Professional Headshots
Many casting directors and scouts are seeking a particular look or need only an identifying headshot. They most often are interested in a face, not a fashion identity. Besides primary roles, they also need people for fill-in, background, featured extras, or people with certain characteristics or who look like a particular character in their “story”.
A professional headshot is often the ONLY thing they will accept, so it is smart to have a headshot as well as a comp card in addition to your portfolio book.
Headshots are usually 8”x10”. The back is left blank and that is a good place to attach your resume page. The resume can be stapled to the back of the headshot, and some even run off their resume on the back of the headshot card. Hey, the casting director can’t loose it that way!
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As for whether to have a color or black and white headshot, it depends on the individual’s desires.
One casting director I know wants only black and white headshots. He puts them all up on the wall and when he needs a certain “look”, he can scan the wall for a match and is not distracted by colors.
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Yet, color headshots are almost universally accepted by casting people, and when they present the headshots to the client or producer, those folks seem to like color. So, it can be an either/or/ . . or both choice.
Some very successful models and actors have a variety of headshot “looks”. Most of the time, when going on an audition, the role you are auditioning for is known. If they are looking for an on-the-job mechanic, a rather casual, maybe scruffy look fits the bill. But if they are looking for a pharmaceutical salesman, a more upscale or corporate look is the headshot card you want to take to leave with them.
In todays’ competitive market, cover your bases well.
In your Professional Portfolio Book, you want pictures that show your various looks from casual to corporate and other directions in between. Your portfolio book should contain professional pictures only—no homemade snapshots, prom pictures, the school play, etc.—save those for your scrapbook at home.
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Your portfolio should contain a variety of outfits, attitudes and may be a mix of color and black and white images. Your book may contain 20 or more shots, but avoid duplicating certain outfits and looks just to fill the book. A well thought-out book will contain the best pictures and variety and 10 knockout pictures is far more effective than an additional dozen repeats or
“so-so” photos.