Los Angeles actor headshot photographer

Your type comes down to two things: the age range you can realistically play, and the roles your look and essence can believably support, NOT just what you look like. Start by narrowing down a seven year age range, then research major network, cable and streaming shows for actors in your age group. When a role resonates with you, run that potential actor headshot look through two questions: can I believably book this role based on how I look and my essence combined?

For a deeper breakdown of how to do this research and stress-test any advice you’re given, read Confused by All the Advice About Your Headshot Looks? Here’s How to Gain Clarity. If you’d like to learn what headshot types are right for you in your age group, download my Ultimate Look Guide for Actors.

Wear clothing that dresses for the role, the look or the type you’re being photographed for, not what you’d wear day to day. The concept is no different than how you’d dress for an audition. The character comes first, not your personal style. That said, there are no rules. Specifically, while primary colors work well, patterns are also fine (as long as the background stays simple so nothing competes for attention), and white and pastels are no longer off-limits since with the help of AI we can now keep them from turning into a distracting hot spot. Graphic tees can be essential for conveying certain looks, accessories like hats, scarves, glasses and jewelry are ALL welcome too, as long as it clarifies the look and isn’t just to indulge a personal preference.

For the full list of tips this answer is pulled from, read Six Tips Demystifying Wardrobe for Headshots. If you want the full breakdown of what to wear for every acting headshot looks before your session with a professional headshot photographer, grab The Ultimate Wardrobe Guide for Actors, the most comprehensive guide for stress-free preparation.

Most adult actors need a minimum of 4 headshot looks to cover the staple categories agents and managers ask for: Business, Girl/Guy Next Door, Mom/Dad, and Edgy, while kids typically need 1 to 3 looks depending on their age. The closer they are to upper teens, the more range they’ll have and therefore the more looks they’ll need. Each of those four headshot look categories breaks down into specific looks within it, so “Business” might mean the Young Professional or the Student, “Girl/Guy Next Door” might mean the Gamer or the Boho, and “Edgy” might mean the Troubled Teen, all depending on what your age range and essence can believably support, since not every actor books every sub-category even within the same staple look.

Before your session, make sure you know exactly how many outfits your package includes so you and your stylist plan accordingly. Read 4 Tips When Hiring a Stylist for more on that. If you don’t know which specific acting headshot types fit your age group before booking with an acting headshot photographer, grab my Ultimate Look Guide: it breaks down the popular headshot looks agents and managers are asking for in your age group.

Refresh your headshots every 8 to 10 months or immediately after you drastically change your look like getting a hair cut etc. The casting directors who already brought you in will largely stay fans even after you update your look, but the ones who scrolled past you for eight straight months on the same shots aren’t going to suddenly say yes on month nine, so a fresh take (adding new looks or a different headshot for the same looks) gives you a shot at the casting directors who weren’t persuaded the first time around. Read the full theory behind this in How Often Should You Get Headshots? And once you do refresh, make sure you’re showing your team the full range you shot, not just your personal favorites; here’s why that matters in How to Make it Hard for Your New Agent to Ask for New Headshots.

Casting directors and agents want a headshot that does two specific things: specific looks (the exact type you’d audition for), and your personality as the character, since your personality is what actually sells you for the role. Generic “pretty” headshots don’t work because casting directors are scanning 5000 to 7000 thumbnails for a single role which means the more specific your headshots are (the more your headshots fit the part they’re casting) the better the chances are you’ll get the audition.

Read more on when specific headshots matter and when they don’t in Specific Looks Work, Until They Don’t And of course your personality plays a big role here (pun intended) because it helps you believably embody the essence of the character instead of just changing outfits, which is exactly what agents and managers themselves say they’re looking for in Agents and Managers Tell Us What They Look For In a Headshot.

LA acting headshots can cost anywhere from $50 to $1,000, but that number isn’t actually the question worth asking. The smarter question is: what’s the true cost of a stagnating career and reshooting over and over again? Prices vary, but the number on the invoice matters less than whether the photographer actually understands industry standards, because a cheap session that doesn’t produce results ends up costing more once you factor in the years lost and money spent on reshoots.

Go cheap and the math tends to play out like this: you spend $200 on a photographer who’s just starting out, the results don’t hold up to industry standards, you reshoot and you’re already at $350 with headshots that still don’t work, and eventually you invest in the professional photographer you should have booked from the start, landing closer to $800 total, over two years, with no ROI to show for most of that spending. Read the full story behind that math in Why the $200 Headshot Doesn’t Work.

Compare that to investing once in a pro with a proven record of getting actors auditions: you see a return on that investment through the auditions and bookings it brings in, you make back what you spent and then some, and your career actually moves forward. It’s an investment in getting auditions, not a cost to minimize, and if you’re wondering why headshot photographers charge so much in the first place, Why Are Some Headshot Photographers So F$%&^# Expensive? breaks down exactly what you’re paying for.