The most important thing to convey in your headshot.

[LA Headshot Photography by Vanie]

“What is the most important thing to convey in your headshot?” 🤔

A while back, I was asked this excellent question by Halley Bondy, a news reporter for Backstage West, the paper version of Backstage.com, for their then popular column, called “Ask a Photographer”. 

I had to answer it in 200 words or less! And I’m sharing what I had to say here because while trends change, marketing and business concepts don’t! 💁‍♀️

The most important thing to convey in a headshot is specific marketing looks!

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 your specific age range and the specific roles you’d audition for, such as “corporate business man”, “young BBQ Mom”, “the Down and Out” or “Love Interest”, 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 for an interview are greater, since you’ve eliminated the guesswork as to how they should market you! ✅

You can figure out your marketing looks by narrowing down your age range (ideally a 7yrs age range), and by doing a little research observing where “you” are cast on TV.

REMEMBER, this is a business, and your headshot is like a business card.

If the business card doesn’t tell reps what roles they should submit you for, the chances of getting called in for auditions are slimmer. 🤏

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I love helping you by putting out this free information (often written on weekends and evenings) so please help me spread the word by commenting and or sharing this post on your social feed! 🙏