Headshot trends change–stay current!

[LA Headshot Photographer Vanie]

Before digital, we had film, the mystery of black and white, and a whole lot of freedom. 🎉

Those were the days when I didn’t have to accommodate the demands of internet directories, forcing headshot photographers to frame tighter, taking away the ability to use the subject’s body as a means to communicate.

Those were the days when a 3/4 image was perfectly acceptable, because there was no such thing as a ‘thumbnail’ that made the head too small.

Ah, those were the days. 😌

And of course, headshots were black and white, which made everyone’s skin look perfect and added an element of mystery that simply isn’t there with color.

Back then, none of my male clients needed to hire a makeup artist!

2003/2004 WAS WHEN DIGITAL REPRODUCTION MACHINES made color headshots financially accessible to actors. Prior to that, labs had to use a printed 8×10 photo to make a large 8×10 negative, which they then used to reproduce the image from.

Because color reproductions from those negatives involved a more elaborate process, it was too expensive to reproduce, so headshots were in black and white. Digital machines changed headshot trends forever by introducing affordable color. 🎨

Shortly after the color headshot was introduced, directories— the likes of which include Casting Networks and LA Casting— were born. 

These directories brought with them the end of 3/4 images that incorporated the body and environment, because headshots were essentially reduced to online thumbnails that casting directors can look through 🔎 QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY.

It took a while for photographers to shift gears, but we soon realized that if we wanted our images to pop online and to be effective for actors, we had to essentially shoot traditional portraits.

As long as the internet is here to stay, this trend is also here to stay. ✅

CURRENT HEADSHOTS NEED TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED so that casting directors perusing these sites can clearly see your face before deciding to move on, or ideally— to click on your thumbnail.

That means:

1. They need to be waist up
2. They need to be processed properly so they pop online

But also…

With digital cameras being able to shoot upwards of 22 megapixels, including HD film, every little detail on the face is visible. 😱

That means:

1. Men need makeup just much as women do
2. Photographers need to carefully vet and work with TALENTED MAKEUP ARTISTS with the skills to apply makeup generously, while still making you look natural.

Ah, the good old days. It’s fun to look back, but we can’t stay there forever, right?

The industry keeps changing, and so do our photos. Headshots may have lost a bit of their mystique and a whole lot of breathing room, but they’ve found a new job: to get you noticed in a big crowd of other faces, and to do it fast. 

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