Tips for Acting Headshots
Most photographers ask you to pose for the camera. My job is to get you to stop posing. So the “true of you” shines through.
There are myriad tools I use in your shoot to do this.
But, there are also tools that YOU can use before your shoot so you show up prepared to be present instead of posed, loose in front of the lens, and absolutely ready to rock your shots.
Headshot of “Manifest” Star Luna Blaise by Kenneth Dolin Photography
SNL Star Molly Shannon by Photographer Kenneth Dolin
The Secret to Headshots, Part 1: “The Tao of Headshots.”
The Inner is the Outer. Your headshot is about YOU, not the background, not the wardrobe, not the uber-cool lighting. I don’t want someone to look at your headshot and say “amazing photograph” or “amazing shirt” or “amazing location.” I want them to look at your headshot and say “amazing PERSON.”
You Are Enough. You are enough. Meditate on that. Really. Or, meditate on this great quote from Dr. Seuss: “Today you are you, this is truer than true, there is no one alive, who is Youer than you.”
The Window to Your Soul is Not Your Torso. There is a reason they call it a HEADSHOT. Unless you are an athlete showing off a physique, or a dancer or model, we want the majority of the shots to be about your face. Your face has fifty-two amazing muscles that allow you to express emotion. Our goal is to use all fifty-two of them.
How you feel is how you look. It’s easy to make someone look glam and airbrushed. That strokes the ego, amigo. But it might not get you work, particularly if the shot is an untrue representation. Your real beauty comes from feeling alive, connected, and present. In short, “How you feel is how you look.”
This is NOT a photo shoot. Yes, you heard me. Your headshot session is not a photo shoot. It is an acting gig. And a play date. And a meditation session. And an acting gig. Yes, it’s an acting gig. Because you’re an actor. Remember, models pose. But posing is fake. Actors react. Reacting is real. So be real. Let go. This is a safe place to do that.
The process is the result. Don’t focus so much on getting results that you forget to be in the moment and improvisational. If you’re thinking about results, you may be taking yourself out of the moment. Let go. And don’t be afraid to play, to explore, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to…
Get it Wrong Sometimes. The more you obsess on getting it right, the more you will get it wrong. And the moments where you feel like you’re getting it wrong are often the best shots.
Laugh. Laughter feels good. It makes you breathe. It relaxes you. And it is really fun.
Take your work seriously, but not yourself. Nuff said.
Headshot of NFL Star Brandon Flowers by Kenneth Dolin Photography
Acting headshot by LA Photographer Kenneth Dolin
Headshot of Emmy Award Winner Olivia Rose-Keegan by Kenneth Dolin Photography
The Secret Headshots, Part 2: Power Sharing.
Be the actor, not the director. So many actors shot up wanting to direct their own shoots. Don’t. Share your ideas before the shoot, but then do YOUR job which is to be present and open to direction and ideas. If you direct your own shoot, you’re outside of yourself and not present. Let me know what you want. But then let go and be present as an actor. That doesn’t mean you have to be passive. You must….
Communicate. If you need to regroup, tell me. If you feel blocked, tell me. If you love me, tell me. You get the point. This is your shoot. Communicate your needs. We’re a team. As a team member, I’ll be ready. You should also be…
Be ready to rock. You have to show up ready. I do much more than most headshot photographers to help you find real connection to a full spectrum of emotional colors. But you have to be prepared. Once in the room, we let the preparation go, but do your homework first. Know your look or let me consult with you about it. Do the work to have the right mindset so you’re ready to let yourself out and no so worried about results that you shut your self down. Bring you’re a-game. Show up ready to work, the same way you would at an audition or an acting job.
“Most photographers ask you to pose for the camera. My job is to get you to stop posing.”