Acting Headshots: What Casting Wants and How to Prepare for the Shoot

Picture the other side of a submission. A role goes out on a breakdown, and by the afternoon there is a long list of faces under it, each one a small square next to a name. The casting director scrolls. Some squares get a click. Many don’t.

That square is your headshot, and it does one job: it gets you the click. It doesn’t need to be the most beautiful picture ever taken of you. It needs to look like you, read clearly at a small size, and suggest the kind of person you play, so the right auditions come to you.

The short version: decide the one or two types you’re shooting for, then book a photographer whose actor shots look like real people, not models. Wear simple solid colors, and think a specific thought in every frame instead of posing. Pick the shots that look like you on a good ordinary day, check them at thumbnail size, retouch lightly, and replace them when you no longer look like them.

A headshot is read in a moment, so make it easy to read

People form impressions of a face fast. In a 2006 study in Psychological Science, Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov showed people unfamiliar faces for as little as a tenth of a second. Their paper, “First impressions: Making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face”, found that judgments made after 100 milliseconds lined up closely with judgments made with no time limit. Longer looks mostly made people more confident in judgments they had already made.

Casting is not a lab, but the lesson carries over. On Actors Access, the help center explains that casting sees each submitter’s name and headshot on the role’s submissions page, then clicks through for the resume, other photos, and media. The photo is the first thing they meet, and it may be the only thing they meet.

So the photo has to work small. An actor-marketing guide from Actor Aesthetic points out that on Actors Access your photo shows up as a square thumbnail, so the crop matters. Eyes that are clear and in focus, a face that fills enough of the frame, and a background that doesn’t compete with you all survive the shrink. Busy patterns, a tiny head in a big landscape, and moody shadows across one eye usually don’t.

It has to look like you on a good, ordinary day

A common headshot mistake isn’t a technical one. It’s a photo of someone the actor no longer is, or never quite was. The casting directors quoted in Spotlight’s headshot tips (Spotlight is the UK casting directory) put it plainly: they want to recognize you from your headshot when you walk in the room.

Think about what happens when they can’t. They called in the person in the photo, for a role that fits that person. If someone five years older, or with different hair, walks in, the audition starts with a small disappointment, and you may be wrong for the part before you say a word.

That’s why the same Spotlight tips say heavy makeup and styled hair aren’t necessary, and warn against filters, holiday snaps, and model shots. Aim for you on a good day: well slept, hair the way you usually wear it, makeup (if you wear it) the way you’d wear it to an audition. If you wear glasses most of the time, shoot some frames with them on.

When to replace them

Spotlight’s advice is to be ready to change your headshots every couple of years and to delete any photo that no longer represents you. The better trigger is your face, not the calendar: a big haircut or color change, a beard grown or shaved, a change in weight, or the moment you start reading older than the photo. If a casting director or agent says “you don’t look like your picture,” that’s the sign.

Commercial and theatrical: two audiences, two shots

You’ll hear about two kinds of headshot. The difference is less about the photography than about who’s looking.

• Theatrical shots are for plays, TV, and film. Backstage’s guide to commercial vs. theatrical headshots says they show a little more emotional depth than a commercial shot. They don’t have to be serious, but there’s something going on behind the eyes.
• Commercial shots are for ads. The same Backstage piece recommends smiling for most actors, and says it should feel relatable and engaging. Think of the person you’d believe is enjoying that coffee.

Casting Networks’ article on the difference between commercial and theatrical headshots frames it the same way: it comes down to audience. It also notes that an agent will typically want at least those two options as your defaults, with brighter colors for commercial, while theatrical can lean darker.

You don’t need two separate shoots for this. You can often get both from one session with a wardrobe change and a different thought in your head. If you only do theater, one strong shot that reads as you, warm and alive, is a fine place to start.

Decide your types before you book anyone

A headshot answers the question “what could we call this person in for?” You’ll get a clearer answer if you decide what you want it to say before the shoot, not during it.

Write down the roles you’re realistically right for now, not the ones you dream about. Think about how strangers read you, the parts you’ve actually been cast in, and the characters on shows that film near you. A shot that suggests “the reliable older sister,” “the new teacher,” or “the guy who’s trouble” gives casting something to do with it. A shot that tries to suggest everything suggests nothing.

Then pick a photographer whose portfolio already looks like that. Look at their actor work specifically, not their corporate portraits. Do the people look like people? Can you tell them apart? Do the eyes look alive? If every face in the portfolio has the same smile and the same skin, that’s what you’ll get too.

Questions to ask before you book

1. How many looks (wardrobe changes) are included, and how long is the session?
2. How many final images are retouched, and how light is the retouching?
3. Do I get high-resolution files, and in what sizes and formats?
4. Is there a makeup or hair artist, or should I come ready?
5. Indoors, outdoors, or both, and what does the background look like in a thumbnail?

Costs vary a great deal by city and by photographer. Rather than chasing the cheapest or the most famous, compare what’s included, and spend on the photographer whose actors you’d believe in a casting list.

What to wear (and what to leave at home)

Clothes in a headshot are there to frame your face and hint at a type, not to be looked at. Photographers’ wardrobe guides disagree about exact colors, but they agree on the basics:

• Solid colors that suit you.
• No logos or busy patterns.
• A simple neckline that doesn’t pull focus from your face.

A few more practical points of our own:

• Bring a few tops and let the photographer look at them on camera.
• Wear clothes that fit now and don’t crease the moment you sit.
• If you’re shooting both, bring one look for commercial (brighter, friendlier) and one for theatrical (deeper, darker tones).

Skip costumes. A suit hints at “lawyer” without making the photo about a lawyer. A white coat and stethoscope make it about the costume.

On the day: think a thought, don’t hold a pose

Here’s where actors have an edge over everyone else who gets a portrait taken: you know how to play a moment. Use it. A blank face waiting for the shutter reads as blank. A face thinking something specific reads as a person.

Give yourself a private line to think in each frame, and change it every few shots. For a commercial look, think something warm and a little playful. For a theatrical look, think something with stakes. A few that work:

• “I know something you don’t.”
• “You’re late, and I’m not mad. Yet.”
• “Wait. Say that again.”
• “I’ve got this.”

Or bring the real thing. Pick a speech you know well, maybe from our list of monologues, and run the thoughts silently between frames. The photographer gets eyes that are doing something, and you get to stop worrying about what your face is doing.

Also: eat, sleep, and arrive early enough to settle. Bring your wardrobe pressed, a lint roller, and water. Tell the photographer which looks matter most, so they don’t run out of time before the one you need.

Choosing, retouching, and using your shots

You’ll get a gallery of proofs, and you’ll hate half of them. That’s normal. Choose with the job in mind, not with vanity.

1. First pass: cut every frame where the eyes are soft or the thought isn’t there.
2. Shrink the rest to thumbnail size on your screen. Keep the ones that still read.
3. Ask two people who see you often, plus your agent if you have one: “Which ones look like me?” Not “which ones look good?”
4. Keep four to six in all: your strongest one or two as primaries, plus a few varied extras. Spotlight’s tips suggest four to six shots with some variety, such as hair up or down or glasses on or off.
5. Retouch lightly: stray hairs, a blemish that won’t be there next week. Leave your lines, your scars, and your real skin.

If you can’t get to a studio yet, Spotlight’s tips suggest a well-lit photo taken outside or near a window, in natural light. A simple, current picture that looks like you is a reasonable start; replace it with professional shots when you can.

Once you’ve chosen, use the same primary shot across your casting profiles, your resume, and your website, so people who see you twice recognize you. If your profile still has an empty reel slot, see our guide to making an acting reel with no footage. Theater programs usually ask for that shot with a short bio, and our guide to writing an actor bio for a program covers the words.

When the photo works, the audition comes fast

A good headshot is meant to do one thing: get you called in more. When it works, that can mean sides arriving with a day’s notice, and a self-tape due before you’ve had time to learn the words properly. Keep a record of where the new auditions come from with our audition tracker, so you can see whether the new shots are pulling in the work you wanted.

For the sides themselves, Offbook helps you get off book: upload the PDF, pick your role, and realistic voices read every other character while it listens and plays the next cue when you finish your line. Hide your lines when you think you know them, and you’ll find out fast whether you do.

Questions actors ask

How much do acting headshots cost?

It depends heavily on your city and the photographer, and the prices quoted online vary widely. Compare what’s included (looks, retouched finals, file sizes, makeup) rather than the headline number, and look hard at the photographer’s actor portfolio before price.

Should I smile in my headshot?

For a commercial shot, usually yes: Backstage recommends smiling for most actors. Make it a real one. For a theatrical shot, it’s optional. What matters is that something is happening behind the eyes.

Can I take my own headshots?

As a starting point, yes. Spotlight’s casting-director tips suggest natural light near a window or outdoors if you can’t get to a studio. Keep it simple, sharp, and current, and upgrade to a professional session when you’re submitting regularly.

Do I need different headshots for theater and film?

Not usually. The theatrical shot covers theater, TV, and film; the usual second shot is a commercial one, for ads. Casting Networks notes that agents typically want at least those two.

How often should I update my headshots?

Spotlight suggests being ready to change them every couple of years. Change them sooner if your look changes, or if casting tells you that you don’t look like your picture.