Get involved to get the best results!

The conventional view that you need one successful headshot that is good enough to get you the right audition just isn’t enough anymore. Today every actor needs to have a portfolio that shows them as versatile performers. This is so that their agencies can send out a picture that specifically matches the role being cast; for a role in a new sitcom this picture, and for a dramatic role in a crime series another.

So how do you achieve a portfolio that will maximize your chances to get ALL the auditions that suit you? The answer is by planning the photo shoot and by being fully involved during the session by working side by side with the photographer you chose.

Before your arrival at the shoot, discuss with your photographer which items of clothing to bring to the set. Talk to them about your typecast(s), and about how you are going to be shot in order to capture the looks you want.

During the session, choose the outfits that are best from the options you brought by seeing how each item fits you, if it matches your skin tone, and if it suits the look you are trying to portray.

By working this way you won’t have to wait to find out if you will get the pictures you hope for! You must take part in choosing your desired looks. Take a peek at the monitor each time you change outfit to see if you are managing to achieve another “casting” look, as opposed to a model’s headshot or a look that doesn’t suit your typecast at all.

Don’t be afraid to take part in the photo shoot! You’re investing your time, money and your passion into a demanding and unforgiving profession! This is the time to be alert and to do everything so that the set meets your personal needs. After all, the headshots you receive at the end of the shoot will determine how many auditions you get for the next 6-12 months.

In short, you need to leave the studio already knowing how your portfolio is going to look….

Have a great shoot,

Keren Ben Ami