Solid colors always work best. The
clothing should be simple and never take away from you.
Vibrant,
middle tone, true colors... 'bold' colors work best for
commercial headshots. White & washed out colors will tend to wash you out. There are exceptions but in general stay with bold colores.
Dark colors, black, dark brown. navy blue long sleeve shirts work
best for dramatic headshots.
Textures are OK but no
patterns. In other words, do not wear stripes or any other
patterns.
SOLIDS work the best.
You do not want the Casting
Director's eye to go to your clothing before or instead of you.
Remember
clients are looking for an actor not a shirt.
Please note that since commercial, film
and corporate spokesperson headshots have made a shift to color
you must pay attention to the color of your wardrobe.
For example, if you have blue eyes
a blue shirt will bring out the color of your eyes, green eyes
a green shirt, etc... Colorful, vibrant colors, not pastel will get
attention, especially for commercials.
Make sure that you bring long pants that go with
the look.
As you can see by the images in this
section I do 3/4 shots, closer shots and horizontal shots during my
sessions.
For the 3/4 images your pants will probably show. A pair
of Jeans and a pair of Dark pants will do the trick.
Note: For the most part pants work better than dresses or
skirts. Positioning is limited
when you wear a dress or skirt. Also skirts or dresses fan out so they can make your hips look wider.
If you are a character actor you
should think of the type of character that you are looking to
portray. Sinister characters should wear dark long sleeved shirts,
leather jackets, dark suit with a dark shirt, etc... Casual characters
wear middle tones. No costumes! The wardrobe should help the mood not
create the character... you do that with your features & expression.
For a corporate/spokesperson
headshot wear a solid color middle tone to dark business pantsuit.
If you are late 20's - 90's or over and
look your age or older corporate/spokesperson can work for you.
Men bring a few dress shirts (white, light
blue, yellow etc) and a few ties to choose from.
Women a solid color middle tone or dark
pantsuit and a few shells and/or shirts (light color) that work under
the jacket.
Make sure that you iron your wardrobe
and put them on hangers if needed. Do not crumple them up and
throw them in a bag. Sleeveless (if you look good in sleeveless)
and long sleeve work best for women. Long sleeve works best for
men. Short sleeve usually cut the arm visually so I don't recommend it.
That is not a good thing so I do not recommend short sleeve
unless you are a body builder type and want to show pumped up arms.
Bring more clothes than you need so we have plenty to choose from.
If you are doing your own M /UBring your own make-up and hair
styling products. If you use the M/U artist she will have what is needed. If you have a favorite color lipstick or other makeup bring it.
Note: If you are a blonde, red head
please make sure that your root area is done. If you come in with dark
roots and want them lightened it is difficult and time consuming. Many
photographers and retouch artists charge a fortune to lighten roots. It
is almost impossible to lighten them and have it look realistically
natural. You will have to take the image as it is done.
Men - Shave right before
appointment. Unless you want to go for a scruff look in which case you
should bring your own razor and shaving cream to shave part of the way
through the session. If you sport a beard and want shots with it you should come with it and be
prepared to shave to show both looks. No ear rings for men unless it is
for a character shot. No uni-brows unless you are a character actor.
Women - Remove any unwanted facial
hair from chin, eyebrows or upper lip that you do not want the camera to
see. Earrings should be simple studs for women. Large earrings take away from you and should not be worn for headshots.
Children - Solid vibrant,
middle tone/true colors only. No patterns, no logos. Short sleeve or
long sleeve work best. Nothing bulky. Tee shirts, Polo shirts, Denim
shirts with a Tee shirt under, hoodies work the best. If your child
(female) looks good in sleeveless you can bring that also. Long Jeans
for pants always work.
Look at the examples on this site to get
ideas of wardrobe. You can also look at my FaceBook site, in my albums for lots of other examples. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=867785112
Should you use a Make Up Artist?
If you are a women looking over 16 years
of age and this is your first time doing an actor's auditioning headshot
session I strongly recommend that you use one of my make-up artists. My
Make-up artists know what to do for the industry and my style of
lighting. The make-up artist will keep an eye on you during the session
to tone down shine, stray hair, etc... If you are a 'seasoned actor head
shot vet' or a model making the transformation to acting/commercials and
really know how to do your make up for the camera wanting to do
your own make up let's talk about it before the session. In some cases I
will agree that you do your own make-up. Most seasoned actors understand
how important a make-up artist is to a session so you will probably want
to use one of my make-up artists.
Please Please Please do not bring in
an inexperienced make up artist or a make up artist that works at a make
up counter. They usually do not have the experience to do the proper
make up for the camera and professional lighting and may ruin our
session. The makeup artists that I work with are experienced with
headshot sessions, are fast and know my lighting. Do not go have your
make up done somewhere before you come to the studio. If the make up
doesn't work for the session and you can't change it you will waste your
money on the session. A makeup artist needs to be at the studio so they
can make changes. If you do use your own makeup artist make sure that he or she is on time.
Let me know in advance if there is
anything special that I should know, for example if you are allergic to
some brands of make up.
Women - If you are not hiring a
makeup artist, you should come in with your natural shot makeup ready
and be prepared to make whatever changes are needed.
If you are hiring a
Make-Up Artist come with no make-up and your hair down the way you would
normally wear it. The make-up artist does makeup and will help you
with your hair. They are not there to do some foo foo hairstyle that you
will never be able to recreate for a casting. You need to communicate to
the make-up artist what you want done with your make up and hair during
the session. We do not wash and set your hair. This is not a salon.
Men - I really do not recommend a
Make-Up artist for men. All you will probably need is foundation and
powder. If you can't handle that I will help you at no additional
charge. The exception to that rule is if you have pale blonde or grey
(disappearing) eyebrows and eyelashes.
Note: I repeat from above... If
you are a blonde please make sure that your root area is done. If you
come in with dark roots and want them lightened it is difficult and time
consuming. Many photographers and retouch artists charge a fortune to
lighten roots. It is almost impossible to lighten them and have it look
realistically natural. If you have dark roots you will have to take the
photo as it is done.
If you have any questions call the studio
and ask... (305) 891-0550
|