Hi, and welcome back to Sophie’s Choice, where I give you my personal input on all
things casting! Today I’ll be giving my own opinion on taking your own pictures for your headshots or having a professional take them. Some might say that having a normal picture is fine, so is it worth going the extra step?
Self Pictures
My answer depends on how old your headshot is or if you even have one to start with. In all honesty, if you have a recent headshot and you haven’t changed anything about your face and/or hair in the recent months you don’t really need to send in more. Unless you want to update your casting director on what you look like or have a good excuse to ask them what projects they're up to and refresh their memories with your beautiful face.
Professional Headshots
In my opinion the only time to get overly professional headshots, is when you’re first introducing yourself to a new potential casting director or agency and you want to give a good first impression. Obviously the problem is that most of the time when you go in for a casting, they take a picture of you and then add it into their portfolio, so if you don’t like those pictures, (and let’s be real, who does?) it’s good to replace them once in a while. Having said that, you don’t need a professional photographer to always take new headshots if you’re in need of one. You can always ask a friend or set up a camera in front of a neutral looking wall and be done with it but if you want something to look good you have to go the extra mile. I have only gone for a professional photoshoot once and it was worth it at the time, but I’ve changed so much in the past 4 years since then, that even looking at those pictures seems like someone else and therefore I should go and refresh those with a professional.
I think every two to three years you should invest into having some nice headshots so you always have some recent ones on hand that look good.
I think every two to three years you should invest into having some nice headshots so you always have some recent ones on hand that look good instead of letting the casting agency use pictures of you taken in weird lighting in a small room with you holding a piece of paper with your name on it. I know these are mostly for the casting agencies but it’s also good for the casting agency to have some different picture that really represents you and your brand.
Sophie’s Choice
Other than that, if you don’t have any recent ones and you only need to send in a quick one and don’t have time to schedule a professional photoshoot, just take them yourself or ask a friend. Maybe take a shower beforehand and brush your hair but don’t worry about it too much. As long as the picture is decent, you have nothing to stress over. I think my opinion wavers too much to say one or the other. I’d say every two years get a professional but other than that just give them what you got!
And that’s that on that!
Sophie out!