A great headshot looks like you on your best day, walking into the audition room. It is not about pulling faces or becoming a character. It is about a real thought behind the eyes, and a little prep makes a big difference.
I am a working actor as well as a photographer, so I know what it feels like on your side of the lens. This is what I tell everyone before their actor headshot session in Liverpool.
The short version
- Know your casting. The roles you are right for now.
- Pack three or four tops. Solid colours, different necklines.
- Look like you. Hair and makeup as you would wear them to an audition.
- Rest up. Sleep and water do more than any filter.
- Pick for variety. Four to six shots that each say something different.
1. Know what you are going for
Think about the parts you get called in for, or the ones you want next. The nurse, the teacher, the villain, the best mate? Send me a few headshots you love and a line about your casting. It helps me light and shoot for where you are heading, not just for a nice photo.
2. What to wear
Bring three or four tops in solid colours with different necklines: a crew neck, a V neck, something with a collar, a jacket to layer. Mid and darker tones usually work best. Busy patterns, big logos and very bright white tend to pull the eye away from your face. Choose clothes you feel good in, because it shows.
3. Hair, makeup and grooming
Casting wants the person who walks through the door, so style your hair the way you usually wear it and keep makeup natural. If you wear glasses day to day, bring them. If you are deciding between a beard and clean shaven, we can plan that into the session. Haircuts are best a week or so before, so they have time to settle.
4. The night before
Get a good sleep, drink plenty of water and go easy on anything that leaves you puffy in the morning. Lay out your outfits so you can walk out the door relaxed. It sounds simple, but a rested face is the best retouching there is.
5. On the day
Treat it like a scene. We warm up, chat, and I give you thoughts to play rather than poses to hold. You can watch the shots land on the back of the camera as we go, and we try studio light or natural light around the city, whichever suits the look. Nerves are completely normal and they fade fast once we get going.
6. Choosing your shots for Spotlight
Spotlight’s own advice to actors is to keep headshots honest and natural, closely cropped from the shoulders up and in a portrait shape, with four to six images being plenty. Pick shots that each do a different job: a warm commercial one, a stiller drama one, maybe hair up and hair down. Light touch retouching only, so you still look like you, and plan to refresh them every couple of years or whenever your look changes. Read Spotlight’s headshot tips.
Your headshot kit list
Pack
- Three or four solid colour tops
- A jacket or layer
- Glasses if you wear them
- Hair ties, brush and any makeup you use
Before the day
- A few headshots you love
- A line about your casting
- A good night’s sleep
Questions actors ask
Studio or natural light?
Both work brilliantly. Studio gives you clean, consistent light. Natural light around Liverpool feels relaxed and filmic. Lots of actors grab a bit of both.
Should I smile?
Get both. A genuine smile for commercial castings and a stiller, thoughtful look for drama. Casting directors like to see range, not one expression.
How much is a session?
My actor headshot session is £180. Everything that is included is laid out on the actor headshots page.
More guides for actors: What casting directors want from a showreel and The best photoshoot locations in Liverpool.
Ready for new headshots?
Let’s get you seen
Tell me about your casting and what you want your headshots to say, and we will plan the session together.