Actor Headshot FAQs

As many as we can comfortably fit into your session. We’ll vary clothing, expressions and character throughout the shoot so you come away with a genuinely varied selection rather than lots of very similar headshots.

The longer the session, the more time we’ll have to explore different looks. Bring plenty of clothing options and we can decide together what works best as we go.

Keep your hair as natural as possible and wear it as you normally would for a casting. There’s no need for it to look immaculate — your headshots should reflect how you genuinely look day to day. I’ll keep an eye on it throughout the session and let you know if anything needs adjusting.

If you have longer hair, bring anything you normally use to change the look, such as hair bands, so we can create some variety. I’d also avoid having a haircut on the day of your session; around a week beforehand gives you time to get used to it.

Keep your makeup as natural as possible and start with what you would normally wear day to day. You can always build it up during the session to create some variety in your headshots.

Bring a selection of tops with different necklines — V-neck, round neck and collared tops all work well. Darker colours tend to photograph particularly well, so bring a couple of black or dark tops too. If you’d like some more corporate-looking shots, bring a shirt, tie or jacket.

I’d generally avoid busy patterns, stripes and prominent logos. Most importantly, think about what you might realistically wear for a self-tape or to a casting, and bring plenty of options — we can decide together what works best on the day.

I use quieter alleyways where you can quickly and discreetly change tops. I recommend wearing a plain T-shirt as a base layer, then bringing different tops and layers that you can easily change over it.

Absolutely. In the studio it’s very straightforward, and it’s possible outdoors too with a little preparation. Bring an electric shaver or whatever you normally use — some actors have even brought a flask of hot water for a wet shave mid-session. It’s a great way to create two different looks from the same shoot.

If you’re planning to shave during your shoot, I recommend booking the Extended Session, as changing your look takes a little extra time.

Absolutely. Temporary things such as spots, shaving cuts, stray hairs and small areas of dry skin can easily be tidied up when I retouch your chosen images.

My retouching is always subtle and natural — the aim is for you to look like you on a good day, not like a different person. Your finished headshots should still be an accurate representation of how you’ll look when you walk into a casting or appear on a self-tape.

All of my outdoor locations are covered, so light rain usually isn’t a problem. We’ll be walking between locations, though, so bring an umbrella if rain is forecast.

If heavier rain is forecast, we can reschedule your session or, if you prefer, switch to a studio session instead.