FORRESTIMAGES PHOTOGRAPHY

How to Take Headshots for Actresses

 

If you are starting photography or want to enhance your portfolio, taking headshots is a perfect step to start. Instead of calling them headshots, some people may call them portraits. Capturing a headshot or portrait captures the subject's persona. The subject is the person who is in front of the camera. In order to capture a good headshot your subject should feel comfortable and relaxed. As the camera captures every detail even the ones you don’t notice. The eyes of the subject are the primary focus since that is the reflection of the emotion. 

 

Often models/actresses or any way in the entertainment field are always told to smile with their eyes. The emphasis always goes on the eyes. In my opinion, the eyes are the most important in a headshot since it's very closeup when the viewer sees the headshot the first thing people notice is the eyes. The second important part of headshots is the posture of the actress. Now you may be wondering why body posture is important. I mean isn’t a headshot just focusing on the person's head. In an image, you can’t tell if an actress is sitting, standing, or has a bad body posture. This is one of the misconceptions or mistakes often beginner photographers make. Someone who has expertise in the photography field can instantly recognize the sloppy body posture in the photos even if it's just a close-up headshot. Do not fall into that and tell the actress not to care about the body posture since it may come across as not professional. 

 

Now that is describing the actress's features let’s get into the photo part as I mentioned, in the beginning, remember to always make your subject feel comfortable and relaxed. Also, make them feel confident, it’s not easy getting your photo taken especially if it will be a closeup. Plus, if you’re a stranger. When I use to do photography, I always told my subjects I will be taking test shots, and while I was taking the test shots. I had conversations with my subjects and tried to make them laugh or smile. For me, that was the most important for me. By the subject feeling comfortable, it makes them confident, and it leads to excellent photos. Taking headshots and clicking photos, is just one minor step. One of the misconceptions about photography is people just think all you have to do is click photos and your job is done. I want to let you know that is not the case, photography involves interacting with people, and capturing the perfect moments and emotions. And for that, you need to understand different lighting techniques and shadows. There’s a lot that goes into photography and if it’s for the entertainment field for actors and actresses as a photographer you would need to know how to give out directions for your subject to sense the emotions. Even if it’s just a simple headshot, a lot goes into a closeup. 

 

Portraits or headshots are an important part of the entertainment field since it’s a closeup of the person and it depicts emotions, personalities, and how confident you feel in a camera. Remember the focus is always on the eyes since that is the first place when someone looks at the image. They always ask how the eyes look when you are setting up your camera. Since there is an option where you can choose what is the primary focus make sure it is set on the eyes of your subject. The second most important part is body posture. Last, but not least it’s the confidence that is instilled in your subject and for the subject to feel comfortable, make them feel relaxed in the first couple minutes of the photoshoot. By having the actress in a relaxed mood and comfortable mood, the actress will have perfect headshots and that would lead to a good photo shoot.