Out with the old, In with the new.

If you still have black and white headshot photographer, now might be a good time to update to color headshots. To a casting director it says two things if you send them your black and white headshot. One, you don’t know the 2012 industry standards. And two, your headshots are at least a few years old.

Professional photographer nowadays give you high resolution color headshots, they probably will give you a black and white copy as well, but use the color headshots for your casting & auditions.

There’s a very simple reason for the switch to color headshots… Below is a black & white headshot of Perth actress Evelyne Tymms. Great photo. One problem, not good for casting purposes. Scroll down to find out why.
You can still get the emotion and drama with b&w headshots, but it lacks a very important thing:

The color Professional photographershow your exact skin color, eye color and yes, you guessed right, your hair color. It makes the casting process a lot faster and easier. When you send your headshots to a casting director, it makes his or her job a lot easier. It saves you time by having to fill out your eye color, skin color and hair color and any other details. The casting department can now check out your headshot. Easy. Below an example of a color headshot.
If you are planning to go black and white with your headshots (not recommended), have the photographer shoot them in color and ask for a black and white copy. Everything is digital nowadays, if you do want to get your portrait photographerprinted. Color printing nowadays is very cheap! You might prefer black and white, but the industry doesn’t.

 

It’s all about the style.

A few people have asked me what an editorial photo is… Actors here is your answer. :-)

Often when I do a headshot photography perth session, I shoot some editorials as well. It’s nice for both the actor and the photographer to have a variety of images, especially if you have the time and location for it.

There are many styles of photography. A few of those styles are Editorial, Commercial and Fashion.

You might say ‘but they all look the same…’ Yes, they look somewhat alike, but all have a different purpose and style. However, it’s not all set in stone. It depends on what kind of photo the client is after.

The term editorial images varies per country, but in most cases editorial images or photos are all the photos in magazines and newspapers that aren’t advertisements. Let’s say you pick up a copy of InStyle magazine, Vogue or Marie Claire. The cover is an editorial photo, all the photos that go with the written articles etc. So what’s the purpose of editorial images…they support the written story. Below is an example of an editorial photo.
You also have commercial photography. Commercial photography is all about advertising. In short, they sell a product or service.

Commercial photography is all about the product. Therefore they usually use simple and plain lighting. The product is in the center of the frame, with a plain white backdrop or other solid color to make the product really stand out. It’s often used in catalogues or on clothing websites. Models will wear a lot of different outfits to give you, the customer an idea of the clothing/product. The same goes for products, whether it is a beverage or a vacuum cleaner, the idea remains the same. Below is an example of a commercial photo, it’s all about the product. Everything is focused on selling this particular product. A nice cold beer.
That leaves actor headshots. We’ve all seen the photos in the magazines or on the billboards… It’s not about the product anymore. It’s all about the mood and let’s face it about the models as well. Everything about fashion photos has a dramatic feel to it. From the make up to the background. With that comes an important aspect of photography, especially in fashion photography, lighting. It’s the most important thing to create a certain mood. Fashion photographer sometimes use a lot of different lights to create the desired effect. It’s about selling a lifestyle rather than the new summer or fall line. A combination of advertising and editorial.

Below is an example. What lifestyle is Hugo Boss trying to sell? ;-)

(On a side note, whether you are a model, actor or portrait photographer. It’s always fun to type in a fashion brand in the google search engine, add the word campaign (for example: Hugo Boss campaign) and watch their style of photography. It says everything about their brand, clothes and the lifestyle that this brand stands for.