Actor headshots in Portland: what casting actually wants

What is an actor headshot?

An actor headshot is a close, honest portrait used for submissions, casting sites, your agent's roster and the back of your résumé. Unlike a corporate photo, it is not trying to make you look polished. It is trying to make you look castable: specific, alive, and exactly like the person who will show up to the audition.

Casting sees hundreds of these a day. The ones that work have a clear point of view, real expression in the eyes, and no distractions. The ones that fail are over-retouched, over-lit, or trying to be three things at once.

Commercial vs theatrical

Most working actors need at least two looks, and they are not the same photo with a different shirt.

The commercial look is bright, warm and approachable: the person you would trust in a bank ad or a pharmacy spot. Open expression, often a real smile, lighter clothing, cleaner background. It sells likeability.

The theatrical look is for film, television and stage. It is moodier and more specific. Less smile, more thought behind the eyes, richer clothing tones and light that has some shape to it. It sells range and a type.

In a full session we build both, and usually a third look aimed at the type you are most often called in for. Live review on the monitor means you and we can see when a look is landing and when it is drifting into something generic.

What to wear

• Solids and simple textures. Patterns, logos and text pull the eye away from your face and can date the photo.
• Colors that flatter your skin and eyes. Mid-tones and jewel tones usually beat black and white, which flatten in a headshot.
• Necklines that suit your type. Crew necks and simple collars for commercial; a little more character, like a denim jacket or a knit, for theatrical.
• Bring four to six options on hangers. We will pull from them fast once we see how you photograph.
• Keep hair and makeup natural and how you would show up to the room. Casting has to recognize you from the photo.

Expression, not posing

Actor headshots are not about angles. They are about what is happening behind the eyes. We direct the way a good director does, with a thought, a line, a memory, or a person to talk to, rather than "give me confident". The camera catches the moment the thought lands.

Because you see the frames on the monitor as we shoot, you are part of the edit. Actors usually know their own face better than anyone; the collaboration is what produces a headshot that feels like you instead of like a photographer's idea of you.

Backgrounds and light

For commercial we keep it clean: a light, softly lit background that keeps all the attention on an open face. For theatrical we use more directional light and darker, textured or shallow-focus backgrounds that add mood without becoming a set.

We shoot both in the studio at 805 SW Broadway and can step outside for a natural-light look when it suits the type.

How to prepare

• Look at the actors who book the roles you want and notice what their headshots have in common. Bring two or three references.
• Know your type and your two or three most likely roles. That shapes the looks we build.
• Sleep, water, no new skincare or haircuts in the week before.
• Bring your glasses if you audition in them, and any signature item that is part of how you present.
• Warm up on the way in. Run a monologue in the car. You want to arrive already switched on.

"My last headshots didn't look like me."

This is the most common complaint we hear from actors, and it is usually a retouching and direction problem. Heavy skin smoothing, teeth whitening and eye brightening make everyone look like the same person, and casting notices immediately when the actor in the room does not match the photo.

Our retouching is light by design: stray hairs, a blemish that will be gone next week, glare. Skin texture stays. The direction is aimed at real moments rather than held poses, which is why the photos hold up in the room.

Frequently asked questions