Good Headshots vs Bad Headshots – Everything You Need to Know
A headshot is something very strategic. It’s not like the other typical photographies we usually see. You will have to understand the strength of Good headshots vs Bad headshots if you really wanna grab the art of photography
A headshot isn’t just a snap. It’s something that represents reality in a strategic way!
That means the more efficiently you can take a good headshot the more it’s value will increase
A headshot is literally a person with his face and shoulders with good lighting
Sounds easy, but it ain’t
According to CreativeLive, famous photography related blog, Sometimes a cool headshot can lead you to sell more, and sometimes it can even condemn your marketing!
Many professionals mess up things when trying to take an awesome Headshot
Let’s see The deep of Headshot
What is a good headshot? (Good headshots vs Bad headshots)
Before going directly into the body of Good Headshots vs Bad Headshots, Let’s see What a good HeadShot really is
Because when you know what’s actually good you can easily define what’s bad too!
Back to the question, What is a good Headshot?
Take a look at the below example
What do you see?
That’s not only the face of a good looking man at all
In general, a good headshot is a chest up with good lighting on your face, and no strong dramatic shadows, unless you are going in for “The Phantom of the Opera.” Three-quarter shots are good for print, and extreme close-ups are good for, well, nothing
What is a bad headshot?
When it comes to Bad HeadShot, It’s something that can make a good looking person sometimes worse!
Which photo will you prioritize as a good photo by heart?
Obviously, the first one
That can be used for both commercial and general purposes
A good smile, the outfit, and especially the lighting with a blurry effect is the exception of the first photo
you may have to instruct the actor, change the place of photography or even the settings of your camera
you don’t have to be confused in think of “should headshots be glossy or matte” or “theatrical headshots”
Just don’t think anything and let your mind work dedicatedly to take a new shot!
What Makes A Good Headshot?
A great headshot is your real look!
So, no other artificial merchandise like makeup, excessive lighting, or good place will not be needed at all
When you wanna know what makes a good headshot, learn what doesn’t make
In this way, you can learn both judging a headshot and making it awesomely
Let’s begin!
I believe there are three components when you want to take a good Headshot
I’ll break down each in detail. Before anything else note the word “make” because that’s the difference between someone just taking your photo and working with a pro
The Best Headshot Photographer
Finding the best photographer isn’t an easy task
only photographers who can take super looking photos are not considered Best to professionals
A lot of backend matters depends on when it comes to a good headshot photographer
For example, A good Headshot photographer always knows How to use a high-end camera outside of Auto-mode. They obviously know to use studio lighting also outside of the Auto-mode. Auto-mode has the limits and a photographer who is able to fine-tune settings on a camera and on lightning equipment has the advantage to create rocking headshots
But the photographer should also have creativity. This isn’t just a snap against a white background. colorful scenes or the spectrum settings of your camera may highly Impact
A Full Frame DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
The quality of the camera actually matters a lot
After creativity and settings, it comes to Camera
Don’t let those Smart Phone ads fool you! In addition to using a vastly inferior camera, a quality full camera is an opportunity for your Head Shots to stand out in the crowd
Wait! Don’t go away now in search of what a professional photographer uses. But you should have a bit of knowledge about the camera so that you can ask a photographer what they use and why – it’s necessary
Examples of good headshots
Good HeadShot is taken by professionals – It’s a demotivating and wrong fact. you don’t gotta go out to the best photography schools to achieve the art
You just need practice and efforts
That’s what professional Photographer Michael Andres says, I haven’t been to renowned schools or done the best courses, I just give my time and put efforts into photography. It took her over a month of efforts to be able to take cool Headshots when he was a newbie
Let’s take a look at the examples of some great photography
Image Source : Paulius Musteikis
Lights, Camera, Action
Lighting is one of the significant components when you think of a great headshot. The photographer should have enough experience about Proper use of Studio or natural lighting – They should exactly know how to do either
The quality of light matters too. not only with sunlight but the brand of studio strobes and modifiers used
There are technical requirements to understand the theories of lighting and how they dominate camera settings and the look of someone’s face. photographer’s manipulation of lighting depends on your wanted commercial or theatrical effects
What Makes A Bad Headshot?
A headshot is probably sometimes the most important tools in your kit
professional commercial HeadShots charges anywhere from $60 to $150 depending on your photo quality
Sometimes a headshot becomes very valuable to huge companies
A headshot may sound as easy as winking if you have been to the best acting school and done all the best courses
But if your HeadShot betrays you, It either represents you poorly or misrepresents you
As like “What makes a good HeadShot” In the case of Bad HeadShot, There are 2 components that I believe makes a Bad HeadShot
Let’s break down each and discuss in brief
The photographer
A headshot that presents you in a bad light can be due to several different issues. Some of that may be because you can’t fix bad photo retouching, bad composition, and bad lighting
That’s why getting a professional photographer is often a great decision. Someone who has the expertise of shooting portraits and the talent of the top-of-the-line equipment can seamlessly produce a better photo than your neighbor’s DSLR
Actually, It’s not about hiring a photographer to increase the quality of the image. It’s also about beautification. The photo needs to have a glance of beauty
The style of the headshot professional that you have to Identify will resonate with the casting director in a unique way to other normal photographers
The art of professional photographers can’t be faked by other’s or photoshop at all and when it comes to commercial photos, Headshot is your trademark or a quick read of your package that you are selling
So, take this seriously and professionally and you can expect to get what you need
The Actor
What can lead you to a poor headshot is your comfort or acting in front of the camera
Every moment that is captured by your shutter should be the best of the best performance
Sometimes, the photographers should instruct the actor and also change the view of the place
And if you are thinking to sell out some professional photoshoots, I suggest you do some character research
The most important thing about a photo is clarity. Unfortunately, you can’t be perfect for every role out there, but this is actually an advantage, by specializing and identifying your niche you can obviously be perfect for that type of niche
The advice could easily be misconstrued with a fake or “just perform” type of quote. But a headshot really likes a genuine you!
Take a look at the below example, where the actor dominates the quality of Headshot
And that’s what actors have to do
Some businesses may need a smile, or some may need a sad expression, an angry reaction is also famous. It depends on the type of commercial ad you wanna produce
Examples of bad headshots
When it comes to Bad Headshots, It always may not be the photographer’s problem
Maybe the artist isn’t doing well or the camera may be a little low quality, or any other factor can matter
See how Bad headshot usually looks,
Frequently Asked Questions
Most frequent questions and answers
Your headshot is not like a typical fashion show. Being fancy can decrease the value of your HeadShot
You should mostly avoid using ruffles, logos, and busy patterns because they are distracting, which means grab more attention. Light Subtle pattern may be a good choice to add some quirkiness but make sure you can’t see your body through your wearing
Your commercial shot must be relatable and engaging
It sometimes depends on the intention you will use your photo. In the case of advertisements, the product may be fit for an angry react, or a good smile but in for moat part, a smiling is recommended
You should keep an average of $150 for a headshot photographer per hour. A headshot photographer will typically cost you between $150 and $250 per hour depending on the quality of the photographer
But the price can vary by region (even by zip code)
In general, Matte paper is usually better than glossy. Glossy papers have more contrast and can help you stand out
The glossy surface looks good when framed but they will show fingerprints and scratches more easily
Particularly, When printing 8×10 prints for auditions, we recommend a medium to heavyweight paper stock (165 gsm or heavier) and semi-matte, luster, or matte surface
Plain deep colors are your best choice for HeadShot. Patterns or prints may give you cool like but it’s distracting
In my opinion, Mid-tone blue, green, wine, and purple colors are universally flattering. Avoid wearing tops in flesh tones (cream, beige, pastels, peach, or yellow) at any cost because they are just disturbing