I edited the above comment to remove a link–a link pointing to a site charging people for information on how to “shoot your own headshots”. The site has no information on *who* is providing the info! No address, no name, nothing, and it uses a phone number registered to a voice mail company. If anything screams buyer beware more loudly that that, I don’t know that I’ve seen it.

Look… I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Professional Actors, especially in LA or NYC, should NOT take their own headshots. It will hurt your career.

If you live somewhere else, and/or you want to take your own headshot for non-professional purposes–go for it!

But please, actors, do NOT pay for the info on how to do it! There’s no need! If you are in a market where professional photos are not the norm, or are not needed, then you do not need to pay for the info. And if you *are* in a market where professional shots are needed, then no amount of information is going to make up for the expertise and *personal attention to you* that a professional headshot photographer can provide.

Any advice to the contrary is just bad advice.

But don’t take it from me!

Check out the advice from respected casting director Duncan Stewart: http://bit.ly/cBgFpo

HOWEVER, I also believe that almost anyone has the ability to take their own headshots if they can learn a few basic techniques. I’m an LA-based photographer who’s taken headshots for years, and I’ve developed an online program specifically designed for actors, musicians, and other performers who need quality headshots but currently can’t afford to hire someone of Nick’s stature and experience.

If you can afford to hire a professional, by all means it’s the way to go. But I wanted everyone to have the option of getting great headshots, no matter their budget. And I think many people Googling this post are looking specifically for this information.

I always approve comments like this because I certainly felt the same way when I first started out as an actor. And also as a photographer! Expensive equipment means nothing. It’s all the person using it. I can take a great headshot with a cheap camera and zero equipment, and an actor with no knowledge of how to take great headshots will take a horrible headshot using amazing equipment.

I encourage every actor who visits my site to interview with multiple photographers… because rapport is also incredibly important to the process. Feel free to ask casting directors and agents this question, and see what response you get. I’m not hoping to frighten actors into hiring me… I’m hoping to jar actors into actually doing something *helpful* for their careers instead of wasting valuable time, resources, and emotional baggage.

Anyone who hopes to compete against the multitude of talented actors in New York or LA needs a professional headshot, taken by a professional photographer. End of story. It doesn’t have to be me! But it does need to be a pro… otherwise your headshot will not open doors, and you will not get called in to audition for paying jobs.

By the way, this post is not a featured article on my site, nor is it promoted in any way… so no… it isn’t advertising. The posts on the front page? Those definitely are!

Thanks for visiting my site… and I’m guessing you reached it by trying to find out how to take your own headshot.

I can’t stress enough–NO PROFESSIONAL ACTOR TAKES THEIR OWN HEADSHOT!

So why write about it at all? Because many actors don’t know they shouldn’t. In the long run, it will only hurt your career.

The first paragraph of this post ends with: “Recently, I saw a visitor (presumably an actor or actress) who reached my site through a search that I thought I could address.” The introduction of the post doesn’t claim to offer nuts and bolts info on where to put a camera, what settings to use, framing, or anything else. And it’s no frustration to me that actors search for this, and I’m certainly not ranting… just providing good advice.

As you may have noticed in my previous comment, this blog post isn’t aimed at artists or photographers wanting advice on how to shoot headshots for others–it’s aimed at New York actors who are considering taking their own headshot for professional use in the New York market. Which is a very, very bad idea. Don’t take my word for it! Take the word of the many casting directors and agents who have spoken about this in books, blogs, industry magazines, newspapers, etc.

As I said in the final paragraph of this post, most actors are only interested in taking their own headshots for money reasons… and this post is, yes, designed to get the attention of the actor intending to do just that, and encourage them to evaluate why they are taking their own headshot. Because if you do take your own headshots, you are heavily damaging your own career as an actor in NYC.

My primary purpose in being a NYC headshot photographer is helping actors book work. And when I write blog posts, it’s with the intention of providing solid advice to New York actors. And the most solid advice on the topic “Taking My Own Headshot” is: Don’t take your own headshot–especially if you are an actor in New York City.

I’m sorry if that’s not the advice you were looking for, but again, this post is aimed at helping NYC actors–not artists or photographers. And any advice suggesting that a New York actor can or should take his or her own headshot is just irresponsible.

If you are looking for hands on photography advice for your own photo business, I would suggest looking into photo.net as a good starting point. The other option is the track I took–apprenticing with a headshot photographer in your area. In Louisiana, I would recommend brocatophoto.com.

I do intend to post some nuts and bolts how-to advice (along the lines of what I posted recently for Taking a Twitter Headshot in 10 Steps). If you’re interested in finding out when those posts go live, you can follow me on Twitter.

But fair warning–my tweets aren’t about photography as much as they are about the business of acting. A good actor headshot photographer is equal parts photographer and marketing manager.

Good luck in your photography career, and if you have specific questions, you’re welcome to ask actor headshot questions on Twitter!