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Acting Headshots West Chester PA | Theatrical & Actress Headshots

Don Mann • Jun 13, 2023

Actor-Theatrical, Actress Top 1% Headshot in 8x10 Format

A mother contacted me for her and her two teenage daughters to get professional acting, theatrical headshots. They were preparing for casting calls in West Chester, PA, another in Wilmington, DE, and several big ones in Philadelphia.


I told her one set of headshots would work for all acting, theatrical, and modeling casting calls. My headshots are tailored to get them a casting call interview or appointment. At the casting call and afterwards, the rest is up to them.


I told them for casting calls there can be as many as thousands of submittals. If their headshots are not Top 1% Headshots, the chances of getting an interview call or appointment are slim.

My Top 1% Acting-Theatrical Headshots will set them ahead of the pack, and put them in the “must call first” pile. This works for especially for West Chester PA, Wilmington DE, or Philadelphia PA as all casting calls are basically the same.


Why Top 1% Headshots? Because my Top 1% Headshot use years of experience, and the most recent findings of psychology, to create positive first impressions that they are the answer the casting director needs.


  1. They show you as approachable - friendly and easy to work with.
  2. Competent – you know what to do and will do it easily.
  3. Trustworthy to be the answer they need and can follow direction well.
  4. You look like you care more about doing a great job, rather than having a lot of personality quirks that can make the director’ life difficult.


After looking at my Top 1% Headshot samples, they asked for a few instructions on how to prepare and what to wear. Then they booked an appointment. In this case I shot all three on the same day.


What I advise for women is:

a)      Natural makeup – the less visible the better. Go light on eye liner, if at all. The casting director wants to see the “real” you. They have lots of experience with makeup and prefer a blank pallet to work with. Use oils and creams, rather than powder. [Heavy makeup is usually for theater and TV, but for a casting call, they want to see you as you are. If you do get a casting call, they may ask you to go wash your face so they can see the base.]


b)     No fancy hair styles, but something you can maintain yourself (you may have to wear the same style on a casting call because that is what is in your headshot).


c)      I recommended they each bring 3-5 clothing looks.

 a.      Clothes, simple, no patterns, with covered shoulders. Best are basic colors that go well with the skin and hair color. Be sure to include white and light blue if possible. Textures can work well. You are not selling clothes but yourself as approachable, competent and trustworthy to be the answer the casting director needs.

b.      If you need new clothes, you can do what fashion designers do: go to the store and then return them in original packaging after the shoot.

c.      Look at my website samples for some ideas.


d)     Jewelry: keep it simple. Stud earrings are fine. No heavy necklaces. [They tend to add weight and distract the eyes from the face.]


e)     Lipstick: wear glossy not flat. In a picture, the flat lipstick takes away the fulness of your lips and makes your face one-dimensional. Lighter colors are better than darker to keep that natural look.


f)       Physical: 3-5 days in advance of the shoot date, get more than usual sleep, and extra hydration. Both of these will make your skin look more healthy and lustrous. Likewise avoid alcohol as it tends to dry out the skin.


g)      Bring their full hair and makeup kit for touch-ups as needed.


h)     I will coach them to great expressions, and they will have a great time in our session.


They all came together and we had a great time. The mom acted as the primary hair artist. They loved the final images and were ready to get the 8x10 prints, and to post their images on their websites and social media.


Delivery: For acting-theatrical headshots I usually deliver online their images after final photofinishing, each in several formats.

a.      The original, 2x3 as shot, in hi-resolution JPEG.

b.      8x10 ready for printing in hi-resolution TGIF format

c.      2x3 in web resolution JPEG for social media and business cards

d.      Square in web resolution JPEG for social media


Also when asked, I will send a poster sized file for marketing the show.


I also gave them some printer recommendations. I recommend they get their name printed on the bottom corner of the headshot in small letters so as to not distract from the image. And on the back their acting-theatrical resume’ and contact information.


They were all excited, we had a great time, and they loved their images.


Is there a difference between acting and theatrical headshots?


Usually no, but sometimes their agent wants specific kinds of images for their portfolio and we work together to create them.

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"I've bought and sold more than 10 properties in my life, and worked with real estate agents on each one of them. I wish I had known then what I know now about the psychology of headshots, it would have left them with much more than just a single commission." Don Mann Real estate agents are well aware of the importance of proper staging -- and this "lookability" goes for agents as well! Are you looking to increase your attraction rate to homebuyers? Learn the differences between good and effective headshots below.  If You Want a Cheap, Ineffective, Money-robbing Headshot, Stop Reading. Based on my looking at numerous LinkedIn-realtor headshots, not to mention a lifetime of billboards and sales brochures, few in the real estate industry seem to understand and appreciate the power of an effective headshot. The psychology of headshots makes this a critical factor for real estate professionals. They all have a real estate headshot, but most of these headshots repel rather than attract prospects. They all have them, but they obviously do not know how to tell good ones from bad. My hope is to help all sincere real estate people get and use effective headshots. Your headshot is the first introduction to who and what you are. It is a handshake with your unseen prospects. You may be a wonderful, warm, exciting person and problem solver in the flesh, but if you don't win that first digital introduction of your headshot, you will never know. If you don't win that first opportunity at a great impression they will move on, and move on in microseconds, never looking back. This is called "repelling at first opportunity." Many treat their business headshot as a perfunctory requirement and spend little effort on them. Their mantra is, “Make it quick, I’ve more important things to do.” Yet studies prove that a headshot is one of the most potent human interaction tools there is. Ignore them at your financial peril and personal risk. Your modern, real estate headshot is critical to your success in today’s overwhelming digital, image-driven world. As prospective clients search for agents online, their first impression is with your real estate agent headshot, whether online or in print. It is entirely possible to make headshots that when people see them, they want to stare at them, not to look away, but want to get to know the person, and work with them. We call this “lookability.” These are extremely rare in the world of portrait photography, while we at Don Mann Photography make them every day. It is my gift to those who trust me enough to create high lookability headshots for them. The awesome thing is that lookability is not beauty. It is the ability of a picture to show the real person behind the face, beautiful or not, in such a way that it draws people in to want to work with them. 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COVID-19 IMPACTS: With stay at home orders in my immediate region – Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, much less most of the world – our portrait photography creation has been curtailed until these restrictions are relaxed. The good news is that most of my photography can be done at distances of 6 feet or longer, so we can maintain our social distancing. For our individual headshot business, we can move outside for greater safety. With all the job changes, our door-opening, connection-building, professional headshots are more important than ever. While I don’t think anyone could notice, as always, for any clients who feel our COVID-19 shots limited them, we will be happy to re-shoot as a gift, once the crisis is over. I can wear a mask, even gloves and a lab coat as I did for many years in high technology, while my subjects can remain without PPE for the shoot. And if they want shots with a face mask on, no problem. They can arrive and depart with them, especially face masks. Of course frequent washing of hands/disposable wipes is part of this. For studio shoots we can go outside for most shots. And of course, we have a great property for model comp card shots and general portraits. Our make-up artists can work just as the salons in Georgia are doing now. Of course we put in a HEPA filter that serves the studio. The biggest impact is on our coverage for indoor group shoots such as events, meetings, and some indoor commercial shoots. The biggest difference is less close shots with 15-50mm lenses, and more with my 70-200mm or longer lenses. I even have a 600mm from my nature photography. At a 6 to 10’ appropriate social distance we can get great shots as needed. We expect group shots limitations will be gone by June or July, so we can book them even now. The biggest impact on me has been my network marketing. For now inside group meetings are off, but I can do some cold phone calling, even exterior commercial shots, especially if owners can turn on some interior lights. For example we prefer to do restaurant or other business shots before service start and then add the staff portraits after the staff arrives. So bringing in a few staff should not be a problem. I have to confess the crisis has not been all bad for me. My son and his family live with us. I get to spend many days playing with my 5 year old grandson – time that can never be replaced, and I wish I had done more of when my children were smaller. Now he did take over my office to do home schooling on my large monitor. Even golden clouds can have a black lining! QUESTIONS Phone: 302 - 561 - 5555 | Email: Info@DonMannPhotography.com | Rates & Booking
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