How to Pose for Actors Headshots: 9 Pro Tips from Michael Wharley

9 practical tips to help actors relax, pose naturally & communicate more effectively with the stills camera in their next headshot shoot.
Terrified of the stills camera? Finding it hard to relax in your headshot shoots? Feel like you're not sure how to use your acting skills in a photo session?
I think the skills that make a great actor are just as relevant to success in headshots, so these 9 practical tips aim to help you relax, pose naturally & communicate more effectively with the stills camera in your next headshot shoot.
This is another in my ‘Take Control of Your Headshots’ series and offers advice on the tricky area of posing for the stills camera.
What's in the video?
Offering 9 simple tip, the video covers:
- You're not doing it wrong.
- Knowing Your Face
- Making an Offer
- Staying Loose
- Posture
- Trusting Your Photographer
- Where to Look
- Communicating with Your Eyes
- Using Your Review Time
More broadly, my 'Take Control of Your Headshots' series, aims to give actors the tools, techniques, insights, & tactics to take control of their next headshot session, before, during & after the shoot.
Hope you find it useful, and thanks for watching!
27 05 2016 MW
Credits: Filmed & edited by Sam Swainsbury, at the awesome Cut To: Productions:
www.cuttoshowreels.co.uk/cut-t...
unitedagents.co.uk/sam-swainsbury
Music: 'Funky People' by John Landau & The Giants (with thanks to John Landau):
Music: / thegiantsband

[@brandinshaeffer8970]

Best piece of advice here, imo, is to FEEL what you want to communicate instead of doing a face... and then don't 2nd guess yourself...trust that the photographer will tell you if it's not working. If the photographer isn't giving decent feedback, just ask to see the shots every 25 clicks of their camera. In other words, let the emotion be the guide, not the judgmental voice in the back of your head. Then, when you look through the pics on back of camera, turn on your editing and director's eye to make changes. You can't do those things simultaneously or the camera WILL pick up on the fact that you aren't fully present in the emotion.

[@georgiaap]

Getting my first ever headshots done on Saturday! This helped a lot!

[@genmedel2646]

Have you gotten a acting job yet?

[@therbertme]

I'm a photographer just making it up as I go along. This is so helpful! I've heard it said: the mark of a professional is contribution to their industry. Hats off to you.

[@michaelwharleyphotography5856]

Thanks Timothy; really appreciate that feedback. Do hope they're useful for 'togs as well as actors.

[@ccstopmotionproductions739]

I'm getting my first ever headshot this Saturday!!!! Wish me luck🙂

[@mimzyLassiter]

Same here and I’m shitting bricks right about now but preparing and hoping I’ll love the shots.

[@glocat1963]

Thank you!!! That was helpful since I had my very first head-shot photography session this past Saturday.

[@Lewellah]

Brilliant. Thank you so much, that was what I needed

[@larrywarmsley2633]

Thank you much for sharing, good info and confident building.

[@f5mando]

Thanks, Michael. I am about to renew my HS. This is valuable, useful information, well imparted.

[@HenryBLeeNYC]

Yes, excellent advice. Thanks!

[@terrycormier5221]

Thanks. Very helpful. Very well done. I’ll be getting a headshot today. I certainly remember posture and your advice about the lens

[@JoaquimGonsalves]

I'm an Actor & a Photographer and this video is brilliant! It will really help me in both aspects.

[@FrederickDunn]

Hi Michael, I do lots of headshots and had given thought to making a video explaining the process. Before doing that, I looked into possibly finding one that already covers the ground and here you are! Exactly what's necessary and I'll be linking this video to all of my future headshot clients. Thank you so much and I've subbed of course! Thumbs UP!

[@MichaelWharley]

Thanks Frederick! V pleased it's of use to you and yours. Have a clothing one coming up soon as well. Happy shooting. Cheers Michael

[@JonathanSegevMusic]

Great tips - thank you for sharing!

[@sophiesmekens7453]

This series is so helpful, thanks for posting!

[@MichaelWharley]

Thanks Sophia; so pleased you found it useful

[@georgiagraham9861]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@CKGoldiing]

great, wishing you continued growth-)

[@robynsnyder477]

Nice information! Thanks for sharing :)

[@manuelmiranda7001]

This was invaluable! Thank you!

[@karenbasurto2353]

Me encantó. Mañana tengo una sesión de fotos, seguro esto me servirá mucho. ❤️

[@user-zl3jf3ek6q]

Needed this!

[@sarahlelievre6391]

Great tips

[@jamilgotcher5456]

Great tips Michael! Subscribed!

[@CloudSai]

This is a great video, thanks!

[@TheRealLexOG]

GOLD!!

[@Nunyaaa12345]

Thank you! As an actor that's new to all of this, this video really helped me!

[@MichaelWharley]

venuss3333 so pleased you found it helpful!

[@TheGilbalfas]

This helped enormously

[@creativevoice7879]

thank you so much, I really enjoyed this.

[@Anna-gh6gm]

Great video, thanks for posting.

[@freddyl777]

Wonderful tips! Thank you! 😃

[@barzinlotfabadi]

This is great! I'm sending this to my clients and friends 😁

[@dsingh03]

Getting some new headshots taken later this week. This is very helpful to think of going into that!

[@bosolaful]

So pleased to hear it Danvir; sure you'll ace them!

[@b00i00d]

Great video - thanks!

[@moSahl]

Thank you Michael. That was really helpful.

[@MichaelWharley]

Thanks Muhammad! Glad you found it useful. Good luck with your next shoot.

[@johngrantthethird7361]

So very helpful, thank you

[@amitsharma2919]

splendid

[@dorbitan2935]

Great. Thank you for doing this.

[@MichaelWharley]

My pleasure Dor; glad you found it useful

[@shivangdagar628]

thanks michael

[@veselinvasilev9362]

Thank you!

[@dharma_tour_]

Thank you

[@DiviPhotos]

Great video nice

[@johnleighdesigns]

hi michael thanks for this video im a photographer looking at headshot techniques and one item I noticed was an LED panel you use in the background sometimes- are you combining this with flash by having a slow shutter to create a certain look

[@marcusguimaraes4889]

I am getting my headshots for my Nickelodeon audition in March

[@carltonw2350]

same

[@DiviPhotos]

Cool video

[@thepatriciawhitechannel2135]

Thank you! I wish you were in NY!

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

Wonderful advice. Everyone who does any kind of portrait work should view it. :-)

[@MichaelWharley]

thanks Terry

[@ferrarasabrina]

Thank you so much! I was in such a lack of confidence for my next headshot session but the tips helped me a lot PS: sorry for the broken english

[@MichaelWharley]

My pleasure; sure you'll do brilliantly!

[@lslx7120]

berrydoll i dnt see no broken

[@myfipink]

interesting the photographer i worked with used to tell me to totally forget he was there often shooting from the other side of the studio and slightly closer for close ups but the resaults were brillant but only with that photographer the trust between us became verry strong in fact he asked me one day in year 11photo day did i want to do a photo shoot at the studio because he thought i was so beautifull and he wanted to take photos of me not in school uniform the resaults were incredable for a first photo shoot i worked with the same photographer for 16 years the the photos allways came out exactly as i wanted this was before digital photography digital photograpy was a huge improvement in being able to see the photos cut the time down by half in fact one of my photo shoots was one of the first digital ones he ever did

[@NickDunning-audition-magician]

Nice one Michael - do you have a website?

[@noahjay8370]

I think I’m taking one next week I’m nervous but excited so I can find an agent to be on a movie

[@MichaelWharley]

Good luck! Breathe deeply and look right down the lens - you'll be fine!

[@noahjay8370]

Michael Wharley thank you

[@noahjay8370]

Michael Wharley thank you my headshots turned out amazing

[@renata6504]

Does someone know how to get auditions?

[@AnandaGarden]

Very helpful. I gave it a like, but I did find it disturbing that you're looking off-camera part of the time, as if you've decided to talk to someone else in midstream and it's okay to ignore us - seems to violate the notion that we should look into the lens because it creates a contact with the viewer. Just a suggestion - I learned from the video.

[@MichaelWharley]

runbei thanks for the feedback. I guess we were trying to keep it casual and conversational, but that's good feedback to have. I'm not the most natural presenter!

[@mgoodman7635]

I don’t have the money for a professional headshot but I know someone with a camera😔

[@JRABFILMS]

I've never done this before. Do you reuse the head shots for every audition or do you make new ones for each role? Also, what emotion should i portray?

[@JRABFILMS]

@@kshtjmlk Thanks! :)

[@StorybookApothecary]

thanks for these tips! You remind me of a really polished Ed Sheeran! Just saying :)

[@bosolaful]

haha. I'll try to take that as a compliment Tianna! Glad you found it useful.

[@StorybookApothecary]

I think it is one! haha :) thanks again!

[@Taemens1]

Hi, Michael Wharley. I need to ask for your permission to share this video on my Facebook page.. May I please?

[@MichaelWharley]

Please do!

[@tonypmedia]

I had a headshot session with a lady who literally had the mindset of "being the ugly woman in the room" amongst her referral that sent her. She said she felt like that because of me.. I was like UM NO, YOU were the one throughout your whole session not liking yourself, don't blame me for you not liking yourself lol. Like every frame she had an excuse about herself and why she don't like it(based on her personal factors). Yes I agree, if you DO NOT put that section in your agreement about being passive and low self-esteem ... DO NOT come for your shoot.

[@jenniferbird7940]

Great information, but for me- the in between music was too loud & distracting

[@kimmills3937]

getting my shots on saturday. is it normal to laugh??? becuase im not even doing it yet and i look and then laugh or smile, im scared. :(((

[@MichaelWharley]

Totally normal. It's just another way that nerves show. Take a few deep breaths a look right down the barrel of the lens and commit to your acting thought. It's just tiny acting basically!

[@kimmills3937]

@@MichaelWharley Thank you! this helped

[@kimmills3937]

@@MichaelWharley just done them amazing photos i done what u said and it helped heaps thank you! :)

[@isharkjawz5668]

first time doing big headshots tmro

[@MichaelWharley]

Good luck. Sure you'll ace it

[@briannahahn5851]

Getting my first headshots tomorrow and I'm so scared

[@MichaelWharley]

You'll be brilliant. Just Remember to breathe deeply and reset yourself physically and in performance terms throughout the shoot

[@briannahahn5851]

@@MichaelWharley thank you for that :)

[@JasperKenneth06]

shadeeeeee lol

[@vteconly]

To be honest, i love your demeanor and attitude a lot more than Peter Hurley. Peter Hurley is so full of himself.

[@Comedianmsanita]

I don't see the purpose of this loud guitar and the audio is recorded too low I like the info on your videos when I'm listening at night that music does not fit in makes me want to change it LOL

[@desmondsunstrum6260]

Yikes. Why the awful and unnecessary loud music. It was overpowering your speaking voice and taking away from your content. I had to stop watching.