Casting photos: getting them right with a phone

Before a casting director sees you act, they see your photos. That is often where they decide whether to call you. Good news: you don’t need an expensive photographer to start. A recent phone, a window and a little method are enough.

The two photos you need

• The headshot: your face and the top of your shoulders, facing the camera, looking straight into the lens. It is the photo people look at first.
• The full-length photo: head to toe, standing, arms by your sides. It shows your build and your height.

You can add a profile (from the side) and a waist-up shot. Four good photos are worth more than twenty average ones.

What they want to see: you, today

A casting photo is not a fashion photo. The goal is to show what you really look like on the day you arrive on set.

• No filters, no face retouching, no app that slims your features.
• Light make-up or none, your usual hairstyle.
• Recent photos: change them as soon as your haircut, beard or weight changes.
• A neutral expression, and another with a slight smile. Your eyes must be sharp.

If they don’t recognise you when you walk into the room, the photo has cost you the role.

Taking good photos with a phone

1. Light: face a window, during the day, out of direct sunlight. Avoid the flash and ceiling lights, which leave shadows under the eyes.
2. Background: a plain, light wall, with no furniture, pictures or patterns.
3. Height: the phone at eye level, held by someone else or on a stand. No arm’s-length selfies, which distort the face.
4. Framing: vertical for the full-length photo, with a little space above your head and below your feet.
5. Sharpness: tap your eyes on the screen to focus, and clean the lens before you start.

Clothes

Simple, fitted, plain clothes: a T-shirt or shirt in a neutral or strong colour, jeans or dark trousers. Avoid logos, thin stripes, big patterns, pure white and all black, which wash out details. No sunglasses, no caps.

The most common mistakes

• A cropped wedding or party photo.
• A group photo where your face is hard to see.
• Photos that are too old or too retouched.
• A blurry, dark or backlit image.
• Model poses when the listing is for a natural role.

Key facts

• Minimum: one front headshot and one full-length photo
• Light: facing a window, during the day, no flash
• Background: plain, light wall
• Golden rule: no filters, recent photos
• Update them: whenever your haircut, beard or weight changes