Headshot Guidelines

General Guidelines for the PH2 Actor’s Headshot Session

Here is a general loose guide to how a PH2 Headshot session works. Check with your chosen PH2 photographer for their individual shoot logistics because this will vary throughout the world. 

The PH2 actor’s headshot session is designed to get you the marketing materials needed to promote yourself within the entertainment industry. In order to do this your photographer will shoot a minimum of 3 different looks on you. We like to give everyone a wide range of looks so that you are able to use multiple shots for different marketing purposes. We will get into clothing a little later, but the best advice we can give you is that you bring a variety of your favorite tops. Your photographer may choose to shoot more than 3 looks, so make sure you have a nice range of looks with you. None of our photographers put a strict limit on the number of shots they take and they will shoot each look until they feel they’ve gotten it covered. Once you are done they’ve usually have shot anywhere between 150 and 250 shots during the session. But we will shoot you until we get it right. You and your photographer will edit the entire shoot down through an approval process to the best pictures. You’ll end up with somewhere between 50-75 final shots that you have approved as potential candidates for marketing yourself. By shooting and editing in this manner we can adjust the focus of the shots to account for anything that we feel we may have missed. You will be part of the process and your photographer – Vince Hemingson, in this case – will discuss what you are doing as a team, this insures that you are pleased with the outcome of the session upon finishing.

Each photographer’s editing process may be different, so check with the photographer in your area as to how they handle the editing and proofing process. Vince Hemingson will send you your edits on Dropbox, through a private shared Link. You will be able to give the shared Link to friends, family, agents, casting directors and anyone else who might help you choose the shots you decide to use. The site is a perfect tool for choosing your shots and a great way to get feedback from others. Each photographer has a method for doing this that works into their individual workflow, so discuss the process after the shoot with them prior to shooting.

Once you’ve chosen your final shots you can order retouching and printing services through your photographer or their chosen retoucher. Many of the PH2 photographers retouch their own work, so you’ll be working with them directly. For quality control purposes all of our work is handled by either your photographer, or their chosen retoucher, so if you elect to shoot with a PH2 Associate Photographer you will not be given high res files for your retouching and printing on your own. This is a recipe for disaster and we are trying to produce the best quality images possible. For any questions regarding this please discuss that with your individual photographer because logistics vary from city to city.

We ask that everyone bring a bunch of different looks for themselves (for the most part tops only, unless you plan on doing a bunch of 3/4 shots). Rule #1: You have to love it! Any number of things can work, but you won’t shoot well in something that you don’t like. So make sure that you only bring the things you feel good wearing and mix it up with a bunch of different cuts and colors. Don’t be seasonal because you’ll be using these shots throughout the year. If you find yourself questioning whether or not something will work just bring it along. When matching tops, women should bring a white bra, a black bra and a strapless bra. If you wear contact lenses, please bring solution and your contact case so that they can be removed. If you have more than one pair of eye-glasses, please bring your favorites, both for your casual look and your professional look.

Let us know if you’d like us to hire one of our makeup artists for you. The cost of makeup for women varies from city to city, but the average cost is $150 for the session. If you feel you can handle this on your own that is ok, but not recommended. We want you 100% focused on your shoot, so handling makeup can be a distraction. Makeup worn for a shoot can vary greatly from what you are used to wearing everyday, so it’s important to have a professional there for you. If you do decide to do your own then make sure you show up with your makeup ready to roll. If you need to do touch ups during the session that is fine. Our makeup artists start very naturally to give you a very clean look and will add makeup as you go. We ask that everyone come in with their hair as if they were presenting themselves to a casting director for an audition. We want your headshot to match the way you will look in person. The makeup artist will help out if you feel you need assistance to touch it up, but you are in charge here. It’s got to be something that you can recreate for that audition. It’s not required, but men can hire the makeup artist if you feel you need grooming on the shoot for $100. Also, for the guys who grow decent scruff or feel you can market yourself in that direction, you can come in with a some growth and we’ll shoot until we feel we’ve gotten it covered and then you can shave, so bring your razor, etc.

The headshot rate varies from city to city, so call or email the PH2 Associate Photographer in your area for specific pricing, most pricing starts around $350 depending on the market. For example, our New York PH2 Associate Photographer fee is $450 plus tax for the shoot. There is a $200 deposit required to book a session, this is non-refundable and goes towards the $450 total. Check with your photographer for deposit info and pricing. Vince Hemingson charges $450 for a 3-hour head shot session and $200 for a one-hour head shot/portrait.

Each PH2 photographer handles their own schedule, so check with your chosen photographer for shoot times. We generally shoot 2 sessions per day. 10am and 1pm. We do occasionally tweak those times depending upon the schedule each particular day. When shooting women that choose to have their makeup done, we stagger the sessions to allow for makeup. The sessions generally last about 2 hours without makeup and 2 1/2- 3 1/2 hours with a makeup artist. We ask our clients to give us 3 days notice should you need to cancel your session, otherwise you forfeit your deposit.

We are happy to meet with anyone for a free consultation as well in the studio or we can schedule a phone consultation. During the consultation you will get to know your photographer a bit and go over some of the details of the shoot, and have any other questions you may have answered. Contact the PH2 Associate Photographer in your area for available times to set up an appointment or consultation.

A non-refundable deposit is generally required to book a session and is due after you’ve chosen a shoot date. All payments are handled by the respective PH2 Associate photographers and paid directly to that photographer. In no way does PH2pro.com or Hurley Productions LLC assume any responsibility for any transactions between the client and any photographer found on this site.

We like our clients to be 100% informed, so thanks for taking the time to read all this pertinent information. If you still have questions feel free to ask! One of our associates would be happy to help you. We look forward to hearing from you!

---