28 Feb Bunker Headshot Printing Basics
Yes, it’s true! Actors still print! There are still a lot of casting directors that still want to hold a physical headshot. This is especially true if you want to audition for TV and film or do casting director workshops.
The headshot is the first (and sometimes only) chance to make a good impression with casting directors so you want to make sure you get the best quality print out of your headshots.
Unfortunately, many actors make the mistake of cutting corners with their pictures by going with a cheap photographer and printer.
To avoid this problem here are some tips to ensure you get the best quality headshot prints possible.
Choose a high quality photographer
This is gonna sting a little for you cash-strapped actors out there, but you’re gonna have to shell out some money for a good photographer. A good headshot is more than just taking a picture of your face. The photographer also has to act as sort of a director to get the right shot for their client.
Take it easy on the retouching
The general rule here is that if you can tell that an image is retouched then it’s a bad retouching job.
Lighting
Outdoor natural lighting is great but indoor lighting can be just as good…if the photographer has the proper equipment. The photographer should have high quality lighting equipment that’ll make the image pop. Without good lighting your images will print all muddy with a lot of noise (or speckles). There’s not much we the printers can do to fix a poorly lit image. We may be able to brighten it up in Photoshop but that doesn’t take care of the noise problem and without all the colors of a well lit image, the picture will end up looking blown out.
Choose a good printer
When it comes to printing you really don’t want to cut corners here. The temptation may be to print your headshots at home but trust us when we say that is a bad idea. Most desk top printers aren’t calibrated with what you see on screen so you’ll end up with a print that looks way different than what you thought.
You also want to avoid ‘one off printing’ or in other words: Kinko’s. If you’re auditioning all the time, you won’t have time to get prints at Kinko’s and in the long term they’re way too expensive so you’re going to want to print in bulk. That’s where we come in.
If you print with a professional printer that focuses on the needs of actors (ahem, like us) then you’re going to get exactly what this industry expects from a professional actor. On top of that, we put the order together for you so you don’t have to spend all your time fidgeting around with InDesign or Photoshop.
High resolution pictures only!
The number one problem we have when it comes to printing headshots are low resolution images. Generally, you want your image to be at least 1200 pixels in width. Anything smaller than that and your image will print blurry or pixelated.
Actors will usually ask us to fix a low res image by “up-res’ing” it. Unfortunately, that doesn’t fix the problem, it just changes it. If you up-res an low res blurry image it just becomes pixelated and you end up with a pixelated image with hard, jagged edges. Your best bet is to always get the high resolution image along with the low res web version after your shoot with the photographer.
There you go! With these tips alone, you’re sure to end up with a top-notch headshot that’ll get you in the door!
Get your head shots and model cards printed with us out at BunkerLA.com and be sure and like us on Facebook
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