Quick Points on Why iPhone Headshots are Bad
There can be a lot to write about why iPhone or Android headshots just simply cannot compare with headshots made with a real camera and with a real photographer. So, the point here will be to be brief. First, there is that Ford compared with Ferrari analogy. The same concept applies here. You cannot use an inferior device to match the output of a superior one. There are layers to levels of quality, and it is evident in a smartphone’s inferiority compared with a full-frame sensor mirrorless or DSLR camera.
Furthermore, it can be easily argued the lens options available on smartphones are poor choices for headshots. They physically change how you look compared to lens options that can be used on a real camera. This does not even touch upon the levels of quality in optics between a lens, say from Canon, Nikon, or Sony, compared with one on a smartphone.
Next up is the lighting. Here too there are levels of quality in the lighting used. Natural light is available to everyone, but studio lighting is not. A knowledgeable photographer can use studio lighting to shape a look you are after. Hollywood does it all the time in their productions. So, you should also take advantage of this for your headshots.
Finally, there are gimmicks with smartphones. The current trend is in smartphones somehow being able to now process darker skin tones accurately. If anything, fixing this is more a reflection that bias may have been built into the smartphone in the first place. This is not the case with modern full-frame mirrorless or DSLR cameras, nor has it been for years. Light is light. It does not care what color someone’s skin is. Sometimes you might turn up or down the light as needed but photographers do not generally go around adding red, green, or blue to their lights for different skin tones.
Smartphone cameras also rely on such computational photography to enhance photos. There is nothing wrong with retouching – it is done for actor headshots too. But smartphone automated photo processing falls short on details compared with real cameras.
So, How Many Headshots Do Actors Use?
There is no specific number of headshots an actor can have for their portfolio, but some common advice is to have at least two and not too many, perhaps 5-7 at the high end. If just two, perhaps a commercial look and theatrical look are ideal. If you believe you are best suited for one or the other, then you might make both commercial or both theatrical headshots.
Another important factor to consider is to keep them updated, especially if your look changes. What is a look change? It can be that you grew out your hair or cut it short. Maybe you colored your hair. Maybe you lost noticeable weight or gained noticeable weight.
Finally, it is probably a good idea to have many headshots ready to go. If you and your agent select some to use, try them out. If they are working for you then keep at it until you need them updated. If they are not working, try some of the others you had made. It might be as simple as the smirk in one photo is not as good as the other. Getting that smirk right can tell casting directors something more about you. So, do not be afraid to try different photos if the ones you put out there into the industry are not working for you.
So, yes, actors still do use headshots. That has not changed for decades or for the foreseeable future.