Your pictures are very important - they're what sell you. Your pictures should look like you do every day - they shouldn't look glamorous or have dramatic lighting and effects.

Standard pictures are 8 X 10, black and white close-ups of the actor's face. When you get your pictures done, there are a few things to remember:

CHOOSING A PHOTOGRAPHER: If you can, find a photographer who has experience shooting actor's headshots. If you live in a smaller city or town and there aren't any photographers with experience, you can still go to a regular one, but try and bring examples of the type of picture you want (you can print actor's headshots off the internet, or ask your actor friends to borrow theirs). Remember, these are your pictures, so speak up and tell the photographer exactly what you want.

Where can you find a photographer? The phone book is a good place to start, but you can also talk to other actors, call your local union office (SAG for the US, ACTRA for Canada - check Links & Other Info for contact information), and take a look in the newspaper.

WHAT YOU'LL PAY: The cost of a photo shoot varies greatly depending on the photographer, the city you're in, how many pictures you take, and whether or not hair & make-up is included. If you can find a photographer that will take your pictures for a low price, great, but expect to pay anywhere between $200-$400, possibly more. If you have a few friends who are needing headshots as well, round them up and try to get a cheaper group rate.

WHAT YOU WEAR: When you're choosing what to wear in your pictures, try and pick something simple, preferably a solid color other than black or white. Black and white cause too much of a contrast. Really "busy" patterns should be avoided as well, since they can distract from your face. The clothes you choose should be similar to what you'd wear every day - no glamorous dresses or tuxedos. Jewelry should be kept to a minimum. Don't wear glasses, simply because they can cause reflections and you probably won't be wearing them if you're cast, anyway.

POSES: Your poses should be mostly close-ups, but a three-quarter shot, which shows you from your waist up, can be done as well. Take some smiling shots, which will be good for commercial auditions, as well as some serious shots, which work better for TV and film. The background should be simple and the lighting should be sufficient.

When you're choosing which pictures to use (usually 2 are chosen) get a few different opinions - don't choose your own pictures. Ask fellow actors, your agent if you have one, your friends, anyone who knows a bit about what they're doing. Make sure the pictures are clear, and well lit.

Getting copies made requires a few decisions, including whether or not to have a border, how your name will appear on the pictures, and where your name will appear.

BORDERS: You have a choice of either having borders, or having a "bleed", which is where there are no borders and your picture goes right to the edge of the sheet. Bleeds are usually preferred, since they draw more attention to the actor, but borders are fine as well.

HOW AND WHERE YOUR NAME WILL APPEAR: If your picture has a border, your name will go on that. If it doesn't, your name goes directly on the photo. The methods of writing the name on the photo are: a knock-out, which is when your name is printed on a small block of white space; an overlay, which is when your name is directly on the photo in black letters (this would be used on a light portion of the picture); and a reverse, which is an overlay, except the name appears in white letters (this would be used on a dark portion of the photo). Make sure your name can be easily seen. You don't want a casting director to look at your picture, think you're perfect, then toss it out because your name wasn't on it and they couldn't figure out who you were.

GETTING "REPROS": Once you've chosen your picture and decided on how your name will appear, you'll need to make reproductions (or "repros") to send out to potential agents, casting directors, and media contacts. Usually your photographer will be able to recommend a place to get this done, so make sure you ask about it. Again, you can also look in the phone book and talk to other actors to find out where they get theirs done.

How many pictures will you need? It depends on a few things. If you live in a smaller city where you won't be going on too many auditions (1 per month or so), you'll only need about 25-50 copies of your picture to start out. If you're in a larger city with lots of work, you might want to get more, around 100-150. If you have an agent, make sure you ask him or her how many she will require - you don't want to have too few made, and you also don't want to pay for too many. Also take into consideration how much you will change over the next couple of years. If you're young and developing, you'll likely have to get new pictures after only a year or so and therefor you won't want to make too many copies. If you're older and don't expect to be cutting your hair or changing your appearance drastically within the next little while, you may want to get a quite a few, as the price of repros goes down when you buy more.