Let’s say you have done your research and selected a photographer.  Your session is coming up, but now you are wondering what to wear, how to do your hair, or for guys should I shave?  You can easily answer that yourself by asking, “What is my type?”  Taking a picture that best fits the characters you are most often called in for is important.  Notice I did not say, take the sexy picture or the fake plastic smiley shot.  Sure, there are those roles out there, but more often than not, casting is looking for a “Creepy Neighbor” or a “Co Worker with a sarcastic edge”.  Casting directors don’t wanna play guessing games.  They wanna see the character they are casting when they look at your picture and then click the little appointment box.

Often the best approach to figuring out what type you are is to look at your past roles.  They’ll show you how you are generally perceived by people casting you.   If you want to expand your horizons a bit, take a look at actors who are in your category, but be realistic.  Chances are you are not in Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie’s category.  If you are, congratulations, why are you wasting your time reading this.  Go stand on a street corner near a studio.  Something will happen for you.  For the rest of us, a celebrity look-a-like can often be a good tool by which we can research the kinds of roles that are being offered to someone similar to ourselves.  Look-a-likes can also be a great tool with which your representation can pitch you, so if you haven’t, you should research your celebrity doppelganger.  There are a couple websites out their that claim to have the technology to do this, but I would rely more on your friends to give you an honest opinion..  The websites told me I look like Kimmy Gibbler from full house.

Hopefully, you’ve taken an honest look at your personality and physical appearance and you now have a good idea of how people see you.  Because you now have a clearer picture of how you are seen by others it is easier to answer what should you wear, how to do your hair, or should you shave?  The correct wardrobe, lighting, hair style, background, and color scheme can all be used to draw the eyes of a casting associate and can help you achieve your desired look!