<p>Ok... so the time for college auditions is coming closer and closer.</p>
<p>And so my question is: What do colleges look for in an 8x10 headshot? Is color the way to go now? Should i use a white border around it? Name? Resume on back? Do colleges have different requirments for each one?</p>
<p>I want to know what people are doing now and what people have done in the recent years</p>
<p>Here's the list of mine:
CCM
UMich
Syracuse
CMU
AMDA
Penn State
UArts
BoCo
Point Park</p>
<p>To the extent that a school has any special requirements for the headshot, it should be posted on their website. In general, most schools simply want a good picture that they can use to associate a face with the audition score sheets when reviews are undertaken. Most schools do not require formal professional headshots. Don't over-stress it but check each school's website to see if there are any special requirements. At UArts and Syracuse, my daughter used an 8x10 color picture that didn't even have her name on it without any problem.</p>
<p>If you are going to go to the expense of formal professional headshots, I would have your name at the bottom but not print your resume on the back of all of your copies. That way, as your resume changes over the next few years, the headshots will still be usable; you can simply paste your current resume to the back of the headshots as you use them.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about specific requirements for schools.
But it's pretty safe to say that colored headshots are the way to go now. Black and White is kinda not the thing any more. It's not bad to have it, but have color headshots unless you absolutely cannot. It's smart to have a white border with your name on the front of the headshot. That way they can immediately put a face with your name rather than having to shuffle to your resume.
Hope this helps!</p>
<p>I have not heard of differing requirements per school for head shots. I agree with Michael that colleges are not requiring professional headshots. If you have another photo of a similar type (like your senior portrait), it likely will suffice. However, if you are getting headshots made anyway, the standard head shot today tends to be color (black and white was more the norm in the past) that is 8x10 with a white border with your name printed in the border. That is what I would get if I were you and were having new shots made anyway. If you are not having new shots, you could take a senior portrait shot (if a close up) and have those made in 8x10 copies with a white border with your name. I personally prefer, if you can do it, professional theater headshots (which again are not required to get into college as long as you have a good close up photo), since you can use it for a couple of years at auditions at college and in summers. So, this headshot should be able to serve you in a few ways beyond college admissions for a couple of years.</p>
<p>This is somewhat related to the question but....Where can I get head shots printed without getting them in mass bulk from a place like Reproductions? Any suggestions?</p>
<p>In my opinion, the best way to reproduce your headshots or photo inexpensively and get only as many as you need at a time is to go to Kinko's and have them print your digital shot out on a piece of 8 by 10 cardstock. You have to remind them that cardstock comes in the 8-and-a-half by 11-size (a regular paper size) so it has to be trimmed. You can then order as many or as few as you want. Then trim your resume so it fits on one 8-by-10-inch page and staple it onto the back of the headshot. </p>
<p>Reproducing the headshot on bright white cardstock makes for a very nice, clean and durable image that is not shiny and does not show fingerprints.</p>
<p>This system worked very well for my D and continues to work well for her. Most repro houses want to print out lots of 200 or more, so getting them in groups of 20 of so at Kinko's near our home is easier and way less expensive, especially as she will no doubt be getting new headshots made in the next few years. </p>
<p>My daughter got her senior portrait (turned out great) on disk (paid for it, of course) and then we took it to this digital guy who turned it into a headshot with the border and her name on it. We actually did a black border (kinda the rage in San Diego) because it looked nicer than the white given her coloring and attire, and her name is in white. She will also be using it for her regular auditions, so.... Anyway it was cheap and easy to do because we got the senior portrait as part of her senior portrait package. Around here, for senior portraits, the studios don't print out the pictures... they just give you the disk and you print the pictures....</p>
<p>Isgo Photo Lab will print 50 lithographed headshots for 40.00 and they are very good quality. It is all done online at their "Headshot Kiosk" and the turn around time is very fast. </p>
<p>Precision Photos specializes in headshots, and will print up as few as 25 copies. They are located in NYC but have a website: Precision</a> Photos.</p>
<p>When our daughter had her headshots done for college auditions, we received a cd with the proofs as well as the finished headshots we selected. Same deal with her recent headshots. We have a HP photo quality inkjet printer (the kind with 5 ink cartridges) which at today's prices can be picked up pretty cheap. Using good photo paper, we find that we can print headshots that look identical to the professional prints which we originally got from the photographer. When it came time to equip our daughter with a computer and printer for college, we got her the same printer and gave her a copy of the cd. There's a great convenience to being able to print headshots "on demand" and with the technology available at today's prices, if you are in the market for a new printer (or already have one), a photo quality home inkjet will produce headshots indistinguishable from those commercially printed.</p>
<p>Michael my D does the same thing. Actually I had headshots printed out by Walgreens and ended up throwing them out preferring the color and quality of the ones from our own printer using photo paper better.</p>
<p>We were able to do the same thing. I also found photo paper which could be printed on both sides so we could print the resume on the back, just make sure you let the first side printed on dry really well, even overnight.</p>
<p>If you are going to print on both sides, I would recommend printing the resume first. Not only is there a lot less ink to dry but also you will not be running a finished photo through the paper path with the rollers.</p>
<p>IMHO I would not print out any more headshots with resume printed on the back than you will need for this round of auditions My D, a college soph, still uses some of her college audition headshots but her resume has definitely changed. If she had pre-printed her resume on a lot of her pics, they would not be usable at this juncture. She does put her name on the front too. Just a thought.</p>
<p>Quick question. Any thoughts on whether or not a headshot for a college program for the summer before senior should be professional or not? D is just 16 and still changing/maturing, so we were thinking we would wait for professional shots until much closer to the college audition season. I know lots of kids at this point do have professional headshots, however, and wouldn't want any inference of lack of commitment, etc. (D did get into BTP last summer on just a cropped school photo.) Any thoughts would be appreciated as always!</p>
<p>I think a good shot is fine at this point - with all the capabilities of scanning, enlarging, cropping, I don't think a professional shot is needed at this time.</p>
<p>For those members living in the tri-state area... I am getting my D professional headshots for the holidays and her 21st b-day. We are VERY inexperienced at all this; we stumbled blindly and she probably lost a few years of training because of this! Anywho, we have spoken to a gent who sounds good, and he was recommended by someone whose D interned with him (The D is a fabulous young photog). I was wondering if "locals" could PM me the prices of equivalent sittings in the area. (We will be in western CT) I am not sure if I am in the right price range! D is having a hair and makeup person there all shoot, and she will change her look a number of times. We will walk away with a cd of digital shots and he will post her pics for interested agents/directors/etc. Photog and stylists are separate prices... It seems a lot of money to me (I will PM you $) and I am just want to make an informed comparison.</p>
<p>A certain amount of hurry up is necessary! Thanks so much and thank you! :)
Snoggie</p>
<p>Snoggie, it just so happens that last night my D was sharing the site/name with me of someone she is considering going to for her new headshots this coming month. This is in NYC. The fee is $800 and you get two retouched shots and it also includes the stylist and make up artist. Until now, my D has gotten headshots for many years in NYC by another great person who charges $600 but the stylist or make up artist are extra. However, he had a much lower fee if the person was 15 and under and even her headshots for college auditions were done while still 15 as she turned 16 during her application season. But since then, she has had to pay the adult rates. I hope this helps.</p>