It's one of the most common questions actors ask before booking a session: How many looks do I actually need? The short answer is two to three — but as with most things in this industry, the right answer depends on where you are in your career and what you're submitting for. This post breaks it all down so you book the right session, not the biggest one.

Not sure which type of actor headshot you need? Theatrical and commercial headshots serve completely different purposes — and submitting the wrong one can cost you the audition. Here's how to tell them apart.

Before sound came to cinema, directors used live music on set to put actors in the right emotional state. It worked then. It still works now — and it's part of every session at Draper Studios.

Most actors think their headshot is a picture of them. It isn't — it's a piece of information being scanned by someone making a fast, pattern-based decision under time pressure. Here's what casting directors actually see when they look at your headshot, and why "showing range" is some of the worst advice in the industry.

Wardrobe is one of the most-asked-about parts of an actor headshot session -- and one of the most misunderstood.

The common advice is to keep it simple. And that's true, but it's not the whole picture. The real goal isn't to disappear into a neutral outfit. It's to wear something that helps casting directors instantly understand who you are and what roles you're right for. That's a more specific goal -- and it requires a little more strategy.

Here's how I approach it with clients at Draper Studios' actor headshot sessions.