Actor and model headshots
An actor or model headshot is a working photograph. It is not a portrait of you at your most dressed up. It is a clear, honest read of your face that a casting director, agent, or client can trust before they ever meet you. That is what this session is designed to produce.
The studio offers two formats. The first is a single headshot session, for the actor who needs one strong, current image that matches the way you look right now. The second is a full portfolio experience, built around several looks and lighting set-ups, for people who need range in front of them rather than a single frame.
Rates for both formats are not fixed. What you need depends on the format you book and on what you are building toward, so the studio quotes current rates and availability directly. Get in touch and you will receive a clear answer.
Choosing the format that fits
If you have one clear casting lane and you look the way you looked at your last audition, a single headshot session is usually enough. The session works one direction thoroughly, so the image matches the way you look now rather than the way you looked some time ago. The specifics of what the session includes are confirmed when you book.
The portfolio experience is for the times when one image will not do the job. Models and actors who read in more than one lane need to show that range: different lighting, different wardrobe, different energy. Rather than asking a single look to cover everything, the studio photographs several set-ups. How much the session covers is discussed before you book, so you know what you are paying for.
You are guided throughout the session
Being told to relax is rarely enough to make anyone look at ease. Every session at the studio is fully guided, and a headshot session especially so. Posture, the angle of your shoulders, where your chin sits, what your hands are doing, and where your eyes rest between frames are all directed as the session goes on. Natalie tells you what to change and why, and you adjust.
This matters because a headshot is a face-first photograph, and small shifts read very large at that crop. A quarter inch of chin, a slight drop in the shoulder, a change in where you are actually looking — these are the difference between a photograph that looks like you and one that only resembles you. You do not need any modeling experience to reach that point. You need someone watching closely and telling you what is working.
Bringing your own clothing
For headshot and portfolio sessions, you bring what you wear. There is no studio wardrobe for this work, and that is intentional. Your clothing is part of how you are cast, and it should be yours.
Solid colors and clean necklines generally work best, since anything busy competes with your face at headshot crop. Bring more than you think you will need, especially for a portfolio session, and choose the pieces that already work well on you rather than something bought for the shoot. If you are unsure what to pack, ask before the session and you will receive specific guidance rather than a generic list.
A private studio, by appointment
Sessions take place at 1220 Melody Lane, Suite 180 in Roseville. It is a private studio, which means the lighting, the temperature, the backgrounds, and the pace are all controlled. Nothing is improvised around weather or a public location, and no one is watching while you work.
It also means that wardrobe changes happen on site. That matters most during a portfolio session, when you are moving through several looks and do not want the rhythm of the session interrupted by logistics. Clients come from Roseville, Sacramento, the Bay Area, and across Northern California.
Retouching that keeps you recognizable
Retouching on headshots is deliberately restrained. The purpose is to polish a photograph without erasing the person in it, and this is the one category where over-retouching can cost you work. If you walk into a room looking different from your headshot, the image has not done its job, however good it looks on a screen.
A stray hair, a temporary blemish, or an uneven bit of light is handled. The structure of your face, your skin, your lines, and the qualities that make you castable stay exactly where they are.
Frequently asked questions
Rates are not fixed for either format. A single headshot session and a full portfolio experience are different pieces of work, so the studio quotes current rates and availability directly. Contact the studio and you will receive the current numbers for the format you want.
Book a single headshot session if you need one strong, current image in one clear casting lane. Book the portfolio experience if you need to show range, since it covers several looks and lighting set-ups. If you are not certain which one fits, describe what you are submitting for when you get in touch, and you will receive a clear recommendation.
You bring your own clothing for these sessions, as there is no studio wardrobe for headshot or portfolio work. Solid colors and clean necklines usually work best at headshot crop, and pieces that already fit and suit you are a better choice than something new. Ask before your session if you would like specific guidance on what to pack.
You do not need any experience. Every session is fully guided from start to finish, including posing, posture, hand placement, chin position, and expression. Natalie directs you as the session goes on and tells you what to change, so you can follow along rather than perform on your own.
Enough to polish the photograph, and not enough to change who is in it. Temporary things such as a blemish, a stray hair, or uneven light are cleaned up. The structure of your face and your actual skin stay as they are, because a headshot that does not match the person walking into the room is not doing its job.
At the private studio at 1220 Melody Lane, Suite 180, Roseville, CA 95678, by appointment. Lighting, temperature, backgrounds, and pace are all controlled indoors, and wardrobe changes happen on site. Clients travel in from Roseville, Sacramento, the Bay Area, and elsewhere in Northern California.