Actor Headshots Los Angeles
Your headshot gets three seconds with a casting director. In those three seconds they decide if they can see you in the role. I shoot actor headshots in Los Angeles that make the answer yes.
I'm David Christopher Lee. For 27 years I've photographed actors, musicians, and public figures, more than a hundred celebrities, with my work running in GQ, Vogue, InStyle, and People. I bring that same eye to your casting headshot, because the person deciding your next job deserves to see you at your best.
Los Angeles runs on headshots. Every pilot season, every casting office, every agent submission starts with the same small rectangle. Most of them blur together. Yours shouldn't.
Who books actor headshots with me
TV and film actors updating their casting profiles before the next round of submissions. Commercial actors who need a warm, approachable alternate look next to their theatrical shot. Theater actors moving into on-camera work who need the camera to read them differently than the stage does. New actors who need a first headshot that doesn't look like a first headshot. Working actors whose look has changed and whose old headshot is now a stranger.
If casting directors, agents, or managers are going to see it, this session is built for you. My clients range from series regulars to actors walking into their first audition. What they share is the understanding that the headshot is not a formality. It is the audition before the audition.
Theatrical vs commercial: know which you need
Every actor in Los Angeles eventually needs to know the difference, because casting asks for them by name.
A theatrical headshot is for film, television, and theater casting. It is dramatic, character-driven, and honest. The expression has weight. Casting directors use it to answer one question: can this person carry the role?
A commercial headshot is for advertising, industrials, and commercial print. It is warm, open, and approachable. The smile reaches the eyes. Clients use it to answer a different question: would America trust this face?
Most working actors need both, and they need them to look like the same person on different days. That is exactly what a multi-look session is built for. We shoot your theatrical looks and your commercial looks in one session, each one a complete, believable person, and you walk out with a casting profile that covers your full range.
What the session is like
We build your session around looks. One look is a complete setup: full wardrobe and styling change, lighting adjusted for it, and a full directed series. Each look runs about 20 minutes. I shoot about 60 to 70 frames per look and you receive 30 to 40 finished images per look.
Sessions happen at my studio in downtown Los Angeles. The day after your shoot, you get a link emailed to you with your images.
I direct the way actors actually work best. Constant posing instructions produce stiff, lifeless frames, so I create the conditions where you forget the camera is there and the real expressions come out. The best headshot of your session is usually the unplanned one, the frame where something genuine happened and I caught it.
You are paying for 27 years of reading faces. I've directed every personality type under pressure, from first-time actors to the most photographed people on earth. That experience is what gets the expression casting directors stop on.
Session options
- 2 looks, $1,500. About 40 minutes. Your primary type plus one alternate. Right for actors with narrow, well-defined casting.
- 3 looks, $1,900. About an hour. The sweet spot for most actors: your primary type plus two strong alternates. Covers theatrical and commercial in one session.
- 4 looks, $2,300. About 80 minutes. For actors who play across categories and need the range to prove it.
- 5 looks, $2,500. About 100 minutes. The full casting profile: theatrical, commercial, and everything between.
Each look is shot and directed by me personally, on my Leica M11. One retouched image per look is included; additional retouching is $25 per image.
What happens on shoot day
You arrive at the downtown studio with your wardrobe options. We start with an edit: I go through what you brought and we build the looks together, choosing the combinations that serve your casting strongest. Then we shoot, one look at a time, about 20 minutes each, with lighting and direction adjusted for every setup.
There is no assembly line. I watch what's working in each look and push it further. If an unplanned moment lands, we chase it. When the session wraps, you're done. The next day, your gallery link arrives by email.
How to prepare
Do your hair or schedule a stylist. If the hair is bad there is nothing we can do in post, and this matters more than makeup. Get sleep, hydrate, and don't try anything experimental the week of the shoot. A haircut should happen a week out, not the day before.
Bring wardrobe in solid colors with necklines that frame your face, more options than you think you need. Avoid anything with logos, busy patterns, or anything that competes with your eyes. I'll help you pick the strongest combinations on the day.
Why actors hire a photographer who's shot 100+ celebrities
Anyone can learn to light a face. Far fewer people have spent 27 years pulling real expressions out of strangers under pressure, on schedule, with a client watching. Celebrity work taught me to direct fast, read a face in seconds, and create the conditions where guarded people drop the guard. Your session gets all of that.
You're also paying for judgment. I know what sells in media because I've watched my images run in the biggest magazines in the world. When I tell you a look is working, it's because I've seen what works at every level of this industry.
What casting directors actually look for
The short version: eyes that are alive, a type that reads instantly, and range that never confuses. The full breakdown, drawn from 27 years of watching casting decisions get made, is here: Actor Headshots Los Angeles: What Casting Directors Actually Look For.
Book your session
Casting doesn't wait for a slow season. If your headshot is more than two or three years old, or it doesn't match the person walking into the room, it's costing you rooms.
Book a shoot or call +1 (510) 326-4934.
Questions
How many looks do I need? Three is the sweet spot for most actors. Two works if your casting is narrow. Four or five if you genuinely play across theatrical and commercial categories.
Do you shoot theatrical and commercial looks in the same session? Yes. That's exactly what multiple looks are for. We'll build each one as its own complete person.
How long until I get my photos? Your gallery link arrives by email the day after the shoot.
Where is your studio? Downtown Los Angeles.
What's included for retouching? One retouched image per look is included. Additional retouching is $25 per image.
How should I wear my hair and makeup? Arrive with your hair done or bring a stylist. Bad hair can't be fixed afterward. Keep makeup natural; the camera and I handle the rest.
