8 Questions to Ask a Headshot Photographer Before You Book

When I get calls from potential clients, I often only hear one question: “What is your price?”

Price is certainly a factor in choosing a headshot photographer, but what are some other questions to ask while shopping around?

To compare apples to apples, it’s important to also ask what the headshot package includes for the price. Two photographers can quote you the same number and hand you completely different packages, and you won’t know that until you ask. Here’s the list I give actors who call me while they’re still deciding.

What Should You Ask a Headshot Photographer Before You Book?

Ask what you’re walking away with, not just what the session costs. These eight questions do that, and any professional headshot photographer should be able to answer every one of them without hesitation.

1. How long is the session?
2. How many final images will I receive?
3. How many marketing looks?
4. How and when will I view my images?
5. Will I receive web-ready files sized for casting sites like Actors Access and Casting Networks?
6. How much are high resolution files if I want prints?
7. Is retouching included, or is it a separate charge?
8. Is hair and makeup included?

Which of These Questions Do Actors Skip Most Often?

Numbers five, six and seven, almost every time. Actors ask what a session costs and forget to ask what actually leaves the studio with them, and that’s the gap where two identical quotes stop being identical.

Files are not just files. Some photographers like myself hand you images already sized and ready to upload, and some hand you a folder of mega files directly from camera and leave the cropping to you. This is something to beware of because most actors don’t know how to size down an image to fit casting sites without creating pixelation issues where the image looks blurry.

Also, retouching is its own line item at most professional studios, and finding that out after the shoot is an expensive surprise. All my packages clearly spell out what they include (before you pay your deposit) so there are no surprises after the fact.

You cannot compare two numbers until you know what each one buys. When an actor shops on price alone the math gets brutal: a $150 session becomes $350, and then $850. Headshots are an investment, not a cost.

How Do You Compare Two Photographers Who Quote the Same Price?

You compare what happens during the session, because that’s where the difference lives. Two photographers can deliver the same packages and the same number of looks, but only one of them can get your personality on camera. And personality is what books.

Will the photographer direct you, or will you be posing?

Ask it in exactly those words. A great headshot is not a well lit photo of a person simply posing. For an acting headshot to be effective, you need both specific looks and personality, and personality does not get produced because someone told you to tilt your chin.

At Vanie Poyey Photography, in my North Hollywood studio, I direct actors the way a director would. We improv, I throw lines at you, and you’re acting on camera instead of posing. Most actors who walk in tell me the same thing: they’re good in front of a moving camera but stiff in front of a still one. That is a direction problem, not a talent problem.

Agents are looking at the result. Casting Networks put it plainly this year: an agent needs to see your headshot and immediately think “I know the breakdowns this actor could fit,” (source: Casting Networks). So it’s important that your headshots re SPECIFIC.

What will the photographer tell you before you pack?

Wardrobe guidance is part of the job, and there are seven things a photographer should bring to your session beyond a camera. But be careful whose advice you take since there are a lot of conflicting advice out there. Casting Frontier’s guide to industry standards still tells actors to avoid patterns and limit jewelry (source: Casting Frontier). I disagree on both. Patterns are fine now, because AI assisted post production solved the hot spot problem that made them risky, and in 26 years, no agent has ever asked me for a reshoot over jewelry. We use it to clarify the character.

What Else Should Actors Be Asking in 2026?

Two questions that belong on the list now, and neither existed when I first wrote it.

Do you use AI to generate or alter headshots?

Ask outright. AI generated headshots read as idealized rather than human, and they don’t look like the person who walks into the room, which is the entire job of a headshot. If your photo lies, the casting director who called you in does not call you again.

Will you get on the phone with me before I book?

If the answer is no, that tells you what the rest of the relationship looks like. Email is fine for price, but you’re about to spend hours with this person on the most important marketing tool you own. There is a reason I ask actors to call and interview the photographer instead of emailing: I can’t prepare for what you need if I have never heard you describe it.

Before the call, there are five things worth checking on a photographer’s website, starting with whether headshots are what they do or one of six services they offer. Make sure you work with someone who specializes in headshots. I shoot acting headshots and nothing else, which is why my studio is known to get actors results!

Ask all ten. Ask them of everyone on your list and write down what you hear. The photographer who answers straight, without getting cagey about what is included, is usually the one still answering you after the shoot.

Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Headshot Photographer

These come up on almost every consultation call, so here are my short answers.

What questions should I ask a headshot photographer?

Ask what is included in the price: session length, number of looks, number of final images, whether files come sized for casting sites (so you don’t have to worry about sizing down for web), and whether retouching is separate. Then ask whether the photographer will direct you during the session.

How do I choose the right headshot photographer?

Look for someone who shoots acting headshots specifically, make sure they showcase several images from one session rather than a portfolio of one-offs, and get them on the phone. If they won’t talk before you book, they’re unlikely to be reachable after.

Should I choose the cheapest headshot photographer?

No, and not because expensive equals good. The cheapest session usually skips the looks and the direction that make images work, which is how cheap headshots cost you a second session plus the months you waste not auditioning.

Is retouching included with actor headshots?

It depends on the studio. Retouching is the process of skin smoothing, reducing smile lines, under eye circles, flyaway hairs etc. and it’s done by hand one image at a time which is why most pro photographers charge a separate fee. Also pr can customize the retouching to your specific requests as well.

Price is the easiest number to compare and the least useful one on its own, my friend. If you want a straight answer to all ten of these, get in touch and ask me. And if you are still working out which looks you should be shooting in the first place, start with my free Look Guide.