Member resources
Nineteen working Los Angeles headshot photographers, sorted by what they actually charge. Every price here was read off the photographer's own website, not guessed, not pulled from a directory.
We don't take a cut from anyone on this list. Nobody paid to be here.
The headline price is not the price. Six photographers on this list include no retouching at all. Michael Roud's $695 buys you two looks and zero finished images. Add two standard retouches and a year of gallery hosting and you are at $885. Joanna DeGeneres at $475 for those same two looks hands you a finished image included.
Those are not the same product, and the headline prices make them look like they are. Every card below tells you what the retouching situation is, because that is where the real cost hides.
Ten photographers whose actor sessions start below $500. Cheapest on the list is $165.
From $165
Quick $165 (1 look, 30 min) · Standard $195 (2 looks, 1 hr) · Premium $295 (5 looks, 2 hrs)
Retouching included
Glendale
From $250
3 looks $250 · 4 looks $275 · 5 looks $300
Ask about retouching
Los Angeles
From $250
30 min $250 · 2 looks $350 · 1 hour $400 · 4 looks $500 · Press Kit $1,350
Retouching included
Downtown LA
From $295
LinkedIn Express $295 · Essential $345 (1 outfit) · Standard $525 (2) · Signature $625 (3)
Retouching included
Studio City
From $325
4 changes $325 · 6 changes $460 · 8 changes $560 (plus tax)
Great with kidsRetouching included
Burbank
From $375
1 look $375 · 2 $475 · 3 $575 · 4 $675 · 5 $775
One retouch included
North Hollywood
From $380
1 look $380 · 2 $475 · 3 $575 · 4 $675
One retouch includedKids rate published
Hollywood
From $450
2 looks $450 · 3 looks $525 · 4 looks $600
Ask about retouchingKids rate published
Los Angeles
From $475
2 looks $475 · 3 $575 · 4 $675 · 5 $775 · or 1 hour, unlimited looks, $550
No retouching included
Downtown LA, Arts District
Seven photographers whose actor sessions start at $500 or more, plus two who quote privately.
From $590
2 looks $590 · 3 looks $745
Ask about retouchingKids rate published
Sherman Oaks
From $595
Actors $595 (2 looks) · Kids and teens 14 and under $500 (2 looks)
Great with kidsNo retouching included
Studio City
From $595
Vanie from $595 · second shooter Kayvon from $495 · packages run 2 to 6 looks
Ask about retouching
North Hollywood
$600 flat
One flat rate per session, typically around five looks
Three retouches included
Los Angeles
From $695
Michael $695 (2 looks) · associate photographers from $595
No retouching included
Hollywood
From $700
Signature $700 (3 looks) · Living Headshot $450 · Basic Editorial $800
Two retouches included
Private LA studio
Price on request
Email studio@davidmullerphotography.com with "Pricing" in the subject line
Quotes privately
LA and the San Fernando Valley
Price on request
Booking and rates by enquiry
Quotes privately
915 Mateo Street, Arts District
Kids are a different job. Shorter attention spans, different lighting, and a photographer who can actually get a real expression out of a nine year old is worth paying for. Kym's picks: Robert Kazandjian and Alan Weissman. Both are excellent with young performers.
Four photographers on this list publish a separate kids rate: Rob Mainord $400 for 16 and under · Dana Patrick $455 for two looks, 15 and under · Brian Parillo $480 for three looks, 12 and under · Alan Weissman $500 for two looks, 14 and under. Cathryn Farnsworth holds a Child Performer Permit, and Joanna DeGeneres quotes separately for ages 5 to 12.
Two things catch actors out, every time.
Retouching. Six photographers here deliver unretouched files as standard: Michael Roud ($75 to $115 each), Alan Weissman ($45), Matt Marcheski ($40), Paul Smith (around $80), plus Artist Footprint and Rob Mainord who do not state it at all. If you want three finished images, that is a real line item.
Hair and makeup. Only Theo & Juliet includes it. Everyone else who prices it charges on top:
| Photographer | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Parillo | $160 to $220 | $125 |
| Paul Smith | $150 to $250 | $75 to $175 |
| Joanna DeGeneres | $175 to $275 | $150 to $250 |
| Matt Marcheski | $225 to $350 typical | same |
| Marc Cartwright | $250 up to 2 looks | $250 |
| Dana Patrick | $250 | $175 to $200 |
| Maya Adrabi | $200 | $200 |
| Cathryn Farnsworth | $350 to $450 | not published |
Most also take a non-refundable deposit: $100 at Parillo and Cartwright, $200 at Poyey and Dana Patrick, $250 at Roud and Weissman, and 50% at Theo & Juliet.
So the real range for a normal two-look session with one finished image and no hair or makeup is roughly $195 to $885. Not the $165 to $1,385 the headline numbers suggest.
They are two different photos and you need both. Theatrical says this is who I am under pressure. Commercial says this is who I am on a good day - warmer, brighter, more open. Ask any photographer on this list whether they shoot them differently. The good ones do.
Commercial headshots in Los Angeles are shot in colour, without exception.
What to wear: no stripes, no denim, no leather, no logos, minimal jewellery. Anything with a pattern fights the camera and dates the shot. And check your hair colour is not sitting too close to the backdrop, or you will blend into it.
The five looks worth covering, because they are the ways you will actually get cast: blue collar · neutral · business · evening wear · edgy or grungy. That spread is why the per-look pricing above matters so much.
One last thing. The cheapest option stops being cheap the moment you have to reshoot.
Your headshot is one piece of your marketing kit. Journey 2: Marketing Materials covers what to do with the shots, how to pick the right one for each submission, and how your resume and reel fit around them. Journey 4: Sign With Representation You Love covers what agents and managers actually want to see before they take a meeting.
Every price on this page was read on the photographer's own website in September 2026. Rates change, so confirm when you book. We have no financial relationship with anyone listed here and nobody paid for placement. If you have a photographer you love who should be on this list, or you find a rate that has moved, just reply to any SAS email and let us know.