Casting looks at an actor headshot for about a second before deciding whether to keep reading. The only job the image has is to make that second go your way, and to look like the person who actually walks into the room.
What an Actor Headshot Has to Do
An actor headshot is not a portrait of you looking your best. It is a casting tool. If the image is lit and retouched into something more polished than you are on a normal Tuesday, it works against you, because the first thing that happens in the room is a comparison between the photo and the person. The headshot should be flattering in the way good light is flattering, and honest about age, type, and features.
Actor Headshots Toronto for Casting, Agents, and Self-Submissions
Actors in Toronto need images that hold up on a casting platform thumbnail, in an agent submission, and full size on a casting director's screen. Those are three different viewing conditions and a weak frame fails at least one of them. Eyes have to stay alive at small sizes. The crop has to leave room for the platform to reshape it. Backgrounds have to stay out of the way rather than compete for attention.
Shot by a Working Actor
Jonathan Levy works as an actor as well as a photographer. That is the practical difference here. He has sat on the submission side of the process, so the session is run with the audition in mind rather than the portfolio: what a self-tape frame demands, why a commercial look and a dramatic look need to be genuinely different rather than the same face in two shirts, and why an actor needs to recognise themselves in the final image. Direction lands faster when the person giving it has taken the same note.
Looks, Wardrobe, and How Many You Need
Most actors are best served by two or three distinct looks rather than one. A commercial look reads warm, open, approachable. A dramatic or theatrical look reads grounded and serious. If you play a recognisable professional type, a third look built around that is worth the time. Wardrobe does the work here: solid colours, clean necklines, nothing that dates the image or pulls the eye away from the face. Bring more options than you think you need and the session sorts it out.
The Session
The session starts with a conversation about what you are being submitted for and where you keep getting called back, because that shapes every choice that follows. Direction is continuous. Nobody is left standing in front of a lens guessing what to do with their face. The pace is deliberate enough to get real expression rather than a run of near identical frames.
Credentials That Matter Here
Official photographer for Miss Universe Canada three consecutive years, producing the official public Queen portraits each year for subjects whose images are scrutinised constantly. Contributing photographer, Harper's Bazaar, in collaboration with Unik Models. 2025 Fashion Photographer of the Year, awarded by NIFW. Founding contributor and Creative Director at Spencer Magazine. The through line is directing people who are not professional subjects into looking like themselves under pressure.
What to Expect
Sessions are quoted by the number of looks. Edited selects are delivered within 48 hours via Dphoto at full resolution, so the same files work for agency submission and for casting platforms. Sessions run in studio or on location across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Travel beyond the GTA may be quoted separately, and parking is additional where it is not provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many looks should an actor headshot session cover?
Two or three distinct looks suits most actors. A commercial look that reads warm and approachable, a dramatic look that reads grounded, and optionally a third built around a professional type you are regularly cast as.
What should I wear for actor headshots?
Solid colours, clean necklines, and nothing that dates the image. Avoid busy pattern and large logos, since both pull attention off the face. Bring more options than you think you need.
Should actor headshots be in colour or black and white?
Colour. Colour is the working standard for casting submissions in North America, because casting needs to see hair, eye, and skin tone accurately. Black and white is a stylistic extra, not the submission image.
How is an actor headshot different from a corporate headshot?
A corporate headshot is built to communicate authority on a leadership page or a LinkedIn profile. An actor headshot is a casting tool that has to match the person walking into the room, and it usually covers several distinct looks rather than one polished portrait.
Will the images work on casting platforms and for agency submissions?
Yes. Edited selects are delivered at full resolution via Dphoto, so the same files can be resized for any casting platform or submitted through an agent.
How soon are actor headshots delivered?
Edited selects are delivered within 48 hours via Dphoto.