When people book a session with me, they’re almost always thinking about headshots — and they should be. That tight crop on your face is still the workhorse of your portfolio, the thing casting directors see first. But if that’s all you walk away with, you’re leaving something on the table.
Midshots (roughly waist-up) and full-body shots do a different job. A headshot tells someone what you look like. A midshot or full-body shot tells them how you move through a room — your posture, your energy, how you wear clothes, how you occupy space. For commercial work, theater bios, dance or movement-based roles, or just rounding out your portfolio so it doesn’t look like eleven versions of the same photo, these images matter.
They’re also just fun to shoot, honestly. Once we’re not locked onto your face, there’s room to play — a hand in a pocket, a slight lean, a prop, an actual outfit instead of just a shirt. That’s where wardrobe and styling start to do real storytelling work. A midshot in a blazer says something different than one in a leather jacket, and a full-body shot lets that choice actually land.
That said — I don’t treat these as equal to the headshot. If budget or time is tight, headshots come first, every time. Think of midshots and full-body images as the supporting cast: they round things out, but they’re not the lead.
If you’re prepping for a session, it’s worth spending a few minutes thinking about wardrobe before you show up: What’s a piece of clothing that feels like “you”? What color or texture matches the type of roles you’re going for? You don’t need a stylist — just some intention.
