Actor Headshot Photographer
in NYC.
CinePaul is an actor headshot photographer in NYC — Paul, an actor himself, working from a private East Village studio at 203 2nd Avenue, shooting cinematic, expressive, color-graded headshots for actors on hand-painted canvas backdrops and delivering castings-ready files in one to three business days.
An actor who shoots actors
A headshot has one job: to get you seen and called in for the room. CinePaul is built entirely around that job — actor headshots in NYC, made by an actor who knows what a casting page is scanning for and what tends to get skipped.
Paul is an actor himself — born in Ukraine, trained at a drama conservatory in Paris, and based in New York since 2024 — so he knows the specific discomfort of being asked to look natural under a light you cannot see. That is the whole premise of CinePaul: actor headshots made by someone who has sat on your side of the lens. Direction is the real work here, small adjustments to the jaw, the breath and the eyes, so the frame reads as a person a casting director wants to meet rather than a stiff ID photo. The style is cinematic, expressive and color-graded by hand, and the retouching keeps you looking like yourself on a good day — pores, laugh lines and all — never smoothed into a stranger. Sessions stay small and unhurried, one actor at a time, so there is room to actually find the shot.
What a headshot session includes
CinePaul runs three one-on-one session lengths so you can match the shoot to what you actually need. The Quick Refresh (60 minutes, two looks) updates a single strong image; the Actor Portfolio (90 minutes, five looks) is the most booked and builds a full working set; and Full Creative (120 minutes, unlimited looks) is for stretching across characters and range. Every session includes real direction and expression coaching, wardrobe and lighting changes between looks, and a private online gallery afterward — not just a memory card handed back. Pricing and exactly what each tier delivers live on the session rates page.
The East Village studio
Sessions happen in a private studio at 203 2nd Avenue in the East Village — no shared floor, no waiting room full of strangers watching you work. Expect shaped light, a rack of Paul’s hand-painted canvas backdrops, and enough time to settle in before the camera comes up. Bring a few wardrobe options and we’ll build the looks together on the day; you can see how the frames actually come out in the recent portfolio.
From booking to castings-ready files
Booking takes a $100 deposit — Zelle, Cash App or cash — to hold the date, with the balance due the day of the shoot and free rescheduling on 24 hours’ notice. After we wrap, your unedited images land in a private online gallery within one to three business days. You choose your selects, and the retouched, color-graded finals follow in another one to three days: hi-res and ready for castings, IMDb and social. If you want the details before you commit, the studio FAQ answers the common questions.
Theatrical, commercial, or both
Most working actors carry at least one theatrical look and one commercial look, and the right balance depends on how you’re being submitted — theatrical headshots and commercial headshots each go deeper on their own, and the side-by-side breakdown lays out the difference in one place.
Ready to plan yours? Look through the recent work, compare the session tiers and rates, then pick a date. Book a session
Do you only shoot actors?
Actor headshots are the focus — Paul is an actor himself, so the direction, lighting and editing are all tuned to what casting looks for. Every session and gallery is built around performers, from the posing on the day to the final color grade.
How long until my headshots are ready?
Your unedited gallery arrives one to three business days after the shoot. Once you choose your selects, the retouched and color-graded finals follow in another one to three days, delivered hi-res and ready for castings, IMDb and social.
Where is the studio and how do I book?
The studio is private, at 203 2nd Avenue in the East Village, New York. A $100 deposit (Zelle, Cash App or cash) holds your date, with the balance due day-of and rescheduling on 24 hours’ notice. Email cinepaulphoto@gmail.com or message @cinepaulphoto on Instagram to set it up.