Jessica Burkhart Photography
Bright, modern headshots with a focus on authenticity and warmth
Overview
Jessica Burkhart captures bright, modern headshots that radiate authenticity and warmth. Her style is contemporary and inviting, making her a popular choice among New York actors who want images that feel current and approachable.
Jessica takes a collaborative approach, working with each actor to establish the right mood and energy before shooting begins. Her direction is encouraging and responsive, creating a comfortable atmosphere that produces genuine expressions.
How It Works
She works with a diverse range of NYC actors across theater, film, and commercial markets. Her headshots are consistently praised for their brightness, clarity, and the way they capture an actor's genuine personality.
Sessions cost between $350 and $500, with retouched digital images included in all packages. Jessica offers straightforward pricing with no hidden costs or surprise fees.
Who Uses It
A great choice for actors who want headshots that feel warm, bright, and authentically them. Jessica's positive energy and clean aesthetic produce images that perform well across all casting platforms.
Pricing & Plans
Jessica Burkhart's sessions are priced between $350 and $500, with all packages including retouched digital images and no hidden costs or surprise fees. Her straightforward pricing makes it easy for actors to budget and compare options without worrying about add-on charges for retouching, digital delivery, or wardrobe changes. Basic packages typically cover two to three looks, while premium sessions offer additional wardrobe changes and extended retouching on more final selects. Jessica's pricing positions her in the accessible mid-range for NYC headshot photography, competitive with other quality photographers in the market. For actors seeking bright, modern headshots without the $800-plus investment required by premium photographers, Jessica represents excellent value.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
Jessica's warm, encouraging personality creates a session atmosphere where actors feel genuinely comfortable and supported, which directly translates into more natural and authentic expressions in the final images. Her bright, modern aesthetic is well-calibrated to current casting trends, producing images that look fresh and contemporary on digital platforms like Actors Access and Backstage. She excels at capturing genuine personality, making her headshots feel less like photographs and more like meeting someone in person. Her straightforward pricing and no-hidden-fees approach is refreshingly transparent in a market where some photographers add charges for retouching and delivery. Jessica works well with diverse skin tones and face shapes, consistently producing flattering results regardless of the actor's look or type.
What Could Be Better
Jessica's bright, warm aesthetic, while broadly appealing, may not serve actors who need darker, moodier, or more dramatically lit headshots for genre-specific submissions. Her encouraging, supportive direction style may not push actors as aggressively out of their comfort zone as some photographers who employ more challenging coaching techniques. Without a prominent online presence or industry awards profile, actors outside her existing network may have difficulty discovering her work or comparing it to competitors. Her mid-range pricing, while accessible, means the session experience may not include the premium touches — such as on-set hair and makeup or extensive pre-session consultations — that higher-priced photographers provide. Actors seeking a highly stylized or editorial look will find her clean aesthetic too straightforward for their needs.
Our Recommendation
Jessica Burkhart is an excellent choice for NYC actors who want headshots that feel warm, genuine, and modern without paying premium prices. She is particularly well-suited for commercial and comedic actors whose casting success depends on looking approachable and likable. Actors who are early in their careers and need a reliable, confidence-building first headshot experience will thrive in her supportive session environment. If you need edgy, dramatic, or heavily stylized images, a photographer with a bolder aesthetic will serve those needs better. Actors working primarily in high-drama theater or seeking images with cinematic intensity should consider photographers who specialize in more dramatic lighting and direction.
Pro Tips
Lean into Jessica's strengths by bringing wardrobe in bright, solid colors that complement her naturally lit style — jewel tones, clean whites, and warm earth tones photograph beautifully in her setup. Arrive with your hair and makeup done simply and naturally, as her bright lighting reveals every detail and heavy makeup can look overdone. If you need both commercial and theatrical looks, communicate this before the session so Jessica can adjust her lighting and direction for each category. Ask Jessica to shoot a few frames with a genuine laugh or mid-conversation expression, as these often produce the most authentic and castable images in her warm style. After selecting your finals, test them at thumbnail size on your phone — since most casting directors first see headshots as small thumbnails on casting platforms, your image needs to pop even at reduced size.