Katie Botkin Photography
Spirited, expressive headshots that capture theatrical energy and range
Overview
Katie Botkin captures spirited, expressive headshots that reflect the theatrical energy of the New York acting community. Her images are lively and dynamic, conveying a sense of movement and personality even in a still frame.
Katie's sessions are upbeat and collaborative, with a focus on capturing a wide range of expressions and moods. She works quickly and intuitively, responding to the actor's energy and guiding them toward their strongest moments.
How It Works
She is particularly popular among New York theater actors who need headshots that convey the energy and expressiveness required for stage work. Her images translate well for both theatrical and on-camera submissions.
Pricing falls between $350 and $500 per session, with retouched digital images included. Katie offers competitive packages designed for working actors on New York budgets.
Who Uses It
An excellent fit for theater actors who want headshots that capture their performance energy and expressiveness. Katie's dynamic style ensures images that convey vitality and theatrical presence.
Pricing & Plans
Katie Botkin's sessions fall between $350 and $500, which is competitive for the NYC market and offers strong value for the spirited, expressive quality of her work. Packages include multiple looks and retouched digital images, with options scaled to accommodate different budgets and career stages. Katie does not charge additional fees for standard retouching or digital delivery, keeping the total investment predictable. Her pricing is designed with working New York actors in mind — professional enough to deliver industry-standard results while remaining accessible to actors who are not yet earning top-tier incomes. Compared to premium photographers in the $1,000-plus range, Katie delivers a distinctive, energetic aesthetic at a price point that makes regular headshot updates financially feasible.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
Katie's most notable strength is her ability to capture energy and movement in still photographs, giving her headshots a dynamic quality that immediately communicates an actor's theatrical presence. Her upbeat, collaborative session style is infectious, and actors frequently report that her sessions are among the most enjoyable and creatively stimulating headshot experiences they have had. She works quickly and intuitively, which means she can capture a wide range of expressions and moods within a standard session timeframe, giving actors more variety in their final selects. Her deep roots in the New York theater community mean her work is specifically calibrated to what Broadway and off-Broadway casting directors respond to. Katie's enthusiasm and positive energy create a session atmosphere where actors feel encouraged to take creative risks.
What Could Be Better
Katie's expressive, high-energy aesthetic is optimized for theatrical headshots and may not translate as effectively for actors who need subtle, restrained images for film and television submissions. Her dynamic shooting style, while exciting, can sometimes favor energy over precision, and actors who need every frame to be technically perfect may find that her intuitive approach produces more variation in quality across the session. Without a prominent online presence, actors outside the NYC theater community may have difficulty finding and evaluating her work before booking. Her focus on theatrical expressiveness may result in headshots that feel too animated for casting directors looking for naturalistic, camera-ready images. Actors who prefer a slower, more methodical session pace may find Katie's energetic approach overwhelming.
Our Recommendation
Katie Botkin is the ideal choice for theater actors in New York who want headshots that radiate the performance energy and expressiveness that stage work demands. If you are a musical theater performer, a physical actor, or someone whose casting strength lies in dynamic presence rather than quiet intensity, Katie's work will showcase those qualities powerfully. Her sessions are also excellent for actors who feed off positive energy and do their best work in a collaborative, creatively charged environment. Film and television actors who need subtle, internalized expressions for on-camera work should consider photographers who specialize in more restrained, naturalistic looks. Actors who want a calm, meditative session experience will be better matched with a photographer like Stewart Ritter.
Pro Tips
Arrive warmed up and physically energized — do some light stretching, vocal exercises, or movement work before the session so you can match Katie's dynamic energy from the first frame. Bring wardrobe that allows you to move freely and that you associate with your strongest performance moments, as Katie's best shots often capture actors in moments of genuine physical and emotional engagement. If you need images for both theater and on-camera submissions, ask Katie to dedicate specific looks to each category, bringing the energy down for the on-camera frames. Do not be afraid to make big choices during the session — Katie's style rewards commitment, and the frames where actors fully commit to an expression or mood consistently outperform the safer alternatives. After the session, ask a theater-savvy friend or your agent to review your selects alongside you, as the images with the most dynamic energy are not always the most castable.