Matt Murphy Photography NYC
Confident, impactful headshots that command attention in audition rooms
Overview
Matt Murphy produces confident, impactful headshots that command attention and leave a strong first impression. His images are characterized by strong eye contact, bold lighting choices, and a sense of quiet intensity.
Matt's sessions are focused and purposeful, with direction that pushes actors toward their most powerful and present selves. He excels at capturing the kind of quiet confidence that makes casting directors take a second look.
How It Works
He has built a strong presence in the New York headshot market, working with actors across film, television, and theater. His bold, impactful style is well-suited to the competitive demands of the NYC casting landscape.
Sessions are priced between $350 and $500, including retouched digital images. Matt offers packages designed for the working actor's budget while maintaining a high standard of quality.
Who Uses It
Best for actors who want headshots that exude confidence and make a powerful first impression. Matt's bold approach ensures your images stand out in a casting director's inbox or on a busy audition table.
Pricing & Plans
Matt Murphy's sessions are priced between $350 and $500, offering strong value for the bold, impactful quality of his work. Packages include retouched digital images with multiple looks, and Matt offers tiered pricing to accommodate different budgets. His session pricing covers studio time, lighting, direction, and standard post-processing without hidden add-on fees. For actors who want headshots with genuine presence and impact, Matt's pricing is competitive within the NYC mid-range market. His website at murphymade.com provides portfolio samples and booking information, making it easy to evaluate his style and schedule a session.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
Matt's greatest strength is his ability to capture quiet intensity and confident presence in his images, producing headshots that command attention without being overwrought or theatrical. His bold lighting choices create dimension and visual interest that make his images pop on casting platforms and stand out in crowded digital submission queues. Matt's focused, purposeful direction pushes actors toward their most powerful and compelling selves, often revealing a strength and presence that actors did not know they could project. His work is particularly effective for dramatic and authoritative casting categories where confidence and gravitas are essential. The consistency of his style means actors know exactly what to expect and can rely on strong results.
What Could Be Better
Matt's bold, intense aesthetic may not be appropriate for actors who need friendly, warm, or comedic headshots for commercial and sitcom submissions. His focus on confidence and intensity can sometimes produce images that feel intimidating rather than inviting, which narrows their effectiveness for certain casting categories. Actors who are naturally soft-spoken, gentle, or quirky may find that Matt's directed style pushes them toward a persona that does not authentically represent their casting strengths. His mid-range pricing, while fair for the quality, does not include premium session extras like on-set hair and makeup or extensive pre-session consultations. The bold quality of his images has a recognizable signature that some casting directors may associate with a specific photographer rather than the individual actor.
Our Recommendation
Matt Murphy is the right choice for actors whose casting brand centers on strength, confidence, authority, and dramatic intensity. If you consistently book roles as the commanding leader, the serious professional, the brooding love interest, or the formidable antagonist, Matt's headshots will amplify those qualities powerfully. His work is also well-suited for actors who want to shift their casting perception from soft or approachable toward something more commanding and authoritative. Actors who primarily book comedic, quirky, or warmly approachable roles should seek photographers whose style better serves those casting categories. If your headshot needs to convey vulnerability, sweetness, or playfulness, Matt's bold approach may work against those goals.
Pro Tips
Bring wardrobe in dark, solid colors that project authority and seriousness — black, charcoal, navy, and deep jewel tones work exceptionally well with Matt's bold lighting style. Before the session, practice making strong, direct eye contact with the camera lens in a mirror — Matt's images derive much of their power from penetrating eye contact, and actors who commit to this fully get the strongest results. Ask Matt about his preferred background options for dramatic versus commanding looks, as different backgrounds interact with his lighting in distinct ways. If you want to show range, bring one wardrobe option that is softer or more casual to contrast with your primary dramatic look. After the session, test your selects as thumbnails to ensure the bold quality translates at small sizes on casting platforms.