Nicole Wilder Photography
Natural, editorial-style headshots with beautiful light and color
Overview
Nicole Wilder produces natural, editorial-style headshots with beautiful light and rich color tones. Her images have a magazine-quality feel while remaining grounded and authentic enough for professional casting use.
Nicole's sessions combine natural and studio lighting techniques to create images with depth and dimension. She provides thoughtful direction that helps actors present themselves in the most flattering and honest way possible.
How It Works
She works with actors across the New York market, and her editorial sensibility attracts clients who want something slightly more artistic than a standard headshot. Her portfolio reflects a strong eye for color, texture, and mood.
Sessions are priced between $300 and $450, including retouched digital images. Nicole's rates are competitive for the quality and artistic value she delivers.
Who Uses It
Best for actors who want headshots with an editorial flair that still reads as professional and castable. Nicole's beautiful use of light and color creates images that stand out on casting platforms.
Pricing & Plans
Nicole Wilder's sessions are priced between $300 and $450, making her one of the more affordable options for actors seeking editorial-quality headshot photography. Her pricing reflects a commitment to accessibility while maintaining the high visual standards that define her work. Packages include retouched digital images delivered via online gallery, with basic sessions covering two to three looks and premium options offering additional wardrobe changes and extended retouching. Nicole does not charge hidden fees for standard retouching or digital delivery. For actors who want headshots with a magazine-quality aesthetic at a price point significantly below photographers who charge $800 or more for editorial-style work, Nicole represents outstanding value in the market.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
Nicole's editorial sensibility is her most distinctive asset — her headshots have a richness of color, light, and texture that makes them visually striking while remaining grounded enough for professional casting use. Her expertise with both natural and studio lighting gives her exceptional flexibility, allowing her to create diverse looks within a single session that range from bright and airy to moody and atmospheric. Nicole's strong eye for color means she can advise on wardrobe choices that will photograph beautifully in her setup, elevating the overall quality of the final images. Her unit still photography experience on professional film and television sets gives her an understanding of cinematic lighting and composition that directly benefits her headshot clients. The artistic quality of her work means actors who choose Nicole receive images that function as both professional headshots and portfolio-worthy portraits.
What Could Be Better
Nicole's editorial aesthetic, while visually beautiful, may produce images that feel too stylized or artistic for actors who need straightforward, clean headshots for standard casting submissions. Her dual focus on headshot photography and on-set unit still work means her availability for headshot sessions may be limited during production periods. The editorial quality of her images can sometimes overshadow the actor's face and expression in favor of overall visual impact, which is the opposite of what casting directors prioritize. Actors who need a high volume of looks or a fast-paced session may find her more deliberate, artistically driven approach slower than expected. Her price point, while accessible, reflects a session experience that may not include the extensive coaching and direction that some actors need to achieve their best expressions.
Our Recommendation
Nicole Wilder is the ideal choice for actors who want headshots that stand apart from the crowd with editorial-quality color, light, and composition while still reading as professional and castable. She is particularly well-suited for actors who are visually oriented and appreciate photography as an art form, as her sessions produce images that are genuinely beautiful beyond their functional purpose. Actors building portfolios for both casting platforms and personal branding will find that Nicole's images serve dual purposes exceptionally well. If you need basic, clean headshots with a straightforward look, a more traditional photographer will deliver more conventionally formatted results. Actors who need aggressive coaching and direction to achieve their best on-camera expressions should consider photographers who specialize in actor direction rather than visual artistry.
Pro Tips
To maximize Nicole's editorial strengths, bring wardrobe in richly saturated colors and interesting textures — deep greens, burgundies, mustards, and textured fabrics photograph beautifully in her style and complement her use of color and light. If you have a preference for natural light or studio light, discuss this with Nicole before the session, as she can create dramatically different looks with each approach. Ask Nicole to shoot some frames in environments with interesting architectural details or natural settings if your session allows, as her editorial eye excels when given visual context beyond a plain backdrop. Review Nicole's portfolio on her website beforehand and identify three to five images whose color palette and mood align with your casting goals — share these with her as reference points. When selecting your final images, choose a mix that includes one strongly editorial shot for your portfolio or personal brand alongside more conventionally framed headshots for casting submissions.