Astoria Headshots

I like to make genuine connections with people when they come and get photos with me. So, I will call you before our session and ask you about what your expectation for the shoot are. What you're looking for. Why are you having them done? What are you going to use them for? What are your expectations? I'll also give you pointers on what outfits to bring. Ask if you need hair and makeup done. If you want a hair and makeup touch up. I may send you an article or two on how to prepare for a headshot. There's a lot going on in that first phone call, but I do this so we are both prepared for you to get the best shoot!

When you arrive, we will talk some more! Go through your outfits. If you need a little hairspray or are a little shiny, I may help you out a bit. I will do my best to make you feel your best, confident, and confident! Then, we will start shooting.

Usually, I take between seventy-five and one hundred photos in a regular headshot session. I know it sounds like a lot, but I want to get a good range of facial expressions so that you have a lot to choose from. I'll show the images as we shoot so you get an idea what's going on behind the camera, and when we feel we have enough. We'll stop. A lot of people are a bit tired after shooting. I have to warn you, it's not as easy as it looks to emote so you get a good shot!

Then, we will take some time to quickly run through the photos. If you want, we can choose some of the images, but there's no immediate commitment because I send the photos to you so you can look at them at home and pick the ones you want. I will take time and look through them as well and tell you the ones I feel are the best, but at the end of the day, they're your photos and you have to choose what you think is right for what you need!

After you pick the one photo you want edited, I'll edit it and send you a digital copy for you to use however you need. If you need more, I can edit those too for the fee of $50 each. I won't sent you raw images that can be edited, though. If I do an edit and you don't like it, let me know and I'll make it right.

That's about it! I do my best to make you look your best and to have a good time! Having your picture taken should not be a painful experience! It should be fun and you should feel confident in yourself and your images after you leave the studio!

Hi,
I'm Paul Spataro, owner of Astoria Headshots. I started shooting when I was in grade school experimenting with a camera my Uncle bought us. We would go around and shoot random things in our small town in Pennsylvania. We also developed our own film! As time went on, I chose to be a hairdresser for a steady career and am quite accomplished in that field currently working in TV and film. My credits include: Manifest, Madam Secretary, The Deuce, Gilded Age and many others! I've worked with Allison Janney, Margo Martindale, Mariah Carey, Milo Ventimiglia and many others in my career.

What does this hairdressing have to do with photography‽

Hairdressing is an art, you have to see the whole vision before creating the style. You also have to be able to disarm people, make them feel comfortable, and make them feel confident. All of this plays into photography. Nothing's worse than 'playing to a dead audience' whether you're a business person giving a presentation or an entertainer performing. As a photographer, I promise . . . I'm not a dead audience and I won't let you be either! Why does that matter? You want your headshots, portraits, images to be candid (as much as they can be), authentic, original and REAL!

Casting directors want to know that you have charisma, are sellable and have range. Potential clients or employers want to know you're professional, capable, confident, and trustworthy.

A lot of photographers give 'dead' pictures. A high-school type picture where the subject gives that rote smile that shows they just want to get it done with! I'm not like that and you won't get that from me. You're human! Let me see your humanity! We will joke, talk, and have a overall good time when I shoot with you! At least that's one of my biggest goals. If you don't get a great headshot and didn't have fun . . . I didn't succed.