TEEN
HEADSHOTS
CHICAGO

Teen headshots in Chicago: commercial and theatrical headshots for young actors and performers — photographed with a clear plan, so the shots match where your teen is actually submitting.

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Chicago teen headshots are casting-ready portraits for young actors and models, used for commercial and theatrical submissions, agency packets, and casting platforms. Michael Schacht photographs three to four teen sessions a week, mostly repeat clients or performers new to the industry, and his relationships with Chicago agencies generally help new teens get placed within two to three months. The session fee is $500 and includes the directed shoot and a private online gallery; images are $250 each, fully retouched and licensed. Michael has photographed 10,000+ people over 17 years (since 2009). Parents are welcome in the room.

See pricing and book a session at headshot pricing and booking.

Come in with a plan, not a wish list

The single best thing a parent can do is arrive with a specific plan rather than hoping to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks — and I'll help you build that plan before we ever shoot. Most teens start with a commercial look. From there it depends entirely on your child's direction, and specificity matters far more with kids than with adults. And because a teenager's look changes fast, it's worth getting the plan right rather than guessing broad. A recent session: award-winning violinist Tristan Zhu, photographed as a high-school senior before heading to Stanford.

What goes into planning headshots for teens

Here's what I sort out with you and your teen before the session.

Commercial Looks

Bright, friendly, big-energy — the look casting reaches for when they need warmth and approachability, the kid in the cereal ad.

Theatrical Looks

More grounded and character-driven — the look that says this young person can carry a scene. Whether your teen needs this depends entirely on what they're actually submitting for, which is exactly the conversation we have before the session.

Casting Direction

Disney-style work, local theater, and commercial print are genuinely different targets with genuinely different looks. The more specific we can be about where your teen is submitting, the more useful the shots — broad and generic helps no one at this age.

College and Conservatory Audition Headshots

Some of the teens I photograph aren't submitting to agents yet — they're high-school seniors applying to BFA acting and musical theatre programs. A college audition headshot has a different job from a commercial one: it should read as a serious prospective student, current and honest, not a regional theatrical look and not a polished corporate portrait. Tell me which programs are on your teen's list and I'll plan the session around how those schools will see the photo.

Age-Appropriate Styling

Minimal to no makeup, current and natural, looking their actual age. Casting needs to see the real kid, not a made-up or aged-up version. Clean and honest beats polished every time for a young performer.

Parents in the Room and a Comfortable Set

Parents are welcome in the room, and with younger teens I prefer it. The whole session is built to feel easy rather than high-pressure, and kids read the room off their parents, so a relaxed parent helps more than anything.

How a teen headshot session works

1
Building the plan before the shoot
Before anything else, we talk about where your teen is submitting and build a specific plan around it — commercial, theatrical, or both, and which direction the look should lean. This is the part that makes the shots actually useful.
2
Photographing your teen in the West Loop studio
Photographed in the West Loop studio, directed the entire time — your teen is never left guessing what to do with their face — with on-screen review as we go. There's no time limit: the session runs as long as it takes to get what your teen needs. Most people run out of steam around 90 minutes, experienced clients go up to about 150, and no session has ever passed two and a half hours.
3
Choosing images from the private gallery
Before the session ends, we sit down and review the images together. You mark your favorites, and if anything's missing, we keep shooting. Your private online gallery is up within 24 hours. You choose the images you want, and the retouched finals arrive 7 days after you make your selections, or within 24 hours with rush at $100 per image.

What Chicago families say

My daughter had been doing community theatre for three years and her coach encouraged us to start pursuing more formal opportunities, which meant professional headshots — a world I knew nothing about. The process was transparent, age-appropriate, and never felt like we were being sold more than we needed. We walked away with images that are genuinely right for where she is in her career, and I felt informed rather than managed throughout the entire experience.

Sandra K.

Parent

I was preparing college audition materials and needed headshots that would read correctly in a conservatory context — not corporate, not theatrical in the regional sense, something specific to how academic programs evaluate prospective students. Michael clearly understood that world and didn't try to push me toward something more generically polished. Every school I submitted to commented positively on my materials, and I'm convinced the photos were part of why.

Olivia T.

BFA Musical Theatre Student

I had my first industry showcase coming up and I knew what I needed was different from what most of my classmates were going to settle for. I was strategic about it: I wanted images that read as industry-ready to agents and casting directors, not just polished-for-a-student, and I was willing to stretch my budget to get there. The consultation made it clear Michael understood that distinction, and the final images look exactly like the work I was hoping to bring into a room.

William G.

BFA Acting Candidate

Read more in my full collection of client reviews.

How much do teen headshots cost in Chicago?

A teen headshot session in Chicago with me costs $500. That covers the pre-session plan, the directed shoot in my West Loop studio with no time limit, and a private online gallery. You then choose only the images you want, at $250 each, every one fully retouched and licensed.

A pre-session plan built around where your teen is actually submitting
A private online gallery, usually 300 to 600 frames, to choose your images from
Every image you buy fully retouched, licensed for promotional use, and sized for casting platforms, agency packets, and print
Everything à la carte: any framing, such as a 3/4 shot, on request
On-screen review during the session

Where does a teen headshot end and an adult one begin?

Around 16, the line starts to blur. The way I draw it: a teen headshot shows a young person looking their age. When a look is being marketed as mature or grown-up, it's an adult headshot, not a teen one. Most of the teens I photograph are aspiring or working actors and models.

What makes a good teen headshot?

A good teen headshot looks exactly like your teen does right now, at their real age, with the look pointed at where they're submitting. Casting directors and agents usually see it first as a small thumbnail next to other young performers, so it has to read instantly: clear eyes, a natural expression, simple clothes, and nothing that ages them up or hides who they are. The rest comes from planning and direction: I keep styling minimal and direct your teen through every frame so the expression is theirs rather than a nervous pose. For a young performer, a headshot that's accurate and current does more than one that's merely pretty.

Should your teen try to look older?

No, and it's usually the kid who doesn't want to hear it, not the parent. Teens want to play up, older than they are. The real opportunity is playing down. A casting director doesn't want to book an eight-year-old when a ten- or eleven-year-old who reads younger will be more mature and easier to work with on set. The same logic runs all the way up: there's no upside for a production to cast a 16-year-old as 18, even though that's exactly what most 16-year-olds want. The headshot should make your teen look like the youngest believable version of themselves.

Should teens smile in their headshots?

Usually yes, in some frames and not in others. A commercial look is built on a real smile; a theatrical look often has little or none. Which one leads depends on where your teen is submitting. Either way the expression has to be genuine, so I warm teens up and direct them until the smile is theirs, not pasted on.

How often should teens update their headshots?

Teens aged 13–18 get the least time out of a headshot of any age group, about 12 months on average, but the trigger is change, not the calendar: braces on, braces off, clearer skin, or a hairstyle that falls out of fashion each means a new headshot. I'd rather be upfront about that than oversell: there's no value in a big stockpile of looks when the face in them won't match your teen a year from now. Shoot what they need now, and come back for a new session when the look changes.

What to wear for teen headshots

Bring 4 to 6 simple, solid-colored tops in colors your teen looks good in, fitted but comfortable, with nothing that dates the photo or pulls attention away from their face. Text me photos of what you're considering beforehand and I'll weigh in before you pack. The studio's full bathroom is a private changing room, and there's a steamer for anything that wrinkled on the way in. For teen girls, simple necklines work best: a crew neck, a modest V-neck, or a plain layering piece. For teen boys, a solid tee, a henley, or a plain collared shirt. Whatever you bring should look like what your teen actually wears, at the age they actually are. The wardrobe also decides the background. I don't work from a color menu; I pair each top with a natural vignette somewhere in the open-floorplan loft, one of my hand-painted backdrops, or studio paper. If your agent or coach has asked for a specific background, tell me ahead of time and I'll plan for it.

What to avoid wearing for a teen headshot

Skip logos, graphic tees, busy patterns, and anything with text on it; they pull the eye off your teen's face and date the image quickly. Avoid colors very close to their skin tone, neon, and shiny fabrics. And leave out anything that reads older than your teen really is, whether that's heavy makeup, dressy evening clothes, or the grown-up look they've been wanting to try. The headshot should match the teen who walks into the audition.

Where to get headshots for teens in Chicago

I photograph headshots for teens in Chicago at my studio at 212 N. Sangamon Street, Studio 4B, in the West Loop at Lake and Sangamon. The Morgan station on the Green and Pink Lines is steps away, and there's valet parking across the street at the Equinox, 201 N. Sangamon. I've photographed professionally since 2009 and opened this studio in January 2010. Teen sessions happen here by default. If you'd rather shoot somewhere else, the on-location fee is $500 for anywhere within Chicago city limits.

Built for young performers

17 years: photographing performers across Chicago's film, theatre, and commercial scenes
10,000+ people: photographed — including young actors and performers
$500: session fee, with individual images at $250 each
1 week: delivery for retouched files, from the day you make your picks

Frequently asked questions about teen headshots

My teen is just getting started — what do we actually need first?

Less than you'd think. One strong commercial look is usually the right place to begin — it covers the most ground for a young performer just starting to submit, and it keeps you from over-investing before you know which direction your kid is headed. We can always build from there once there's a clearer sense of the roles they're going out for. I'd rather you start lean and come back for a new look later than buy a wardrobe of looks your teen outgrows within the year.

Should my teen wear makeup for their headshots?

Keep it minimal to none. A little something to even out a rough skin day is fine; beyond that, anything that ages your teen up works against the shots.

Can I stay in the room during my teen's session?

Yes, always. You know your kid, you can help them relax, and you're part of the team getting a good result.

How do we prep a nervous or camera-shy teen?

Mostly by taking the pressure off. I direct the entire time — your teen is never left guessing what to do with their face or hands — and we warm up slowly so the first few minutes don't count for much. It helps if they come in having seen a few reference images so the goal feels concrete rather than scary.

Can an AI headshot generator make my teen's headshots?

Not for casting. An AI generator produces an image of someone who resembles your teen, not your teen as they look today, and a casting director or agent needs to see the teen who will actually walk into the room. It also can't give you the plan, the direction, or the fully retouched, licensed files an agency packet calls for. Use a real photograph that matches your teen right now.

Can we print the headshots for auditions?

Yes. Every image you buy is sized for print and licensed for promotional use, so you can print it wherever you like for auditions and headshot resumes. In Chicago, I recommend Chicago Printworks.

Do you photograph kids younger than 13?

Usually not, and it isn't a refusal. A younger child's look changes so quickly that my rates are hard to justify for the few months a headshot will last, so I'm rarely the best solution for that age. From 13 up, a teen headshot has enough shelf life to be worth the investment.