Headshots

Our Approach, Pricing & Process

Santa Barbara Headshot Photographer

Recent Location and Studio Headshots

Headshot Photographer for Individuals and Teams

When searching for business photographers or a professional headshot photographer near you, keep us in mind for business headshots and portraits on location or in studio for individuals, groups and teams. We are one of the best Santa Barbara headshot photographers for business and actor headshots and can photograph business photos with studio backgrounds to match existing employee headshots for a website, using a marketing firm or PR lighting and posing spec sheet, using green screen for compositing, and/or specific office or architectural backgrounds to match specific Pantone colors.  We rent a beautiful fully furnished photo studio here in downtown Santa Barbara. We also offer tiered volume headshot pricing for teams of three or larger and discounts to all nonprofit organizations.  All business headshots receive a style guide and posing videos and a branding discovery form to help you look and feel your best as well as a discovery form to create an aligned and true expression of you. For brand makeovers or image assets for a brand new website it is often helpful to consider a branding photographer to help you anticipate and solve your business needs. 

Executive Coach Headshot
Professional coach for MCC executive coach.
Actor Headshot
Actor headshot for Actor Jamie Warm.
Paul Feller for Icaro Media
For product launch of Icaro Media.
Mechanics Business Portraits
Actor Headshot for Paris Khougaz
Actors Headshot in studio.
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Indoor Seated Business Portrait
For coach and therapist branding.
Outdoor Standing Portrait at Santa Barbara Courthouse
On location at Santa Barbara Courthouse
Natural Window Portrait
Natural window lit portrait.
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Venture Capital Founder Portrait
Biotech Scientist Portrait
On location for Goleta based biotech company.
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Dr Charity Dean for United Talent
Author and branding photos for Dr. Charity Dean, CEO of Public Health Company.
Attorney headshots on gray background
Patrick Daugherty for Serimmune
Evangeline Kochanek Health & Nutrition
Headshot for health and wellness coach
Senior Picture Headshot
Pictures for graduating high school senior.
Female Portrait Studio Headshot Santa Barbara
For financial services professional in Santa Barbara.
Outdoor Business Headshot
Outdoor business headshot in Santa Barbara
Black and White Business Headshot
For insurance company in Carpinteria.
Sales Exec on White Background
Female Business Portrait in Santa Barbara
Female business portrait in downtown Santa Barbara.
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Tech Company Headshots Santa Barbara
For technology firm in Santa Barbara
Kathy Fetke for Real Wealth Network
Kathy Fetke for Real Wealth Network
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Cortney Warren Author Branding Photo
Author branding photos
Theo Devaney Acting Headshot
Acting headshot for actor Theo Devaney
Business Portrait Santa Barbara Courthouse
Lawyer headshot at SB Courthouse
France Windance Twine
Author Photo for France Windance Twine
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C Suite Tech Headshot
C suite headshot of tech exec santa barbara
Author Photo for Karen Roberts at
Karen Roberts author photo at Alice Keck Park Santa Barbara.
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How Much Do Headshots Cost?

Business headshots and branding headshots in Santa Barbara generally range from approximately $175 on the low end at JC Penney and other discount portrait studios or craigslist photographers all the way up into $1500 and up for high end commercial celebrity or branding photographers. Actor headshot and business headshot pricing is based both on the time involved and the number of “looks” or outfits/scenarios you would like to visually create. In general, a junior level headshot photographer in Santa Barbara charges between $300-$500 for a session and the higher end more experienced photographers charge more, both because their experience saves you time and the aggravation of being practiced on and also because they generally have nicer and more equipment and often studio space.

My one look headshot session starts at $395, including an online gallery of approximately 75 selects and retouching of your top three favorites.  Additional looks are $100. I also offer a $100 discount for bringing a friend, discounts for students and nonprofits as well as volume discounts for teams and groups of four or more.

What Makes Me One of the Best Headshots Photographers?

The difference is in the preparation, from our Zoom discovery call, to the pre-discovery form and style guide and audit of your current branding and website and even print collateral. We take the time to make sure your professional headshots match and exceed your expectations and that they will be retouched sized, cropped to the exact dimensions you need them. We pride ourselves on imagery that gets used, on the web, in printed advertising, for editorial or publishing use, and product packaging and external marketing collateral like annual report photography. We confirm your taste and intended outcome for your headshots both before the session and after by photographing tethered to a large monitor so you can see the results. You also gain the benefit of our 17 years of experience and the use of professional lighting and diffusion equipment (including portrait studio space as needed). We take a team approach that includes an assistant/sherpa to carry any clutter, smooth out distractions, and hair and makeup and fashion and prop styling as needed.
 

Who Does Acting Headshots and Modeling Headshots in Santa Barbara?

We do! There are several local acting schools and theatre companies in and around Santa Barbara and we do the actor headshots for many of them. We work with some of the casting agencies in LA for child actor headshots and adult acting headshots alike. We offer competitive actor headshot rates on a sliding scale particularly for students or members of the acting schools here in Santa Barbara. We offer a variety of styles of acting headshot, from candid/SoCal lifestyle type imagery near our offices in downtown Santa Barbara to full on in studio headshots with seamless backgrounds and lighting and even green screen as needed. Click here to see some more examples.

As seen in

Natgeo+ People + spirituality & Health+success+travel+Leisure+YOGA Journal
"Doug Works From The Heart With Clear Awareness, Sensitivity And Creativity. And He Was Very Respectful Of And Tuned Into Me And My Needs."
Terry Tillman
“Doug Ellis Is Such An Extraordinary Photographer. Not Only Is His Work First-Rate, He Is So Great To Work With. Professional, Encouraging, And A Real Pro. He Gets My Highest Recommendation!"
J.DL, Actors Lab
“I Loved Working With Doug On My Recent Photo Shoot For A Picture On The Author's Page Of My Forthcoming Book. He's Super Professional And Talented, Really Knows What He's Doing. Everything About His Whole Operation Is Top Notch, Which Gave Me A Lot Of Confidence.”
Jill S, Author And Therapist
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