About Clint
Clinton Brandhagen | Photographer
I’m an actor and photographer based in New York City.
I’ve been acting since I was nine years old, and I’ve spent the last couple of decades on both sides of the camera. Auditioning. Being cast. Not being cast. Availability checks. Managers and agents submitting headshots and often I wonder whether the photo they submitted was the most appropriate for the role.
That experience is the foundation of how I work.
I came to headshot photography because I knew too many good actors with bad headshots. They weren't being taken seriously. They weren't getting invited to read for roles they would have absolutely crushed if they just had the opportunity.
I wanted to fix that.
How I Work
I don’t approach headshots as a purely technical exercise.
Yes, light matters. Background matters. Framing matters. But what matters most to me is what someone reads in the first few seconds of looking at your headshots.
Before we ever shoot, we talk. We look at what you’re being called in for, where you’re working, and what feels unclear or missing in your current materials. We don’t want to chase expressions or force moments, but instead meet up with intention so we can make images that are useful, honest, and specific.
During a session, I’m direct and collaborative. I give clear direction, I show you what we’re getting as we go, and I take the time to adjust when something isn’t reading the way we want it to. Let’s you’re going for deep and introspective but what’s reading to the camera is most wanted sons of anarchy off their meds, well, I’m gonna call it out and we’ll find a technical way to get there. I’m sorta kidding but you know what I mean. Sometimes “A slight tilt of the head downstage and a softening of the brow and a gentle look away, find the thought and then come back to the camera slow,” is all I'll have to say to get us there and sometimes you just have to take what you’re doing and “twinkle it up.” I’m not gonna let us settle until we’re both really happy with what we’ve got.
Headshots can be stressful. I get that. My job is to take as much of that pressure off your shoulders as possible.
If you don’t look good in your photos, then I don’t look good as your photographer. And that’s not acceptable to me.
Who I Work With
Most of my work centers around actors, but I also photograph executives, business professionals, creatives, and organizations who need images that feel human, current, and trustworthy.
I also shoot stage productions, events, and editorial work when the project is a good fit.
At the end of the day, the throughline is the same: clarity, connection, and accuracy.
The Point of It All
I want casting directors to walk into the room already knowing who they’re meeting, because the photo they have actually looks like you and feels authentic.
I want agents and managers to feel confident submitting your materials, knowing they represent you clearly and reflect what you genuinely have in your wheelhouse.
And I want you to feel good about the images you’re putting into the world.
If that sounds like the kind of collaboration you’re looking for, we should probably talk.