Vandiveer Photography Headshots

Well, Jonathan was the only photographer who agreed to a consultation before I booked the headshot session. That speaks for itself. A photographer has to be able to have a discussion to make sure you two are at the same page, so that you can then decide if he/​she is the right photographer for you.
Then, the photo shoot was such a fun and thoroughly enjoyable experience. The headshots were turned around so quickly. His picks were a great help.
I have liked his approach, artistic vision and work ethic so much, that I’m definitely going back whenever I need more/​newer headshots.
Thanks so much, Jonathan — for making me look great.
I wish you — all the success and happiness in this world…
May God Bless You,
May All Your Dreams Come True &
May You Soar with the Eagles!!!

Over the years, I have gone to Jonathan 3 times. He is just a wonderful photography. I went to a casting director showcase and one of the CD’s told me that the headshot by Jonathan was the best headshot she had ever seen. I receive more and better responses with pictures from Jonathan than from any other photography I have ever used, particularly this last session at the end of 2014. I can’t recommend him highly enough.

My son and I just had our headshots completed by Jonathan. All I can say is he was awesome! He’s so easy to work with and he takes amazing headshots. He’s also a great director when it comes to helping you take your headshots. He makes you feel very comfortable and is obviously highly talented in taking photo. We will continue to go to Jonathan for future headshots. Thank you so much Jonathan for helping us get great shots. You’re the best!

I shot with Jonathan about a month an a half ago. Having never had headshots before, I had questions and concerns. He answered all of them and was very professional while still friendly throughout the whole process. There are a lot of reviews that already say how great he is so I won’t be redundant. Bottom line, if you want to have incredible headshots and work with a talented photographer then Jonathan is the guy.
Thank you Jonathan!

What a professional, I can’t say enough great things. I needed a headshot for work and the results were GORGEOUS. I was blown away by his shots and also his subtle retouching skills. He taught me so much about how to take a great photo, tips that I will use for the rest of my life. I would like to add that he was PROMPT, answered his phone (called two other photographers who never called be back, what the hell?), and was able to accommodate me very last minute. And the entire shoot was quick and painless: He offered his expertise on what I should wear, did test shots with potential outfits, and took HUNDREDS of photos in a half hour. He helped me pick the winning shot too. His website is loaded with tips and all sorts of information to help you get ready.
If you are not an actor and wondering if you should see Jonathan, DO IT. You won’t regret it!

I had a wonderful first time head shot experience with Johnathan. He is a true professional. Calmly, he gives good direction to get pictures that show your personality as well as your looks. I loved that I could see the pictures right away on the computer and listened to my input as well. He happily re-​shot a look that didn’t come out well, in my opinion. Also, the fact that he marks the shots that he feels were outstanding helped a great deal in the selection process. It was fantastic having someone with a professional eye weighing in, especially as I have no experience at all. Jonathan is an artist and his results are truly beautiful.
I will certainly call Johnathan again when I need follow-​up photos.

On a Friday afternoon, my employer sends me an urgent email request for a «professional» headshot, for use as part of a corporate Request for Proposal (RFP) submission, to be forwarded no later than the following Monday.
Here’s the kicker, … they wanted it by «no later than» the following Monday, …when they had never made any mention of a need for such a personal photo or headshot in over 3 decades of employment.
With no hesitation, Jonathon calmly worked me into his busy schedule and, within minutes after our tele-​con ended, also sent me an email with helpful preparatory tips and guidance.

I had a session with Jonathan about a week ago and my pictures i feel are my first ones that I’m actually satisified with ! i love them and really enjoyed myself during the shoot because i felt more confident with seeing the pictures after each look. He understands its much more than just being in front of the camera, especially when your into acting not modeling so him being very directorial was perfect :] yayy

Sometimes hiring a photographer can feel like throwing darts at a board. You hope and pray that you’ve made the right decision when you plunk down that cash – and then cross your fingers that the shoot will yield at least one or two decent shots.
Be prepared to be totally relieved when you step into Jonathan Vandiveer’s excellent, studio, then completely stoked to see the amazing shots he produces for you. Wow, and wow!
Jonathan Vandiveer is a consummate professional who will capture you at your best and help you stand out in a sea of faces. Add to his absolute professionalism is a keen eye and finely tuned artistic sense. He really knows the industry, and has a knack of quickly «getting» the exact looks, vibe and energy you need to nail in your shots.
He is incredibly comfortable to be around and work with, too, and gives excellent tips and direction while shooting, and in a no-​pressure, clear and positive way. I realize I am raving but as someone who’s worked with many a photographer I just feel lucky that I found Jonathan Vandiveer.

I am horrible at taking pictures poor Jonathan didn’t know that he was going to be working with a slouchy statue. But at the end of our full session it took me forever to narrow down to a few pictures through all the good pictures he took. The number of auditions that followed after only uploading ONE of his pictures were so much that I had to decline a few due to scheduling conflicts. We were able to get in a variety of looks. He is very good at directing and bringing out «the look» his work is amazing. He is very professional and easy to work with. I’m glad he knows his stuff because I sure didn’t was nervous and had no clue what to expect or to do. I had a lot of fun during my session he is very laid back and funny which put me at ease all the while keeping his camera snapping so he can catch you in that perfect look. My personal thanks to Unilocal and Jonathan for not letting me down=).

John is a TOTAL PRO. He works his ass off to give you what you need. My shoot was a wonderful creative collaboration between the two of us, resulting in amazing pics. I felt comfortable, relaxed, and reassured John was giving me the best pics possible.
I referred a friend to John and she had an equally awesome experience.
Thanks, John for your professionalism, commitment to excellency, and artistic eye.
Everyone loves my shots!

I took my daughter, Kaelyn, for head shots with Jonathan about two weeks ago. He was so nice and it was a breeze to schedule online! We had hair and makeup done at his studio with Alexis, too, who was awesome. They both listened to what her agents were looking for and strove to keep her, at 15, natural and pretty while getting both commercial (smiling, girl next door) and theatrical (more edgy, gritty) shots. He obviously knew what locations and what wardrobe would work best for both and he nailed it!
Jonathan was really good at putting my daughter at ease and making her feel good. He gave her specific, really helpful instructions and information so that she could get the best photos she could and made it fun. We booked only half a session and still we got around 500 photos and three locations with many different looks. Jonathan was wonderful to work with and the pictures came out really, really fantastic. Kaelyn’s agents were very happy and got what they had requested in spades.
The best part is we got the photos emailed to us within 12 hours of the shoot and once I gave him our choices there was less than a 2 day turnaround to get them photoshopped and optimized for both print and web.
I had them on the casting sites within days of the shoot. I have never had that happen before! We will use Jonathan Vandiveer for all her head shots from now on!
Thanks Jonathan and Alexis!

Love working with Jonathan. He has such a keen eye and a wonderful sense of lighting. He is a dream to work with from prep to finish. He knows how to capture the best moment because besides being a wonderful photographer, he is a wonderful actor.
thanks Jonathan.
xoxo
Elizabeth

I took my client for head shots with Jonathan. I’ve done this countless times with photographers all over the US and was expecting it to be a good experience, but not a phenomenal one. It was!
Jonathan’s style, the way he makes the subject feel, his exceptional direction, and his ability to intuitively judge light is spectacular. He captured the client’s personality with his lens! Wonderful!
PS — I am not an agent for actors and the client is not an actor, so please don’t write me for representation!

Awesome. Jonathan is a friendly and professional dude who knows what he’s doing. I had big olé zit on my forehead and with the retouch it totally disappeared.

I shot with Jonathan back in August, I thought that I would wait to see what feedback I received from the headshots so I could write a completely honest review.
I am a tv/​web host, not an actress — so what I need in a headshot is more commercial/​smiling/​three-​quarter photos. I’ve been in the industry off and on since I was a teen, so I know exactly what I want.
It had been a while since I had taken headshots, I came across Jonathan’s website by *wait for it* — READING THE REVIEWS ON Unilocal. I reviewed the work posted on his very beautiful site and liked what I saw. This time around, I did something I had never done before — I booked the appointment without calling or meeting the photographer before hand. Talk about trust. I did it all online, his site took paypal — it was very easy.
Jonathan actually contacted me the day before and asked if I wanted to come in early because his schedule was open, this was just in case I needed a little more time — it was available to me. How nice is that? And that’s just the start of it.
My appointment was at 1 pm, I showed up to his studio, reviewed my «outfits» with him (he was shocked, I only brought 5: 2 dresses, 3 tops) since I only booked a ½ session (3 outfits, 350 shots). I did my own hair and make up at home, so I all I needed to do was change. There is a nice bathroom with good lighting and a wardrobe rack there.
FYI — If you know what you’re doing as a «subject» (comfortable in front of a digital camera) — Jonathan can work FAST.
By 1:40 pm, we had already finished shooting the light make up studio shots and drove to a near by park for my «outdoor» shots. We were done and back in the car by 2:10. When we got back to the studio, I darkened my make up, changed into my last outfit. We worked so well together and so quickly, that he was nice enough to shoot an extra top just because! We were done and I was in my car driving home by 2:45 pm. NO JOKE.
As a photographer, I found Jonathan professional, friendly, gave good direction and just a nice person all the way around. He and I had such an easy time, he just kept his finger on the trigger and I ended up with WAAAAAAAAAY more shots than even I had anticipated. Jonathan uploaded them a few days later, I narrowed it down to 28 — then had to narrow it down AGAIN. As his website indicates, he adjusts your chosen photos and sends the large files to you.
Currently, I use 4 different shots from the session for hosting and commercial. I get compliments on how clean they are, and to be honest — I barely had to retouch them, his lighting is so good.
I put my trust in Unilocal and it WORKED!
Thanks JV, you’re awesome!

I was looking for a photographer for my daughter who is heading to NYU Tisch in the fall. I trusted the reviews on Unilocal and found Jonathan.
He was so awesome! He took his time and really helped with clothing choices. His shots are amazing and the entire process from touch up to prints was so quick and easy. It was an excellent experience working with Jonathan!

This is my first time getting an actor headshot and Jonathan was AWESOME. He really made me feel comfortable and he gave great direction to ensure my chances of taking a great headshot. I got the short session (meaning it includes a free consultation, two looks, free touch ups for $ 200).
Little things:
We shot in his clean studio and he provided hangers if you need to hang your clothes.
You can schedule a consultation, but I live super far and the trek was sorta not worth it, but it’s good before hand if you are shopping for photographers. If you study his website and you know what looks you want, maybe skip the consultation (BUT be absolutely sure).
I also hired one of Jonathan’s makeup, Lexi, who did a great job on my makeup. She is also there to monitor your makeup and hair. She uses MAC, Jane Iredale (for reference).
He also shows you your pics while you are there, for me it reassured me that I had some great photos during my shoot, but I guess that would take time away from your actual photo shoot… I didn’t think about this until now, so… JUST A HEADS UP!
He also sends your photos THE NEXT day in the morning! WOOT!
My only issue is that even though it was reasonably priced, one hour for me was too short but that is MY issue and not Jonathan’s. I started taking better pictures towards the end, but he warned me about that.
Make sure to study his website before hand! It helped me out alot ;D

My head shots are GREAT. I got EXACTLY what I asked for.
I had a short session with him, and he shot two beautiful looks, in two gorgeous locations (a few minutes’ drive from his house). It was a lot of fun and he made me feel very comfortable, beginning to end. He was really good at directing, while still letting it flow, and letting me do my own thing. Because he’s an actor, he really knows how to get across the character/​vibe that he’s looking for.
I even ran over the time slot, because my makeup skills were not great (I recommend using a professional makeup artist, I know I’m going to use his makeup artist next time) and he was totally patient.
Next time, I’m bringing a spare t-​shirt and jumping in the Mulholland Fountain. An added bonus is that he takes the time to label his favorite pictures, which makes the process of choosing much easier.
I HIGHLY recommend him!

My headshots, on a regular basis, receive lots of love and compliments, whether it be from other actors while sitting in waiting rooms at auditions and/​or cast and crew of actual booked jobs. Was voted best headshot by hair/​makeup and some of my fellow cast mates of a film I worked on and shot in Baton Rouge, LA., last summer called HIJACKED.
My very first reaction to seeing my pics for the first time; «wow Jonathon, that looks like a still shot from a film or TV», and he replied, «that’s kinda the idea»!! Then a little light bulb went off in my head, realizing right then that that was the key ingredient missing from most of my other photo sessions with other photographers…
Sincerely, Jeronimo