Dock Street Studio isn’t just photographers pointing cameras at actors — two working actors, Nicole Sheyni and Beya Millan, are part of the team, and their experience of auditions, castings and self-tapes runs through how every actor session here is planned and shot.
A working actor based in Leeds, Nicole writes our guides on acting craft. Her rule for headshots: express your casting type rather than fight it. A casting director reads a wall of thumbnails in a fraction of a second, and the frames that get used are open, alert and present — the ones where the face has stopped managing itself, not the ones where you tried hardest. Read her pieces on understanding your casting type and what your headshot is really communicating.
A working actor who has shot her own headshots with Mark since the start of her career, Beya also supports actors on filmed work — from self-tapes to showreel pieces in our content studio. Her advice: reshoot every 12 to 18 months, and treat stage, screen and commercial as separate looks from one session rather than one shot doing three jobs. Read her guide to keeping your headshots current.
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Pick a session and choose your date — booking takes about a minute. Every session runs at Unit 9, Dock Street in central Leeds, and every one includes a consultation, tethered review as we shoot, and natural retouching.
Up against a casting deadline? Tell us when you book — a single rush edit can usually be turned around inside 24 hours. Prefer to talk it through first? Call 0113 4400102.
On Spotlight, your headshot is the first thing a casting director sees — before your credits, before your reel, before your name registers. We photograph actor headshots in Leeds at Unit 9 on the cobbles of Dock Street, ten minutes’ walk from the station: Spotlight-standard, self-tape-ready, and directed all the way through, from £95.
“Headshots are not just ordinary photographs — they are an essential marketing tool, the first impression for casting directors, agents and producers.”
Actor sessions here run like a scene, not a school photo. We work through your castable looks — the lead, the villain, the warm one — shifting light and background so each frame reads as a genuinely different casting option. Tethered shooting means you watch every frame land on screen and adjust with us in real time.
Crops arrive ready for Spotlight, Mandy and casting sites, with retouching kept natural — casting needs to meet the person who walks into the room. Need a self-tape space as well? The studio hires from £125 with backdrops and a tripod included — and someone will put Frank Ocean on the studio stereo. Sessions run £95–£200 across three tiers, all priced openly on the booking page.
“We photograph plenty of the most talented actors and actresses Leeds has to offer — you could be one of them, just saying.”
“Dock Street Studio has such a brilliant energy to it. Mark himself made the experience truly brilliant by talking me through all the equipment and immediately calming any anxieties I had going into it!”
“I have been overwhelmed with joy and excitement from the headshots Mark has done for me.”
Sessions run seven days at Unit 9, Dock Street — secure parking, ten minutes from Leeds station. Book online or call 0113 4400102 — the kettle’s on.
As a photographer and manager at Dock Street Studio, Mark Wheelwright specialises in creating outstanding headshots that refresh and enhance the professional image of his clients. He also offers studio rental services for other photographers who need a spacious, bright, and airy space in central Leeds.
Nicole’s dual expertise in editorial photography and commercial photography is pivotal to our content creation. Her meticulous attention to detail and creative vision are instrumental in the success of our photography shoots. Additionally, Nicole’s flair for shoot styling and direction guarantees the smooth functioning of our studio, ensuring our content remains fresh, engaging, and visually stunning.
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In addition to her role in client bookings, Beya is also involved in content creation. She crafts content for our website, ensuring that our online presence remains fresh and dynamic. She is always ready to provide prompt and helpful responses. In addition to this, team member Beya is also specialised in various editing software for both videography and photography.
Austin manages and builds the pages for the websites used by Dock Street Studio, while also making sure that they comply with SEO changes and optimisations that are crucial for driving a stream of traffic to the businesses' sites.
Contact us and we can help you out with what you need.
Eighteen years and 900+ projects in, the thing that separates a good headshot from a forgettable one isn't the camera — it's the direction. Specialised lighting and expression coaching capture a version of you that a phone filter can't fake.
The tethered process means every frame lands on screen as it's shot — you leave knowing you got the shot, rather than hoping.
We clean up temporary things — a spot, a stray hair, a bit of redness — and leave everything that's actually you. If a casting director can't recognise you from your own headshot, the photo has failed at its one job.
Plenty of the actors and professionals we shoot aren't Leeds-based. The trip is more straightforward than people expect:
Tell us where you're travelling from when you book and we'll line up a slot that fits the trains. Up against a casting deadline? A single rush edit can usually be turned around inside 24 hours.
Stick to solid colours — jewel tones, earth tones, navy, charcoal, soft white. Avoid logos, slogans and busy patterns, which flicker or moiré on camera. Crew necks read modern and youthful; a collared shirt ages you up a few years for professional or period-type roles. Bring 5–7 tops if you can — layering gives us several looks from one outfit change. More detail in what to wear for headshots.
Yes. Sleep properly in the week before, ease off alcohol, avoid new skincare or facials in the days before (they leave redness), and get any haircut done at least a few days ahead — never the day before. Arrive with hair and make-up done if that's your usual look for auditions or work.
Of course. Our professional editor offers subtle retouching to even out skin tone, brighten the eyes, and remove temporary blemishes or stray hairs, while avoiding heavy airbrushing that looks unnatural. Rule of thumb, we clean up temporary things — a spot, a stray hair, uneven tone — and leave the rest. No skin smoothing, no eye enlargement, no jaw slimming. The goal is a photo a casting director or colleague would still recognise you from in the room.
A pre-shoot consultation, guided shooting time with direction on posture and expression, tethered review as you go, and a private online gallery to choose from. Chosen images are retouched and delivered as high-resolution files, plus platform-specific versions (Spotlight spec, square crops for Instagram and agency sites) where needed.
The cost of a headshot at Dock Street Studio ranges between £95 and £200 depending on session time, image output, locations and sets. Head to the bookings page for more information, or drop me a line to discuss.
The Quick-Fire package includes 5 retouched headshots, the In-Depth session includes 10. Edited images are typically delivered within 48 working hours after final selection via the online web gallery (supplied same day) if you've got a casting deadline, tell us when you book and we can usually turn a single rush edit around inside 24 hours.
Yes, both. Actor and performer headshots use clean, controlled lighting and casting-appropriate retouching for Spotlight and casting platforms. Corporate and personal-branding headshots are tailored for LinkedIn, company websites and marketing materials. If you're not sure which "bucket" you're shooting for, see understanding your casting type.
Dock Street Studio is at Unit 9, 30–38 Dock Street, Leeds LS10 1JF — in central Leeds near Leeds Dock, a short walk from Leeds train station. The studio is bright, spacious and fully equipped with professional lighting and backdrops
During busy periods we recommend booking one to two months ahead; in quieter periods one to two weeks is usually fine. If you have a specific deadline such as a casting call or company rebrand, get in touch as early as you can and we'll do our best to fit you in.
Yes. Actor headshots are shot and delivered to Spotlight’s requirements, correctly sized and cropped so they upload without rejection — alongside square crops for agency sites and Instagram. If you’re between casting types, start with our guide to understanding your casting type.
Edited images are typically delivered within 48 working hours of your final selection via a private online gallery, supplied the same day as your shoot. If you’ve got a casting deadline, tell us when you book and we can usually turn a single rush edit around inside 24 hours.
As a rule of thumb, every 12 to 18 months — and straight away after any change that would surprise someone meeting you for the first time: new hair colour or length, glasses, facial hair grown or gone, or ageing into a new casting bracket. If the person on the page isn’t the person who walks through the door, the shot has stopped working, however beautiful it is. More in Beya’s guide to keeping your headshots current.
Not separate shoots — separate looks from one session. Screen wants subtlety and stillness, stage needs more presence, and commercial sits in warmer, more approachable territory. The 45-minute session (£150) covers two to three looks with 5 retouched images; the 60-minute session (£200) covers five looks with 10 retouched — the one to pick if you want genuinely distinct stage, screen and commercial options rather than variations on one.
Open, alert and present — not a big smile, not a blank stare. Casting directors read a wall of thumbnails in a fraction of a second, and the frames that get used are the ones where the face has stopped managing itself: eyes engaged with the lens, mouth relaxed, a thought behind the expression. We direct you into that rather than asking you to hold a pose, and the tethered screen lets you see the difference frame by frame. Most actors leave with one warm, approachable look and one stiller, more serious look so both casting brackets are covered.
Book directly on the booking page, email mark@isophotographic.org, or call 0113 4400102. Every booking starts with a short consultation so the session is planned around what you actually need.
900+ projects. 300+ five-star reviews. Yours next? Headshots, commercial shoots, video and studio hire — all under one roof in central Leeds. Book a shoot · Hire the studio
