Bodyshots | Paul Dale Photography

Surrey Actors & Dancers Bodyshots

Black and white portrait of model sat on a stool in long leather boots

Many Agencies or Casting Directors will ask for half or full length shots, as well as headshots when asssesing suitability for a role.

As a performer, its worth having a few different types of these dependant on the role that you are going for. Many places will have costumes/attire that you will need to fit in to or have a particular look that they need.

If you have Spotlight then these are also a great addition to your existing portfolio.

Why Body Shots Are Essential for Actors and Dancers

If you’re a professional actor, dancer, or performing artist, having high-quality body shots in your portfolio is just as important as a great headshot. Here’s why:

1. Showcase Your Physique and Posture
Casting professionals often need to see your body type, posture, and physical conditioning—especially for roles requiring movement, dance, or physical presence on screen or stage.

2. Demonstrate Versatility in Your Portfolio
While headshots focus on facial expression, full-body images highlight your physical energy, how you hold yourself, and your ability to embody different characters through movement and stance.

3. Meet Casting and Costume Requirements
Directors and choreographers need to know if your build and proportions fit specific costumes, choreography, or stage dynamics. Accurate body shots help you get shortlisted for more roles.

4. Expand into Commercial and Lifestyle Work
Professional body shots open doors to commercial modelling, fitness campaigns, and brand collaborations—increasing your visibility and casting potential beyond just acting or dance.

5. Capture Movement and Physical Expression
For dancers especially, body shots can highlight your grace, athleticism, and technical form—making an instant impression before you even step into the audition room.

black & white portrait of dancer Gina in double denim and lingerie

Paul makes you feel comfortable and relaxed as soon as you walk through the door. Lovely setup and beautiful photos! He checked and made sure that I liked each different set up, angle and outfit so that I was sure to leave with a huge variety of photos to choose from! Highly recommend!

Louise

Can you tell me more about the shoot?

So to get the best from your Actors /Dancers portfolio session we will discuss up front the sorts of images that you need for your portfolio, so that on the day you are prepared with the right outfits.

Bodyshots can come in many different forms, so please do not feel that you have to wear something revealing. If you want to wear an underwear set and feel great about it, that’s perfect! if you’d prefer to wear a bodysuit or close fitting outfit that’s equally fantastic. Either way you are going to get some incredible shots for your portfolio.

I work from a home studio in Camberley (Surrey) where I have more room than a lot of commercial photographic studios and means we can work both indoors and out in the same outfit. Yes I’m outside of London but I’m actually only 35 mins from Waterloo by train and will happily collect you from Farnborough station at no extra cost!

When you arrive, we’ll look at the choice you have brought and how best that will work with the range of backdrops I have. If you have seen any of my recent black & white images then its texture that matters more than colour.

Either way, bring lots of different outfits including jackets/boots as this allows me to give you lots of different variations.

Following this your photos are loaded to an online gallery for you to choose your favourites. In two hours I would expect around 600-800 images to be shot, so yes, plenty of choice!

Normally these are delivered back to you within 48hrs of receiving your choices.