Philadelphia Headshot Photographer. Professional Actor. Twenty Years Behind the Lens.
Christopher Descano didn’t set out to become a photographer. He set out to become an actor — and he did. After completing his Master’s degree at the Birmingham School of Acting at the University of Central England, Chris returned to Philadelphia and landed a role in an M. Night Shyamalan film. He needed new headshots. What followed was a frustrating tour of Philadelphia and New York photographers that left him consistently underwhelmed: images that looked fine but felt wrong, from photographers who understood the camera but not the industry.
The problem, as Chris eventually understood it, was straightforward: most headshot photographers are photographers first and have no working knowledge of the entertainment business. They’d never been in an audition room. They didn’t know what agents were actually looking for. They couldn’t tell a client whether an image conveyed the right type, the right energy, or the right range — because they’d never needed to know.
Chris started shooting headshots shortly after that realization. If getting a great headshot in Philadelphia was genuinely impossible, he’d make it possible himself.
What sets Descano Photography apart from every other headshot studio in Philadelphia is simple: Chris has been on both sides of the camera his entire career. He has been represented by agents in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles. He has auditioned for — and booked — major roles across film, television, and commercial work. Philadelphia audiences may recognize him as “Razor” from the Pennsylvania Lottery commercials. He has worked as an acting coach and taught acting at the university level. He is still a working, professionally represented actor today.
That experience doesn’t just inform how Chris shoots — it informs what he shoots for. Every session is built around what the image needs to accomplish: the type it needs to convey, the energy it needs to project, the doors it needs to open. That’s knowledge no amount of photography training can teach. It comes from having been in the room.
Chris’s connection to the Philadelphia performing community runs deeper than his own career. His father, John Descano, was an actor, director, founder and first president of the Philadelphia Theater Alliance, and Vice President of the first Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild Philadelphia branch. Christopher has been immersed in the industry his entire life — not as an observer, but as a participant. He was an active SAG member for more than 15 years and maintains close relationships with agents, casting directors, and celebrity stylists in both Philadelphia and New York.
Christopher Descano holds a Master’s Degree from the Birmingham School of Acting at the University of Central England in Birmingham, England, where he completed his professional actor training. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Kutztown University, and is a graduate of the Westtown School, a Quaker boarding school in Chester County, PA. He also completed graduate studies at the Institute for Central American Development Studies in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Over twenty years, Descano Photography has grown from a solution to a personal frustration into one of Philadelphia’s most recognized and trusted headshot studios. Corporate professionals, actors, performers, artists, and creatives across the region have trusted Chris to produce imagery that represents them at their best. The work speaks for itself — and so do more than 200 five-star reviews from clients who came in for a headshot and left with something they were genuinely proud of.
Ready to book a session or want to learn more? Reach out and let’s talk about what you need.
