How Much Should Professional Headshots Cost?
Spoiler Alert: There is no dollar amount listed in this post (sorry!).
Juuust looking to address that juicy topic of of pricing in photography, and more importantly help newer photographers understand how to approach the sticky topic of ‘how much should photography cost?’
First of all, there can’t be a photography business without a great portfolio. So if you’re wondering how much to charge, start with an honest assessment of your work. Is this your time to focus on finding and/or perfecting a style?
Until there is an overflow of consistent, quality work, it’s wise to assume you’re still getting the hang of it. Price low, do free work with your friends, reach out to local businesses and organizations. The goal is to get practice. You can also join “Chicago Photographers” facebook page, or the Chicago Models/Photographers Portfolio Building Network, where you can link up for TFP shoots with models who want to work on their portfolio as well.
Do this until your outbound efforts start yielding inbound traffic.
After you build some momentum, it’s time to think about pricing. And the way that works best is to think backwards. Consider how much you need to make to operate the business and to live. Fill in the blanks - I need X clients who buy Y images per shoot (avg) in Z time to hit my goal of [insert lofty goal here]. You may need to adjust a few times to balance it out to something realistic, either conceding in lifestyle or how many bookings/image sales you need.
If you’ve been shooting a while, and still struggle with pricing, it may be due to a cluttered brand.
If your website/instagram showcases multiple genres of photography, that can be tricky, as different types of photography lend themselves to different “products” and therefore pricing wont align. (i.e selling 2,000 photos plus a physical photo album for a wedding makes sense, but who is buying 3,000 headshots and a photo album of their face?
On top of that, a diversified portfolio in photography is usually an indication to potential clients that you are a jack of all trades/master of none. And that’s fine, even encouraged early on, but if the goal is to level up a business, lack of focus makes it hard to charge a premium. So the sooner you can identify what you love to shoot, the sooner you can build a portfolio around that, and the sooner you can charge more.
If you love shooting everything and you do it all equally well because you are a true master of light, great, just make a website to separate everything.
The above portfolio is an assortment of images I took from 2020 to 2021, while gaining experience, and figuring out what my style would be. It’s all over the place, as was my ability to produce consistency.
Do your images look like they came from the same session or is it a hosh-posh collection? Images can look great in a vacuum, but when the style varies, it’s impossible for your clients to know what will happen when they are the subject.
Even after choosing a single genre, it can take years to produce that consistency. Think about photographing people - all people all have different body types, skin colors, etc., and they all respond differently to being in front of a camera.
The portfolio below comes from images taken early in my efforts to master headshots. Better than above, but I still hadn’t landed on the exact style. Skin tone varies from cool to warm, shadows range from subtle to true black, some highlights are too dark/others totally blown out, cropping is inconsistent, posing is everywhere, etc.
At some point, you should commit to specific settings that you like.
My actual portfolio (bottom of page) came together after I committed to settings - from shutter speed/aperture/ISO, to the power of my lights, to the distances from subject to background and camera.
And sure, for some clients, consistency and predictability is not as important. But if they need a collection of images, for website/social media etc., lack of consistency will translate to them appearing unprofessional. Don’t take a job you can’t deliver on.
When you produce consistent, high quality work, you eliminate risk for your clients, and you become more valuable. Once the photography itself is second nature, you can begin to focus more on the client experience - from easy online booking, a helpful prep guide, to being more present during the shoot itself. Continue to add value specific to your sessions, and a little headshot session becomes an experience worth paying for.
Photographers often justify their prices by mentioning expensive equipment, or that they are “running a business.” Honestly, I don’t think those are justifications for pricing. Frankly, why is that the client’s problem?
Pricing should reflect the benefits of working with you vs. someone else, and the best way to do that is to get really good at what you do, and how do you do that? Specialize!
Pricing Structures for Headshot Photographers
Headshot photography is usually priced one of two ways. A package (2 hours with 5 edits) , or with a session fee + image fee ($190 for a session, $195 per image).
Many headshot photographers moved away from packages because what if people want 12 images? What if they want to be done in 30 minutes? No matter what options you offer, you are bound to put clients in a position to feel they picked the wrong option.
Final Thoughts: In 2021, I joined The Headshot Crew, to refine my skills as a photographer, and develop a true specialty. By analyzing and comparing thousands of different shots with the best headshot photographers in the world, I was able to refine my raw skillset to a level worthy of being deemed “Associate” status. In other words, my portfolio was approved by the king of headshots himself, Peter Hurley.
Knowing my portfolio has reached a level of predictability and consistent quality, I can go into every shoot knowing the client will be free of any surprises, and love the results.
If you’re building your portfolio, seek practice - however you can get it. Hone your craft, and you’ll see your skills are valued by people who see the value in what you offer.
