How Much Does a Professional Headshot Cost?

The Cost of a Professional Headshot

If you are like 99.99% of the human population, you don’t want to spend more than absolutely necessary on, well, anything.

Of course you don’t! Who does?!

The truth is,

headshots

aren’t cheap. Sure, you can always find an inexpensive photographer to make a few pictures, but in business, good enough just isn’t good enough.

When you are actively seeking to market to a specific audience, you don’t want your hard-earned dollars going to waste. Just like your other marketing efforts, you need to see some bang for your buck.

Imagine, if you will, that you skimped on search engine optimization, online advertising, retargeted ads, your logo, your printed materials, or other avenues.

The final product will not only look cheap and out of place, but it will be siginficantly less impactful.

Cheap headshots look cheap. Moreover, they send a specific message to your audience, and would-be clients. In truth, it sends a few messages:

• You don’t care enough to invest in high quality
• Your personal brand or corporate brand isn’t reputable or high end
• You don’t have the capital to invest, so why would you be a good custodian of anyone else’s dollars?
• You seek mediocrity, not excellence

The list could go on, but I think you get the point.

Here are some well-known and well established facts:

• According to LinkedIn, people who include headshots receive 21 times more profile views and 9 times more ‘connection’ requests.
• The ‘about’ page is one of the most viewed pages on your website.
• You have less than 7 seconds to make an impression, and it will usually happen by way of your profile picture, whether on your website, professional platforms, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social platforms.

Considering these facts, I think it’s safe to say that you don’t have the luxury of missing an opportunity to capitalize on a great first impression.

It doesn't matter if you are seeking:

• Actor Headshots

• Corporate Headshots

• Business Headshots

• Office Headshots

The goal is still the same.

If you have chosen to have a social media presence or a website, anonymity is a foregone conclusion.

Using a silhouette avatar screams volumes about both you and your company.

Choosing a headshot photographer

Since you really care about the financial expense involved in choosing a headshot photographer, here are some facts and figures:

Depending on who you choose to work with, you could pay as little as $99 for a headshot, and more than $1,000+.

I know that this is a huge range, but allow me to put this in context:

If you choose to work with a $99 headshot photographer, you are probably working with a hobbyist, an aspiring professional, or someone who must do an incredible volume of work.

Chances are this photographer is a novice, as most professionals simply cannot afford to charge so little.

A professional headshot photographer’s quality of work and level of service dictates a much higher price. In addition, the sheer volume of work necessary to justify such a low price would mean that the photographer would need to be inundated with clients. This also means that scheduling would be problematic anyway.

As a professional headshot specialist, my advice to you would be to avoid such photographers. If they are aspiring professionals, gaining experience and building a portfolio is up to them. You are paying for a product, a service, and an experience! You should receive fair value (or better) for that money.

From my perspective, the experience I provide is a major event. I don't simply click the shutter a few times, turn out some pictures, and send you on your way. While there certainly is a financial commitment involved, the reality is that you're going to have a great time, get incredible professional headshots, and be waited on with the utmost care.

Generally, you can expect to pay a headshot session fee, and in many cases, professionals charge a per image fee on top of this.

Depending on which photographer you visit with, these fees can vary, as well as what is included in their offerings.

The experience of your photographer, their talent, time, skill, and their business overhead are key elements of how they price themselves.

It is pretty typical for consumers to want to negotiate pricing. However, this is not something you should do. As a businessperson, wouldn’t you be offended if your clients attempted to negotiate with you?

Have you ever negotiated with your doctor or attorney? Why not? Their rates are their rates. They are set at a certain level for a reason, and photographers are no different.

The common misconception is that all photographers are artists. Some photographers are indeed artists. However, those of us who operate businesses, must treat them like businesses. We are businesspeople that make artistic decisions. In order to keep our doors open, provide incredible service, amazing headshot images, and feed our families, our rates are set accordingly.

In some cases, pricing structures can change. When a professional headshot photographer goes on location, to your office, to provide headshots for your employees and staff, you can expect a difference in pricing and structure due to the difference in services required.

Many headshot specialists who offer this service will charge a “photographer’s fee,” which allows for time, knowledge, talent, travel to and from your office, and for working with your staff. Depending on any additional services you request or that may be provided, things can change.

Photographer’s fees can range from a few hundred to a thousand dollars, or more.

In addition, the per image fee is still charged. The per image fee, depending on your photographer of choice, will ultimately cover the expense(s) associated with delivering a final image to you. Whether this involves the cost of retouching, archiving, delivering, or just making the picture, is dependent on how your photographer has structured their business and workflow. Per image fees vary from photographer to photographer as well.

Of course, fee structures and rates are determined by each individual photographer, and are always subject to change

Best Practices

In my experience as a professional photographer, I have observed a lack of knowledge on the true cost of professional headshot photography.

Here are some best practices for budgeting for your headshots:

• If you think that professional headshots are expensive, you are probably comparing the expense to something. Don't do that. You can't compare apples to oranges. Not all services, quality, and images are the same. Please do your research.


• Professional Headshots aren't necessarily expensive. You might have a cash flow issue, or are simply unable to afford the fee at present. In other words, you need to either save up for the expense or come to the realization that you are making an investment in yourself, your company and/or your team. Headshots are an asset, just like your employees. The return on investment is significantly greater than you think.


• Don’t simply rely on what another photographer has charged you in the past and build a small increase on top of that figure. Depending on who you have chosen to work with, rates can vary, services may vary, and the quality of deliverables may be significantly better. This thought process and methodology is a one-way ticket to sticker shock.


• If you are a corporate professsional, you probably begin crafting next year's budget around the third quarter. Before haphazardly inserting a random dollar amount for headshot photography services into your budget, please make a telephone call to a professional photographer (or a few photographers) whose sole area of expertise is in making headshots. Sure, you can call a photography generalist, but their quote won’t necessarily be indicative of the true cost of services, nor will the quality of work meet or beat your expectations, particularly if you are in search of excellence.


• If you are planning to have your headshots taken in the following year, allow for an increase in prices. Typically, these rate increases could be between 3% and 5%. Remember, operating a business isn’t cheap, and our expenses increase with the market. You might ask the photographer you speak with to honor the rates they originally quote you. However, a conservative approach would be to include a 3%-5% increase for budgeting purposes.


• This is a shout-out to all of my friends who work at "non profits." Believe me when I tell you that photographers see you! We see the great work that you do to serve your missions, your people, and your communities. A big thanks and kudos to each of you and your respective teams! But, here is a bit of bad news: We know your secret, and it doesn't move the needle. The big hoopla is that the term "non-profit" is not accurate, in fact, it's actually quite misleading. We recognize that your firms are "tax-exempt, " but to state that your company doesn't make any money is far from true. We know this because you are employed by that company. They must make enough money to pay salaries and benefits on top of caring for normal operational expenses, like marketing. So, when you telephone a vendor (or in this case, a professional headshot photographer), and ask for special pricing because you are a non-profit, please understand that we know that it is primarily because you and/or your team just don't understand the true cost of the services you are asking for. No worries! We are here to help, and don't mind providing you as much information as necessary to clarify things. But, we do ask that you not haggle or get upset that we can't discount our services to levels that align with a tight budget based on expectation but not reality. Which brings us full circle back to the notion of budgeting appropriately.


• Develop a relationship with your headshot photographer. This might seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be amazed at how many folks look at us like we are just staff or service providers. We are humans, who put our pants on one leg at a time, just like you. We are also business owners. Solopreneurs. Or, if you'd prefer, we are the Chief Executive Officers, Chief Financial Officers, and Chief Operating Officers, and yes, Chief Custodians of our own businesses. As such, we have total control over how we structure our own workflows, businesses, and rates. While this may seem trivial, the ability to provide you with additional flexibility, service, or work is entirely within our purview. Plus, the better you get to know your photographer, you’d be amazed at how willing we are to jump through hoops to ensure that you are receiving incredible service and our absolute best.


• If and when it is at all possible, a wise idea is to pay for your headshots or headshot sessions on a credit card. Sure, no one wants to take on more debt. But, the advantage to doing so, is that you accumulate rewards points, or other advantages your credit card company offers. Plus, it certainly helps us out to avoid any sort of invoice processing delays which are relatively common in corporate environments. We understand that invoices need to be processed, but while you might have a policy of FOB 30, 60, or 90, we typically have a policy of all invoices being paid in full prior to image delivery. This means that you won’t get your final images until they are paid for. It just makes sense for you to reap whatever rewards you can. Of course, the choice is still entirely yours, and whatever makes your life easier is the best course of action.

When it comes to the cost of professional photography, and headshots in particular, there is no “one-size fits all” model or number.

One thing is certain: you and your team need high quality headshot photos to communicate your authenticity, personality, humanity, and professionalism.

And, while there is no shortage of photographers willing to provide this service, there are far fewer headshot specialists who are capable of delivering the level of service, and quality you need to ensure that your headshot photos position you as an authority in your field.

Closing

If you have made it through this entire post, you are probably painfully aware that professionals headshots are not going to be cheap.

An investment in great headshot photography really is an investment in yourself and/or your company. When clients, potential clients, or your audience at large view your online profiles or other forms of marketing material, they really will interact with your photos first.

Conventional wisdom dictates that a photo is just so people know who they are engaging with. However, in today's increasingly digital society, first impressions are paramount.

Those engagements are more impactful than ever before. As such, your headshot needs to resonate with your audience. This means that the solution is to seek assistance from a professional headshot photographer, as we are more equipped to assist you with expressions that best communicate your desired message. Plus, we have the skill to deliver those results consistently, so that your staff appears like a unified team of competent professionals.

While having your headshot taken will cost a few bucks. The return on investment could be significantly greater.

Budget accordingly, but get ready to have an incredible headshot experience!