Business Photo Headshot Pricing by Photographer Vanie Poyey
If you’re in need of a business portrait for your company’s website or your LinkedIn page, you’re probably wondering how much it will cost. Let’s discuss the various factors that affect corporate headshot pricing of a business portrait, as well as some tips to help you get the most out of your budget!
First, let’s get one thing out of the way– when it comes to professional business portraits, there is no standard cost that can be applied across the board. SORRY🙄, but the price can vary based on a number of factors.
Those factors include; the number of people in a session, the number of days in a session, the number of outfit changes, where the photo session takes place (in-studio or on-site), and how complex the lighting setup and/or lighting changes are.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but a photographer with significant experience and skill level to match will be more expensive than one with less experience. Those with more experience know how to solve problems on the fly without the client knowing there was a problem to begin with! Essentially, you’re not only paying for higher quality photos, but the ability to make sure an on-site session with 50 people- including execs- only in town for that day, goes as smoothly as planned. But as you probably already know, most of the time you get what you pay for!
For on-site group sessions, if a business photographer will be traveling to your workplace (or another location), you’ll find yourself paying a bit more to account for travel, portable lighting equipment, and an assistant to help load/unload and setup the lighting equipment.
ON-SITE SESSIONS USUALLY INCLUDE MULTIPLE PEOPLE in a day, so you’ll need to think about the length of the session or if the session should take place over multiple days. Even though most photographers provide a lower price per person for bigger groups, the duration of a session and how many days required has one of the biggest impacts on your final cost. Multiple days usually means paying an assistant for each day, and spending longer hours in post-processing all the images!
Will the on-site session include multiple lighting setups? A plain seamless backdrop for employee portraits and multiple environmental backdrops for multiple execs in their offices is going to cost more than just a seamless backdrop for all.
The more complex (or the more lighting setups there are), the bigger your budget will need to be. On-site professional sessions typically start at $1500 and can go up to $5000 (or more) for larger groups. Depending on lighting complexities and the number of days required to finish the shoot, I’ve quoted jobs that were up to $15,000.
There is no set package price for on-site sessions because each job is uniquely different.
Multiple outfit sessions are usually something offered for individual portraits. Generally, photographers offer set packages for less complex in-studio sessions that only involve outfit changes and no lighting changes. That said, professional business headshots for an individual will typically cost within the range of $250-$600. This of course includes the session time and post work.
When considering your budget, the biggest mistake I’ve seen clients make is cutting corners and hiring an amateur, only to find themselves hating the final outcome. At that point, (the point when I get a call for a “re-do”), having to re-take your photos with a professional ends up costing more money than your initial investment would have been.
With digital photography, everyone with a camera can take pictures but not everyone with a camera is a photographer.😉 Make sure you hire a pro from the get go for quality photos that you’re proud to showcase yourself with!
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