I'm a photographer, but I actually need to hire a photographer for this. I am wondering about how much should I expect to pay for solid headshots (acting style). I don't take headshots so I haven't a clue what a good price is. I'll be looking the LA area where headshot photographers seem to be a dime/dozen.
Feels weird being a photographer and needing a photographer. hehe.
, this is funny to me. I was kind of in the same situation not too long ago and ended up coaching a family member through it. The picture(s) were not the best, but were not unusable either.
Maybe you can exchange services with another local photographer, and talk them into having their own headshots taken?
Paul Ket wrote:
this is funny to me. I was kind of in the same situation not too long ago and ended up coaching a family member through it.
I thought about trying this. Believe me, to save money in this economy is an idea I like, but I quickly threw out the notion because I know in my mind, the images would not be satisfactory and I value my own image to much.
So then I started googling. And I googled. And I googled some more. I clicked on many websites before finally landing a portfolio that stood above the rest. http://www.poyeyphotos.com. Her portfolio looks top notch and her website was more informative and professional than others, but interestingly, she does not offer pricing on her website like so many others did. So I hope it's not one of those 'if you have to ask, you can't afford' type of deals. haha
Studio20 wrote:
pay the going day rate for a 1st shooter around $250
Plese say that is per photo or at least add a zero on the end. You are going to depress me if that is a going rate anywhere in this country for a pro photographer.
Nowhere Man wrote:
I thought about trying this. Believe me, to save money in this economy is an idea I like, but I quickly threw out the notion because I know in my mind, the images would not be satisfactory and I value my own image to much.
So then I started googling. And I googled. And I googled some more. I clicked on many websites before finally landing a portfolio that stood above the rest. http://www.poyeyphotos.com. Her portfolio looks top notch and her website was more informative and professional than others, but interestingly, she does not offer pricing on her website like so many others did. So I hope it's not one of those 'if you have to ask, you can't afford' type of deals. haha ...Show more →
Those are some really nice images. Would not mind someone like that doing some for me. It is hard to set-up a shot for someone else to take and have it come out the same as if you did it yourself. Tried a few about a week ago. Could be the subject but think something gets lost in switching photographers.
Umm, I don't think most of the respondents understand the question.
Headshots aren't a day shoot, nor are they a commercial rate. They're generally going to cost from $150 to $650 (for the serious hotshot, "I guarantee my headshots will double the auditions you get" guys) and if the shoot takes more than 90 minutes they're really doing something wrong.
I charge $250 when I do it, offer up to two hours and one change of wardrobe/setup. That's relatively average.
As for offering to trade headshots with someone else...a headshot isn't a basic portrait, it's a very specialized thing. And it's certainly something a photographer isn't really going to need.
shatterkiss wrote:
...a headshot isn't a basic portrait, it's a very specialized thing...
I checked the link to your photo stream at Flickr and heartily recommend it. I'm not a pro but I certainly appreciate your work AND the extremely useful information you add to many of your photos. You ARE a pro! Thanks for your comments and your photos.
Nowhere Man wrote:
..... she does not offer pricing on her website like so many others did. So I hope it's not one of those 'if you have to ask, you can't afford' type of deals. haha
This doesn't always mean 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it'. It is a common strategy to get potential customers to contact you so that when the photographer can respond they can do their best to sell their services beyond what a static website/brochure offers. Its opening the door to further communications.
Lord Kimbo wrote:
This doesn't always mean 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it'. It is a common strategy to get potential customers to contact you so that when the photographer can respond they can do their best to sell their services beyond what a static website/brochure offers. Its opening the door to further communications.
I know it doesn't always mean that. But I was just stating that I hope it's not so incredibly high that it's way out of my price range.
after browsing 100+ online portfolios from photographers in the LA area, I found starting prices that ranged from about $200-$500. Of course, out of those, the packages often varied as far as what you're offered from the photographer in the end.
It surprised me to find that many stated on their website that they 'only use natural light' for their outdoor shots. Being a fan of strobist style shots, I wondered if maybe this is what casting directors must like.
some (but not all) offered hair/makeup for additional costs of anywhere from $50-$150 dollars for the shoot.
I'm going to look in the SF area today to see how prices compare there. I suspect I would find about the same price range.
shatterkiss wrote:
Umm, I don't think most of the respondents understand the question.
Headshots aren't a day shoot, nor are they a commercial rate. They're generally going to cost from $150 to $650 (for the serious hotshot, "I guarantee my headshots will double the auditions you get" guys) and if the shoot takes more than 90 minutes they're really doing something wrong.
I charge $250 when I do it, offer up to two hours and one change of wardrobe/setup. That's relatively average.
As for offering to trade headshots with someone else...a headshot isn't a basic portrait, it's a very specialized thing. And it's certainly something a photographer isn't really going to need....Show more →
I agree with Shatterkiss. I see headshots (for acting) as a very specialized sort of thing and the price range he stated was just about exactly what I found.
I just wonder WHY they are different. How they are different. This is really a great topic since I am sure I am not the only one that doesn't realize (or understand why) they are different.
vidoprof wrote:
I just wonder WHY they are different. How they are different. This is really a great topic since I am sure I am not the only one that doesn't realize (or understand why) they are different.
ryan
Everything is specialized. The people who shoot headshots, weddings, products, photojournalism, cars, fashion, architecture, forensics, kids sports, seniors, portraits and pets all have made an effort to learn what is expected by the clients and how to meet those expectations. And sometimes photographers are protecting their turf.
vidoprof wrote:
I just wonder WHY they are different. How they are different. This is really a great topic since I am sure I am not the only one that doesn't realize (or understand why) they are different.
ryan
I think they are very specialized for a number of reasons. Headshots for actors have to be what the casting director wants to see. It's could be that the casting director wants to see the business look. Or perhaps the guy-next-door look. Could be for theatre/stage.
Actors constantly update their headshots and go for different looks to show their versatility and their shots need to look current. The photographer has to have a good idea what the casting director wants in each situation. The photographer has to sit down with the subject and ask them, what type of work are you going after? What does your agent want to see? What age group are you in? Some headshots could require expression, while others demand a more serious look.
Also, it seems that the top-top headshot photographers work directly with casting directors and/or agecies, so they probably know exactly what type of shot is required, vs. the photographer who doesn't work with any casting directors or agencies. So you can start to get a sense just how specialized this type of photography is.
Headshots are also one of those areas where the look is highly-codified and there are certain expectations. This varies a little bit (more so in NYC than LA, more so in theater and film than television, more so in dramatic actors than comedic, etc.), but there's still an expectation that headshots will look a certain way.
I went to film school and studied directing, then worked in film and television for several years. One directing class literally spent a month on just reviewing headshots and conducting auditions. Later on, as a PA or assistant to producers I would often be the first line in receiving headshots for productions (you try opening literally thousands of 8x10 envelopes per day - it's miserable work).
An "incorrect" headshot will get thrown in the trash immediately. Quite literally, it gets one glance. That means that the actor whose headshot wasn't shot right will get no auditions. Ever. Zero. This could be because it's a full-length shot, or because it's too tight to see body type, because it doesn't give an indication of apparent height, because the contrast is too high to get a sense of hair color, because it doesn't indicate an actor who has freckles, because it shows too much cleavage, because it doesn't show the shoulders or upper arms on a woman, because it's too smiley for an actor doing dramatic roles, because it's not smiley enough for a comedic actor, because the actor's shirt is too colorful, because the lighting is too dramatic and it prematurely-ages the actor, because it's shot against a goofy mottled muslin, because the actor's shoulders look too broad...
It's such a fine line.
Much like weddings, this is why people who do headshots tend to be specialists. I can shoot a CEO portrait for the annual report but that's not a successful headshot. I can shoot an editorial portrait for a magazine but that wouldn't work as a headshot. The only crossover that I really see with headshots are to author photos for dustjackets and publicity usage and some magazine's byline inset photos. People who shoot headshots as well as other things shoot them very differently, and the first question for a headshot shoot is going to be, "what kind of work are you auditioning for?"
Thanks for the heads up.. Man I didnt realize it was THAT specialized. So theoretically though, you COULD take a shot and crop it differently for a headshot and a portrait shot. Meaning take a portrait shot and it COULD be used as a headshot too.
I thin I got it.
I think he's saying that it is a special kind of portrait requiring a specific lighting, crop, pose, angle, etc. I don't think the takeaway is that you can take a portrait and crop it right and you have a marketable headshot for your client, but that there exists a much more narrowly defined set of acceptable norms in a given industry, and that all those criteria need to be met consistently to be viewed as really skilled at headshots.
, this is funny to me. I was kind of in the same situation not too long ago and ended up coaching a family member through it. The picture(s) were not the best, but were not unusable either.