I need advice on pricing head shots.

<p>Hello there. I am a college photography student, graduating soon. I was asked to take some head shots but am not too sure what to charge. Though I am a student, I have plenty of experience shooting portraits and with lighting (studio and natural). I feel confident in taking the photos and doing a good job. I will probably shoot for 30 min to an hour I am guessing. Plus editing. How much would you charge for that? I have some ideas in my head but I just want to get some other opinions. Thanks!</p>

<p>What did you charge for the Baby Portraiture and the Model Portfolio in 2013?<br>

Have you had any other paying Clients except those two - if so what was your pricing structure for those jobs?<br>

What are your ideas on the price you should charge for this job and the reasons for that pricing?<br>

As asked of you previously - please describe your local market: for example you'll likely charge more in a big city than a small rural town.</p>

<p>WW</p>

 

<p>I believe I charged around $50 - $75 for those as I was just starting out. Recently, I have done a few photoshoots ranging from $100 - $250 depending on the event.</p>

<p>I was thinking $100 for this job. I live in a fairly large city but the photo market is not particularly bustling. I feel that $100 would be sufficient for the amount of work involved. But I just wanted some opinions.</p>

<p>OK. Thank you for answering.</p>

<p>Based upon that (limited) information and few assumptions by me (i.e. your based in the USA and we are discussion US$; your work is a good standard; and you are dedicated to do your best), then I think that $100 is at the lower price scale for someone with your background, experience and skill for a 30mins to 60mins shoot and the editing to process deliverables.</p>

<p>In simple terms: 45mins set up and shooting for a series of one person's head-shots (how many people's head-shots? ) means about 45mins to 90mins Post production. So let's say for the sake of discussion you are very quick and highly efficient and spend 90mins in total - then $100 is about $65.00 per hour. Which I think is both acceptable and also good - so if this is the case then I'd agree that you go with that.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if the Client wants a group of 5 people, then that will likely take more time (the more people the more issues with scheduling their own diaries for a start - secondly the more people the more inter-plays between them, which takes up your time) - in this case you might think you will shoot the lot in 60mins - but what if it takes 90mins ? and then 3 hours in post? . . . then your $100 fee is at a rate of $22 per hour - which is not so good.</p>

<p>I don't think it is necessarily a good idea for someone starting out to represent to the Client a "charge by the hour" and then give them a bill later for the hours you actually worked: I think it is better to go into a small job like this with a firm price and if you run into issues which take more time than you expected then that is good experience.</p>

<p>Some of the pricing will depend on who approached whom and how - and of course you want this Client to refer you and to get more work from them: for example if this new Client has been referred by one of your previous Clients then they will have an expectation of price; if this new Client knows that you are just starting out and approached you and indicated to you that <em>'you are just starting out'</em> - then that is a sure signal that they have a price in mind: so take that into account.</p>

<p>So my bottom line - I encourage you to value you skill and product a little higher - based upon the assumptions that I outlined - if it is one person AND you are supplying and using Flash Lighting Gear - then $150 to $175 seems a better choice. If the same but for 4 people then $250 to $300 is my suggestion.</p>

<p>Pricing Jobs and the general running of a business is a critically important topic and (where I work and teach) is glossed over, even if mentioned in the major Photography Courses - which is very bad in my opinion.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p>By headshot, do you mean a tradtional head and shoulders portrait? Or do you mean a model/actress headshot? The style for the two is different. And with either you might be shooting for just one finished image or the client might want a variety of shots. (An actor/model might want medium length or full body shots in addtion to the basic closeup.) And more images means more time both during the shoot and after.<br /><br />In my experience, most photo jobs involve about three times as much time as is spend shooting. You start the timeclock with the first contact from the client, and any addtional communication back and forth. Then there's getting ready, which might mean just turning on the lights in the studio or it might mean going out to scout a location. Then there's the shoot. And after that there is editing, post processing, etc. with the images. Followed by delivering them to the client, getting the clients' selections back, addtional work on the images and delivery. And then collecting your payment and, if need be, depositing the check. It adds up.<br /><br />For a one-hour headshot or portrait session of one person, my ballpark would be a minimum charge of $250, plus more for prints (for the clients who still want them). That works out to maybe $80 an hour. And you still have to take amortization of your equipment into account -- if you have even only $2,000 worth of equipment (camera body, lens, lights) and only shoot one $250 job with it, you've lost $1,750. <br /><br />And don't forget how much you paid for the computer you edit the images on, any extra hard drives, the printer you print the invoice on, your Internet service.</p>