What would you charge for 40 - 50 headshots

[ashton_boni]

<p>I'm having trouble figuring out what to charge for this job. It's for a school and they need headshots of teachers, employees, students, etc. between 40-50 individual headshots in one location. They're thinking it will take 4 hours or a full 8 hour day or maybe two days (4 hours each day). Should I charge by the person or by the hour?</p>

[bgussin]

<p>Charge by the hour. First, 50 Headshots at 5 minutes apiece is 4 hours and 10 minutes of shooting. Add to that set up and tear down. Add to that any delays in getting the subjects in and out on schedule, add to that post processing (file transfers, selection, touch ups) add to that redos (some folks will hate their photos) and make-ups for those not present the first day, add to that set up and tear down for the 2nd session. How far is your commute? Add to that the CDs and website creation/upload for client approval, and then maybe you'll have an idea for the amount of time involved. I'd wager the average per subject will be more like 15 minutes!<br>

-Bob</p>

[brucecahn]

<p>By the person. I charge $200. for hs. Any reasonable number. They will expect a discounted price. If there are a lot of people you might go as low as $50. each. Any lower is a joke. </p>

[mariosforsos]

<p>These type of portraits are usually mass-produced. You set up, shoot a couple of test shots to fine-tune your lighting and composition, and then simply put 'em on a conveyor belt and shoot, shoot, shoot... If that is indeed the case, you could charge by the hour as long as you include everything Robert mentioned.</p>

<p>Now, if on the other hand, some teachers and staff have specific preferences as to their photos and the students expect something more creating from theirs (which is where I always try to steer them towards), then I would charge by the photo - calculate a good average and charge that. On some you'll lose and on others you'll be okay...;-)</p>

[nathan_meador]

<p>Is it for the yearbook or some other purpose? 50 is a pretty low number, and assuming you are not changing lighting for each shot, shouldn't take long. But what to charge would depend also on the intended usage IMO.</p>

[cathy_and_david_bock]

<p>Agreed with Bruce.</p>

[silverdae]

<p>If it is a school situation, each photographer we employ can shoot about 200-250 headshots in about 3 hours. We are completely streamilined though. We have a standard setup, fairly flat lit, and shoot only headshots. We can knock them out- Marios hit it- conveyer belt. We work on contracts, adding in speculation print purchase, and make very good for a 4 hour work day. My initial reaction is that your timeline is waaaaaay to long. Even in studio, we can knock out a classicly lit portrait in about 10 minutes. This is with modifying lights throughout. To be competetive and still turn a good profit in assembly line photography, you need to have your process streamlined- from setup, white balance, exposure, post, print and delivery. Otherwise you are going to be working way to hard for way too little. </p>

<p>I'm sorry I can't comment on price. We work as speculation on a lot of events grouped into one contract, so it is a totally different ballgame. But I can say, if you are expected to produce a consistent product for a composite or a yearbook or a publication or a ... you best have your process down pat. </p>

<p>On the other hand, we've often shoot Realtors with the intention of giving them digital copies. They get 5-10 proofs (un-retouched ready to print images) on CD for a flat $200. Each basic-retouched image adds $20/image. We can knock this out from set-up to delivery in about 30-45 minutes, basic retouch and all. </p>

<p>We have the senior yearbook contract, too. We allot 10 minutes to shoot a classic studio h/s shot using 4 lights on a canvas background in studio delivering 4 physical proofs from which they choose. Our post on this takes about 5 minutes. We don't charge unless it puts us having to do a rush charge. Again, on this, it is speculation, but it pays, in part because we have the whole school contract. </p>

<p>We also shoot composite prints for graduating classes of the local college. Each student of each department pays their split of the 24x30 composite price to hang on the college wall, the rest is speculation. We do well off of these, but again, it is total cost/profit, not a set fee. I can knock out 30 students and a group in about an hour and a half, plus about 20 minutes post, and be done. </p>

<p>So as someone else mentioned, it depends on the usage, what is expected, and delivery (and remakes). There is more to shooting headshots than "sit down and smile" and it has very little to do with photography. Output, are you "speculating" on prints, will you make anything off that speculation, can you afford to print proofs or is all digital, what is the output, what is the usage... the list goes on. </p>

<p>I would consider what you want to make off the job as a whole and think about where that income is really coming from. Streamilne your entire process and work like a rock star, but do it well and methodically. Know every detail before you quote, and don't sell yourself out, but also know where the money potential is coming from and price accordingly. We work our asses off in May and June for absolutely nothing, but get the reward in August because we've 1)sold ourselves on a full portrait session or 2)provided an outstanding product that we can capitalize on for very little work.</p>

<p>It is all relative... each studio is different. The intended output will always be slightly different. The production (and overhead) cost will always be different. Your profit margins vill always be different. Think through what you want to get out of it and price accordingly. Think through what is likely to happen in the future and base your cost on that, too. It isn't clear cut, but you find that most-profitable line eventually. </p>