HOW MUCH DOES A HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHER COST IN LONDON?

In London, most headshot or portrait photographers charge between £200 and £600, but the overall price can vary from anywhere between £50 and a few thousand.

These photographers have chosen to charge what they do based on a number of different factors, such as time in the studio, the number of outfits/changes of clothes you can make, how many images you get, how in-demand they are and so on.

However, you shouldn’t choose your photographer based on rates alone. You can find excellent photographers for a relatively low price and some not so good ones who charge an arm and a leg. You need to really look through their portfolios, compare them to other photographers in your area, read their online reviews (not just the ones they post on their sites) and get to know them. Sometimes a great photographer isn’t for you just because the types of images they capture aren’t suitable for you. And that’s fine.

HEADSHOT PRICES

So, how much do headshots cost?

Working with a headshot photographer isn’t all about trying to get the best price - it’s about getting the best value. If you’re an actor, headshots are what set you apart from other actors in your category and having a simple headshot that looks like everyone else’s might seem like the best idea at the time, but these days differentiation is what you should be aiming for. Can you risk looking like everyone else?

What is true of actors is just as true, if not more so, in the business and corporate world. Having a high quality headshot on LinkedIn will pay dividends in the future. As will having outstanding photography on your website.

If you’re trying to save money, will it cost you in the long run? Again, this is where doing your research comes into play.

If you can find a great headshot photographer at the lower end of the spectrum, whose work you love, then go for it!

With this in mind, I have put together a short guide that outlines what you might expect at different price points. However, at the end of the day, the work many London based headshot photographers put out is of such a high quality that your final choice is subjective.

Before we begin, a little word on how photographers structure their fees.

Many photographers give you a number of package options based on time and an amount of edited photographs you get at the end of the session. They then have the option for you to buy extra images. So, you might find some photographers fit into many of these brackets just because they have different offerings.

Other photographers, like me, have a set session fee and an image fee. The reason they do this will be so you don’t feel obliged to spend money on images you won’t use. There’s simply complete flexibility. For me, this works best for everyone, I spend three hours with a client and they only buy the images they love - that may be one, it may be twenty.

So, bear in mind when reading this guide, some photographers’ prices include images, some don’t - make sure you know what you’re comparing when you look at prices.

UNDER £100

These photographers could have just started out, be very recent graduates, definitely won’t have a studio, so will shoot outside (which has its limits and merits) or will work from their home (which is where we all begin, so no shade here). However, at this price, you’re unlikely to get photographs better than what can be achieved by a friend with a camera (or indeed a mobile phone).

The session time is likely to be an hour or under and there will be very little time for a conversation about what you’re looking for, or about how to pose correctly.

You will likely get only enough time for one change of outfit.

If you need just one image, this might be the way to go, however, if you’d like a full portfolio, or a range of useable images for websites, blogs, LinkedIn etc. this approach isn’t for you.

£100-£200

These photographers should be fairly established and will likely work out of a small studio or outside. Sessions for this price will still be fairly short, probably an hour and a half. Again, this means there will be less focus on working with you to get the perfect pose, or multiple outfits. They might have a small handful of backgrounds which they can swap during the shoot. But at this price the session will be likely focused on getting three perfect images or less.

This is ideal if you only need a small handful of photos. As long as you like the photographer’s style, this is a good option. But at this price, don’t expect to change outfits more than three times.

Photographers at this price bracket might only have a small range of equipment which means you won’t have a huge variety of lighting options to choose from, so the photos could all end up looking similar.

Sessions at this price point could be with a more established photographer doing a short micro-session, where their normal full session prices are much higher. Watch out though, these can feel like conveyor belts, and you will likely only get one or two great images from this session - perfect for a top up.

£200-£500

This is where most established headshot photographers are priced.

At the lower end of this spectrum the photographer might still not pay a lot of attention to your posing, but at the higher end, getting your best facial expressions out of you is what they’re experts at. At this price bracket it’s not just about good lighting technique, but about how long the photographer works with you, how much time and energy they have to put into your photoshoot. And, most importantly, how comfortable they make you feel.

At this price the photographer will be likely working with a professional retoucher or be very good at retouching themselves, and will talk you through the process. They will have a good lighting setup and be happy to change lights, backdrops, and you’ll be able to do multiple outfit changes.

At the higher end of the range, time in the studio is going to be at least two hours, most likely closer to three. You might think you don’t need this much time, but for a range of different images for a full portfolio you really do. Don’t underestimate how much time you need.

£500-£800

At this price range, photographers are much more established or are becoming very sought after.

They will be experts in their craft and you will get a bespoke service with lengthy consultation and discussion. They will help coach you in facial expressions and posing and will have a whole repertoire of appalling jokes to help you smile.

These photographers will also work with high quality gear, have a central London studio, and your session will be around the three or four hour mark.

£800-£1200

Photographers working in this bracket are big name photographers, they will have the best equipment, the best studios, and be highly sought after. That being said, the photographs you get from these photographers might not get you much more work than the photos you can get from the £500-£800 range.

However, you will be working with the big name photographer and that comes with some cache.

At the end of the day, getting the perfect headshot for you depends very much on the style of the photographer and what you need your images to say about you. Having a great photographer on your side is priceless. So a bargain may well be a false economy.