Headshot photography gained its cruciality and demands for professional purposes like personal branding, business, or job career. Do you need headshot photos for numerous purposes but can’t find how much headshots cost?

Don’t worry! This article will give you clear ideas about professional headshot prices, including headshot types, pricing lists, and more. The major topics you will cover by reading this content are—

• What Are The Different Types of Headshots Photography?
• Headshot Pricing Guide – How Much Do Professional Headshots Photography Cost?
• Average Headshots Photography Pricing List in 2024
• Headshot Vs. Portrait Photography: Which One is Best for the Profession?

So, no more talking; let’s get started.

What is professional headshot photography?

Before getting the proper idea of professional headshots, you should be clear about headshot photography.

Headshot photography is a type of professional photoshoot that mainly focuses on a person’s face and upper body parts, especially from head to shoulder. Headshot photography mainly aims to gain the first impression of people for personal or business purposes.

In the above, you got the idea of headshot photography. Now, you will know about professional headshot photography and its purposes.

Professional headshot photography is a type of headshot photo that is basically made to use for websites, press releases, publications, social media profiles, and other platforms. It aims to make a personal brand for the business, job network, or corporate resumes, where a person is depicted as upright, competent, and friendly.

Professional people such as businessmen, job holders, and many others take headshot photo services to impress their clients, colleagues, and audiences to get more business deals, sales, and job offers. For this reason, quality headshots contain a lot of demands for professional people.

Don’t forget to read: Difference between portrait vs headshot photography – types, uses and comparison

Exploring the different types of headshot photography: A guide to popular uses and styles

Headshots are professional images used for numerous purposes, from business to job life. There are different types of headshots like business headshots, corporate headshots, Linkedin headshots, modeling headshots, and many more. Here we discussed every type of headshot to help you.

Professional Headshots

A professional headshot is a type of photography used to highlight a person’s competence and professionalism for numerous purposes, such as corporate life, business profile, and self-branding. It helps a person draw the attention of his surrounding people and increase his reputation.

Business Headshots

Business headshots are mainly used for highlighting a person’s competence and strong business identity. This photograph is like other general professional headshots in the main subject, background, and overall appearance.

Business headshots are usually used for company websites, social media profiles, business cards, presentations, and press releases. But it’s slightly different from the corporate headshots.

Corporate Headshots

A corporate headshot is similar to a business headshot in basic terms, such as revealing a man’s personality, professional approach, and competence. But it is more expanded for some purposes. For instance, a corporate headshot shows a greater emphasis on a person’s surroundings and work environment.

Besides providing the first impression, a corporate headshot also builds trust and reinforces professionalism among people.

Modeling Headshots

A modeling headshot is a type of photograph that depicts a model’s face, expressions, and features. This type of photo is basically used for a model’s portfolio and for submitting to modeling agencies to impress directors and audiences. It helps a model get more invitations to showbiz.

Actor and Actress Headshots

Acting headshots are used by actors and actresses to get offers for acting roles in movies or dramas. It represents an actor’s/actress’s emotional appearance and potential to deliver the exact expressions needed for the acting roles. This photograph is considered a blissful way of grabbing the eyes of casting directors and producers and influencing them.

Author Headshots

Author headshots are also a type of professional photo used for the promotion of a novel or non-fiction literary work. A perfect professional headshot helps a writer find a publisher in the first place and promote his published book and sales.

Group Headshots

Group headshots are a set of professional headshots of some members of a business company or corporate sector, which are published on business cards, websites, or social media to highlight a company’s personality and strong manpower and to create a positive reputation among audiences.

Linkedin Headshots

A Linkedin headshot is a professional headshot photo used for Linkedin profiles to represent a person as decent, amiable, and upright. A successful Linkedin headshot will absolutely impress your profile visitors and other members and convince them to be connected with you. It definitely expands your corporate network and helps you build a strong career.

Comparing headshot and portrait photography for professional use

Headshot photoshoot is mainly a genre of portrait photoshoot. It is a tightly cropped version of a portrait image. The fundamental difference between a headshot and a portrait is a headshot is taken for professional purposes. In contrast, a portrait is usually descriptive and used for telling a story about the subject.

As both have particular importance and demands in the market, you can choose one of them as the profession you like because headshot photography will give you knowledge and ideas about professional persons, whereas portrait photography will provide more flexibility and opportunity to utilize your creativity in numerous ways.

But in my point of view, you should choose both [headshot photography and portrait photography as your profession because it will give you more success and diversity in your profession and photography career.

Furthermore, most professional photographers choose more than one or two types of photography as their career to utilize their creativity and photography passion in diverse fields. I think the matter is clear to you, and now you can choose what’s right for you.

Category	Headshot Photography	Portrait Photography
Definition	A type of photograph that focuses on the subject’s face and head.	A photograph that captures the subject’s likeness and personality.
Purpose	Used for professional purposes like resumes, LinkedIn profiles, corporate websites, and business cards.	Used for personal and professional purposes, like family portraits, weddings, or fine art photography.
Focus	Focuses on the subject’s face and head, usually from the shoulders up.	Captures the subject’s entire body, often in a specific environment or context.
Composition	The background is usually plain, simple, and unobtrusive to highlight the subject’s face.	The background, props, and lighting are used to convey a mood or tell a story.
Lighting	The lighting is typically soft, diffused, and evenly distributed to flatter the subject’s face.	The lighting can be varied to create a range of moods and emotions.
Posing	The posing is usually simple and straightforward, focusing on the subject’s facial expression and posture.	The posing is more varied and can include full-body poses, group shots, and candid moments.
Suitability	Best suited for professionals in fields like business, acting, modeling, and corporate industries.	Best suited for creatives, artists, or those seeking a personal touch to their photographs.

Understanding professional headshot photography costs: A pricing guide 2024

Hiring a professional headshot photographer, you will likely charge between $100 and $250 per hour shoot.

As headshot photography includes different types, its pricing cost also varies according to their types. Moreover, headshot photos also demand various prices depending on a photographer’s skills and session time, including location variations, such as indoor, outdoor, or studio sessions.

Here is a headshot pricing guide depending on its type, provider’s category, and venue variety. So, take a decent idea of the price for professional headshots.

Professional headshots pricing: How much do professional headshots cost in 2024

It can cost $25 to $1000, or even more. Pricing for a professional headshot basically varies depending on the photographer’s skill [like a beginner, mid-level, and expert], location, and session duration. 

Here are some average professional headshot prices depending on the photographer’s skills and location—

• If you hire a beginner, you can get a headshot between $25 to $75.
• A mid-level shutterbug usually demands $75 to $250 for professional headshots.
• On the other hand, a professional well-skilled photographer will take $250 to $1,000, even more.

Business headshots pricing

Business headshot pricing also varies depending on the photographer’s skills, location, and session time. It typically charges from $25 to $2500 according to the location and provider’s skills. But on average, it will usually take between $65 to $750.

Here are some average costs of business headshot pricing—

• A beginner photographer will take $25 to $65, depending on location and session.
• A mid-level shutterbug usually demands $100 to $225 per headshot.
• On the other hand, a professional headshot photographer will charge $250 to $750, even more, depending on location and photo session.

Corporate headshot pricing

Corporate headshot pricing varies according to the location, photo session, and provider’s experiences. Depending on the package, it typically costs between $65 and $1500. But on average, a corporate headshot can take $125 to $275.

Here are some average costs of corporate headshots—

• A beginner photographer usually demands between $65 to $100, depending on location and session.
• A mid-level photographer will charge $125 to $250 following location and session time.
• On the other hand, a professional headshot photographer will demand $275 to $1500 according to location and photo session.

Modeling headshots pricing

Modeling headshot pricing is more similar to the acting headshot costs. It charges from $100 to $1500 depending on location, session time, and the photographer’s experience. On average it takes from $150 to $300.

Here are some average costs of modeling headshot pricing depending on the photographer’s quality and session time—

• Beginner or amateur shutterbugs will take $65 to $125.
• Midlevel photographers usually demand between $150 and $300.
• Professional headshot takers charge from $400 to $750, even more.

Actor and Actress headshots pricing

Acting headshot pricing differs according to location, photo session, and the photographer’s quality. Typically it costs from $400 to $1,500 in standard services. But you can also get it between $65 and $750.

Here are some average acting headshot prices depending on shutterbugs and photo sessions—

• For each acting headshot, beginners usually start their demands from $65 to $125 or more.
• Midlevel photographers demand basically $150 to $350.
• Professional experts charge from $400 to $750, even more for each headshot.

Author headshots pricing

Author headshot pricing is not much different from a professional headshot for businesses or corporations. It typically takes from $50 to $500, even more like $1500 depending on location, photo session, and photographer’s skills.

Here are some average author headshot photography prices—

• Beginner or amateur headshot photographers usually start their charges from $50 or $65.
• Mid-level photographers charge $75 To $250 for each professional author headshot.
• Skilled and professional photographers will take $250 to $500, even more.

Group headshots pricing

Group headshot pricing is a little different from other professional headshot prices. Typically it ranges from $500 to $1500 depending on location, session time, and the number of group members.

Here are some average group headshot prices depending on the number of group persons—

• 6-10 people headshot usually takes $125 per person
• 11-15 people headshot will charge $110 per person
• 16-20 people will charge $90 per person

Linkedin headshots pricing

How much do headshots cost for LinkedIn? It’s a fascinating question. Linkedin headshot prices are similar to other professional headshot prices. It takes from $65 to $1000, even more depending on location, session time, and the photographer’s skills.

Here are some average Linkedin headshot photography prices—

• A beginner photographer usually starts his charge from $65 to $100.
• A midlevel photographer takes from $100 to $225.
• A professional photographer will take $250 to $500.

Pricing table: An average headshots photography pricing list in 2024

In the above, we discussed in-depth headshot photography prices. Here we made a table listing the average price for professional headshots in 2024.

Headshot Types	Beginner Price	Mid-level Price	Professional Price
Professional Headshot	$25 to $75	$75 to $250	$250 to $1,000
Business Headshot	$25 to $65	$100 to $225	$250 to $750
Corporate Headshot	$65 to $100	$125 to $250	$275 to $1500
Modeling Headshot	$65 to $125	$150 to $300	$400 to $750
Actor/Actress Headshot	$65 to $125	$150 to $350	$400 to $750
Author Headshot	$50 to $65	$75 To $250	$250 to $500
Linkedin Headshot	$65 to $100	$100 to $225	$250 to $500

Headshot photography cost: What makes the prices different?

In the above, you know about professional headshot photography pricing lists. Now, you will understand what makes headshot photography prices different. So, here we go.

Photographers’ High Experience

The first thing that makes the difference between photography prices is the photographers’ skill and experience. There are mainly three types of photographers: beginner, mid-level, and professional.

They all demand different pricing ranges for a headshot because of their different photoshoot skills, photo editing techniques, and service quality. For instance, a headshot taken and edited by a professional photographer will give you more satisfaction than a beginner’s.

So, photographers’ experience certainly affects the headshot photography prices.

Cost for a Specific Location

Location is another crucial fact that impacts headshot photography prices. You can choose any location for your headshot photographs, such as a studio, indoor ground, or outdoor place.

Each of these places impacts the photography prices depending on the photographer’s comfort and condolence. Moreover, a studio headshot photoshoot typically takes $120 – $550, whereas an outdoor headshot photo session charges $200 to $1000, depending on the provider and session length.

Quantity of Allotted Headshots

The quantity of allotted headshots is the significant cause of differences in headshot prices. How many headshot photos you need will determine the headshot photography prices.

For instance, taking only one or two headshot photos will cost you less than taking three or four photos. In addition, photographers usually provide discounts or decrease their charges if you take a good amount of headshot services.

Pre-shoot Ritual to Look More Professional

The pre-shot ritual also impacts the price of headshot photography because every pre-shot takes extra time for a photographer, which demands additional costs.

However, you probably consider the pre-shot useless, but it’s not that. Because a pre-shot will help you look more professional and take engaging headshots. For that reason, the pre-shoot ritual affects the headshot prices.

Deliver Digital Image Files to Clients

Another fact that affects professional headshot prices is delivering digital images. Photographers typically deliver printed version images, but you can also get the digital image file from them. But it will take more costs.

A person needs headshots for numerous usages like social media profiles, websites, and other platforms. That’s because he needs a printed copy and a digital image file. So, it affects the prices of headshots.

Photography Post-Production Expenses

Photography post-production is one of the essential facts for the headshot pricing differences. Because just taking a photoshoot doesn’t mean that the photography is completed. Instead, it takes more time and activities to edit the images because just a raw photo cannot represent a person perfectly.

That’s because every photoshoot needs post-production which is another primary task. And the perfection of your photography mostly depends on the post-production skill of a photographer. So, it deeply affects photography prices.

Read Also: Product Photography Pricing List – How Much Does Product Photography Cost?

FAQ on Professional Headshot Photography

Are professional headshots worth it?

Professional headshots help a person gain the first impression by representing him as competent, upright, and decent, which are essential to influence surrounding people for business or personal branding purposes.

What is the standard size of a headshot?

The headshot for 8″ X 10″ is usually considered the standard size, especially for the printed version.

How long does a headshot session take?

It depends on the contract between the photographer and the customer because a headshot session can take 15 minutes to 1 hour or more.

How much body is in a headshot?

A headshot usually captures the upper body part of a person, and it covers from head to shoulder to highlight a person’s facial impacts and expressions.

Why do headshots cost so much?

Headshot photos are mainly used for professional purposes, which help a person build his personal branding and increase his business or job values. That’s because headshot photography typically costs high.

How long does it take to retouch a headshot?

It depends on a photo editor’s skills and experiences. Basically, it takes 30 minutes to one hour to edit a headshot photograph. Also, some professional takes more time for high-end retouching.

Conclusion

Headshot photography is crucial for building your personal identity and enhancing your business or corporate network, as it will help you impress people at first sight. By reading this article, you got details of professional headshot prices following their types.

Now you can decide what type of headshot you need for your personal or business purposes. So, go forth and make your goal.