Recently I've been trying to figure out how I should price my headshots, specifically I was trying to figure out what the average market value was. I decided to take a snapshot of the headshot photography market in NYC by looking through all sixty-two portfolios hosted on Reproductions East, the top headshot printers in NYC.
Of the sixty-two photographers hosted, fifty-one of them listed their rates and price packages. The rest either did not list them at all (you'd have to set up an appointment), or after spending time looking through their site, I just couldn't find out what their rates were.
After compiling all the different price packages together, I found average market value, as of February 26, 2010, to be approximately $600. The prices ranged from a ten look shoot for $1,745, all the way down to a quick twenty minute session for $99.
Here's a bar graph showing the distribution of price packages. It is as accurate as the information I could find on each photographer's website, which may not be up to date.
Most price packages are near average market value and slightly above it, between $500 and $800.
This information is most useful in getting a general idea of what's available on the market in terms of price, but it's not a good way of telling if you're getting a bargain or getting ripped off.
One photographer can offer multiple packages. The one photographer who listed the top fee of $1,745, also offered a package for $345. Also, price packages vary drastically in terms of number of shots taken, hours spent on the shoot, and number of wardrobe changes. Maybe you don't need much and you're good with an hour, two wardrobe changes, and 100 frames. Maybe you're putting together a website and you need five hours, six wardrobe changes, 800 frames, makeup and hair, and indoor and outdoor shots.
Price alone is not an indicator of quality. I've met actors who've gotten a lot of work using headshots that they got for free, and actors who've spent $1,000 on headshots that they can't even use. Sometimes you don't need to spend a lot (or anything) to get a great headshot, and sometimes you get what you pay for.
So how much should you pay for a headshot in NYC? Well it turns out that it's not such a straight-forward answer. The market is extremely diverse, and each photographer is going to bring different things out of you depending on their approach and their setup, independent of price. Even if you land someone with a great reputation for taking headshots with an impressive portfolio, you might just not get along with them for whatever reason. If you don't vibe with your photographer, things have the potential to go downhill pretty quickly.
If you're looking for a good headshot photographer, my advice would be to find a friend with great headshots, ask them who took it, and find out what their experience was like during their shoot. While I think you should consider the marketing and look through portfolios, I'd trust the experiences of my peers over a fancy website any day. -C
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