Exec headshot pricing??

[boxofrocks]

I may soon be taking headshots of entire board of a big company here in Dallas. I know exactly how I'm going to set them up, as I've shot these in the past with great results.

My question is what to charge for about 10 headshots and possibly a group shot (obviously would involve changing the lighting)? There will probably be some retouching done, so I'm not sure what fair market value is on this volume.

I may be able to find out what they paid last year (they weren't happy), but do you guys have any ideas of a good range for this? For corp. work, I usually charge between $150-200 an hr for event type stuff, and hand them a disc. This is obviously a different scope of work.

The photos will go in their annual report, website, news stories, etc.

Thanks in advance!

[bondarnes]

For studio work of this nature we get between $100. and $150. for one person retouched and low res. on a disc with copyright letter spelling out usage, which is usually limited to business cards, brochures, publicity releases, and website. If two or more come at the same time we add $75. for each additional. They pick pose from camera screen. For location I would charge about the same plus an hourly rate to cover set up time. Since it is for an annual report that should bump up the usage charge a bit.

[boxofrocks]

I was thinking about a similar setup, but shooting teathered so they can pick a pose from the laptop.

[brad]

I have a flat $99 fee for headshots like this.. and the fifth one is free when booking multiples... so for 10, I'd charge them for 8.

Usage is unlimited for self promotion and company use (brochures, internal publications, sales materials, etc.)

They pick the images they want to use (one per person) before they leave, I retouch those and give them a CD with the full resolution image.

[ShaneKislack]

Wow, where do you guys come up with these prices? I don't normally do this type of work, but a buddy that does normally charges around $700/person...and gets it. This isn't pics for them to hang on the living room wall...they are money generating pictures. Their value is highly increased when they use it for promotion.

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by ShaneKislack

Wow, where do you guys come up with these prices? I don't normally do this type of work, but a buddy that does normally charges around $700/person...and gets it. This isn't pics for them to hang on the living room wall...they are money generating pictures. Their value is highly increased when they use it for promotion.

That's what I was thinking. They're going to get a lot of mileage out of those images.

[boxofrocks]

I was considering charging a half day rate, plus time for post processing.

If you do a google search on corp headshots, you'll find rates ranging from about $100-200 each (rates for headshots are all over the place, just like any other type of photography).

That's the quandary of being a working pro--you don't want to leave money on the table, but you don't want to price yourself out of a job. There will always be somebody that will do it cheaper, so like anything else, it comes down to the relationship.

This is a big company with a national presence, and while they don't have a lot of photography needs (even though they're in healthcare, they have the image of a boring bank), I'd love to get their business again when they do. All I want to get paid is fair market value--maybe the high end of fair market, but I'm not looking to fleece them.

[brad]

I do a lot of headshots, both Actor and Corporate .. and I've found my rates to be right down the middle for these kinds of shots. I'm comfortable making what I do on a single look headshot.... at worst, I spend an hour total on the image... subtract my cost for the cd (pennies) and studio time, and I'm doing pretty well for that time.

My acting headshot prices are the same for a single look and $199 for three looks... again, fairly median in price range... but I have had actors get real, SAG-eligible jobs since seeing me... so they don't mind paying more than basement prices.

Someday I'll be more like Kevyn Major Howard and charge $500 for one look.. but that ain't happening anytime soon.

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by brad

Someday I'll be more like Kevyn Major Howard and charge $500 for one look.. but that ain't happening anytime soon.

Don't underestimate yourself. You do very fine work.

[srwatters]

I did headshots last year for an architect/engineering company. They paid my day rate plus airfare and expenses to ship my gear there and back. I believe for the single day it cost them around $3.5-4K inclusive. I handed over the RAW files plus my bulk conversion (same lighting on all the shots) to high res jpegs on a DVD. No editing, unlimited usage. They didn't seem to flinch. But then again I shot for almost 8 hours straight. I think there were a total of 80+ employees. It was hard work, but I think I was fairly compensated and they got a good value. YMMV.

[ShaneKislack]

Good job, Scott. That's fair.

Look, there's a big difference between fleecing and being compensated fairly. The prices some of you are quoting are what olan mills charges. You're not olan mills, nor do you want to be. The same photo can have many different values depending on what it's usage is. If it's to hang on the wall, then it's not very much. But if 6 million people see the photo and the company drives in a million bucks based off the promotion...then the VALUE of the photo is more.

But if you are comfortable charging $100-200 bucks...that's ok with me. ;)

[brad]

Originally Posted by JohnT

Don't underestimate yourself. You do very fine work.

Not a matter of underestimating myself.. it seems to be what the market will bear around here.. especially for actors.. if you go on my theory that if no one is whining about how high your prices are, they probably aren't high enough -- my prices are right about where I want them at the moment.


And Scott -- I remember that gig.. was totally jealous, but sounds like about the same amount I would have asked.