How much should i pay for headshots in la?

When it’s time to get new headshots in Los Angeles, one of your first questions will probably be, “How much should you pay?”  My first advice would be to stay within your budget. Every week, if not almost every day I hear my clients complain that they had to learn the hard way… They will often admit to having paid way too much for the quality of headshots they received from previous photographers.

It is a well known marketing strategy to price services above average… It is no different with headshot photography services. When it comes to headshot photography in Los Angeles it gives the actor or professional the false impression that this headshot photographer is slightly better than others. I cannot speak for all industries but I do know from experience that with headshot photography this strategy can be very misleading.

It would be impossible to keep count of the times I’ve heard actors so upset that they’ve spent way too much money for a very mediocre outcome from their past headshot sessions.

This would be my advice,  if you spent somewhere between $250-$800 (depending on your needs), this amount would be considered reasonable. For women unless you do your own makeup (which is fine if you know how to apply your own) you should plan on spending approximately an additional $200 for hair & makeup. For men the basic application of concealer & powder should be included, an experienced photographer should know how to apply these for basic needs.

You do not want to spend too little either, ultimately you do not want to have to re-do your headshots, it would be a waste of energy, time & money.

It comes down to the headshot photographer’s body of work.

Ultimately you need to take your time and really go through the headshot photographer’s website, like one of my clients said to me the other day, “When I saw your rates, then the extensive photography content and the consistency of your headshot photography on your website, (not to mention more than one hundred 5 Star reviews on Google and Yelp), I felt very confident you would be taking care of my headshot needs.” She mentioned that she’d gone through a ton of websites, basically did her homework which I recommend. See what’s out there, make comparisons, place a few phone calls…