I’ve never had a professional photoshoot before, what are some things I should consider when booking?
Budgeting for photography sessions is probably the biggest factor when it comes to booking your shoot. Since the vast majority of photographers are self employed, pricing can vary depending on basic supply and demand, services within the package, time spent working on the images, overall quality of the work, etc. You also need to consider the photographers ability to problem solve for the clients need.
An average price range
For professional level photoshoots rates for portrait photographers can vary from $300 to upwards of $2000. My individual portrait sessions average out around $500 -$750. This isn’t including extra fees such as studio rentals, hiring makeup and hair stylist, hiring models (in the case of clothing brand sessions) and/ or the purchase of props.
Hair/ Makeup / Studio
Makeup is definitely an important thing to consider for your shoot. If you don’t know how to do your own makeup or have a friend that knows how to apply makeup well, I would highly recommend hiring a makeup artist for your session.
Makeup is important because it helps with the retouching process by producing a clean straight out of camera image.
it helps as well by enhancing already present physical features, such as eyes, lips and cheeks.
price range for makeup artist can be between $80 - $120
Hair can also be an important factor to consider for your shoot, especially if its a beauty or a fashion stylized shoot.
Normally I’d only consider hiring hair stylist if its absolutely necessary such as the case listed above or its imperative to making a successful shoot happen.
price range for hair stylist can be $50 - $150
The final element to consider is booking a studio, some photographers have their own personal studio where they factor in the fees within their packages/ rates or they have a membership to one that allows for exclusivity or cheaper hourly fees.
Price range for hourly studio fees can vary between $30 - $150 (usually depends on studio size and whats available within the space)
