In the end, it’s completely up to you because there are always two ways to look at everything. Since I have done it both ways, I have formed what I consider to be best for my headshot business.

Note: Your pricing, no matter how good you are, will not be a fit for everyone in your market. Once you accept that, you can focus on other things besides selling purely based on price.

Published Pricing Advantages:
If someone contacts me from my website about a headshot session, they obviously like my portfolio enough to contact me and they have likely determined that the pricing is within their budget. That’s two key things that make a difference in being able to schedule a headshot appointment with someone.

When the phone rings, the call goes something like this. Caller: “I found your website and I’m interested in a headshot.” Me: “Have you seen my pricing?” Caller: “Yes!” Me: “Would you like to schedule an appointment?” Caller: “Yes!” For me, I had rather get 5 calls like this than 10 calls with 5 of them thinking my price is too high or it doesn’t fit their budget. The 5 that I am not a fit for allows me to spend more time focusing on those who I am a fit for.

Published Pricing Disadvantages:
By publishing my prices, I may not be contacted even if the person viewing my website loves my work because they may make a pricing/budget decision purely based on my published pricing. If my price is my price and I am out of someone’s budget range, I feel that it makes no difference to not publish the price and only have them be turned away when I quote them by phone or email.

Ah…but you may be thinking if I get them on the phone, I can sell them on my services. While I do agree that I prefer to speak with someone on the phone, I had rather speak to someone that already knows whether my headshot pricing fits their budge or not. If they are expecting a $50 +/- headshot like JcPenney offers (at the time of this post) and that’s all they are willing to pay, my $125 to $190 (subject to change) is not going to work for them and I refuse to become a high pressured sales guy trying to convince them that their $50 budget just needs to be increased by $75 to $140.

Another disadvantage to published headshot pricing is that my competitors can see what I charge and come up with something to compete against me better based on my pricing and my offerings. While I do agree that is possible, there are numerous other ways that competitors can find out my prices even if they are not published. I prefer to make it easy for my potential clients to find headshot pricing. If a competitor sees my pricing, that is fine.

Your Decision:
I struggled for a long time about publishing my headshot prices which are just one piece of my business. However, in the end, the benefits of published headshot prices seem to outweigh not publishing headshot prices. Whether you publish headshot prices or not is completely up to you, it’s your business. There is far more to a headshot than just a price.

The post Should Photographers Publish Their Headshot Pricing Online? Why? Why Not? first appeared on .

Canon 5D Mark III with 70-200mm f/2.8 Canon Lens and Canon Battery Grip

It’s true that a photographer doesn’t have to own pro gear like you see above to produce a professional headshot. However, it’s not just the gear . It’s the experience using the gear along with the experience of working with someone to get a great shot plus post production editing just to name a few important elements that make up a great headshot.

In the Raleigh Market, you can find numerous professional photographers that are priced between $100 to $200 for a professional headshot that will look great on your LinkedIn profile, company website, etc. That’s a small investment to make if you want to make a great first impression with an image of yourself. A professional headshot represents you and your brand and a picture (good or bad) really is worth a thousand words.

If you, your spouse, your significant other, family member or friend own a camera but do not actually shoot professionally, it is very tempting to have someone other than a professional take your headshot. The world of digital photography has made everything so much easier than the film days of photography. But even a headshot is more than just point and shoot. It’s about capturing the best of you. A great headshot makes a difference and considering the Raleigh market has numerous true professionals who will provide a headshot for $100 to $200, you will save time getting it right the first time.

As a professional, I have had people come to me after trying to do it themselves. I’ve heard things like it’s just a headshot it cannot be that hard but they found out otherwise. I had one person that was going to be featured in a magazine article and the magazine rejected their image but had no issue with my image.

5 Quick Reasons To Hire A Professional Photographer For a Headshot:

1) The Gear: Lighting and Camera
2) The Experience Of A Professional
3) The Ability To Capture YOU
4) The Post Production Editing
5) The Cost Will Not Break The Bank

Bonus Reason: Buy Local – Support Local – It keeps the money in the local community and helps us all support each other.

For an investment of between $100 to $200, why not get it done right the first time? Use the quote button in the upper right to find out more.

The post Why Hire A Local Professional Photographer In Raleigh For A Headshot? first appeared on .