Headshot photography, in recent times, is one of the most consistently in-demand services from a photographer. What is actually a headshot? Headshots are photos that focus on the face. In recent times, everyone needs a headshot, starting from corporate workers to Instagram influencers. Photographers here provide quick look at the client and basically help people put a face to the name. As we mentioned, they basically are corporate. But we know that our personal as well as corporate lives are more connected through social medias nowadays. Therefore, people seek for such photographs with corporate purpose with a slight personal touch. People use headshots in business portfolios or resumes or to do marketing for personal businesses etc.
Portraits and Headshots are Not the Same
Before we proceed further, we need to be clear that portraits and headshots are not the same because of quite a few reasons. I mean, people may mix headshots with portraits with the fundamental discussion we had. But let’s focus on the difference between them. Firstly, headshots focus on the face only which includes the heads and at max the shoulders. On the other hand, portraits have lots of varieties. They can be waist-up or full-body shots as well, Secondly, headshots will have no distracting props or backgrounds whereas portraits will. Well, this does not mean that headshots will always have boring backgrounds. It’s just that there will be nothing that distracts a spectator or something that will split the focus from the face.
Now that we have a clear idea about what headshot photography is, let’s talk about whether it is a career to pursue or not. And whenever we talk about a career, the first thing comes up is the money.
Well, there are lots of factors working behind it. The main factor is the goal of taking such a photograph. Also, another important factor is that where will the photograph be displayed. Websites do not need high resolution pictures, but if it needs to be printed then it has to be at least 300 dpi. The final cost of the headshot will be based on the location, whether it will be an indoor shoot or outdoor shoot; knowledge and experience of the photographer; post production time etc. For example, commercial headshots cost $250-$500 on average per hour. In case of models, actors or dancers, it may be $300 per hour on average. Well, these are actually average costs. There are lots of packages offered by the photographers. If you go through the internet, you may see a professional headshot photographer in Sydney demanding such an amount which may be much different from a professional photographer from other large cities. All these depend on the service that one is willing to provide.
Are Head Shots a Profitable Business for Photographers?
At a glance, it may seem that headshot and portrait photography is a business of high profit. Well, it indeed is. You will be getting high profit at a very less time. Then again, you have to be that skilled to get that much money, meaning that you have to invest on yourself. You need to have equipment which will allow you to justify your demand. Also, you need to have a very good skillset, both with photography and editing. You also need to have a great portfolio of yours which will allow people to hire you. Unless you invest much time and effort and money on yourself, you should not expect big of a payment.
The Biggest Question is, Does this Profession have a Future?
As everything in life, the only constant thing is change. It actually is subjective as to if the evolution or change of the industry is good or bad for professionals. Well, we believe that there is a future but the photographers need to adapt and change with the time to be able to sustain. People change, their taste changes, and therefore their demands evolve. Running things the same way that a professional has been for a long time will cause failure for sure. This actually is tough because it is natural that people like to keep things as they are. But, learning to adapt is likely to be crucial to survival in an ever increasingly saturated market. And if one is able to adapt to situations, we believe the future is bright.
