One of the most important things that you will need if you are going to use casting agencies to help promote your acting career or even if you are going to self promote yourself via an online casting site is a good quality headshot. But what can you get for the money and what is it going to buy you? The details below give an overview of what it might realistically cost in many larger cities in Britain for a good quality photograph.
In a recent survey only a minority of respondents stated that they would be happy to spend over two hundred pounds for a session. Sixty percent said they would only spend under a hundred and fifty pounds while only twenty percent said they were prepared to spend over two hundred pounds so how do these views stack up with what is on offer?
On the face of it if a prospective actor wants to get headshot- only good quality photographs which can be genuinely used in promotion – they will have to spend within the one hundred and fifty to two hundred pound range for an ordinary photographic session.
It is pertinent at this stage to actually see what you get for the money.
For under a hundred pounds you will get the following:
· about an hour of the photographer’s time
· two to three changes of clothing for different shots
· indoor or outdoor but not both
· probably only two 10 x 8 inch retouched usable prints. Extra prints will cost more.
To get this sort of price range then you wil need to go to an established photographer who deals with budget photography or a photographer who normally deals with another style of photograph for instance a fashion photographer but will also take on headshots.
For between a hundred and a hundred and fifty pounds you will get the following
· one to one and a half hours of time, with a maximum of two hours
· two to four clothes changes
· indoor or outdoor only
· two to three retouched prints with more prints costing around ten to twenty pounds each.
For between one hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds you will get the following (and for my money this seems to be the ideal range):
· usually two hours of time
· two to six changes of clothing with this not always being limited
· indoor or outdoor sitting
· three to four normal size prints with the extra prints costing ten to twenty pounds each.
At this price range you will get good, well known and reliable photographers whose market is aimed at a middle of the range (price wise) clientele.
For two to three hundred pounds you will get the following:
· two to five hours of photographer’s time
· five or more changes of clothes
· indoor and outdoor shots (probably)
· three to four retouched prints with any extras costing the same as stated above.
For this sort of quality you will need to go to long established photographers who already have a good reputation and are highly regarded by the casting agents themselves.