Headshots & Personal Portraits: Rates and Details
Rates for commercial, event, and editorial photography vary based on the size and scope of the project. Please give me a call or send an email, and I would be happy to hear about your plans and discuss the possibilities.
If you are interested in headshots, comp cards, or family photos, I've tried to provide as much detail as possible below. If you have any questions that aren't answered here, please don't hesitate to get in touch!
STANDARD Session
$600 ($100 deposit required to book)
We'll spend approximately three hours together and capture an unlimited number of digital photos in that time. The number of wardrobe changes can be completely up to you, although I recommend three or four looks because each change takes time away from photographing. I shoot digitally, so the images can be used in color or black and white. As a special promotion with this session you will receive a free CD with all of your images on it, which will be available for pick up or to be put in the mail approximately one week after our session. It is yours to keep for personal use so that you can review the photos, make selections, and have them printed. If you need a full comp card with 5 different looks, I recommend booking two sessions. Payment can be made by cash or check.
Children's Headshots
Kids can need new headshots every six months, which can get costly for parents, especially if you have more than one child in the business. Many referrals come from young talent agents, so I often run specials for siblings sharing a session. Please inquire.
ONLINE DATING PHOTOS
Clients interested in photographs for their online dating profiles can book a standard session as outlined above or a 1-1.5 hour mini-session for a rate of $425. Which type of session is best for you depends on a variety of factors including budget, ease in front of the camera, etc. Please contact me for more details and we can determine whether the standard or mini session best suits your individual needs.
Pet Portraits
Pet portraits can often be done in a 1.5 hour session for a reduced rate. Please feel free to contact me for more details.
Retouching - $50 and up
We have a retouching expert who does a fabulous job. He is thorough and never retouches unnecessarily (which is how you avoid fake-looking images that irk agents and casting directors because they don't really look like you). Basic retouching, which includes getting rid of blemishes, fly-away hairs, and whitening of eyes and teeth, can benefit all clients. Please remember when viewing your images that every monitor has different color balance and contrast settings. It is important that your images be color balanced to look best as prints and not for viewing on any one monitor, so when selecting images consider your body language, expression and the composition of the photo - let the company that handles your reproductions take care of the color balance and contrast when printing. (If you need a recommendation for where to have your prints made, I'm happy to make some suggestions.)
Work Study
I offer a limited number of positions each year to actors in need of headshots but who find them cost prohibitive. Your session is offered in exchange for assisting me on photo shoots and with administrative work. If you are interested in one of these positions, please feel free to contact me to see if any are available.
Make-up
Adults should plan to have make-up for our session done by a professional make-up artist. I can recommend a make-up artist who will stay with us for the duration of the session to handle touch ups, or you can schedule an appointment to have your make-up done before coming to the session. If you opt not to have a make-up artist present for the whole session, please be sure to bring the lipstick and powder with you to do your own touch ups. Make sure to choose an artist with experience in subtle, natural light make-up for photo shoots.
Wardrobe
I recommend bringing 5-10 tops with you to the shoot so that we have clothing from which to choose. It is a good idea for women to wear a camisole-style tank top so you can make fast changes over it while we are outside shooting, although there are plenty of opportunities to duck into a restroom if need be. Avoid baggy clothes, bright patterns, white, fluorescents, logos and writing. Solid colors, particularly blues, greens, and browns tend to work well, as do deep colors like wine red and dusky colors like dusty rose. Think about colors that bring out your eyes and make sure the shirts are darker than your skin tone. Bring a variety of necklines and sleeve lengths. Women should tend toward open necklines. Men should think about layering, like wearing a button-down or blazer over a t-shirt. Make sure to wear comfortable pants and shoes because we will be walking around. If you are interested in putting together a comp card, let's talk beforehand about the necessary wardrobe for each of the looks you want. Don't bring clothes that make you uncomfortable! Bring clothes that make you feel attractive and are worry-free. If you would like to have a stylist present for your session (recommended for shooting comp cards) I am happy to make recommendations for stylists, too.
Locations
Most of my sessions take place outside in Chelsea, in the low-20s west of 7th Avenue and in the park at Chelsea Piers. This allows for a variety of locations and backgrounds to give you a variety of images from which to choose. Natural lighting is beautiful and is the most flattering type of light when used properly. Most importantly, photos taken in natural light come out looking like you, so natural lighting has become the most requested by agents, casting directors and clients. If you have a specific location in mind where you want to shoot, that may be possible to arrange with some advance planning, so that I can scout the location, and an additional fee to cover scouting and travel time. Please feel free to let me know if you have something you'd like to try. I look forward to hearing from you!