UPDATE FOR 2023: I have edited this post to clarify that my rate will be determined more by the number of looks in a session rather than time. I have no strict time restrictions for a headshot session.
If you’re wondering how long your headshot session should be, or what a “look” is and how many you might need, congratulations – you’ve come to the right blog post!
Over the years, I have either charged by time or number of looks, but I’ve found I am less a stickler for time. I would rather shoot until we’ve got what we need in the number of looks you want.
The amount of time mentioned in this post is a ballpark figure based on my nearly 16 years of taking headshots. This is how long it might approximately take for the number of looks captured, but it is not an exact figure.
What is a look?
A “look” is defined by a particular outfit (for a headshot, usually only above the waist), backdrop, hairstyle, and/or makeup style. Actors generally bring a few different tops to wear for a session; how varied you want the different looks to be is entirely up to you.
30 Minutes | 1 Look
A 1-look session is recommended for someone in need of one outfit, one hairstyle, one backdrop. Think a profile photo for your job, LinkedIn, or social media.
I have done many 1-look sessions for businesspeople who just need a nice, professional headshot for a company website or LinkedIn – nothing more.
These generally take about 30 minutes. I used to offer a 30-minute session for actors that would include two looks. I no longer offer this. The reason is that these 30-minute, 2-look sessions never, ever, ever, lasted just 30 minutes. Not once. They always went longer, as I’ve never been too strict about time – but after a while I realized I was consistently underestimating how long sessions would take.
If you’d like to wear more than one outfit – and especially if it’s your first actor headshot session – I highly recommend a full hour or more.
That said, there might be some experienced actors who only want a quick update with just one look. Although I have found this to be rare, if this describes you, let me know.
60 Minutes | 2 Looks
A 2-look session is generally considered a “standard” length for actor headshots, and might take about 60 minutes. Not too short, room for more than one look, but also not long enough to play around extensively with a wide variety of outfits, hairstyles, makeup, etc.
This session would work well for either an experienced actor who already has headshots but wants a little more variety, or a brand new actor just starting out who might not yet be sure of the potential range of roles available to him or her.
2 Hours | 4 Looks
A 4-look session can generally be captured in about two hours and possibly more, especially if there are hair and makeup changes. If you want to showcase your range and spend time making sure your outfit, hair, and makeup best represent each unique look, I recommend a two-hour session.
As with the 30-minute session, for a long time I tried to cram this 4-look session into an hour and a half, and almost always ran over. Two hours is a comfortable length of time for four looks.
3 Hours | 6 Looks
Three hours has been about the longest I’ve spent in a headshot session, as 6 looks is about the most someone might need. Of course, there are always exceptions. For anyone who wants a wide variety of not only outfits but hair and/or makeup styles, which may or may not involve facial hair changes, a 6-look session works.
And yes, you can shave at my place!
If you don’t need to shave but would like to have six or possibly seven different looks with a variety of hairstyles (this could include starting with straight hair and later using a curling iron, or starting with curly hair and later blowing it out), about three hours is a good length of time for a session.
When I started out in 2007, one of my first headshot sessions was about five hours long – the classic mistake of overshooting because I was so inexperienced. I very quickly realized that this duration was exhausting for both me and the client! I also just took far too many photos that looked similar, so the selection process was overwhelming. With more experience, I came to find that three hours is about the longest session necessary. Again, there have been some exceptions to this, but they are rare and would possibly include location changes.
What is NOT a new look?
Now that you have a better idea of what a look is and how many you might need, I’ll explain what you can do within one look. This is assuming the background, outfit, hairstyle, and makeup do not change. (I can’t guarantee this “rule” holds true for all headshot photographers, but I think it generally does for most.)
Again, the following examples are each only one look.
You can put on or take off an outer layer.
You can put on or remove glasses.
You can put on or remove jewelry. (Yes, I photoshopped the necklace out but you get the idea.)
Oh yeah – I can photoshop stuff (to an extent).
Anything else that involves a very quick addition or removal, with the same background and outfit, can be considered one look.
New backdrops!
Finally, a reminder that I have new backdrops available! Until I have more humans to use as subjects, please enjoy these headshots of my very good assistant, MacGregor, showcasing these new options.
