Should you go to a studio for headshots or have the studio come to you? For an individual and up to around three people, it makes sense to go to a headshot studio for the simple reason that it typically will be less costly. But why?
At a studio, the photographer can charge less because time is not spent packing up their studio to come to you. Then they must spend more time setting up at your office. Then, more time again is spent packing back up. Finally, there is the unpacking back at the studio. And, we have not counted the travel time. There is much more time spent prepping than shooting. Like any service business, all this spent time is commonly billed. But for around four or more people, it can make sense to have a mobile headshot service come to you as the cost balance is tipped the other way. There are also other advantages for a business and its team.
If you book a session at a studio for each person, they will need to travel there and back to the office. You might be able to coordinate the photo shoot being on the way to the office or on the way home to cut some time. Still, it can take at least 1-2 hours to get it done.
If you instead opt for mobile headshots in Los Angeles at your office, there is no extra travel for the person. When it is their turn that day for their headshot session, you or whomever is managing the project, can inform them they are next. They then have their headshot session done in a few minutes. Sometimes it can be as much as 15 minutes, depending on outfit changes and so on. But it is much faster than a studio visit and they can immediately return back to working.
This can also reduce stress for some people that do not like to be in front of the camera. Reducing the time spent thinking about their headshot session – driving to the session, being in the studio, etc. – by keeping them focused on work can reduce any potential stress. Commonly, even people that stress about it see in the end there was nothing to fuss about. But this is dependent on the photographer and their process. For example, allowing a person to review an initial photo to see how it is looking can reduce stress by showcasing how good the quality is.
If you are the project manager, having the mobile photographer come to your office allows you to more easily supervise the shoot. You would likely not want to attend a dozen headshot sessions at a studio, scheduled over a couple weeks, to supervise them like you could if the photographer was at your office.
You could give instructions to the photographer as to how you want the shots to appear at their studio, and even examples. This way, even at their studio there are assurances the work will be consistent. But it is still unlike being there. Sometimes there are branding considerations you want to enforce, like an accessory item being required, or dark suits, or a certain color background for everyone. If you send someone to the studio and they forgot to wear a dark suit, well, that’s a wasted photo shoot. At the office, it might be possible to get out of such a scenario by borrowing a colleagues dark coat.
You can also ensure everyone shows up. Sometimes, when people are instructed to go to a studio for a session two weeks from now, they forget. Now you are out the cost of that session for the no-show. In the end, it is easier to get all your ducks in a row if they are all together in one place at the same time.
If you need to get headshots for a lot of people, it can become daunting scheduling individual studio sessions. While it can be tricky to make sure everyone needing a headshot is in the office the same day, it is often not as tricky as coordinating everyone having a studio visit. It can span weeks of time getting everyone to go to a studio.
Often, there are important meetings where all hands on deck are required. Or team get-togethers like off sites where everyone attends. These are great opportunities to have everyone get their headshot done at the same time on the same day. In this way, the process can be expedited and done in concert with another important company event.
If you are going to hire a mobile headshot photographer in the Los Angeles area, you will of course need to vet them. Assuming you’ve done your homework and found a good one, there are a couple of considerations to help make a photo shoot go smoother.
Probably most important is getting your ducks in a row or making a schedule so everyone knows their time. It is not uncommon, even with a schedule, for people to want to swap times, not be ready for their time, jump the line, and so on. So, be prepared to adapt.
But a schedule is helpful. If a photographer says they need 10 minutes per person, it is probably best to schedule people 15 minutes apart. This helps ensure a queue does not begin to form where people are now waiting in a line. It also helps ensure that queue does not begin to become a comment-fest for the person currently having their headshots done. It can stress that person. So, a schedule may look like the following:
| NAME | SHOW TIME |
| Jenny Smith | 10:00 AM |
| Don Jones | 10:15 AM |
| Kim Beacon | 10:30 AM |
| Jim Fernandez | 10:45 AM |
| Tammy Bermuda | 11:00 AM |
| Penny Braekmen | 11:15 AM |
| Mike Ternado | 11:30 AM |
| Gerald Marquez | 11:45 AM |
| LUNCH BREAK | |
| Pernell Adkins | 1:00 PM |
| Pam Darnell | 1:15 PM |
Space Considerations
A photographer can work in tight spaces to get the headshots done. However, there are optimal space considerations to allow a photographer to use the best equipment possible to get the job done better. For example, it is possible to use a conference room that is some 10×10 feet with just eight foot ceilings. But this is if a photographer uses a suboptimal lens and / or camera and lighting.
Ideally, to let a photographer use the best equipment for a proper headshot, a minimum room size is needed. This is a room of at least 12×12 feet of open space, with a 10 foot or taller ceiling. Also, a room with minimal windows, not just to reduce reflections but also for privacy.
It is also ideal that an electrical outlet be made available so the photographer can keep their gear charged, particularly when there will be more than five people for sessions. Also, to be considered is the transport of equipment. It is likely the photographer will have a very large roller bag. So, having the area clear for taking such bags to the space is another factor to consider.
Finding a good photographer in Los Angeles can be daunting. It can be the sole reason your headshot project succeeds or fails. So, more than anything else, be sure of your photographer. Contact them and have a conversation about their process, their experience doing mobile headshots, and get to know their personality. Get recommendations from them to make things go smoothly. After all, you will be dependent on them as you work together to get the team the best headshots possible.
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