Updated October 2026 · By Alex Kemp, founder & lead photographer, Kemp Photography
Corporate headshots in 2026 cost anywhere from about $13 per person (AI) to $350+ per person (photographer, per-head pricing). For a team, the smarter number is the total for the day. Kemp Photography charges a flat rate: a Full Day starts at $4,850 and typically covers about 150–250 people, travel included.
Key takeaways
- Most of the market prices per person. Typical photographer range: $150–$350 each. Large on-site teams: roughly $80–$200 each.
- AI headshots run about $13–$79 per person, but come with consistency, likeness and brand risks (see our AI vs professional comparison).
- Flat day rates flip the math: the more people you photograph, the less each one costs.
- Kemp Photography: Full Day from $4,850 (about 150–250 people). Half Day $3,600 (about 50–60 people). Travel included.
- Illustrative: $4,850 ÷ 150 people ≈ $32 per person. ÷ 200 ≈ $24.
I'm Alex Kemp. I've photographed corporate teams for 13+ years, and I'll tell you what bugs me about this topic: most pricing pages hide the number. This one doesn't. The ranges below come from published market surveys and competitor pages (listed in the Sources section at the bottom). Several are published by AI headshot vendors, who have a reason to make photographers look expensive. I flag that where it matters.
What are the main pricing models for corporate headshots?
There are four: per-person studio sessions, per-person on-site pricing, flat day rates, and AI generation. Per-person models charge by head or by image. Flat day rates charge for the photographer's time. AI charges per generated set. Which wins depends almost entirely on headcount.
| Model | Typical range (market) | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Per-person, studio | $75–$800+; typical $150–$350 | Small teams that can travel to a studio |
| Per-person, on-site | About $80–$200 per person for 100+ employees; $100–$200 for 25–99 | Mid-size teams that want it at the office |
| Flat day rate | Market examples from $2,000–$4,000 per day plus post-production; Kemp Photography Full Day from $4,850, all-in | 50+ people, multi-office rollouts |
| AI headshots | About $13–$79 per person | Remote teams, tight budgets, low-stakes uses |
Per-person studio pricing
You (or each employee) go to a studio. Market surveys cluster around $150–$350 per person, with a median near $250. Some premium photographers price per image on top of a session fee, which can climb fast on a large team.
Per-person on-site pricing
The photographer comes to you but still bills by head. Published bands run roughly $100–$200 per person for 25–99 employees and $80–$200 for 100+, with travel or setup fees sometimes added on top. One national studio publishes team volume at $75–$125 per person.
Flat day rates
The photographer bills for the day and photographs as many people as fit. This is the cleanest model for HR because the budget line is one number. It is also rare: most national providers say "quote to scope" and publish nothing.
AI headshots
Employees upload selfies and receive generated portraits. Published team pricing runs about $13 to $79 per person, falling with volume. Cheap. The trade-offs are real, though, and we cover them honestly in AI headshots vs professional headshots.
What drives the cost of corporate headshots?
Headcount, location, retouching, turnaround and add-ons drive the price most. Headcount matters because setup is a fixed cost. Location matters because travel and building logistics are real. Retouching and rush work add per-image or percentage fees. Ask what is bundled before comparing quotes.
- Headcount. Per-person rates drop as groups grow. Flat rates drop per person automatically.
- Travel and setup. Some vendors itemize travel and setup at roughly $100–$500 per job. Kemp Photography builds travel into one inclusive flat rate.
- Retouching. Market add-on pricing runs roughly $25–$75 per extra retouched image, and about $50 per person when billed as a team add-on. Kemp Photography includes one retouched image per person. Extra retouched images can be purchased in the gallery for $50 per image.
- Turnaround. Rush fees commonly run 25–50%. Kemp Photography's final retouched images typically arrive within 1–2 weeks.
- Backgrounds. Alternate or branded backgrounds are sometimes billed at $100–$300. Kemp Photography offers any background color, including white, gray and brand colors.
- Hair and makeup. Market range is roughly $75–$200 per person, up to $500 in some cases. Kemp Photography offers hair and makeup, and a pamper station add-on at $650 per day.
- Number of offices. More sites means more travel days. Flat-rate vendors quote these as a program.
What does it cost to photograph 25, 75, 150 or 400 employees?
At 25 people, pricing models are close and a Half Day is the natural fit. At 75, a flat Full Day starts to win clearly. At 150 and above, per-person pricing climbs into five figures while a flat day rate stays a single line item. Here is the math, with ranges from the market sources below.
| Team size | Studio, per person ($150–$350) | On-site, per person (market bands) | AI ($13–$79) | Kemp Photography flat rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $3,750–$8,750 | $2,500–$5,000 ($100–$200) | $325–$1,975 | Half Day: $3,600 |
| 75 | $11,250–$26,250 | $7,500–$15,000 ($100–$200) | $975–$5,925 | Full Day from $4,850 (≈ $65 per person, illustrative) |
| 150 | $22,500–$52,500 | $12,000–$30,000 ($80–$200) | $1,950–$11,850 | Full Day from $4,850 (≈ $32 per person, illustrative) |
| 400 | $60,000–$140,000 | $32,000–$80,000 ($80–$200) | $5,200–$31,600 | Multiple sets and photographers; quoted |
All totals are simple multiplication of the published per-person ranges. Real quotes vary. Kemp Photography's per-person figures are illustrative: you buy the day, not the head.
The 25-person team
A Half Day (about 50–60 capacity) is more room than you need, but it still beats most per-person quotes once you factor in travel, setup and retouching. Pricing: $3,600. The Half Day is Kemp Photography's minimum engagement, so small teams book a half day.
The 75-person team
Too big for a Half Day, comfortably inside a Full Day. At about 2–3 minutes per person, 75 people is a few hours of camera time. Market per-person pricing lands at $7,500 or more. A Full Day from $4,850 is roughly $65 per person at this size, and less if you add colleagues from a neighboring office.
The 150-person team
This is where the model earns its keep. A Full Day typically covers about 150–250 people on a single set. At 150 people, $4,850 is about $32 per head (illustrative). Per-person on-site pricing for the same group commonly runs five figures.
The 400-person team
Four hundred people in one day takes additional sets and photographers, so it's quoted rather than priced from a list. Kemp Photography comfortably handles up to about 250 in a full day, and larger groups add sets, photographers or days. For reference: one Sentry Insurance project delivered 552 headshots across offices in 12 states within about a month.
Where does Kemp Photography's flat rate land?
Kemp Photography's Full Day starts at $4,850 and typically covers about 150–250 people. Market flat-day examples start lower on the headline ($2,000–$4,000 plus post-production), but Kemp Photography's number is all-in: travel, retouching of each person's selected image and a directory page are included. The Half Day is $3,600 and typically covers about 50–60 people.
Here's what that one number includes:
- A full portable studio and the internally trained Kemp crew (no subcontractors), traveling from Orange County, CA to your office
- About 2–3 minutes per person in front of the camera
- Instant preview and a private online gallery where each person picks a favorite
- One retouched image per person (extra retouched images are $50 each in the gallery)
- Employee scheduling, managed by Kemp Photography
- A company gallery directory of every employee and their images, as high-resolution JPEG or PNG files named first-last
- Final retouched images typically within 1–2 weeks
- Travel built in. No hidden fees.
What it doesn't include is a per-person meter running while your CFO watches.
What hidden costs should I watch for in a headshot quote?
Ask whether travel, setup, retouching, extra images, rush delivery, backgrounds and usage rights are inside the quoted number. Per-person quotes often bolt these on later. A flat inclusive rate should list what is in and what is out, in writing, before you sign anything.
Use this checklist when comparing quotes:
- Is travel included or itemized?
- How many retouched images per person?
- What is the retouching standard, and who does it?
- What is the turnaround, and what does rush cost?
- Are there revision limits?
- What are the usage rights? Once paid, the company and each pictured employee may use their headshots for any commercial purpose, indefinitely, including on the website, LinkedIn, press, print, ads and directories. Kemp Photography keeps copyright and may show non-confidential work in its portfolio.
- What happens if the headcount changes on the day?
- Who exactly shows up?
More questions like these are in our buyer's guide.
How should I budget for a team headshot day?
Budget for the day itself, plus a small buffer for headcount creep. Count everyone who will plausibly show up, including remote staff who can travel in and new hires starting this quarter. Then compare a flat Full Day against the per-person total. The break-even point usually arrives faster than people expect.
A quick method:
- Count likely participants (add 10% for walk-ups).
- Multiply by the per-person quotes you've received.
- Compare against a flat day: $4,850 divided by your headcount tells you the effective rate.
- Add the costs people forget: your own staff time and room booking. Not a vendor line item, but real.
Planning the day itself? Our headshot day planning guide has the full timeline, and the FAQ answers the rest.
Are AI headshots cheaper than hiring a photographer?
On paper, yes: about $13–$79 per person against $75–$350 for a photographer. At scale, a flat day rate closes most of that gap. At 150 people, $4,850 is about $32 per head (illustrative), inside the AI range. The real question is whether consistency and likeness matter to your brand. Read the full comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How much do corporate headshots cost per person? Market surveys put photographer pricing at roughly $75 to $800+ per person, with $150 to $350 typical. Large on-site teams often pay about $80 to $200 each. AI runs about $13 to $79. Kemp Photography charges a flat day rate instead.
Why are team headshots cheaper per person? Setup, travel and crew are fixed costs. Photographing many people back to back spreads them thin. At about 2–3 minutes per person, a full day covers well over 100 people.
Can I get a price without a sales call? The day rates are published on this page. For multi-office programs or groups over about 200, call (714) 912-0766 or request a quote.
Sources
Ranges on this page are drawn from published market surveys and competitor pricing pages, accessed October 2026. Pages marked (AI vendor) are published by AI headshot companies and may skew photographer prices high.
- Company headshot photographer pricing 2026 (AI vendor, cites third-party figures): https://www.betterpic.io/blog/company-headshot-photographer-pricing-2026
- Corporate headshots pricing (AI vendor): https://magicstudio.com/blog/corporate-headshots-pricing/
- NYC team-day pricing from a working photographer: https://jamesmaherphotography.com/corporate-headshots-cost-nyc/
- Team volume pricing from a national studio: https://www.candidstudios.net/services/headshot-photographer
- Per-session and per-image model from a premium photographer: https://peterhurley.com/corporate-headshots-business-portraits
- Marketplace entry pricing: https://snappr.com/best-photographers/new-york-city-ny/team-and-office
- Time per person on staff headshot shoots: https://executiveimages.com.au/faq/how-long-do-staff-headshots-in-the-office-take/
Kemp Photography figures (Full Day from $4,850, capacities, process) come from Kemp Photography's own operations. Per-person figures for Kemp Photography are illustrative arithmetic, not a per-person price.