BOOK A HEADSHOT SESSION WITH CJ VARELA PHOTOGRAPHY
We are committed to creating unique, high-quality imagery tailored to each client's needs. We can meet in studio or we can bring the studio to you, setting up the perfect lighting for any setting, indoors or out.
For headshot sessions, we use a clear pricing structure: a flat session fee, plus a per-image fee for each photo you decide to purchase. This includes unlimited licensing for personal use, ensuring you only pay for the images you want.
Pricing varies depending on studio or outdoor sessions. Click on the session details below to learn more. We have studio access in South Lake Tahoe, and we are also available to travel for on-location shoots upon request.
500 US dollars
300 US dollars
650 US dollars
GROUP RATES & CORPORATE HEADSHOT SESSION
Our corporate sessions are tailored for teams that need a consistent, cohesive look to represent their brand. We're happy to bring our expertise directly to your location for added convenience. Many of our clients enjoy an ongoing partnership with us, allowing new team members to seamlessly schedule sessions at their convenience as needed.
To confirm your booking, we require a 50% deposit of the estimated job cost upfront. The remaining balance is due upon completion of the shoot, prior to releasing the final images. Any additional expenses incurred beyond the initial estimate will be reflected in the final invoice.
GROUP PRICING CALCULATOR
Our group rates are discounted based on the number of people being photographed, and how many photos you wish to purchase.
To estimate the cost for your group, utilize the group calculators below. Prices are based on 1 image per person.
Have a group more than 20 people? Great! fill out the form below and we'll be in touch with a custom quote for your group.
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BOOKING THE SESSION
If you’d like schedule a headshot session you can fill out the form below and CJ will be in touch to schedule your appointment. Session fees are due at booking and any other fees will be paid on the day of your session.
ABOUT THE SESSION
Throughout the session, you will be reviewing the images with CJ to decide whether or not you feel the shot would be beneficial for your personal brand. By narrowing down in this manner it allows us to only focus on the best of the best and any shots that don’t meet that standard will be deleted.
At the end of the session, you will select the final images you’d like to purchase out of the ones we’ve kept up to that point. The price of each image that you select to purchase is $100 and that includes unlimited licensing of the image for personal use as well as professional retouching to CJ's specs.
CLOTHING
We love our clients to bring a range of different options for clothing. The #1 rule is that you have to love it! If you don’t feel comfortable in it, you most likely won’t shoot well while wearing it. We suggest you bring a range of different cuts, colors, and necklines. For our corporate clients, we like the men to have a variety of jacket/shirt/tie combos and for the women some options of blouse/dress/jacket combos. We suggest keeping jewelry to a minimum, studs or small earrings work and simple necklaces, anything hanging or chunky will usually draw too much attention to itself, but if that’s your speed have at it! If you wear glasses and have multiple pairs, then we’d appreciate you bringing them along in order to ascertain their glare factor. If you have any doubt about whether something will work or not just bring it along. Layers are fantastic for the actors and no need to be seasonal; everything from t-shirts and tank tops to sweaters and light jackets can work. Have some fun with this, if you feel your wardrobe is missing something then go shopping and we’ll keep the tags on it in case you’d like to return the items after the shoot.
Hair and Makeup
Women’s makeup:
Makeup for the session is not required but is highly recommended for all women. The cost for makeup during your session is listed above and includes hair help.
The makeup is applied specifically for the lighting we use and we usually start very naturally to give you a very clean simple look. We do touch-ups and will add subtle changes to the makeup as the shoot progresses. If you’d like to start off a little heavier on the makeup we are happy to do that as well, just let us know.
Women’s hair
We ask that everyone come in with their hair ready the way you would like to present yourself. We want your hair in your pictures to be as close as possible to the way you look on a fantastic hair day and can’t have you showing up to the studio as if you just rolled out of bed. Of course, our makeup artist is there to make sure it’s shoot-ready and we will discuss what you’d like to do with it and make a game plan at the beginning of the shoot.
If you need a major overhaul hair-wise or you are naturally curly and want to go straight there may be an extra $50 charge for our makeup artist to blow it out for you. Make sure you discuss this with us prior to your session, so we are all on the same page.
Men
We don’t recommend makeup on men, but our makeup artist can provide light grooming for skin and hair on the shoot if you like. Just inquire with us about pricing prior to your session. Our professional retouching usually covers any issues that may arise skin-wise, so there are no worries in that dept.
Facial Hair
If you’d like to shoot with facial hair we’d be happy for you to come in with whatever level of growth you’d like and can shave or trim it down once we’ve gotten the facial hair photographed. Bring whatever grooming products you’ll need with you to get it done.
Scheduling and Payments
The full payment of the session fee is required to book a spot on our calendar. You may book online or contact us with the form below and we will get you set up with a session that is perfect for you. If the times that are shown available don’t work for you, just reach out to us and ask! We are flexible and at times can possibly get you in on a weekend if need be as well. Any other payments (image purchases, proofing galleries, and hair/makeup) can be taken care of on the day of the shoot.
We accept all major credit cards, cash, checks, Paypal/Venmo, ACH transfers, and Zelle by contacting us directly. Once the session fee is paid you’ll just be responsible for the images that you decide to purchase on the day of the shoot and hair/makeup if you have hired our stylist.