Portrait pricing varies greatly depending on many factors. These include the quality of the portrait, the skill level of the photographer, the type of portrait, etc.

Photographers can be classified into six skill levels: hobbyist, amateur, student, semi-professional, professional and top professional.

The Hobbyist is a photographer who works for free. These photographers love the art and usually do photography as a hobby. They have another job which sustains their hobby. They don’t usually follow the industry standards in their work, but they love what they do and can get it done fairly well most of the time. When hiring these guys, make sure you know what type of portrait quality and value you are looking for.

Amateur photographers charge anywhere between $25 to $75 per hour. Amateurs have a little more experience than hobbyists because they clock in more hours than the hobbyists. They also usually have a blog to showcase their work.

From this level to the top, photographers can also be classified according to the different types of work they do. The amateur type of photographer does different types of work. This may include event photography and commercial photography. Portrait pricing depends on the type of work done by the photographer. The amateur may charge on a per-hour basis, per-day basis or per-portrait/project basis.

For the student photographer, charges of $50 to $100 per hour are not uncommon. For the per-portrait basis, the prices range from $25 to $100. The semi-professional photographers only add $50 to the student rates for an upper charge of $150 on the per-hour basis and $25 on the per-image basis. These photographers aim to join their professional counterparts and are constantly looking for ways to offer the best work.

The professional photographer charges between $75 and $500 per-hour and the same price for the per image basis. A professional depends on photography for their income. These photographers do their work full time and have developed enough skill to support themselves and their families.

The top professional charges $200 to $1200 per-hour and $250 to $1500 per-portrait. This is the elite in the photography industry. They are found in the most lucrative industries such as fashion magazines and nature or wildlife photography.

There are also different types of photography such as wedding photography, portrait photography and website photography.

Wedding photographers may charge between $500 and $10,000 depending on the skill level of the photographer. Amateurs may charge $500 while professionals may ask for up to $10,000.

Portrait photographers usually consider factors such as the location, choice of clothing and packaging. Here you may need to part with a range of $125 to $300.

Website images go for $25 to $150 for every image. The charge depends on the type of production and website traffic.

Therefore if you need to hire a photographer, consider their portfolio to determine their skill level and type of work that suits your preference.