You may think your one carefully-chosen image is a great one, and while it likely is, it might not be a good fit for every kind of story.
If a writer is interested in you, your band, and your music, you want to make sure they have everything they need to facilitate their vision. Working with Bloggers, Music Journalists, and Editors is a delicate balance of trying to shape the story to be what you want, while at the same time making sure those who are willing to go out of their way to promote you are well supplied and ready to go at any time.
Maybe they weren’t completely inspired to write about you until they saw you live, which would probably make your live shows the focus of their story.
If that’s the case and the writer wants to focus almost solely on how excellent you are in concert, a structured portrait in a studio probably isn’t going to do them a lot of good. Keep this possibility in mind when planning what type of images to make available to the media.
You certainly don’t need to have every scenario be a possible option, but a healthy mix of photos of the band live, staged, and while working (perhaps mixing or mastering the new record) is a good place to start.
How much do band photos cost?
In an era when everyone has a camera built into their phone, it can often be difficult to decide to allocate money to pay photographers for their work, but remember that they are artists, just like you! At the beginning of your career, you might not need a full photoshoot, but as you grow and make some money, and if you want to be taken seriously in some circles, it’s a good idea to partner with someone who has experience snapping bands and/or solo acts and making them look incredible.
One publication pegs the national average cost per hour of hiring a photographer at $175, though that takes into account all different kinds of work. Rabble Media shared an article with different numbers, ones which are more specific to photographers working in the music industry. That site suggests that the “standard rate” is usually somewhere between nothing and $50 per hour, or $10-$25 per photo. For those who have several years of experience, those figures climb to about $50 to $100 per hour and $25 to $50 per picture.