What people ask for
The requests on r/dubai are short: "Business portrait photographer suggestions", or a photographer "to take my picture for LinkedIn, Workplace, Slack and the likes". Replies are lists of names, without prices. Below are the prices Dubai photographers publish themselves, checked on 13 October 2026. They are asking prices, not market statistics. Our general photographer price guide is here; this one is only about portraits and headshots.
One person: published prices
| Photographer | Package | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masoud Raoufi | Studio headshot "One" | AED 250 | 1 retouched photo |
| Doorstep Studio | Basic / Standard / Premium at your home or office | AED 399 / 499 / 599 | Lighting, posing, retouched files in 24 hours |
| Saeed Arab | Express headshot, 30 min | AED 1,100 | Short session |
| Saeed Arab | Professional portrait, 1 hour | AED 2,200 | More looks |
| Kimberley Archer | Executive session | AED 4,400 | About 10 editorial images, 3–5 outfit changes |
| Saeed Arab | Personal branding session | AED 4,500 | Portraits for LinkedIn, site and content |
The jump from AED 250 to AED 4,400 is not about the camera. It buys time, outfit changes, direction and the number of finished images. For a LinkedIn profile, one good image is enough. For a founder who posts weekly, a bank of 10–20 images lasts months.
A team: published prices and the cost per person
| Photographer | Pricing model | 10 people | 20 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shots by Sherrie | AED 1,400/hour for up to 50 staff, max 10 staff per hour, 2 edited images each | 1 h = AED 1,400 (AED 140 each) | 2 h = AED 2,800 (AED 140 each) |
| Studio502 | AED 1,000 first hour + 350/hour + 500 light + 100 per person beyond two | 3 h = AED 3,000 (AED 300 each) | 5 h = AED 4,700 (AED 235 each) |
| Headshot Company | Package, 2 retouched images each | — | AED 6,500 (AED 325 each) |
| Saeed Arab | Package | AED 6,000 (AED 600 each) | AED 9,000 (AED 450 each) |
| Cinematic Production | Half-day on site, excl. VAT | from AED 8,000 | from AED 8,000 |
Per-person figures are our division of the published package price by headcount. Larger teams get cheaper: Headshot Company lists AED 15,000 for up to 100 people, Saeed Arab AED 18,000.
What to compare besides the price: how many retouched images per person, the cost of extras (Headshot Company charges AED 150 per extra retouched image), turnaround, and whether a latecomer can be shot later in the same light.
LinkedIn specs and what makes a headshot work
LinkedIn's own guidance, in numbers:
- Profile photo between 400 × 400 and 7680 × 4320 pixels, JPG or PNG, up to 8 MB. Banner 1584 × 396.
- Your face should fill about 60% of the frame, cropped from the top of the shoulders to just above the head.
- LinkedIn says a profile with a photo is 14 times more likely to be viewed.
Ask the photographer for three crops of the chosen image: a square for LinkedIn and Slack, a vertical for the website team page, and a horizontal with empty space for press and speaker pages.
What to wear, Dubai edition
- What you wear at work, in solid colours. LinkedIn recommends solid colours and a recent photo that looks like you. Avoid thin stripes, small checks and big logos.
- One step more formal than an ordinary day. A jacket over a plain shirt or top reads well at thumbnail size.
- Team consistency. Agree a palette for the team (dark, neutral or light) so the website page doesn't look like a collage.
- Bring a second top. Studios and offices are air-conditioned; outdoor shoots in Dubai heat show sweat within minutes.
- Glasses and hair as they are every day. A headshot is for being recognised at the meeting.
Where to shoot: studio, office or outdoors
| Where | Good for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | Clean, consistent background; one or a few people | Studio hire is about AED 320–750 an hour if the photographer has none (studio prices) |
| Your office (mobile studio) | Teams; no travel for staff | Needs a meeting room for 2–5 hours |
| Outdoors | Founders and personal brands | Midday sun is harsh; shoot the hour before sunset (golden hour times). Malls and landmarks often restrict professional cameras (rules) |
What nobody tells you
Get written consent from staff. Publishing someone's photo without consent can be a criminal offence in the UAE, with fines from AED 150,000 (photographing people and the law). Add a line to the HR file: where the photo will be used and what happens when the person leaves.
Usage rights belong in the quote. Ask whether you may use the images in ads and print, not only on LinkedIn and the website. Some photographers price commercial usage separately.
Re-shoots happen. New hires join after the day. A photographer who records the lighting set-up can match it later; Studio502 offers to come back at the same published rate.
Book before December. In our Google Trends pull, searches for "photographer dubai" peak in October, and December brings GITEX (7–11 December 2026) and year-end events, when speakers and exhibitors need fresh portraits. See the events calendar.
Our price
| Savage Media | Special offer | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| One-off photo shoot | from AED 950 | Photos from 24 hours |
| Savage Story | AED 3,500 first month, then AED 4,500/month | 2 shooting days, 8 reels and 15 photos a month, for founders who post |
If you need portraits as part of a personal brand, read personal brand for entrepreneurs in Dubai.
