With literally thousands of photographers to choose from you need to do a bit of legwork to find one that's going to suit your needs and, more importantly, your wallet!

If you've got plenty of spare cash then the sky is pretty much the limit - and if your bank account is a bottomless pit hiring a top photographer complete with stylist, hairdresser and make-up artist will only put a dent of a couple of thousand pounds in it!

On a more practical level there's a good deal of photographers around who should be able to produce a small portfolio for you for a reasonable price. You really need to check out your local area, perhaps using Yellow Pages or yell.co.uk - also check out the Association of Photographers web site where you can run a search for photographers in various parts of the UK - for Northern Ireland you could check out PPANI.

A good way of getting some headshots done without necessarily costing any money is to check out your local colleges and other further education establishments that run photography courses. You may be required to contribute toward the cost of film (if required in this digital age) and prints, but if you strike lucky you could end up with some excellent shots for next to nothing ... or even for free!