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As you can see from my website, I try to be quite specific about prices. I think it saves time and potential client embarassment later. Otherwise they have to ask on the phone and it can be a big surprise if they're unfamiliar with this type of work.
I have had clients who said to me "I really don't care what it costs" so I know that price didn't dictate a three quarter vs a full length composition for them. I've also had clients who really wanted a full length or three quarter but just couldn't afford it and went with a different composition because of that. Price will, by necessity, be a determining factor in choosing the composition for some clients.
Of course, if you decide to price by size of canvas, as some artists do, that would sidestep that issue. I wouldn't recommend pricing that way, though. As Peggy Baumgaertner said once, some clients would try to see how much stuff they could pack into a 20 x 24" canvas.
You shouldn't vary your prices based on where the business comes from. The gallery will be very upset if you price any commissions you find by yourself for less than what people pay through them. That's probably the number one pet peeve that galleries have about artists, and not just portrait artists. Don't undercut the gallery's pricing. Set a firm price structure for everyone and when it's time to raise the prices, do it for everyone, too.
I started my pricing quite low and raised the prices very quickly to get to my current level, as demand and my skills grew. To give you an idea, my prices are more than three times what they were three years ago. Your skill is way, way ahead of where I was then. My point, though, is that you can raise your prices as fast as you need to, given the demand. I have about a one-year backlog and I'll be raising my prices again this fall.
There is also such a thing as pricing one's work too low and having people attach a poor mental value to it because of that. Some potential clients would wonder what was wrong with an artist's work if it was priced too low.
Are there other portrait artists in your area? I didn't know of any around here until I started really looking. You can compare your prices to theirs, or to other SOG artists in your general region. One of the artists who does some work in Seattle starts a head and shoulders portrait at $8,000 but this artist has a top national reputation and a career spanning thirty years or so. Another artist who's just getting started here prices a head and shoulders at $1,700. In my opinion the work done by the newcomer is as good as the portraits done by the more experienced artist. The range is purely because of reputation.
I know this is a lot of vague generalities, but I hope it helps. To be more specific, in my opinion, your talent more than justifies a $2,500 starting price. I'd try out something in that range for six months and then feel free to raise it as quickly as demand would indicate. (I've heard some artists say they raise their prices if they have a six month or one year backlog.)
Good luck and keep posting your excellent work for us all to enjoy!
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