How to price photography work without underselling yourself
A practical way to price weddings, real estate, family, and commercial shoots. Based on what it actually costs you to do the work.
Most photographers underprice because they only think about the shoot day. The rate you charge has to also cover gear depreciation, software, insurance, travel, editing time, admin, taxes, the gaps between bookings, and an actual living wage. Skip any of those and a calendar full of shoots ends in burnout.
The minimum you can charge
Add up your annual costs. Gear replacement, software, insurance, internet, accountant, marketing, training. Add the take-home you want. Divide by the number of paid shoot days you can realistically book (not what you'd like, what you can prove from last year).
That's your floor day rate. Charge less and you're paying customers to take your gear.
Pricing by category
- Wedding: package by hours of coverage plus deliverables. Include travel and a clear overtime rate.
- Real estate: flat per-listing pricing with add-ons for twilight, drone, and extra photos. Same-day delivery is a paid feature, not the default.
- Family or portrait: session fee plus a print or digital package. Don't bundle so deep the session fee covers nothing.
- Commercial or product: day rate plus a licensing fee. Web-only is a fraction of full buyout. Charge accordingly.
Things people forget to include
- Editing time (often 2-3x the shoot time)
- Travel time, not just mileage
- Cloud storage and backup
- Software subscriptions (Lightroom, Capture One, etc.)
- Public liability and equipment insurance
- GST if you're registered