April 1, 2025
Pricing your photography services isn’t just about picking a number that “feels right” or matching what others in your area charge. If you want to build a sustainable and profitable business, your pricing needs to be intentional, strategic, and based on real numbers, not guesswork! Here is how to price your photography services profitably:
Why Pricing Matters More Than You Think
Many photographers set their rates too low, either because they don’t understand their costs or because they fear turning away clients. The result? They end up overworked, underpaid, and unable to sustain their business long-term.
Your pricing needs to cover not only your time and expenses but also allow room for growth, investment, and, most importantly, profit.
Here’s how to do it right.
Step 1: Determine Your Desired Salary
Before you price your sessions, you need to figure out how much you want to take home as your salary. Remember, your salary is NOT your profit, it’s what you pay yourself for the work you do.
Think about:
- How much you need to earn annually to cover your personal expenses and lifestyle.
- The number of sessions or weddings you want to shoot per year.
- The amount of time you spend on each client (including editing, client communication, and travel).
Once you determine your ideal income, you can start working backward to set your pricing accordingly.
Step 2: Factor in Business Expenses
Your pricing should cover your costs, both fixed and variable.
- Fixed costs: Website hosting, software subscriptions, insurance, gear purchases, studio rent.
- Variable costs: Printing, album design, client gifts, second shooters, travel expenses.
If you don’t build these costs into your pricing, you’re paying for them out of your own pocket, reducing your take-home pay.
Step 3: Understand Taxes & Profit
Many photographers forget that they need to set aside money for taxes, which can be a significant portion of your income. In the U.S., self-employment taxes can range from 15-40%, depending on your income and state.
Additionally, profit is separate from your salary. This is the money that helps your business grow, invest in better equipment, and create a financial cushion for slow seasons. Your pricing should account for both your salary AND a built-in profit margin.
Step 4: Create Strategic Packages
Instead of offering random pricing, create structured packages that encourage clients to invest at a higher level.
Why packages work: They allow clients to see the value in upgrading, especially when strategically designed using pricing psychology techniques.
Step 5: Utilize Pricing Psychology to Increase Sales
Your pricing should be intentional, using strategies that increase perceived value and encourage higher spending:
Anchor Pricing – Show a premium package first so other packages feel like a deal.
Decoy Pricing – Have a mid-tier package that makes the top-tier option feel like the best value. Perceived Value – Bundle high-profit items like albums, print credits, or extra images.
Step 6: Increase Revenue with Upsells
Once you’ve established profitable base pricing, maximize earnings through upselling.
- Offer wall art and albums, not just digital files.
- If clients want all digitals, include them in higher packages.
- Price mini sessions for profit by ensuring you can book multiple sessions in one day and setting a high enough price to make it worth your time.
Step 7: Track Your Pricing & Make Adjustments
Monitor your sales and adjust rates as your costs or income goals change.
Final Thoughts
Pricing your photography services shouldn’t be a guessing game. By following these steps, you’ll ensure that your business is not only sustainable but also profitable.
Check out my Photography Pricing Guide & Calculator to take the stress out of pricing and start charging what you’re worth!
Looking for 1:1 Photography Business Coaching? I can give you a personalized action plan to help you reach your business goals. Learn more about photography business coaching here!
Leave a Reply
LATEST BUSINESS POSTS
Running a photography business today isn’t just about taking beautiful pictures, it’s about mastering everything around the photography too. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed juggling your camera, client expectations, pricing, branding, websites, SEO, marketing strategies, and more… you’re not alone.
The truth is, many photographers end up piecing together advice from different coaches, designers, and strategists wasting time, money, and energy trying to connect the dots themselves.
That’s where I come in.
What my Photography Business Coaching Provides
I offer a complete, all-in-one coaching experience that covers every aspect of your photography business. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re ready to elevate your brand to the next level, I guide you through it all seamlessly, strategically, and with your bigger picture always in mind.
Here’s what we tackle together:
- Technical Photography Skills: From camera settings to mastering light, posing, and editing workflows. I make sure you’re fully confident behind the lens and behind the scenes.
- Client Experience: How you interact with clients before, during, and after a shoot matters. I help you create systems that turn clients into raving ones and your biggest source of referrals.
- Pricing and Packages: Stop guessing. I show you how to price your services for profit and sustainability, with offers that feel aligned with your value.
- Branding: Your brand is more than a logo. It’s the feeling you create. We dig deep into your unique voice and visuals so you stand out in a crowded market and speak to your ideal clients.
- Website and SEO: A beautiful website and a website that gets found on Google are two very different things. I help you build both.
- Marketing and Strategy: From social media to email marketing, blogging to content planning, I create a clear, doable roadmap so you’re never spinning your wheels.
- Business Systems and Growth Strategy: I help you streamline your backend, create a better client workflow, and plan for long-term growth, not just quick wins.
Why hire me as your photography business coach over hiring multiple people?
Because I get the whole picture.
When you work with me, you’re not hiring a photography coach, a web designer, a branding expert, a strategist, and an SEO consultant separately. You’re getting all of that in one place. That means:
- No more piecing together advice from multiple sources.
- No more trying to explain your vision over and over again to new people.
I become a true partner in your success. Someone who understands where you are now, where you want to go, and how to get you there faster (and with way less stress).
You deserve support that’s as multifaceted as your business, because let’s be real it ISN’T just taking beautiful photos that helps you run a successful photography business.
Are you serious about building a photography business that’s profitable, sustainable, and truly yours? I’m here to help you make it happen.
Learn more about photography business coaching here.
Click here to fill out my contact form today for a free consult!
LEAVE A COMMENT
0
comments