How Do Photographers Price Their Work?

Or what is a good price to pay a photographer?

Product Photography Orange County
Product Photography Orange County

“How much do you charge per hour?”

“I just need a simple headshot”

-There is no one price structure for photography. The easiest way to understand it is photographers will charge based on the following: competition, experience, demand, skill required for a job, time on the job shooting and editing and something called “usage” (basically licensing).

-I price my work by where I see myself compared to my competition. There are a certain set of photographers that I consider are in my skill range and that’s how I determine what to ask for a job. It is also based on booking work and positive response from clients at that rate.

-Many photographers charge a “Day Rate” (or creative fee) for larger jobs. This just rolls all the factors into a basic fee. Often I will say “half day” or “full day” on a catalog or a larger corporate shoot.

-Expenses are always factored separate from the creative fee. I do not mark up expenses as I expect to be paid a 50% deposit before booking jobs.

When I am told that my client “just” wants a “simple” X or Y shoot I help them to understand that when I block out time for a job I lose the opportunity to book another (potentially more lucrative) job that day.

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