Setting your photography business prices can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re just getting started or facing slow bookings after being in the game for a while. Whether you’re focused on weddings, portraits, or elopements, understanding how to set photography prices that reflect your value, meet your goals, and attract clients is crucial.

At it’s core, pricing is a complex topic – and the “best” pricing is going to be the one that you are confident in and that allows you to book the work you need. There is rarely going to be a “perfect” price point (and experimentation is more than welcome here), but there are some pillars of things to know that make good, objective pricing that you can be confident in.

That’s what we’re going to talk about today!

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to set photography prices intentionally, using practical tools and thoughtful strategy so you can feel confident and profitable in your business. By the end, you’ll have a solid picture of all the things you need to consider and evaluate to help you shape the right price point for your services.

7 Steps to Setting Better Photography Prices for Your Business

#1 – Know Where You’re Starting From

Everyone’s pricing requirements look a little different, and so to does the journey to creating pricing your confident in!

Maybe you’re just trying to earn extra income on the side of a regular 9-5 job. Or maybe you’re transitioning to photography full-time and need this business to cover your bills.

Your actual bills will also matter too…are you just affording the lifestyle for one person? The sole “breadwinner” for a house of 2? Do you have 5 kids in tow?

Not to mention…where do you live? The pricing of someone in a high cost of living area (think: San Francisco or New York City) is going to be different than someone in rural Arkansas.

These distinctions matters a lot…and it’s important to talk about them as there is no one size fits all perfect price for every photographer, everywhere.

To give you a personal example, when I first started as a photographer, the idea of earning $100 or $200 for a session felt like a huge deal. Not to mention maybe $500 bucks for a full day of wedding photography coverage. In my world, when I compared these rates to past jobs in retail and group homes, this was fast and fulfilling money.

But…these price points were not sustainable long-term (for me), especially once I started taking photography more seriously and wanted it to represent all my income vs. just a sliver of it.

If your goal is just “beer money” or a modest part-time income, your pricing structure might reflect lower rates and less pressure. But if you’re building a full-time business, you need to approach pricing with much more intention, because there’s a lot more riding on it.

Ask yourself:

• Are you looking to build a full-time business?
• Do you want steady, scalable income?
• Is photography a side hustle or passion project?

The important thing is to be honest with yourself.

Your current circumstances and financial goals should shape how you structure your prices, and forms a foundation for doing that well (without the judgment of someone outside of your personal life’s needs and requirements giving you just arbitrary feeling feedback).

#2 – Understand Your Budget and Cost of Doing Business (CODB)

When I began treating my photography like a real business, one of the biggest wake-up calls was realizing how many hidden costs were eating into my profits. Lenses, insurance, editing software, second shooters—they all add up. That’s why it’s so important to calculate your cost of doing business (CODB for short).

Your cost of doing business is a calculation you can do to intentionally be aware of how much money you need to earn in order to sustain your business and lifestyle.

Pricing that takes this figure into consideration is going to be better than pricing that is just arbitrarily put together based on gut feelings or competition. It’s worth mentioning – those things are valid considerations when making pricing, but should not be the only factors informing your decisions!

How to calculate CODB (simplified):

• Personal Budget: Review monthly living expenses—rent, food, bills, savings goals. Get clear on this dollar figure.
• Business Budget: Track recurring costs—gear, software, subscriptions, insurance. Get clear on this dollar figure, too.
• Taxes: Estimate around 30% in the U.S., or work with a CPA for better accuracy.

The CODB equation –

Your CODB = Personal Budget + Business Expenses + Taxes.

Once you know this number, you can determine how much you need to charge per session or wedding to make your business viable. This was a game changer for me (as it is for the students we work with our our Financial Management for Photographers Course where we cover this in more detail and create pricing that is informed by it!).

It turned pricing from a guessing game into a math problem with a real solution.

#3 – Evaluate Your Competition

Now that we have a good sense of our personal goals and aspirations, and clarity into our cost of doing business, we can look to other sources of information to help shape pricing that is going to be strong.

I’ll be honest – looking at competitors used to stress me out.

Imposter syndrome anyone?

Even the word “competitor” isn’t something I love, but the reality of being a photographer in business is that we are often surrounded by hundreds of others just like all…all vying for clients (so…”competition” whether we like it or not).

I’d compare my prices to others and wonder if I was charging too much or too little…

Over time, I realized the key is to narrow down who your actual competition is. It’s not every photographer in your city—it’s the ones who share your style, serve your client demographic, and operate in your price range. This is oversimplifying it a bit, but you hopefully get the picture! 🙂

When you understand who these handful of photographer are, you can analyze what makes them stand out and find ways to differentiate. For instance, I started offering curated planning resources and guides in my wedding packages, which added value and helped set me apart (more on this in the next section).

What to look for:

• Who shares your aesthetic and service level?
• What are their price points?
• How do they market themselves?

Competitor analysis isn’t about copying others or racing to the bottom. If someone charges $200 for a session, it doesn’t mean you need to run out and immediately charge $195. Instead, it’s about having information at your disposal to help make a more informed decision. By identifying your space in the market and strengthening your brand so you attract the right clients.

#4 – Consider Perceived Value and Demand

This is where it gets interesting.

There’s what you think you’re worth, and then there’s what the market is actually willing to pay.

When I raised my prices, I did it gradually. And each time, I was surprised to find people still booking. At one point, I realized I was charging more than I would have personally paid for a photographer—but my clients saw the value.

Nice evidence that “we aren’t our clients” right?

From countless conversations around business I’ve had with others, something that comes up again and again is that you want to “charge what your worth” or put another way “charge based on your value.” These are often catchy phrases, but not often well defined. So…how can we define them?

Key indicators of demand:

• Consistent inquiries
• Website traffic
• Social engagement and followers
• Actual bookings and sales

Each of these things have objective, measurable ways of revealing how in demand your services are.

If you are struggling to get consistent leads, often this comes down to having some piece of your branding or marketing that needs work – it may take a little time to diagnose the specific problem as it could range from not having a great “offer” or poor work quality, to simply not marketing in the right places. If you have the leads but are struggling to get the sales you need, it’s probably an issue in your actual sales process (easy to fix!).

But think of it this way – if these metrics are trending up, your perceived value is increasing.

If not, it’s time to refine your marketing and message.

Pricing is part psychology, part marketing, and part economics. But it all starts with understanding your demand and making adjustments from there.

#5 – Choose the Right Pricing Model

When I was just starting out (and doing photography more or less as a side hustle), I kept things simple: an hourly rate or flat session fee. It made sense at the time, but it lacked upward mobility in pricing, and didn’t reflect the full value of my work.

As I grew, I began experimenting with package-based pricing and hybrid models that allowed for more customization.

There’s a range of different pricing models that you can use as a photographer, but below are some of the most popular ones (with brief descriptions).

Popular pricing models:

• Hourly or Per Session: Simple, great for beginners.
• Packages: Bundle services for clarity and value.
• A la Carte: Offer maximum flexibility by allowing clients to pick the things they want.
• Hybrid: Combine base packages with custom options.
• Custom: Create a unique offer for each client who walks in the door.

Now, my wedding packages are designed to balance simplicity for the client with profitability for me. I include core coverage, then offer add-ons like albums, second shooters, and travel. This makes it easier to upsell and gives clients a sense of choice.

In our Financial Management for Photographers course, we go into great detail of these different pricing models and help you find the right fit for your business. It should be noted – photographers can have success with ANY of these pricing models as long as they are implemented well and serve their clients.

#6 – Price for Profit and Time

Ah, now we can get into the soul of pricing.

Anytime we have a conversation around pricing (and money in general), the reality is that we all want good pricing that can allow us to get the bookings we need (of course), and with the bookings we need we can also live better lives in our down time (like getting to spend more time with our kids, if you’re a parent like me!).

Profit isn’t just about the money you make—it’s about how efficiently you’re making it.

In the early days, I used to do everything: shooting, editing, communication, even hand-delivering products. I was spending dozens of hours per client for a modest return.

Now, my base wedding package starts at $6,000 and includes only wedding day coverage. Years ago, that same rate might have included an engagement session, an adventure shoot, a wedding album, and more. Today, I earn more per hour and have more time for personal projects, travel, and coaching other photographers.

As I type this, it’s important to acknowledge – some of these does come with experience and time, but by having clarity on how much you make per hour, it’ll give you a clearer roadmap to work towards better time optimization.

To price for profit and time –

• Track your time spent on each client – lay out the time spent on every individual part of it, too
• Set rates that account for all your effort—not just shooting
• Adjust pricing to support your lifestyle and goals

Being profitable means being intentional with your time. Know how long you spend on each client from start to finish, and make sure your pricing reflects that.

Did you know? We include a Pricing Calculator in our Financial Management for Photographers course that helps you establish good pricing that is profitable – and can also show you how much “time profit” you’re getting for each booked service?

#7 – Make Your Offers Stand Out

Strong pricing is supported by a strong offer.

But what is a good “offer”?

Hint – It’s not just about the photos someone receives when they hire you (though – that’s definitely a part of it, that’s your “end product.”)

You’re actual offer is bigger than that!

What else do clients get when they hire you?

Think about the tangible things – like albums and prints (for example). Think about additional support and services – engagement sessions, anniversary shoots, planning support, timeline creation, etc. Also think about some of the intangible, harder to quantify types of things – your knowledge and expertise being some of them.

To give you one example, for me, offering a wedding guide has been a game changer. I mention it in consults, make note of it in my packages, and it often sparks questions and excitement. It shows that I care about their entire experience, not just showing up to shoot. These little touches elevate your perceived value and help justify your rates.

Yes, no one is going to hire me just because of this guide’s existence – but it’s helping to sweeten the deal so to speak.

A strong offer is going to communicate to a specific type of person – and provide things that are hard to resist. How to position certain things is also important, as even something seemingly small when framed well can give people more justification to want to hire you.

Quick ways to elevate your offer:

• Client welcome guides and planning resources
• Fast, thoughtful communication
• Fast turnaround times
• Clean, helpful website experience
• Professional branding and curated galleries
• Unique things that align with your USPs (unique selling propositions)

Final Thoughts

Learning how to set photography prices isn’t just about plugging numbers into a formula. It’s about aligning your income goals with your brand, marketing, and overall experience.

Whether you’re pricing for part-time gigs or a full-time career, the key is intentionality.

Another word for that is authentic – you want pricing that is authentic to your personal circumstances and needs.

So – take the time to map out your CODB, define your brand, analyze your competitors, and monitor demand. The more clarity you have, the more confident you’ll feel sharing your prices with potential clients.

And remember: the ultimate goal of pricing is to support the life you want to live.

Smart pricing makes that life more attainable!

Want to go deeper? Check out our Financial Management Course inside the Photography Business Academy, where we provide walkthroughs, calculators, and direct support to help you set pricing that works.

Christian Romans

Chris is a business strategist at Shoot and Thrive and co‑owner of Hand and Arrow Photography alongside his wife. With over a decade of professional shooting experience (and a passion for photography since high school), he helps creatives grow through smart websites & SEO, blogging, branding, and sales strategies. When he’s not behind the lens or refining a marketing funnel, you’ll find him playing guitar, skateboarding, or planning his next adventure—his favorite so far was campervanning around Iceland. Chris holds degrees in Psychology and Philosophy, which inform his human‑centered approach to both art and business.

www.shootandthrive.com