The Photographer’s Guide to Pricing Your Work

You quoted $4,500 for the wedding package. The couple said yes instantly. You felt great. Rich, even.

But let's look at what actually happened to that $4,500.

• The Second Shooter: $500 (day rate)
• The Travel: 120 miles round trip ($78 at standard mileage rates)
• The Gear: You rented that 85mm f/1.2 ($140)
• The Assistant: $200 for lighting help
• The Editing: You outsourced the culling/color correction ($300)
• The Client Gift: $150 (canvas print)
• The Software: (CRM, Gallery hosting, Adobe CC) — pro-rated, let's say $50.

Total Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): $1,418.

Gross Profit: $3,082.

That’s still decent money. But wait. You spent:

• 10 hours shooting.
• 2 hours driving.
• 3 hours on pre-wedding meetings/emails.
• 5 hours on final touches and delivery.
• Total Time: 20 hours.

Hourly Wage: ~$154/hr.

Okay, that’s actually not bad. But what if you quoted $2,500? Use the same math, and you’re suddenly making $54/hr. Still okay, but not "running a business" money when you factor in taxes and insurance.

Why Photographers Fail at Job Costing

Most photographers treat their business account like a bucket. Money comes in (Deposit!), money goes out (Lens!), and if there’s water left in the bucket at the end of the month, we eat.

This is dangerous because high-revenue months (wedding season) mask the actual profitability of your packages.

You might be losing money on every "Engagement Session" you do, but the wedding deposits cover it up.

How to Fix It (Without Spreadsheets)

You need to start assigning every single cost to a specific text.

1. The shoot is the container. In your bookkeeping tool, create "Smith Wedding."
2. Tag the Miles. When you drive to the venue, that’s not just a generic "Auto Expense." That is a cost of the Smith Wedding.
3. Tag the Food. Grabbed Starbucks for the second shooter? Tag it.
4. Tag the Outsourcing. Paying your editor? That's a direct cost.

When you do this, you might discover uncomfortable truths. You might realize your "Mini Sessions" are actually costing you money once you factor in the gas and prop purchases.

Knowledge is Leverage

Once you know your true costs, you can price with confidence.

"I can't do it for $2,000," isn't being greedy. It's math. "My hard costs on this shoot are $1,100. Doing it for $2,000 leaves me with minimum wage."

Stop guessing. Start tracking expenses by job with Quorum.