I’ve been charging for my photography for years now, and one thing that never gets easier is figuring out what to charge clients. Every single estimate or pricelist I put together ends up in me spending hours contemplating my worth, as both a photographer and ultimately a human being. It’s a total waste of time and not something I’d recommend – there has to be a better way right?
Luckily, there is a better way. Depending on your business and photography and the clients you work with, there are a few different ways to make pricing your work more painless. In this short video series, food photographer Joanie Simon from the Bite Shot walks us through her preferred method of figuring out what to charge.
Understand your value
Pricing isn’t a “one-size-fits-all”, especially in commercial and editorial photography. Joanie recommends working out an hourly rate that accounts for all aspects of your work, not just shooting time but also the various tasks that sustain your business. Joanie Simon recommends a baseline rate between $100 and $300 per hour, emphasizing that beginners should never go below $100 as a starting point (although obviously, this is location-dependent, and rates will vary around the world).
You aren’t Walmart
It’s important to remember that you’re offering a custom, handcrafted service, not a mass-produced product. Think of your work like a boutique, not a big-box store. For example, artisanal ceramic plates are valued (and priced) for their uniqueness compared with cheaply mass-produced ones. Your photography should reflect the creativity and personal touch you bring to each project. Competing on price alone is unsustainable for a small business, so focus on valuing your unique skills and the artistry you provide to clients.
Remember taxes and expenses
The only certainties in life are death and taxes. Sadly we do need to take these things into account when working out our pricing structures. If you have to add VAT or sales tax, is that included in the price or added at the end? You also need to set aside a proportion of your income to cover taxes when that bill comes in, you can’t behave like an employee and lurch from one paycheck to the next. It’s rather boring and grown-up, but a significant portion of what you charge needs to go toward covering business costs, paying yourself, and handling taxes.
Don’t charge hourly
I know this is confusing because Joanie initially says to work out an hourly rate. However, you don’t need to convey that hourly rate to your clients. Sometimes, for events, I will charge by the hour; however, it’s often better to agree on a flat creative fee, with add-ons and expenses listed separately. This way, when the scope of the project changes, you can adjust accordingly and still walk away with a decent fee. Charging by the hour can lead to attempts to save money by trying to fit too much into a short length of time and end up undervaluing the overall service you’re providing.
Joanie has made a whole short series of videos about the business of food photography. And even better, they are quite literally bite-sized, so it won’t take you hours to wade through them. There’s also one on working out if you’re ready to start charging (probably) and some on more practical advice like putting together a bid for a commercial food shoot. It’s all good stuff and definitely worth checking out.
This post was originally published on here
