Pricing Your Photography Services as a Beginner

When you’re just starting out as a photographer, pricing feels like the hardest part. You scroll through other photographers’ websites, you hear people in Facebook groups talking about their “six-figure studios,” and you wonder if you should charge $50 or $500 for a session.

Here’s the truth: most new photographers undercharge.

Not because they want to, but because they don’t know any better. They’re scared of scaring away clients, so they set prices that barely cover gas money and then wonder why they’re exhausted and broke.

If you want to make photography more than a hobby, you need to price yourself like a business. This guide will walk you through the mindset shifts, practical math, industry benchmarks, and strategies for setting rates that actually sustain you.

Pricing isn’t just about numbers. It affects every part of your business.

• Your income. If you charge too little, you won’t last.

• Your brand perception. Clients associate price with value. Too low, and they assume you’re inexperienced or desperate.
  
  

• Your client relationships. Undercharging leads to resentment and burnout.

• Your sustainability. Low prices might get you bookings, but they won’t build a business you can live on.

Step One: Know Your Costs

Before you can set prices, you need to know what it costs to run your business. Too many photographers skip this step.

Common Costs New Photographers Forget:

• Camera gear (bodies, lenses, batteries, cards)
  
  

• Editing software (Lightroom, Photoshop, AI culling tools)
  
  

• Website hosting and domain

• Online gallery services (Pixieset, Pic-Time, ShootProof)
  
  

• Insurance (gear + liability)
  
  

• Education (workshops, courses, coaching)
  
  

• Marketing (ads, SEO tools, email platforms)
  
  

• Taxes (self-employment + income tax)
  
  

Even a “basic” photography business can cost $5,000–$10,000 per year to run.

If you charge $200 for a shoot and do 25 shoots a year, you’ll gross $5,000. That doesn’t even cover your expenses.

Don’t price in a vacuum.

Research what photographers in your area are charging.

• Look at 3–5 local photographers at beginner, mid-range, and established levels.
  
  

• Compare what they offer: session length, number of images, delivery methods, products.
  
  

• Place yourself honestly. If you’re brand new, you’ll start toward the lower end, but not hobbyist free.
  
  

Pro Tip: Don’t just copy others’ prices. Use them as benchmarks, not a rulebook.

Here are some U.S. averages (2023–24):

• Family portraits:

  • $250–$500 for digital files.

  • Established photographers:

    • $800–$1,500+ with prints.
      
      

• Weddings:

  • $1,500–$3,000 entry level.

  • Experienced: $4,000–$8,000+.

  • Luxury: $10,000–$20,000+.
    
    

• Headshots:

  • $150–$400 simple sessions.

  • Corporate packages: $1,000–$5,000+.

  • Luxury: $5,000–$20,000+.
    
    

• Seniors:

  • $300–$800 sessions.

  • High-end with albums/wall art: $1,200–$3,000+.
    
    

If you’re charging $50 for portraits, you’re not in the market. You’re in the hobby zone.

Most beginners default to hourly pricing: “$100 for an hour.” It feels simple and safe, but the problem is this: hourly rates do not reflect the reality of your workload.

Let’s break it down. A “1-hour shoot” often includes much more than that single hour with your client:

• 2 hours of prep: answering emails, confirming details, scouting locations, charging gear, packing backups.

• 1 hour of travel: to and from the session location.

• 2–3 hours of culling and editing: reviewing hundreds of frames, adjusting color, cropping, and exporting.

• 1 hour of admin: uploading files, delivering galleries or setting up proofing, following up with clients.

That “1-hour shoot” is actually 6–7 hours of work. If you charge $100, you’re earning less than $15 an hour — and that’s before expenses like insurance, software, and taxes.

Hourly pricing undervalues you, confuses clients, and leaves you resentful. The fix? Stop selling time and start selling value.

The Better Model: Session Fees + Collections + A La Carte

Instead of trading hours for dollars, create packages that reflect the experience and end result your clients receive. This positions you as a professional and naturally leads to higher sales.

Step 1: Charge a Session Fee
This fee covers your time, talent, and the creation of the images. It does not include products or digital files. The session fee alone ensures you’re compensated, even if a client doesn’t place a large order.

Step 2: Build Collections
Collections combine your most popular products with built-in value. Each tier should feel like a step up in experience.

• Basic — $350: 45-minute session. Perfect for quick portraits or updates.

• Standard — $550: 90-minute session, includes $100 print credit. The most popular choice.

• Premium — $850: 2-hour session, hair styling and makeup application, plus $200 print credit. The elevated, luxury option.

Step 3: Offer A La Carte Options
Clients can add heirloom albums, framed wall portraits, or gift prints as extras. This flexibility makes them feel in control while guiding them toward higher-value purchases.

Why No Digitals?

Educating Clients on the Value of Prints

Here’s where many photographers panic. The packages above don’t include digital files — and yes, you will experience resistance. Most clients have been trained by the “shoot-and-burn” market to expect a USB or Dropbox link.

Your job is to confidently educate them:

• Digital files live on a hard drive. Printed portraits live on a wall or coffee table where they’re enjoyed daily.

• Technology changes. CDs, USBs, and even today’s drives become obsolete. Albums and framed prints never will.

• Professional quality matters. Drugstore or big-box prints fade, crop poorly, and don’t honor your artistry. Professional labs ensure your work is displayed at the quality it deserves.

• Emotional impact is in the print. Seeing your family every day in a framed portrait or flipping through an heirloom album decades later creates an experience no digital folder can replicate.

By holding firm and positioning yourself as the guide, you shift the conversation away from “Can I get the digitals?” to “Where in your home would you love to see these images displayed?”

Building Value as the Price Increases

Notice how in the example collections, the price increase isn’t just about more images. It’s about adding more value.

• The Basic collection is simple and accessible.

• The Standard collection introduces a print credit, nudging clients toward physical products.

• The Premium collection elevates the entire experience with professional styling and a larger credit, making it a luxury choice.

This ladder effect works because most clients naturally choose the middle option, and many will stretch for the premium tier once they see the added value.

The Bottom Line

Packages vs. hourly pricing isn’t about tricking clients into spending more. It’s about reframing photography as an experience and investment, not a commodity.

Hourly rates reduce you to “time with a camera.” Packages elevate you to an expert who delivers artistry, service, and heirloom products that last a lifetime.

Let’s clear something up right now: digital files are not “free.”

A lot of beginners make the mistake of throwing digitals into every package or selling them at rock-bottom prices because they assume they don’t cost much to produce. But here’s the truth:

• Every digital file still requires time and talent. It has to be culled, edited, retouched, exported, and stored. That’s hours of post-production.

• Digital files require archiving and storage. Backups, cloud storage, and maintaining files for years is part of your overhead.

• Digital is not cheaper than film. In many ways, it’s more expensive, because you’re paying for software, upgrades, storage, and the time it takes to process each image.

That’s why your digital pricing should be in alignment with your printed products. A digital file is not a “throwaway extra” — it is the finished result of your expertise and artistry.

In my own studio, a single digital file is priced the same as my smallest print, an 11x14. And here’s the key: whenever a client purchases a print, I include the matching digital file complimentary.

That way, clients get the best of both worlds; a tangible heirloom for their wall and the convenience of sharing digitally.

This structure reinforces that clients aren’t paying for “a piece of paper” or “a JPEG.” They’re paying for:

• The moment you captured

• The artistry in how it was created

• The professional editing and production behind it

• The long-term value of preserving it

When you align your digital and print pricing, you elevate the value of both. Clients stop seeing digital files as freebies and start understanding them as equal in worth to the tangible products you deliver.

Pricing isn’t just math. It’s perception.

• Round numbers feel less professional ($100 vs $125).
  
  

• Three tiers help clients self-select.
  
  

• Anchoring works. When clients see a high-priced option, the mid-tier feels “reasonable.”
  
  

Make your middle package the most appealing. That’s where most clients will land.

This is where beginners freeze. Someone asks your price, and you panic.

Scripts for Common Scenarios:

• When asked, “What do you charge?”
  “My portrait collections start at $350, and most families invest around $550 for their session and products.”
  
  

• When clients push back:
  “I understand budget is important. My pricing reflects the time, equipment, and professional service I provide. I’d love to recommend the collection that fits best for you.”
  
  

• When asked for discounts:
  “My collections are structured to include everything you need for a great experience. If you’re looking for something outside of this, I’d be happy to recommend a colleague who may be a better fit.”
  
  

Confidence sells. Waffling invites negotiation.

You won’t keep the same rates forever. As your skill, demand, and expenses grow, so should your pricing.

Signs it’s time to raise your rates:

• You’re fully booked and turning away clients

• Your work has improved significantly

• You’ve invested in education and gear

• Your expenses have increased

But let’s back up for a second. What if you’re just starting your business, with no social proof and maybe not even your first paying client? This is where many photographers go wrong.

Most beginners set their prices too low, hoping to attract clients quickly. Then, once they improve and realize their worth, they raise rates — only to lose the clients they started with. Those bargain hunters aren’t usually the clients who stick with you as you level up, which means you’re left rebuilding your client base all over again.

Here’s a smarter approach:

• Don’t listen to friends or family when it comes to pricing. They mean well, but they’re usually not your ideal client. They also bring their own biases about what photography should cost. Their hesitation is not a reflection of your value.

• Align with industry standards from the beginning. If family sessions in your area average $400–$600, don’t come in at $50. Price yourself close to where you ultimately want to be.

• Use vouchers or gift certificates as a bridge. Instead of slashing your official prices, create limited-time offers that bring your rates closer to what early clients might expect. For example, your standard rate could be $400, but you run a “portfolio-building” voucher for $200 off. Clients see the real value of your work, while you book shoots without undercutting yourself long-term.

• Decide on a friends-and-family policy upfront. If you want to offer them a discount, make it consistent across the board — say 30% off your regular prices. That way, you avoid awkward negotiations and everyone knows what to expect. And if shooting for friends and family doesn’t feel good? It’s okay to say no. Sometimes “thanks, but no thanks” is the best boundary you can set.

The bottom line: set your pricing with the future in mind. Start where you want to end up, use strategic offers to get clients in the door, and raise gradually as your demand and skill grow.

That’s how you build a client base that grows with you — instead of one you outgrow.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: even if you raise your rates, you’ll still struggle if your business model is shoot-and-burn.

Delivering digital galleries and walking away leaves money on the table. Clients don’t always know what to do with a folder of files. They’ll post a few on Instagram, maybe print one at Walmart, and forget about the rest.

The value of your work gets lost, and so does your revenue.

In-person sales (IPS) is the practice of meeting with clients (in person or via Zoom) to show their images, guide them through selections, and sell finished products like albums, wall art, and prints.

Why IPS works:

• Photographers earn 40–60% more per client on average (PPA).
  
  

• Clients leave with tangible, lasting products instead of a forgotten gallery link.
  
  

• Professional prints elevate your expertise and perceived value.
  
  

How to transition from shoot-and-burn to IPS:

• Start with samples. Order albums and wall portraits.
  
  

• Set expectations early. Talk about products during the consultation.
  
  

• Host a reveal session instead of sending a link.
  
  

• Guide clients through their options without being pushy.
  
  

• Create collections that bundle digital files with prints.
  
  

When you build IPS into your pricing model, everything changes.

• Your averages increase from $350 sessions to $1,000–$3,000 sales.
  
  

• Clients view photography as an investment, not a commodity.
  
  

• You separate yourself from hobbyists who hand over files and disappear.
  
  

This is where pricing shifts from survival to profit.

You’re not just charging more.

You’re creating an experience that justifies your rates and builds a long-term business.

Pricing feels scary at first, but it’s one of the most important skills you’ll learn. Start by knowing your costs, researching your market, and creating packages that reflect value, not just hours.

Then practice saying your prices with confidence. The right clients will respect it. The wrong clients will walk away, and that’s a good thing.

But don’t stop there. The real growth comes from moving into in-person sales. Show clients the true value of what you create, and you’ll go from $350 digital sessions to consistent four-figure sales.

Want the full roadmap? Grab my e-book: The Art of Selling: Mastering In-Person Sales. It’s a step-by-step guide to ditching online galleries and building a profitable, client-focused sales system.

Next in the series: Building a Portfolio That Attracts Paying Clients — because once your pricing and sales process are set, you need a body of work that proves you’re worth every penny.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). Photographers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/photographers.htm
  
  

• Professional Photographers of America (PPA). (2022). Cost of Doing Business Calculator. https://www.ppa.com/tools/cost-of-doing-business-calculator
  
  

• Professional Photographers of America (PPA). (2023). IPS Sales Data. https://www.ppa.com/
  
  

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). (2023). Business Survival Rates. https://www.sba.gov/