How To Price Your Photography Business

Three Things That Should (and Should Not) Determine Your Photography Pricing

If you’ve ever stared at your pricing list and thought, “Is this too much? Too little? What are other photographers charging?”—you’re not alone. Pricing your photography services can feel overwhelming and emotional, especially when you’re trying to make a living doing something you love.

But here’s the truth: if you want to run a sustainable and profitable photography business, your pricing has to be rooted in logic, not comparison. So today, I’m breaking down three things that should determine your pricing—and three things that absolutely should not. Let’s dive in.

BUT FIRST! I have a free gift for you that will help you figure out the best way to price AND market your photography business. Download my free Ideal Client Workbook to help you get clear on who you want to serve, how to speak directly to them, and ultimately attract clients who are happy to pay your prices.

This is the first step to building a photography business that’s both profitable and joyful.

Download the Ideal Client Workbook here

✅ What Should Determine Your Photography Pricing

1. How Much Money You Want to Make

Yes, this is where you start! Your pricing should be based on your income goals—not pulled from thin air or based on what someone else is charging. If you want to make $75,000 per year and only shoot 50 sessions annually, that means you need to average $1,500 per session. It’s that simple.

Dream big, get specific, and reverse-engineer your pricing to support the life and schedule you want.

2. How Many Sessions You Want to Take

Burnout is real, and your pricing needs to reflect the actual capacity you have. If you’re a mom with young kids, like I am, maybe you only want to shoot one session a week. Or maybe you want to shoot three sessions a weekend and take weekdays off.

Once you know how many sessions you want to take, you can set your prices accordingly to still hit your income goals. More sessions can mean lower prices, fewer sessions will likely mean higher prices—but it’s all up to you.

3. Your Business Expenses

You are running a business—not a hobby. That means you need to take into account everything from your gear and editing software to subscriptions, taxes, education, marketing tools, and more. If you’re not building those costs into your pricing, you’re not truly profitable.

Know your numbers. Every dollar you spend to run your business needs to be factored into what you charge.

❌ What Should Not Determine Your Pricing

1. What Other Photographers Are Charging

I know it’s tempting to peek at the competition and base your prices off theirs—but their goals, expenses, lifestyle, and experience aren’t yours. You don’t know if they’re profitable, struggling, or even booking clients.

Your business is unique. Price accordingly.

2. What You Think Clients Are Willing to Pay

If you assume people won’t pay higher prices, you’ll never raise them—and you’ll stay stuck. But trust me: there are clients out there who value what you offer and are willing to pay for it. (Especially when you learn how to market to your ideal client—more on that in a sec.)

Pricing out of fear leads to burnout. Pricing with strategy leads to freedom.

3. How Long You’ve Been in Business

Experience matters, but it’s not the only factor in your value. Some photographers come out of the gate with talent, education, and business strategy and start booking high-end clients right away. Others take longer to build.

Your pricing should reflect your skill, your client experience, and your goals—not just the number of years you’ve been in business.

Ready to Price with Purpose?

If you’re tired of guessing and ready to confidently price your photography services based on strategy (not fear or comparison), I’ve got a free gift for you!

Download my free Ideal Client Workbook to help you get clear on who you want to serve, how to speak directly to them, and ultimately attract clients who are happy to pay your prices.

This is the first step to building a photography business that’s both profitable and joyful.

Download the Ideal Client Workbook here

You’ve got this—and I’m cheering you on every step of the way.