Breaking Down Photography Prices: What Factors Determine the Cost of Hiring a Professional Photographer?

The cost of hiring a photographer can vary significantly based on a bunch of factors. Unless your photographer has a specific price breakdown available to the public, you’ll need to ask for a quote in order to know exactly the cost of your photoshoot. That being said, there are some factors that will impact the cost of your shoot that you can anticipate. This blog will help you understand those factors, so you’ll be able to better budget for your photoshoot, negotiate price in a way that is fair for everyone, and confidently hire the right photographer.

Type of Photography

The type of photography you are looking for will have a big impact on the cost. Different types of photography require different amounts of work, equipment, editing, marketing effort, etc. The price may also go up for something like commercial photography or branding content since those photos will generate value over time for you or your brand. There may also be industry standards for what you can expect to pay for a given type of photography. You should research what are considered to be cheap, average, or expensive rates for your chosen type of photography to get an idea of the price range you’ll be looking at.

The Photographer’s Skill and Experience Level

This may seem like a no-brainer, but the amount of experience and skill the photographer has will influence the prices they charge. Generally as they develop their skills and get better at their craft, they will charge more for their services. This also plays into the whole supply and demand side of their business. As a photographer gets better at their craft and has more experience working in the industry, there will be more demand for their work, allowing them to charge higher prices. If hiring an experienced photographer is out of your budget, you might be able to find someone who is less established and is charging a lower rate. Don’t just price shop around for the cheapest rates in town. You should prioritize finding a photographer whose work you resonate with and will do a great job. But if you only have a $1,500 budget for wedding photography, you shouldn’t be looking at renowned photographers with decades of experience. A photographer who is just getting started will likely be charging less, but make sure to be fair and value their time.

Time and Length of the Shoot

Generally, the longer the photoshoot is, the more it will cost. Adjusting this can be a great way to lower the cost to hit your budget. Let’s say you found the perfect photographer to cover an upcoming event, but their initial quote was out of your budget. Instead of just asking for a discount, try to compromise by asking to lower the cost in exchange for shortening the amount of time they’ll be photographing. The day that the shoot will take place can also influence the cost. Weekends are typically more sought-after days to do photoshoots since that is when people are not at work, so booking a shoot on a weekday could save some money. Sunsets are a very popular time to do portrait sessions, so you might receive a higher quote if you’re trying to book studio headshots at that time. Booking a photoshoot on a holiday will also likely cost more.

Location

The selected location may impact the cost of the photoshoot due to things like travel time, accessibility, or admission fees. Ask your photographer what they charge for travel. If the quote you initially received was more than you were expecting, it could be due to your chosen location being an hour drive away. Your photographer may have some great locations near them that are perfect for affordable photo sessions.

Required Equipment

The amount of equipment that is needed to complete your photoshoot impacts the price as well. A natural-light portrait session requires nothing more than a camera, 1-2 lenses, an SD card, and a charged battery. A corporate headshot session in your company’s offices on the other hand, requires a camera, lens, SD card, multiple batteries, multiple light stands, flashes, transmitters, receivers, reflectors, modifiers, a backdrop, a backdrop frame, power cables, slate, a cart for transport to and from the car, clamps, gaffers tape, etc. etc. depending on the photographer’s preferred setup. With these large setups, not only is there a hefty upfront investment when buying this equipment, but there is a lot of time spent packing all of the gear up neatly into bags, charging batteries, packing up the car, transporting gear into the company offices, setting everything up, tearing everything down, and unpacking everything at the end. If your photoshoot is large scale and/or complex, expect it to cost quite a bit more.

Deliverables

The number of photos and amount of work that goes into each photo greatly influences cost. For many types of photography, a large majority of the time spent is on editing and preparing deliverables. Think about how much content you need when all is said and done. The difference in amount of work between editing 10 photos versus 100 photos can be many many hours. Additionally, professionally retouching a single headshot can often take as long as editing 50 event photos. Be clear with what you want in terms of deliverables and if you need to fit within a budget, deliverables should be the first thing that gets discussed. It is a pretty simple tradeoff of less money for less work.

Licensing and Usage

This likely won’t apply to photos for personal use. If you are planning on using the photos for marketing, editorial, or commercial use, your photographer may require a fee to license the photos for your intended use. The way copyright laws in the United States are written, unless otherwise addressed in a signed agreement, any photos taken are the intellectual property of the photographer and you will need to license them for your uses from the photographer. Make sure to have this conversation with your photographer in the beginning to avoid any surprises or conflicts.

Start a Conversation

There are many factors that all can affect the pricing of your photoshoot. This blog is intended to help you understand how prices are decided and to hopefully help set expectations. Any good photographer will prioritize your needs, help you get the photos you’ll love, and provide an amazing experience while ensuring their time is being valued and that they are being paid enough to keep their business going. They (should) want to help you and make you fall in love with working with them. Be honest and upfront about your budget, expectations, and situation. They will work with you to find something that works for everyone, or if they simply cannot work within your budget, they could recommend you to someone who can. When you are trying to work within a budget, endlessly shopping around to find the cheapest option will almost surely end with either you or your photographer feeling sour about the whole process. Have a discussion with your photographer about the things listed above to try and come to a compromise that will make everyone happy. I hope this helps!