Your numbers
Your rate
About photographer rates
Photographers sell a few hours of shooting but also pay for gear, travel, editing time and delivery. Your shoot rate has to cover the hours nobody sees, such as culling and retouching.
Price by the full job (shoot, editing and delivery) and use your hourly rate to check that the package is profitable.
Expenses to include
- Camera bodies, lenses, lighting and repair or replacement
- Editing software and fast storage with backups
- Travel, parking and location costs
- Insurance for gear and liability
- Website, gallery hosting and marketing
Add these up for a full year and enter the total in "Yearly expenses".
How the rate is calculated
- Revenue needed = take-home ÷ (1 − tax rate) + expenses
- Billable hours per year = hours per week × (52 − weeks off)
- Hourly rate = revenue needed ÷ billable hours per year
This is a planning estimate, not tax advice. Tax rules differ by country, so check with a local accountant for exact figures.
Frequently asked questions
How should a photographer set an hourly rate?
Add equipment, insurance and travel to the income you want to keep, then divide by the hours you can bill. Editing and client communication often take as long as the shoot itself, so count them.
Should a photographer charge hourly or per project?
Photographers usually sell packages. Estimate the hours for the shoot, travel, editing and delivery, multiply by your hourly rate, and add the cost of gear wear and licences so each package pays properly.
How many hours per week can a photographer realistically bill?
With editing, travel and client communication, about 15 to 22 billable hours a week is a reasonable planning range. Start at 20 and adjust after a few busy and quiet months.