How Much Should a Photoshoot Cost?

Aug 7

If you’ve ever looked for a photographer, you’ve probably asked the question … How much should a photoshoot cost?

And, because I’m apparently terrible at giving simple answers to simple questions, my answer is … How much do you want to spend?

Seriously.

You can probably find someone willing to take your photos for $50. You can also find photographers who charge $500, $1,000, $5,000 or more. Does that mean the $5,000 photographer is 100 times better than the $50 photographer?

Probably not.

Does it mean the $50 photographer is a bargain?

Also, probably not.

The problem is that photography isn’t a gallon of milk. It’s actually more like buying coffee. There are different flavors, roasts, regions where it actually comes from, and they all come at a different price point. Is one better than the other? That’s for you to decide (okay, so milk actually varies as well, but c’mon … Coldbrewed Creative). Just because a particular coffee is super expensive doesn’t automatically mean it’s going to meet your personal preferences. There also isn’t really a standard price for photography because you aren’t just buying a product. You’re hiring a person, their experience, their equipment, their time, their creativity and, maybe most importantly, their way of seeing things.

Instead of starting with price, I think a better place to start is by finding photographers whose work you actually like. Look through their portfolio. Does it make you stop scrolling? Can you picture yourself, your family, your kids, your dog, your ridiculously expensive car or whatever else you want photographed looking like that? Does their work feel like something you’d want hanging on your wall five or ten years from now? If the answer is yes, then find out what they charge. And if they're a little more expensive than you were hoping? Maybe save up.

I know that probably sounds strange coming from someone who has spent a lot of time trying to make photography accessible, but I really believe this … If you love an artist’s work, support that artist.

If there’s a photographer you really want to work with and their session costs $600 when you were hoping to spend $300, maybe you wait a couple months and put some money aside. Because years from now, I doubt you’ll be looking at those photos thinking … "Man, I wish I had saved $300." You’ll probably just be happy you have photographs you love.

There’s also something that gets lost when people talk about photography pricing. In a lot of cases, this is someone’s job. They have rent or a mortgage. They have groceries to buy. They have families. They have insurance. They have taxes. They have equipment that costs an absolutely stupid amount of money.

Seriously, don't ever ask a photographer what their camera cost unless you want to watch them stare quietly into the distance while reconsidering every financial decision they've ever made.

And the hour you spend standing in front of their camera isn't the only hour they're working. There are emails, planning, scouting, travel, setting up, tearing down, sorting through hundreds—or thousands—of images, editing, retouching, delivering galleries, maintaining equipment, paying for software, maintaining a website, marketing and all the other boring stuff that happens behind the scenes.

Now, before every photographer reading this starts nodding aggressively, let me flip this around. Charging more doesn't automatically make someone a better photographer. There are incredibly talented photographers who don't charge very much. There are people just starting out who are creating amazing work. There are hobbyists who aren't trying to make photography their full-time income. And there are photographers who simply choose to structure their business differently.

Look at the work. Look at the experience they're offering. Decide what that is worth to you.

Spend what you're comfortable spending, but don't choose a photographer you don't really want just because they're cheaper. If you find someone whose work you absolutely love and they're outside your budget, ask yourself whether you really need the photos right now. If you don't, save up. Wait. Hire the person whose work made you excited about doing the photoshoot in the first place.

Photography is one of those weird things where the actual photos can become more valuable to you as time goes by. Kids grow up. Families change. People move. We get older. Dogs somehow manage to get old way too fast. The moment you photographed eventually becomes a moment you can't go back to. And suddenly those pictures aren't just pictures anymore. They're memories.