Price a photo session or wedding package from what it really costs you. The calculator turns your income goal, taxes, business expenses and gear into a cost-of-doing-business hourly rate, applies it to every hour of the job (not just the shoot) and adds direct costs, profit and payment fees.
Example with the default numbers: $50,000 take-home at 25% tax is $66,667 before tax. Adding $9,000 of expenses and $3,000 a year of gear gives $78,667. With 46 weeks × 40 hours × 60% = 1,104 billable hours, the cost-of-doing-business rate is about $71.26 an hour. An 8-hour family session job (1.5 h shooting) costs $570 in time plus $21 mileage; with 20% profit and 3% card fees the price rounds up to $750.
Where the hours go in typical jobs
Job
Shooting
Editing
Admin & travel
Notes
Mini session
0.5 h
1–2 h
1 h
Best run back-to-back on one day
Family / couples
1–2 h
3–5 h
2–3 h
Planning, gallery delivery, ordering
Event
3–5 h
6–10 h
2–4 h
Fast turnaround often expected
Full-day wedding
8–10 h
25–40 h
8–12 h
Meetings, timeline, album design
These are planning examples only; your workflow may be faster or slower. Track your real hours for a few jobs and update the inputs.
Tips for pricing photography
Raise your price before raising your workload: fewer, better-paid jobs leave time for marketing and rest.
Limit the number of edited images or revisions in the package so editing hours stay predictable.
Replace gear on a plan; the gear line in the calculator sets money aside for it on every job.
Re-run the numbers each year as expenses, taxes and your income goal change.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my cost of doing business as a photographer?
Add up your yearly business expenses (insurance, software, website, marketing, studio, phone), plus your gear cost spread over its useful life, plus the salary you want grossed up for taxes. Divide that total by the hours you can actually bill clients in a year to get the minimum hourly rate every job must earn.
Why is the price so much higher than my shooting time suggests?
A one-hour session usually involves several more hours of planning, travel, culling, editing and delivery, and only part of your working week is billable at all. Pricing on shooting time alone is the most common reason photographers undercharge.
What share of my time is billable?
Many self-employed photographers spend a large part of their week on marketing, bookkeeping, email, learning and gear maintenance, which clients do not pay for directly. Estimate your own share honestly; 50% to 70% is a common planning range.
How much deposit should a photographer take?
Many photographers take a non-refundable retainer to book the date, often 25% to 50% for weddings and events, with the balance due before or on the day. Spell out the cancellation terms in your contract.
Should I include prints and albums in the package price?
If they are part of the package, include your cost of the products in the price, as this calculator does, and still add your profit margin on top. If you sell them separately, price them with their own markup.
How do I include mileage?
Enter the round-trip distance and a per-mile rate that covers fuel and vehicle wear. The IRS standard mileage rate for business use was 70 cents per mile for 2025; check the current year's rate or use your own vehicle costs.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.