Photography Session Pricing Calculator
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Session quote from shoot and edit time, travel, pass-through costs, and margin.
Session scope
Session price
$886.67
Labor: $600.00 · Profit: $221.67
- Base cost
- $665.00
- Labor subtotal
- $600.00
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Pricing photo sessions
Portrait and event photographers typically build session fees from on-site time, culling and editing hours, travel, and hard costs (studio rental, assistant, prints). Base labor = shoot hours × shoot rate + edit hours × edit rate. Add travel and expenses, then apply a target margin to reach a client-facing package price.
Editing often takes as long as or longer than the shoot — include it explicitly rather than folding it into shoot rate unless your packages are flat-fee. Margin here is profit as a percent of the final price; adjust for local market and your experience tier.
Example: 2 hr shoot × $150/hr + 4 hr edit × $75/hr = $600 labor. $40 travel + $25 expenses = $665 base. At 25% margin, price = $665 ÷ 0.75 ≈ $887. Round to $895 or $900 for a clean package price.
Common questions
Should shoot and edit use different rates?
Many photographers use a higher shoot rate and lower edit rate, or bundle both into one effective hourly rate. Separate fields let you reflect how you actually spend time.
Does this include print products?
Add print album or product costs in expenses, or price prints as upsells after the session fee.