Photography Pricing Breakdown | Putting it all on the table

It's inevitable that my clients, past, current, and future wonder about how I price my photography sessions and where all the money goes. Some clients have no problem investing in what they want; they seem to be able to afford it all. However, most typical clients would appreciate a little understanding on where their hard earned dollar is going when they book a session with us. I am here to break it all down for you and answer any questions that come up along the way!

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Seasonal Mini Sessions {Most Popular Investment Tier}

Seasonal mini sessions, like Spring, Summer, and Fall, are one of our most popular investments by clients and new clients. Short and sweet, and they don't have to invest to much time and money to get amazing, updated portraits and capture the season perfectly. Let's break it down for you:

"Old" 2015 Pricing
Roughly $99 for a 20 minute session and 15-20 (sometimes more) photographs at medium resolution to download in your own time and print on your own time. 

• Time: 20 minute session + ~5 hours of editing + ~1 hour of uploading images + ~1 hour of email/phone consultation to schedule your session and answer questions = 7 hours and 20 minutes spent on ONE FAMILY. 
• Expenses: Equipment expenses, repairs, rent, office supplies, gas, advertising costs, permits, licenses, insurance, state business taxes, and varied self-employment costs reduce gross income by approximately 50% every year. That leaves a gross (pre-tax) income from this session at $50.

​$50 divided the number of hours worked on one family (~7.5) = $6.60. That is less than minimum wage! And keep in mind that this "wage" doesn't come with any health insurance or benefits and is taxed at a FICA rate of 15.4% (in contrast to the rate of 7.65% that is paid by someone who is an employee of a company). All in all, I take home ~$5.00 an hour for any seasonal mini session. 

"New" 2016 Pricing
Cost is roughly $95 sitting fee, plus digital package. For this instance, we are going to assume client's opt for the cheapest digital package at $100 for 4 digital images. Timing is still 20-30 minutes per client. Total cost to client $195

• Time: 20 minute session, +~5 hours of editing + 1 hour of uploading final selections + 1 hour of phone and email consultation to schedule session, answer questions, and help select images = 7 hours 20 minutes. Timing of seasonal mini sessions is STILL the same. I spend just as much time on your session as I did before.
• Expenses: Equipment expenses, repairs, rent, office supplies, gas, advertising costs, permits, licenses, insurance, state business taxes, and varied self-employment costs reduce gross income by approximately 50% every year. That leaves a gross (pre-tax) income from this session at $97.50.

​$97.50 divided by the number of hours on one family gallery = $13.00. That is way better than the previous $6.60, and I can finally say I am being "paid" for my time and talent in an appropriate amount. 

But, you're right, I offer lots more investment packages and have many more opportunities to make profit. Let's take a look at one of our maternity packages and break it down for you.

My First Year Package {2nd Most Popular Tier}
Total cost is $800 for Five 1-hour sessions. Taking away the previously discussed expenses at 50% gives me pre-taxable income at $400 for this package. 

• Time: 5 hours of sessions + 30 hours of editing (5 hours per session + an additional 5 hours for artistry editing such as used in newborns and maternity sessions) + 5 hours of uploading and selecting + ~2 hour of phone and email consultation setting up each individual session and correspondence for a total of 42 hours.
  

$400 divided by number of hours worked on within the entire First Year Package puts me at an earning of  $9.52 an hour. Honestly, a 28 year old with a Master's degree and 6 years in business should make more than $9.52 an hour. Most investment packages exclude a "time and talent" fee to make them more affordable. 

I hope this clears a little bit up and helps my readers and clients to see and understand where your hard earned money is going. Almost nobody, no matter how it seems, is getting rich off of this profession. Anywhere, even right here at Maya Anna Photography.  Even when the sticker price is a little shocking at first, you can hopefully take heart in knowing that you are paying a modest living wage for professional services, and in doing so, your business allows a working-class small-business owner to put food on the table and keep a roof over their family’s head!

Next up--print pricing, digital pricing, and wedding pricing breakdown!