Why "what do others charge" is the wrong question
Every photography pricing thread ends the same way: someone posts their prices, and fifty people copy them. But a price only works when it covers yourcosts and your life. The photographer you're copying may shoot double your volume, carry half your gear, or be quietly losing money — the price tag won't tell you which.
Cost of Doing Business is the accountant's answer: add up what a year of operating actually costs, add the income you need, divide by the work you really book. That's your floor. Price above it and grow; price below it and every "win" digs the hole deeper.
What belongs in your CODB
- Gear amortization — bodies, lenses, lights, computers, spread over their replacement cycle. Gear is not a one-time cost; it's a slow subscription you pay yourself.
- Insurance — equipment cover and liability. Venues increasingly require proof of the latter.
- Software — editing suite, gallery hosting, accounting, cloud backup. The monthly bills photographers love to hate.
- Storage & upkeep — drives, cards, shutter services, sensor cleaning. Run your volume through the storage calculator to size this line.
- Marketing & workspace — website, ads, association fees, studio or office share.
The formula, in plain terms
(Yearly costs + target income) ÷ billable shoots = minimum price per shoot
The hourly figure the instrument shows is the same number divided by the honest hours a shoot consumes — shooting, editing, calls, delivery. It's usually the most sobering number on this page, and the most useful: it's what you're really paid when you say yes to a booking.
What this calculator deliberately leaves out
Taxes and per-job variable costs (travel, second shooters, albums, prints) vary too much to fake with defaults. Treat the result as your overhead floor: real quotes should add per-job costs on top, and your accountant should layer taxes for your country. Everything you enter here stays in your browser — your finances are not our data.
Questions from the bench
What is CODB in photography?
Cost of Doing Business: everything it costs to operate for a year — gear amortization, insurance, software, storage, marketing, workspace — before you pay yourself a single unit of currency. Your prices must cover CODB plus your target income, or the business runs at a loss.
What is gear amortization?
Spreading the cost of equipment over its working life. A 4,000 camera replaced every 4 years costs the business 1,000 per year. Amortization turns scary purchases into a predictable yearly cost you can price into every job.
How many billable shoots should I enter?
The number you honestly book in a year, not the number you could theoretically fit. Most full-time wedding photographers book 20-35 weddings; portrait photographers might run 80-150 sessions. If you are part-time, enter your real count — that is exactly why your rate must be higher.
Is my target salary before or after tax?
Enter your gross target — what the business should pay you before personal income tax. Self-employment taxes and business taxes vary too much by country for one calculator; a local accountant should refine the final number.
Why is my calculated rate so much higher than what competitors charge?
Either their costs are lower, their volume is higher, or — very commonly — they are underpricing and slowly going out of business. A rate below your CODB floor means every booking loses money. Compete on the value of your work, not on subsidizing clients.