Count every hour a session takes, not only the shoot. ProfitDrawer's photography guide prices a 1-hour family session with 30 edited images as 5 hours of work: $200 at $40 an hour, plus $24.50 of direct costs and $30 of overhead, for $254.50. Adding 15% profit gives $292.68, rounded to $300. These are example numbers to replace with your own, not a market rate.
Where the 5 hours come from in the example: 1 hour shooting, 0.5 hour travel, 3 hours culling and editing, and 0.5 hour of emails and delivery.
Other costs in the example:
- Direct costs: 20 miles at $0.725 (the IRS business rate for January to June 2026; 76 cents for July to December 2026) is $14.50, plus $5 gallery share and $5 card and drive wear.
- Overhead: about $1,800 a year of insurance, software and website spread over 60 sessions, so $30 a session.
Once the base price is set, decide what is extra: additional images, rush delivery, prints, a second location or travel beyond a set distance.
New photographers often underprice because they only count the hour behind the camera. Run each session type through the free price per job calculator, and check the IRS rate for 2027 when it is announced.
Source: How to Start a Photography Business (A Beginner's Step by Step Plan) · Updated
Tools and spreadsheets for this
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General information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Check the rules for your state and your situation.