How much should I pay for a Photographer?
If I had a Pound for every time I was asked ‘How much do you charge?’ Well, I’d have almost enough to pay for a Wedding Photographer for a day! Photography (for the most part) is a service industry. This means that customers require a service and just like calling a plumber, it’s imperative that the customer knows how much that service is worth.
However, unlike our friendly plumbers, photographers' prices can vary wildly from the ‘free’ to many thousands of pounds per day! With our plumber pals, most people could probably have a decent stab at guessing how much a certain job would cost and more importantly, understand that an emergency is likely to cost more but there is an intrinsic value in that. Let’s face it, if you have a leaking boiler at 3.00am then you know a call out is going to get expensive!
The problem is that us photographers are a funny bunch. You would have a hard time guessing what a photographer might charge for a simple headshot and to make matters worse, the perceived value can vary wildly as well. For example, it’s reasonable to assume that a headshot, that takes around 30 minutes to set up, complete and a quick edit might only cost, let’s say £50 - right? There are many things that are not taken into account with this though, not least the cost of buying the photography gear and the years of experience that it takes to learn how to knock out a professional headshot in a short period of time.
In this post I have tried to break down what it might cost to hire a photographer in each of the most common scenarios. This is a far from easy task as most people don’t want to talk about their costs unless it’s finalising the details of a potential job. So for the most part, I have spoken to photographer friends, explained what I am doing and asked them to be honest! I’ve also done some research online (wedding photographers in particular are far more transparent with their packages!) and I literally called around photographers in other areas and just asked them what they charge!
This might not be the most scientific approach but it did give me a general feel for the going rates in 2024. I should also add that these are only indications of what you might be charged. One thing I did find is that there is a pretty huge spread in almost every area of photography in terms of what you can spend. That also raises the thorny question of quality, a subject that I will come back to at the end. So let’s get into the costs.
Commercial Photographer
Definition: A Commercial Photographer will typically work with brands or companies to show off their products or services. They are a mix of a lifestyle and product photographer with the main aim being to show off a product or service in the best possible way. Typical clients would be large companies or marketing agencies.
Typical Rates: £500-£1000 per day. Rates will probably vary based on region and experience but expect to be paying upwards of £500 for a full day shoot.
Event Photographer
Definition: An Event Photographer may cover a range of events from corporate to family gatherings, Birthday parties, awards ceremonies and indoor and outdoor get togethers.
Typical Rates: £250-£500 per half day - You’ll note that I’ve gone with a half day rate for this as that is more common but doubling it will be a good indication of a full day. However, many events are evening affairs and some may charge a slightly higher fee for anti-social hours.
Wedding Photographer
Definition: This should be self-explanatory but wedding photographers may charge different rates for how much coverage you need, additional packages (prints, image delivery etc) and some will offer engagement photography and other services.
Typical Rates: £500-£3000 per day - So this is the big one and the one that most people are trying to find information about. The average I came across was around £1800 for full day (and evening) coverage. However, wedding photography seemed to have the broadest spread of prices with some budget conscious photographers offering discount services and some who said their prices were strictly on an individual basis, depending on location and size of the wedding.
I think I would add that with both photography and videography for your special day, the sky's the limit with what you can pay and both could easily exceed £3000. This is one area I would certainly do plenty of research and also, don’t just make a snap decision based on availability. Take time to study portfolios and get a feel for what you like before even enquiring - but be warned, it’s not uncommon for wedding photographers to book months and even years in advance!
Portrait/Headshot Photographer
Definition: Typically someone who concentrates on either corporate or personal headshots. Usually offered as a package so either location or studio based. It’s not uncommon to find corporate photographers taking tens and sometimes hundreds of headshots in a single day.
Typical Rates: £400-£800 per day - Again, a lot will depend on the amount of people/portraits needed but a typical day will fall around the £600 mark and don’t forget to check if there are additional editing fees, in particular for model/actor portraits.
Architectural Photographer
Definition: A photographer that specialises in properties and urban spaces. I’m focusing slightly more on specific architectural photography for single buildings and not so much ‘real estate’ or ‘Airbnb’ style photography.
Typical Rate: £600-£1000 per day. This may feel steep but a lot of professional architectural photographers will fork-out on specific lenses and tripods etc. that are (literally) geared towards architecture and believe me, it gets expensive.
Food/Lifestyle Photographer
Definition: This is mainly aimed at people who photograph food and restaurants for websites and social media campaigns. If you’re looking for high-end food photographers, expect to pay way more!
Typical Rate: £400-£600 per day. It’s not uncommon for these to be shot on location, with a mix of location shots and individual meals. However, most venues only require a half-day coverage and depending on the variety of the menu, a full-day may not be needed.
Product Photographer
Definition: This is someone who produces images of specific products. It’s obvious that it could range from jewellery to jumbo jets so I’ve gone more for smaller household items, the kind of thing you may see on an Amazon listing - usually on a plain white background.
Typical Rate: £400-£600 per day - again, this will really depend on the scale and amount of products that need photographing as well as the complexity of those items. You may need to factor in if there will be an additional studio fee or if this is something that can be photographed on site.
Generalist Photographer
Definition: This is someone that may turn their hand to some or all of the things listed here, a bit of a generalist. This is also where I class myself as a photographer and usually they will be up front and honest with what they can and can’t provide.
Typical Rate: £600-£1000 per day - This is a little bit more difficult to cost as there is obviously a broad range of things that can fall in this category. However, it’s probably more common to find a generalist offering a flexible day-rate that reflects the work involved.
Scary Prices!
It’s worth quickly mentioning how some photographers come to such scary prices! When I have told people my day rate in the past I have seen their faces frost over as they are clearly wondering where I park my private jet! I usually quickly follow it with ‘I don’t work every single day and cameras are super expensive!’ - Still, they are probably wondering what my Yacht is called… (‘Indecent Exposure’ if you’re wondering, just waiting on the lottery numbers to come in…)
I don’t want to dig too deep into how photographers should structure their prices - I think there is another blog post in that - but let's use wedding photographers as a quick example. They may book 15-30 weddings in a year (possibly more but let's keep it simple!) and let’s assume they are charging £1500 for a full day - so 25 x £1500 is £37,500 per year. That’s a very nice income, just above the national average and with 340 days off to enjoy themselves!
Well, just like every other unfortunate soul we have to deduct tax! Then there is the equipment cost (typically two cameras, with 3-4 lenses and flashes etc - you’d be lucky to get change out of £10k!) then there are business costs, insurance etc. travel costs, the time spent editing, arranging prints, meetings, website, marketing, electricity etc… The list goes on and I’m not a wedding photographer, I’m sure I have overlooked many things!
I’m sure you get the point that I’m trying to make is that yes, I agree, the prices can look scary on paper. However, there are a lot of things to take into account and to make matters worse, every photographer will structure their costs differently. Of course, I’m being slightly defensive but before you adopt the brace position when opening a rate card, there’s a lot more to consider than just the topline price.
Does paying more mean better quality?
The same as many things in life, this is a frustratingly ‘grey area’. The truth is, yes and no. From what I have seen online, looking at photographers' portfolios and then getting an idea for what they charge, I would say for the most part ‘yes’ you do get better quality. This is likely due to the many years of experience a photographer may have and the knowledge they have accumulated. One good indication of their experience is the clients they have worked with.
However, if you are looking to book a photographer for over a thousand pounds per day, I would recommend doing a bit more research than simply checking their portfolio. See if it is possible to arrange a call with them, get to know them a little and see if any alarm bells start ringing! It’s not uncommon for commercial photographers to have ‘discovery meetings’ clients to scope out the work, this is also a great opportunity to get to know them.
It is also worth mentioning that low prices don’t always indicate poor quality. Unfortunately, we live in a world where cost is a huge element to purchasing decisions and many people/clients simply can’t afford thousands of pounds for a photographer. This creates a race to the bottom with photographers undercutting each other to secure clients. This might be helpful to the customer but it destroys the concept of a photographers ‘worth’ and it’s very difficult to ever raise your prices after!
In Conclusion…
I hope this has given some insight into what you might expect to pay. It’s a frustrating sector for customers and even more so for us photographers that walk a tightrope of making ends meet and not being laughed out of the conversation when we whip out our rate cards! Going into the conversation with a good idea what your budget is helps a lot and be open and honest with the photographer and they will usually let you know if they have a little ‘wiggle room’ in their costs.
As with everything in life, sometimes you get a bargain, other times you feel hard done by. A lot will depend on the amount of research you do and the relationship you build with the photographer. If you happen to fall on one that creates great work at good prices, keep them in mind for future projects. Good luck.
Did the prices come as a shock or perfectly reasonable? Leave a comment below :)
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About the Author - Ross Jukes is a professional Photographer and Videographer with over a decade of experience. Working in both Digital and Analogue formats, Ross has worked with international clients, had his worked published numerous times and exhibited his work extensively. With a passion for all things photographic, Ross combines his experience, enthusiasm and dedication to his art form to create engaging and educational content for the photographic community.
Disclaimer: All links to Amazon UK/US are affiliated links - you will still pay the same price but I will receive a small commission. All information provided in this blog is intended either for educational or entertainment purposes and is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, further research/professional advice should be sort before making purchases/implementing any advice given and no responsibility is taken by the author or parties mentioned here within.