Photography & events
Photography Cost Calculator
Works the cost of delivering a shoot, where the unbilled hours dominate.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours on site plus preparation, travel, culling, editing, client communication and delivery, at the photographer's cost per hour, plus direct costs such as travel, assistants, props and any prints. The hours off site are typically the larger share and the one nobody bills separately.
What moves the number
- Editing hours, which scale with image count and complexity.
- Travel time as well as mileage.
- Assistants or second shooters.
- Direct costs: props, permits, rentals.
Where this one goes wrong
Delivering more images than necessary multiplies the editing hours without improving the result, which is why a defined deliverable count protects the photographer's margin as well as the client's experience of a curated set. Cap the count. Permits are the other item that catches people, since many locations require one for commercial shooting and the fee and lead time are real rather than theoretical.
Before you quote
- Cap the deliverable image count rather than editing everything.
- Count travel time, not just mileage.
- Check whether the location requires a permit.
Questions
About this calculator
What is the largest cost in a photography shoot?
The hours off site: culling, editing, communication and delivery, which typically exceed the time on location. They are also the hours nobody bills separately, which is why pricing from capture time understates the cost so badly.
Why cap the deliverable count?
Because editing hours scale with it and delivering more images does not improve the result. A defined count protects the photographer's margin and gives the client a curated set rather than a folder they will never finish looking through.
Do shoots need permits?
Many locations require one for commercial shooting, including parks, public spaces and some private venues, with a fee and a lead time. It is worth checking rather than discovering on the day, since being turned away costs the whole shoot.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on the project (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 6 h.
- People on the project. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Hourly rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $175.
- Production, stock and licensing ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $60.
- Discovery or scoping fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on the project | 6 h |
| People on the project | 1 |
| Hourly rate charged | $175 |
| Production, stock and licensing | $60 |
| Discovery or scoping fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $1,205 |
| Labour | $1,050 |
| Before tax | $1,205 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $1,205: $1,050 of labour, $60 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only hourly rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Hourly rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $88 | $683 |
| $131 | $941 |
| $175 example above | $1,205 |
| $263 | $1,733 |
| $350 | $2,255 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on the project (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 6 h.
- People on the project
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Hourly rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $175.
- Production, stock and licensing ($)
- A money amount, starting at $60.
- Discovery or scoping fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.