Photography is the classic case of a low billable percentage: for every hour shooting, there's another one to two hours of editing, client communication, and travel. If you charge $100 for a 'one-hour shoot' that actually consumes four hours end-to-end, your real rate is $25/hour.
Gear depreciation, insurance, and software push annual expenses far above most desk-based freelance work — typically $8,000–$15,000/year. That's why day rates for commercial photographers in the US and EU sit in the $800–$2,500 range rather than anything hourly.
Your minimum hourly rate
$155/hour
Exact break-even: $154.51/hour — rounded up to the nearest $5.
How this breaks down
- Revenue you need to bill
- $118,667/yr
- — covers taxes (~25%)
- $26,667
- — covers expenses
- $12,000
- Billable hours per year
- 768h
Pricing tips for freelance photographers
- Quote day and half-day rates, never hourly — hourly framing invites clients to underestimate the work.
- Separate the shooting fee from usage licensing; commercial usage rights are a second revenue line.
- Build editing time into every quote at a 1:1.5 shoot-to-edit ratio minimum.
For the full method — including how to present higher rates to clients without losing the deal — see our guide to setting freelance rates. And when the work is done, invoice it properly.