05/13/2026
Yep, this is the truth.
People see β$550 photoshootβ and think photographers pocket $550 dollars. π€―
Hereβs a realistic breakdown of where that actually goes π
Client pays: $550
β’ Put away 25% for taxes
$550 β $412.50
β’ Payment processing / transaction fee
$412.50 β $395.55
β’ SD cards (1β2 cards for a session, average cost)
~$65β$130
$395.55 β $330.55β$265.55
β’ Monthly business expenses split across sessions
(storage, gallery delivery, website, subscriptions, editing software, etc.)
~$50
$330.55β$265.55 β $280.55β$215.55
β’ Gas + travel to and from session
~$20β$40+ depending on location
$280.55β$215.55 β $260.55β$175.55
And thatβs before:
β’ equipment upgrades/repairs π
β’ camera bodies + lenses π·
β’ computer + hard drives πΎ
β’ insurance βοΈ
β’ props/client closet π
β’ education π
β’ advertising π’
β’ time spent shooting π
β’ hours of editing π»
β’ emailing, planning, culling, delivering galleries, bookkeeping, & a dozen other payless hours πΈ
Photography is a business, not just βshowing up and taking pictures.β I appreciate those who know the iceberg of backwork that goes on behind the scenes. β€οΈπ«Ά
- π²πππππ π³πππ π·ππππππππππ / π²πππππ π³πππ π©πππ
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