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How to Price Your Photography Packages

Pricing is the part most photographers dread. Charge too little and you burn out; charge too much without explaining the value and clients walk away. This guide breaks down how to set prices that pay you fairly, then how to present them so clients choose with confidence instead of haggling.

Start with what a shoot actually costs you​

Before you pick a number, add up what each booking really takes. A price that only covers your shooting time quietly loses money on everything around it.

Account for:

  • Your time: not just the hours on location, but consultations, editing, culling, emails, and delivery. Editing alone can be two or three times the shoot length.
  • Hard costs: gear and its replacement, software, insurance, travel, second shooters, props, or prints.
  • Business overhead: your website, this software, accounting, taxes, and marketing.
  • A real wage: what you need to earn per booking to make this a living, not a hobby that drains you.

Add those up and you have a floor. Your prices should sit comfortably above it, not at it.

Factor in your market and your value​

Your costs set the minimum. Your market and your experience set the ceiling.

  • Look at your local market. A wedding photographer in a major city and one in a small town serve different budgets. Research what photographers at your level charge nearby.
  • Price for your experience. A photographer with ten years and a strong portfolio can charge more than someone shooting their first paid season, and should.
  • Sell the outcome, not the hours. Clients aren't paying for time. They're paying for photos they'll keep for decades. Price the result.

Offer two or three packages, not one number​

A single price gives a client one decision: yes or no. Two or three clear packages change the question to which one, which is a much easier "yes" to reach.

A simple structure that works for most photographers:

  • A starter package that covers the essentials at your entry price.
  • A middle package with more coverage or deliverables. Make this the obvious best value, because most people pick the middle option.
  • A premium package with the works. Even clients who don't buy it make the middle package feel reasonable by comparison.

Keep the differences easy to scan: more hours, more edited images, an album, a second shooter. Three or four packages is plenty. More than that and people freeze.

Use add-ons to grow the booking​

Add-ons let a client start with a package that fits their budget, then build it up themselves. They also lift your average booking without raising your base prices.

Common photography add-ons:

  • Extra coverage hours
  • A second shooter
  • Prints, albums, or wall art
  • Engagement or pre-event sessions
  • Rush delivery
  • Extra edited images or a full gallery

When the client chooses their own add-ons, the upsell feels like service, not a sales pitch.

Present prices so clients say yes​

How you show your prices matters as much as the prices themselves. A polished, clear presentation signals you're a professional and makes the decision feel safe.

  • Lead with what they get, then the price, not the other way around.
  • Show packages side by side so the comparison is obvious.
  • Let them choose their package and add-ons themselves, rather than reading numbers off a flat PDF.
  • Make booking the next step seamless, so momentum carries them from "interested" to "booked."

How to package and present your pricing in CoreHue​

CoreHue turns your pricing into something clients can read, choose from, and accept in one place.

  1. Build your packages. Set up each package and its add-ons under Packages and add-ons, with what's included and the price.
  2. Create a pricing guide. Bundle your packages into a branded pricing guide you can send to anyone who asks "what are your rates?"
  3. Send a proposal with selectable options. When a client is ready, send a proposal where they pick their package and add-ons, see the total update live, and accept, all from one link.

Because the client makes the choices, the proposal does the selling for you, and the total is always correct.

Next step​

Start by laying out your packages and add-ons so everything else has something to draw from. Head to Packages and add-ons to set yours up.

Questions about pricing your work in CoreHue? Email us at hello@corehue.co and we'll help.