Calculate a Photography Rate and Build a Proposal

From Business Targets to a Working Rate

The free Photography Rate Calculator converts your income goal, expenses, reserve, and realistic billable capacity into an hourly labor floor and practical booking rates. Its 2026 guide explains how to structure pricing by photography specialty and what to include in a proposal.

1. Choose the service and annual targets

   Choose the photography work, then add the income you want the business to pay you and the annual expenses required to operate it.

2. Set realistic capacity

   Enter your working weeks, weekly hours, and the share of time you can actually bill after editing, sales, administration, and marketing.

3. Review the rate and project fee

   Use the hourly rate as your labor floor, then review the half-day, full-day, minimum booking, and starting project fees.

4. Build the proposal

   Select Save this rate and build a proposal. After signup and workspace setup, review the generated proposal before adding a client or sending it.

5. Complete the client price

   Add deliverables, travel, assistants, rentals, products, rush work, payment terms, and other project costs. For commercial image usage, calculate licensing separately.

Tips

• Use the Photography Pricing Calculator for complete session and package minimums
• Use the Photography Licensing Calculator when a client needs commercial usage rights
• The saved browser result expires after seven days and is removed once the proposal is created
• Treat the result as a planning estimate based on your business, not a universal market rate