Why a Pricing Calculator Isn’t Enough and How to Use This Worksheet to Really Understand Your Pricing

Most photographers I know have tried a pricing calculator at some point. You plug in your hours, maybe your editing time, and it spits out one suggested price. The problem is that most of us don’t run our businesses off a single price. We have an entire offer suite. Family sessions, newborn sessions, mini sessions, maybe a membership or an add-on. A calculator can’t show you how those different price points actually work together to get you to your income goals.

That’s where the Photography Pricing Worksheet comes in.

Because for most of us, we have a variety of price points in our offer suite, the worksheet lets you see how these different prices can work together to help us hit our income goals.

Instead of giving you one number, this worksheet lets you see how each offer contributes to your bottom line. You can play with the numbers to figure out what combination of sessions, packages, and upsells gets you where you want to be.

But the pricing saga for photographers doesn't end there with straight forward, all inclusive pricing. Many of us utilize a session fee/package model, for some, if not all of our offers. It's important to know your clients buying patterns to get an accurate estimate for your projected income with this pricing structure, but I've set it to my own averages, using a pricing strategy that drives sales towards the top package. You can adjust the forumlas pretty easily to reflect your own trends.

Sidebar - if you're curious about my complete strategy with getting these sales averages with my mini sessions, you can check out this blog post to learn more.

Best uses for the worksheet

• Experiment with pricing changes Thinking about raising rates or adjusting a package? Test it here first. You’ll see how the change impacts your yearly income before you roll it out.

• Spot which sessions carry the most weight Sometimes we assume a certain type of session is our bread and butter, but the math tells the real story. The worksheet shows you exactly which offers are pulling their weight.

• Get real about your booking goals We all have a limit. Use the “# to Book” column to be honest about how many of each type of session you can actually handle in a year.

• See the impact of upsells If you offer packages or add-ons, you can map out how many clients you expect to purchase each level. The difference in income potential is eye opening.

• Build confidence in your prices When you can see the math clearly, it is easier to feel good about your pricing and explain it to clients without second guessing yourself.

Remember, pricing is only half the story

This worksheet will give you your net income after taxes and session-specific costs, but you still need to factor in your annual expenses. Subscriptions, software, insurance, gear, and everything else it takes to keep your business running have to come out of your total. Once you subtract those expenses, the number you are left with is your real take-home.

Get my pricing worksheet

The Photography Pricing Worksheet is free and easy to use. It’s designed to help you finally stop guessing and start seeing exactly how your offers stack up over the course of a year.