Where does your price sit?
Zone scale from 0 to X
The scale is Ansel Adams’ Zone System, borrowed for prices: 11 steps from the cheapest Chicago entry price (0) to the priciest (X), with Zone V, middle gray, as the median. No photography theory needed.
Type the price of your cheapest family & portrait package. No price list yet? Type what you’re thinking of charging. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Per photo, the market flips
Divide each package by the edited images it delivers.
$100
per delivered image, headshot · 46 packages
$4.88
per delivered image, wedding · 16 packages
Per photo, a Chicago headshot costs 20x a wedding. More on why below.
Family & portrait at a glance
Five numbers for your niche. Change the niche above and they follow. * fewer than 10 observations.
Entry price, median
$500
Per delivered image
$23.12
Per hour
$600
Stated delivery
10 days
Show a price
44.6%
Where each niche starts
Each studio’s cheapest package, one row per niche. The dot is the median, Zone V, middle gray. Half the studios start below it and half above. Wedding starts highest at $3,900 across 47 studios, and wedding entry prices run from $500 to $10,000.
The unit you price in changes the story
Divide a package price by the edited images it delivers and headshots lead by a mile ($100 vs $4.88 for weddings). Divide by hours instead and headshot still leads, at $650. Which unit flatters your work?
Per delivered image
Median package price ÷ edited images
Per hour of coverage
Median package price ÷ stated hours
Per image: median package price ÷ delivered edited images, 245 packages from 86 studios. Per hour: ÷ stated hours, 240 packages. * fewer than 10 packages; under 5 left out.
Same brief, different price
Studios quoting the exact same job, side by side. The 8-hour wedding runs 8x from cheapest to priciest. Of the 10 studios that don’t state a second shooter, 6 sit below the median.
The cheapest route to three retouched headshots: a $300 session that already includes 4 retouched files, so $300 in all. Prices may exclude tax, travel and products.
Same 8 hours. $1,000 to $8,000.
Chicago's 8-hour wedding packages run $1,000 to $8,000, with a median of $3,800 (15 studios).
The day is the same length, so compete on what the couple gets after it.
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The turnaround race
How long studios say delivery takes, among those that publish a time. Real estate’s median stated maximum is 1 day (n=8). Wedding’s is 32.5 days (n=16). Only 83 of 454 readable studios (509 in scope) state a delivery time at all, so one line on your page already sets you apart.
Median stated delivery, in days
Shortest at the top
Median of each studio’s stated maximum delivery time. n = studios that state one. * fewer than 10; under 5 left out. 27 studios mention sneak peeks.
6 in 10 studios found on Maps hide the price
226 of 384 studios found on Google Maps show no price on the pages we read. Newborn studios are the most open; product and pet the least. Studios that show prices have a median 41 Google reviews vs 34 for those that don’t. That’s an association, not proof that showing prices brings reviews.
- Newborn & maternity52.8% · 19 of 36
- Headshot & branding45.9% · 28 of 61
- Family & portrait44.6% · 29 of 65
- Senior41.2% · 7 of 17
- Real estate39.1% · 9 of 23
- Wedding38.5% · 35 of 91
- Boudoir37.5% · 12 of 32
- Event31.6% · 6 of 19
- Pet28.6% · 4 of 14
- Product22.2% · 4 of 18
- Engagement * small sample57.1% · 4 of 7
Share of Maps-found studios showing any price on inspected pages (1–4 pages per site). Web-search finds are excluded because those searches leaned toward pricing pages. * Fewer than 10 studios: listed after the ranked niches. Under 5 left out (elopement, 1 studios), the same rule as every chart.
Going pro? Your first price list, in Chicago numbers
For new photographers and hobbyists testing the water: what Chicago entry packages actually contain, and how price lists are built.
- 117 menus have more than one tier. Among them, the median has 2 tiers and the top is 1.8x the entry.
- 25.7% of prices say “starting at” (129 of 501).
- 39.7% end in 00. Only 16.6% use a 9, 99 or 95 ending.
- 15 of 20 studios that state a deposit percentage ask for 50%. Median fixed deposit $199.50.
- 71.1% of rated studios have exactly 5.0 stars (300 of 422). Stars won’t set you apart.
- $1,950 to $3,900 median wedding package at 6 hours vs 8 hours (9 and 22 packages).
What an entry package includes
Each studio’s cheapest package, by niche. “Too few” means fewer than 5 packages state it.
| Niche | Entry | Hours | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wedding | $3,900 | 7.5 n=26 | 550 n=6 |
| Elopement | $1,500 | 3 n=7 | Too few |
| Engagement | $600 | 1 n=13 | 32.5 n=10 |
| Family & portrait | $500 | 1 n=31 | 20 n=38 |
| Newborn & maternity | $600 | 1 n=23 | 15 n=30 |
| Headshot & branding | $300 | 0.5 n=20 | 3 n=31 |
| Senior | $499 | 1 n=5 | 25 n=9 |
| Boudoir | $695 | Too few | Too few |
| Event | $1,500 | 2 n=5 | Too few |
| Real estate | $195 | Too few | 15.5 n=10 |
| Product | $1,000 | Too few | Too few |
| Pet | $420 | Too few | Too few |
The add-on menu
Studios listing each add-on, out of 205 that show prices. The median price after each name is among listings that name a dollar amount.
What to do with this
Four moves for your family & portrait price list, each backed by a chart above. None of them is a price we’re telling you to charge.
Find your zone
Type your cheapest family & portrait package into the checker and see how many Chicago studios start below you.
Check your priceName your unit
Per photo and per hour rank the niches differently. Lead with the unit that makes your package read as the better deal.
See both unitsSay how fast you deliver
Most readable studios don’t state a delivery time at all. One line on your pricing page sets you apart.
See the racePut a price on the page
Many studios found on Maps show no price on the pages we read. A clear starting price makes you easy to compare.
See who shows prices
Chicago photography prices: common questions
How much does a wedding photographer cost in Chicago?
The median advertised entry wedding package in Chicago is $3,900, across 47 studios. Entry packages ran from $500 to $10,000. These are the cheapest packages studios advertise, not invoices.
How much does a family photo session cost in Chicago?
The median advertised entry family and portrait package in Chicago is $500, across 59 studios. Entry packages ran from $150 to $1,800. These are the cheapest packages studios advertise, not invoices.
How much does a headshot photographer cost in Chicago?
The median advertised entry headshot and branding package in Chicago is $300, across 47 studios. Entry packages ran from $40 to $2,000. These are the cheapest packages studios advertise, not invoices.
Which kind of photography costs the most in Chicago?
Wedding starts highest: its median entry package is $3,900 across 47 studios.
Do photographers in Chicago list their prices?
Many don’t: 6 in 10 studios found on Google Maps hide the price. The figures on this page come only from studios that publish a package and what it includes.
Which city should we read next?
Tell us the city you care about. It doesn’t have to be where you live.
Requests aren’t open yet. Nothing is saved, and there’s no promise on which city comes next.