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 New York 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.
$130
per delivered image, headshot · 72 packages
$11.87
per delivered image, wedding · 16 packages
Per photo, a New York headshot costs 10x 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
$495
Per delivered image
$36.67
Per hour
$638
Stated delivery
12 days
Show a price
42.9%
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 $3,500 across 51 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, among niches with at least 10 packages, headshots lead ($130 vs $11.87 for weddings). Divide by hours instead and elopement leads at $900. Same market, different winner. 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, 316 packages from 105 studios. Per hour: ÷ stated hours, 303 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 3.7x from cheapest to priciest. Of the 11 studios that don’t state a second shooter, 6 sit below the median.
The cheapest route to three retouched headshots: a $150 session with 2 retouched files, plus 1 × $15 = $165. Prices may exclude tax, travel and products.
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=20). Wedding’s is 42 days (n=20). Only 135 of 633 readable studios (727 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. 40 studios mention sneak peeks.
6 in 10 studios found on Maps hide the price
364 of 582 studios found on Google Maps show no price on the pages we read. Newborn studios are the most open; product and event the least. Studios that show prices have a median 54 Google reviews vs 56 for those that don’t. That’s an association, not proof that showing prices brings reviews.
- Newborn & maternity57.1% · 40 of 70
- Headshot & branding47.6% · 39 of 82
- Family & portrait42.9% · 30 of 70
- Senior35.3% · 6 of 17
- Real estate35.1% · 13 of 37
- Wedding33.8% · 47 of 139
- Boudoir29.3% · 12 of 41
- Pet29.2% · 7 of 24
- Engagement28.6% · 4 of 14
- Event28.3% · 13 of 46
- Product13.5% · 5 of 37
- Elopement * small sample40% · 2 of 5
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, the same rule as every chart.
If you hide your price, your proposal has to sell
6 in 10 New York studios we found on Maps (364 of 582) keep prices off their pages, and half up front is the most common deposit.
Put your packages where a client can see them, and let the yes and the deposit happen in the same step.
HoneyBook does that from one link: the client picks a package, signs and pays the deposit. It's free for 30 days with no card, and paid plans come with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Our pick. We don't earn anything from this link.
Going pro? Your first price list, in New York numbers
For new photographers and hobbyists testing the water: what New York entry packages actually contain, and how price lists are built.
- 159 menus have more than one tier. Among them, the median has 3 tiers and the top is 2x the entry.
- 31.9% of prices say “starting at” (203 of 637).
- 38.8% end in 00. Only 19.2% use a 9, 99 or 95 ending.
- 22 of 24 studios that state a deposit percentage ask for 50%. Median fixed deposit $150.
- 78.3% of rated studios have exactly 5.0 stars (516 of 659). Stars won’t set you apart.
- $2,999.50 to $5,250 median wedding package at 6 hours vs 8 hours (4 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 | $3,500 | 8 n=25 | 500 n=11 |
| Elopement | $1,000 | 1.5 n=15 | 77.5 n=6 |
| Engagement | $700 | 1 n=9 | Too few |
| Family & portrait | $495 | 1 n=28 | 11 n=36 |
| Newborn & maternity | $600 | 1 n=29 | 10 n=34 |
| Headshot & branding | $372.50 | 1 n=29 | 4 n=38 |
| Senior | $375 | Too few | Too few |
| Boudoir | $1,000 | 1.25 n=6 | Too few |
| Event | $1,350 | 2.5 n=10 | Too few |
| Real estate | $175 | Too few | 15 n=9 |
| Product | $490 | Too few | Too few |
| Pet | $350 | 1 n=6 | 7.5 n=8 |
The add-on menu
Studios listing each add-on, out of 253 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 New York 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
New York photography prices: common questions
How much does a wedding photographer cost in New York?
The median advertised entry wedding package in New York is $3,500, across 51 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 New York?
The median advertised entry family and portrait package in New York is $495, across 55 studios. Entry packages ran from $94.99 to $1,250. These are the cheapest packages studios advertise, not invoices.
How much does a headshot photographer cost in New York?
The median advertised entry headshot and branding package in New York is $372.50, across 62 studios. Entry packages ran from $64.99 to $2,999. These are the cheapest packages studios advertise, not invoices.
Which kind of photography costs the most in New York?
Wedding starts highest: its median entry package is $3,500 across 51 studios.
Do photographers in New York 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.
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