How Much Does Advertising and Commercial Photography Cost

Commercial photography is a broad term in itself and can encompass different styles of photography. For example, commercial photography can include business headshots for a firm, interior photos for a hotel, or product and lifestyle photos for a watch brand.

Photographers provide more than just equipment to the branding photoshoot and may be involved throughout the entire production process (from planning a mood board to editing and delivering the final images for the client’s marketing and advertising).

It’s important to know that photography businesses run differently from each other in many ways. For example, some photographers charge per hour, while others charge per day, and others charge per project.

In this blog post, I’ll go into depth into some key features that can play a role in how much advertising and commercial photography costs and what clients should consider when setting a budget for their photography branding project.

Pre-Production PHOTOSHOOT Planning

The pre-production process can be overlooked but it’s a necessary step when providing an estimate. As a commercial photographer, I try to get as much information as possible ahead of time in order to provide an accurate custom quote for each client.

As commercial branding photographers, we need to know if there’s any additional equipment that we might need to rent, studio fees that we need to pay for, props that need to be bought, or number of models that will be hired for the shoot (just to name a few examples).

After this step, I provide a customized mood board and shot list in order to correctly gauge the interests of the client so that the actual day of production goes smoothly. These pre-production tools are especially important for branding photography and product clients looking for new assets while maintaining their existing branding identity.

Hiring Models

This topic might not concern you if you’re a business looking for branding photography of your existing team. However, for product and e-commerce brands, you might want to feature models wearing your designs or using your products for commercial lifestyle photography.

How much it costs to hire a model for a brand’s photoshoot can vary on a variety of factors including the experience of the model, the city they are based in, the terms and usage of the project (ex: 3-month license, 12-month license, or perpetuity license for specific marketing platforms) and whether they are a freelance model or signed to an agency (which can come with additional agency fees).

From my experience, agencies might charge the time for their models on a half-day or full-day basis, which doesn’t include the agency fees and licensing terms.

When setting a budget for your commercial photography project, it’s important to take into consideration model and potential agency fees.

Photo Usage Fees

Unlike personal photography projects, commercial photography clients have to take into account photo usage licensing fees for each photo that is delivered to them.

It’s important for photographers to know where these photos will be used and for how long clients want to use the photo (Pricing can vary if photographers grant a 1-year license that will have to be renewed each year vs. a perpetual license that clients can use indefinitely).

Will the photos only be used for social media channels or all digital marketing platforms? Do you also need the photos to be used for print marketing? These factors play into not just how commercial photographers charge in their quote, but also how we export and deliver the photos.

Just to list a few examples, commercial photographers can include a perpetual licensing fee in their project quote, or as an additional separate fee if they charge per photo.

Exclusive rights vs. non-exclusive rights to the images taken can also play a role in how much photographers will charge per project.

The size of your company (whether you’re a small business or a large brand) may also play a role in the cost of the usage fee that photographers will charge.

Type Of Photography

As I mentioned in the introduction, the type of photography that is involved in the advertising photography project will also be taken into account when you receive a quote.

A commercial photography package that includes only solo business headshots in a studio background may not require as much creative direction and planning as a lifestyle branding photoshoot with multiple models in an outdoor location. 

Product branding clients might require product shots with a custom background, lifestyle photos featuring models, and e-commerce photos on a white background all within one photoshoot.

Editing 10 business portraits for a small business won’t be the same as editing 10-ecommerce photos for a high-end jewelry brand.

All of this is to say that you’ll likely be paying more for photography services that require more creative direction, time and coordination on the photographer’s end compared to a basic photography package.

Post-Production Editing

Jumping off from my last point, depending on the amount of deliverables you request, the editing process can take a few days to a few weeks to complete. Most photographers are likely not just sending the raw files to the client right after the photoshoot. Professional editing services like retouching and color grading can take time, but are worth it in order to ensure that each photo is delivered to the highest-quality possible.

If you request video add-ons and require music, there can also be licensing fees in post-production for that, as well.

Why Commercial Photography is Important

Commercial photography provides essential marketing and advertising assets for brands and companies across all industries.

What I’ve listed above are only some factors to consider when thinking about getting a quote for a commercial photography project. It can be expensive, but original photography content serves an important purpose of establishing your brand’s identity (whether it be through social media channels, digital marketing advertisements, or more.)

Having a budget (or budget range in mind) in advance is important for photographers to understand what might be required for each project and create a quote that will hopefully reflect you getting a return on your investment.

Regardless of which photographer you choose to hire, it’s important to understand what is included in each estimate and make sure that it is laid out in an agreement so that everyone is on the same page. 

Los Angeles Commercial Photography with Brian Brown Film

I’ve had potential clients reach out and ask me “What’s your photography rate?” My answer is that it depends on what you’re looking for. Based on the factors above, advertising projects can range from $2,000 to over $20,000.

I have had the opportunity to work with businesses including local Pacifica and Hilton hotels here in Los Angeles, one of Southern California’s largest environmental organizations TreePeople, and tech startup Ivee.

"Brian has an amazing eye. It’s a pleasure to work with such a talented and generous person. He perfectly captured TreePeople’s restoration projects at our Coldwater Canyon Park headquarters and the L.A. River Greenway." 

Kai McDaniel | Public Relations Specialist | TreePeople

“Brian was such a pleasure to work with. He is professional, comes prepared, and the best part – takes beautiful photos! He takes direction well but also has an amazing creative eye and catches beauty in every shot. He is humble and overall a great photographer to work with.”

Kiki Popa | Marketing Manager | Marina del Rey Hotel & Hilton’s Jamaica Bay Inn

While I am available to work with a variety of businesses, I specialize in outdoor commercial lifestyle photography for product brands and companies in the travel and tourism space. I work alongside professional models in Los Angeles to produce advertising photography suited for digital marketing campaigns and advertisements.

There’s no one-size-fits-all for commercial brand photography for companies. For potential clients that can be a good fit, I get on a discovery call after learning their budget (or budget range) and provide a few different package options based on what they’re looking for.

I charge per project and offer unlimited non-exclusive licensing for most photography projects, so you don’t have to worry about tracking licenses. When working with models or agencies, separate licensing for terms and usage might be limited to a certain duration. However, all of this is communicated in the contract before agreeing to the work.

If you’re interested in booking a commercial photoshoot for your brand, you can fill out the contact form here or below.

Feel free to check out some lifestyle photography behind-the-scenes blog posts:

Outdoor Lifestyle Product Photography for Watch Brands

Luxury Watch Outdoor Lifestyle Photoshoot at Venice Beach, Los Angeles

Sunset City Lifestyle Photoshoot in Downtown Los Angeles

Creative Commercial Beach Campaign Photography in Santa Monica