Pricing on your website, Yes or no?

Cover photo by: Katie Bellini Photography

Should I put my pricing on my photography website, is a debate almost as hot as Nikon or Canon? But the truth is, it is a question that can make or break your business depending on the type of photography you specialize in. If you are going back and forth on whether or not you should show pricing on your website or just have a price inquiry button, here are some things to consider. Plus, my take on the topic.

Matches you with the right clients

No matter what type of photographer you are, your work speaks for itself. And each genre of photography is different. If you are a commercial photographer, chances are you don’t need pricing on your website. It’s going to be based on the work you are doing.

However, if you specialize in portrait or lifestyle photography, some clients are very budget-conscious. They want to know pricing. Okay, so you think to yourself, but having the client reach out to me, allows me to sell my services. Spin the magic tale of all they are getting alongside their beautiful photos. This may be true, but if you have someone who inquires who flat out can’t afford your pricing no matter how bad they want to, you’ve wasted your time and theirs.

If you are running a high-end boutique photography business, you may not need your pricing for all to see. The type of client you want already knows who and how much you are by word of mouth and that’s okay. Or they don’t care. But in today’s “I want it now world”, most customers who are searching the web, not only want to see examples of your work, but they want to know what kind of investment they have to make to work with you. Cost before creativity, unfortunately.

And many moms out there searching for Spring mini sessions, want to compare prices. Because when you have kids budgets matter.

Laura Cardan Photography

My two cents

About a year ago, I decided to take my pricing off the website. After looking back, I believe this is why my bookings are down. I did have a handful of clients who did reach out for pricing and booked after some unnecessary back and forth. The others just passed me by because there was no sign of pricing. And I get it. I hate shopping online and find something I like only to be told to add to my cart to find out pricing.

When I originally removed pricing I thought it would boost my sales. I imagined I would be able to convince everyone inquired, even the extremely price-conscious, that I was worth it with my warm personality and dad jokes. But the truth is, I am not a fine art photographer. My clients are moms who want nice photos of their families or milestone photos of their babies without sinking their monthly budget.

And I get it; family photos are an investment. I also know my time and talent are worth what I charge. But trying to swim in a pool that is too deep, isn’t for me. So my website will be undergoing a major overhaul, yet again with pricing and online booking feature so I can snag clients when they are interested—not trying to hook them later on when I get to the email. Because let’s face it, they’ve already moved on.

Jessica Hepp Photography

Pricing is necessary for booking online

And this brings me to my last point. If you want to seal the deal while your client is online, you no doubt have an online booking option. Which, of course, means you must have pricing on your website. If you run any kind of workshop or mini session or like the automation for just single sessions, everything has to be transparent. It may be more work upfront, but once you have your systems in place, you can sit back and watch the bookings roll in. And you know what can help you even more? Utilizing the features Session has for online photography bookings.

Session’s user-friendly platform allows you to spend more time on the creative side of your business. It has a beautiful interface, and makes setting up and booking sessions so effortless! If you are looking for an online booking system that gets the needs of photographers, Session is the hero you are searching for.