Commercial photography clients often think they are buying a day of your time. What they are really buying is a set of images and the right to use them. Those two things are priced differently, and the most common pricing mistake in commercial work is charging only for the day and giving away the license.
This template is for brand, product, headshot, food, interiors and editorial shoots for businesses. It separates the creative fee from the usage license, sets a final image count and retouching level, lists crew and expenses, and gives the client a shot list to approve before the day. For weddings, use the wedding photography proposal, which handles coverage hours and family logistics instead.
TL;DR
The photography proposal template quotes commercial shoots: purpose, shot list, final image count, shoot length and location, crew and styling, retouching level, a usage license that names media, territory and duration, delivery timeline, fees, expenses and cancellation. Send it after a call about how the images will be used. The key practice is pricing the usage license separately from the shoot fee, because wider use deserves a higher price.
What's inside
- Shoot purpose: what the images are for and the look the client wants.
- Shot list and image count: shots or products, and the number of final images.
- Shoot details: date, hours, location or studio, and who attends from the client side.
- Crew and styling: assistant, stylist, hair and makeup, props.
- Post-production: selection process, retouching level and turnaround.
- Usage license: media, territory, duration and exclusivity.
- Fees and expenses: creative fee, license fee, per-image retouching, expenses.
- Policies and acceptance: cancellation, weather, model releases and signatures.
When to use it
Use it for team headshots, brand lifestyle shoots for a website and social, product photography for ecommerce, food and menu photography, interiors and architecture, events for corporate clients, and editorial commissions.
For photographers doing personal portrait sessions for consumers, a shorter package-based quote often works better, and the freelance quote template is a good fit. For multi-day campaigns with large crews, keep this structure but add a production budget per day.
Pricing the shoot and the license separately
When clients ask "what is your day rate," they usually expect one number. Giving one number trains them to think the images are free once the day is paid. Split the quote into blocks:
- Creative fee. Your time and expertise on shoot day, often as a half-day or full-day fee. Include pre-production calls and shot planning here or as a separate line.
- Usage license. What the client may do with the images. Website and organic social for a small business is a narrow license. National advertising, packaging or billboards are much wider. A common approach is to start from a base license and scale up by media, territory and duration.
- Post-production. Selection, color correction and retouching. Price per final image, with basic retouching included and advanced work such as compositing or skin retouching priced higher.
- Expenses. Assistants, studio hire, props, styling, hair and makeup, travel, equipment hire.
If a client asks for a "buyout," treat it as the widest possible license and price it accordingly, or ask what they actually need. Most small businesses need a few channels for a few years.
The shot list protects your day
A shoot without a shot list turns into a long list of "while we're here" requests, and you leave with half the planned images. Ask the client to approve a shot list before the day, with each shot or product listed, the setup or background, and a priority.
On product shoots, ask for the product count and any variants, and say how many angles per product are included. On headshot days, agree the number of people, time per person and whether you need a backdrop or environmental setup. Add a line that shots added on the day are captured if time allows and billed per image or as overtime.
Model releases matter on commercial work. Anyone recognizable who is not a paid model should sign a model release form before they are photographed, and the client should know who is responsible for collecting them.
Customize it in your COLO workspace
Build the creative fee, license, retouching and expenses as separate line items in a saved proposal template in COLO Proposals. Line items take rate, hours, tax and discount, and you can set an expiry date. The client accepts in the client portal and the proposal converts into the deposit invoice.
Record shoot expenses such as studio hire or props in COLO Finance, with the receipt attached and linked to the client's project, so recharged costs are easy to check later.
Common mistakes
- One price for everything. Separate the shoot from the license.
- "All usable images." Set a number of finals.
- No retouching definition. Basic correction and advanced retouching are different jobs.
- Shot list agreed on the day. Approve it in writing beforehand.
- Usage forever, worldwide, by default. Name the media and duration.
FAQ
Q: What should a photography proposal include?
The purpose of the shoot, a shot list or image count, shoot date, length and location, crew and styling, retouching level, the usage license (where, how long and for what), delivery timeline and format, fees, expenses and a cancellation policy.
Q: How do commercial photographers price a shoot?
A common structure is a creative or day fee for the shoot, a separate usage or license fee based on how the images will be used, post-production per image, and expenses such as assistants, studio hire, props and styling.
Q: What is a usage license in photography?
A usage license defines where and for how long the client can use the images, for example website and organic social for two years, or national print advertising for one year. Wider usage usually costs more.
Q: How many images should a photographer deliver?
State a number of final retouched images rather than "all the good ones." Product shoots are often priced per final image, while brand and headshot sessions usually include a set number of selects with more available per image.
Q: Is this template suitable for weddings?
No. Weddings involve coverage hours, family lists, second shooters and a fixed date that cannot move. Use the wedding photography proposal for that work. More resources on the photographers solutions page.