The cost of doing business…

Recently I was participating in a thread in one of the photo communities that I enjoy, and the subject of the cost of doing business came up.  I decided to take a serious look into the costs associated with being an event or wedding photographer.  Turns out, the costs associated that I could determine made me appreciate even more the fact that I am a hobbyist/enthusiast and not a pro – I couldn’t survive on this salary and with that kind of workload!

Anyway, I thought I’d share the results of my calculations here, and hear what others have to say.  Am I too high in my estimation?  Too low?  Did I miss any expenses?  Are some unrealistic?  (I don’t know how much health insurance is if you are not part of an employer plan…)

I categorized the costs into various groupings to include:

  • Hourly Commitment
  • Gear Investment
  • Educational Investment
  • Advertising Investment
  • Miscellaneous Expenses

Is there anything else?  See the attached Excel spreadsheet and plug your own numbers in!  (I made columns C, D and E formulas so everything should adjust out for you…)  In the meantime, Happy Shooting, and I hope all your shots are good ones!

Cost of Doing Business

7 comments for “The cost of doing business…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.