Invoice template for photographers
Photographers often invoice a day rate and wonder why the job lost money. The day did not include the half day of prep, the second shooter, the studio hire, the travel, the forty images that needed retouching or the licence for a billboard the client mentioned afterwards. Each of those is a line, and each should be on the invoice.
Usage is the part most worth separating. A headshot for a website and the same headshot on a national ad are priced differently by most commercial photographers. Naming the licence on the invoice, with where and how long the images can be used, is your record if the images turn up somewhere else.
From
Bill to
Details
Items
Notes and payment details
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The example lines and prices are illustrations. Replace them with your own.
What photographers forget to bill
- The usage licence as its own line, with media, territory and duration.
- Retouching per image beyond the number included in the quote.
- Second shooter, assistant or stylist.
- Studio, props and equipment hire.
- Travel time and expenses.
- Extra images selected after delivery, at the per-image price.
Questions photographers ask
Should photographers charge a usage fee?
For commercial work, many do. The creative fee pays for the shoot; the usage fee pays for how the images are used. Separating them lets you charge more for wide use and keeps your day rate the same for every client.
How do photographers bill for retouching?
Per image, usually with a set number of retouched images included in the quote. List the extra images and the level of retouching, basic or advanced, so the client sees what they selected.
Should photographers charge a kill fee?
Yes, for bookings cancelled at short notice. A day held for a client is a day you could not sell to someone else. Set the kill fee by notice period in the quote and apply it on the invoice if needed.
Keep the next one in OIO
Numbered automatically, tied to the client and the project, outstanding until you mark it paid. Overdue invoices get their own list and a reminder written for you. Free plan, no card.
Start freeAlso for photographers: quote template and contract template. Invoice templates for related trades: videographers, graphic designers, video editors, social media managers. Or browse all invoice templates.