Pricing Photographic Commissions
- Thom Pierce
- Apr 11
- 6 min read
Pricing a creative project is not always straightforward. As professionals, we have to create a sustainable practice, whilst also providing value for our service.
In this article I will cover the following:
If you came here to find out about how I price my campaign commissions, here's a short explainer: Campaign Pricing
Part 1: The Background
Categories of Commissions
Photographic work is commissioned for many different reasons. In order to price commissions appropriately I define them in the following ways:
Campaigns - Advocacy projects (the main focus of my work).
Commercial - Images for businesses, used for advertising and promotion.
Non-Commercial - Images for businesses, for non-promotional purposes.
Editorial - Illustrative images for books, magazines and other publications.
Personal - Commissioned portraits for private use and social media profiles.
The Financial Value of Images
All commissioned projects come about because the images provide value in one way or another. Value can be measured in different ways but the most obvious is financial value.
Examples of how images have financial value in each category are:
Campaigns engage public attention, attracting funding for the non-profit.
Commercial images promote products and services, converting to sales.
Non-Commercial work creates a positive, professional image for companies, which appeals to investors.
Editorial photography illustrates stories in publications, promoting sales and advertising revenue.
Personal commissions create a more professional image, leading to more success in the job market.
Copyright in the UK
In UK law if you commission a photograph to be taken, the photographer owns the copyright. You need permission to use that photograph publicly in any way, even if you have paid for the image to be made, and all of the costs associated with the production.
Part 2: The Breakdown
The Pricing Structure
I aim to keep my pricing fair, simple and consistent, so I split my costs into 3 parts:
The Creative Fee
The Licence Fee
Expenses
My quote will include both the creative and licence fee.
Expenses will be included on request (see Expenses).
The Creative Fee
What is the Creative Fee?
The creative fee is the cost of my time to make the work. It includes:
Pre-production days - creating concepts, meetings, research and planning
Production days - photography, filming and interviewing
Post-production - culling, selecting, editing, writing, delivery and archiving
Travel days - any day of travel with no production
Why do you pay the Creative Fee?
You pay the creative fee to cover the costs of making bespoke content that aligns with your campaign (or brand, product, promotion or story).
How is the Creative Fee calculated?
The creative fee pays for my time and expertise; and it is consistent through all categories of work - my day rate is the same regardless of what type of work has been commissioned.
2026 Day Rates (subject to change at any time)
Production Days - £600
Pre-Production Days - £300
Post-Production Days - £300
Travel Days - £200
My quote, and contract, will reflect the agreed number of days.
Hourly rates are available for Editorial and Personal Commissions only.
My current hourly rate is £200.
The Licence Fee
What is the Licence Fee?
The licence fee is the cost of using the images. It reflects the long-term value that the images bring to the commissioning organisation.
The cost of the licence is dependent on:
How the work will be used.
How long it will be used for.
The territories it will be used in.
The exclusivity period that is required.
Why do you pay a Licence Fee?
You pay the licence fee so that the full cost of the commission is relative to the long-term value that you get from it.
The License Fee Explained
Imagine that I am approached by two different companies with the same brief: Photograph a portrait of a young boy drinking from a bottle on a sunny day.
The first company is WaterAid, a non-profit, that wants a single powerful image for the front cover of their annual report. The second company is Coca-Cola, and they want a single powerful image for billboard advertisements across 20 different countries.
Each job takes one day, so I charge my standard production day rate, but the image for Coca-Cola is worth far more financially to the commissioning organisation. I need to be able to charge accordingly.
The license fee reflects the value in the usage.
The licence fee for the Coca-Cola image will be significantly higher than for the WaterAid image. They stand to benefit financially from the work that I have made, so the cost of the image should reflect that.
This model also allows me to charge again if Coca-Cola want to broaden the length, scope and reach of their advertising campaign.
How is the Licence Fee calculated?
Image licensing is tricky. It is part of the business model of professional photographers because it is scaleable depending on the financial value to the client.
I calculate licence fees in different ways for each category of work. Commercial and editorial commissions are mostly commissioning a small number of images whereas non-commercial commissions and campaigns are often photo-essays or larger bodies of work.
Here is how each category is calculated:
Campaign - Per production day, dependent on time and exclusivity period.
Commercial - Per image, dependant on usage, time and regions.
Non-Commercial - Per production day, dependant on time and exclusivity.
Editorial - Per image, per publication, dependant on regions and exclusivity.
Personal - no licensing fee is charged.
What does the Licence allow you to do?
Each category of commission comes with a unique set of needs for the client.
While all licenses include social media use as standard, each category allows for different usage. Here is a breakdown:
Campaigns - Global digital and print use in any medium, and in any way that aligns with the context and initial intent of the images. Find out more.
Commercial - A bespoke set of usage rules, dependant on the specific needs of each client. Commercial usage could be anything from advertising billboards to product packaging. Contact me for a detailed quote.
Non-Commercial - Digital and print use, including websites, social media, reports, exhibitions, books etc.
Editorial - Digital and print use in a specified publication, social media and relevant promotional material.
What doesn't the Licence allow you to do?
Unless otherwise stated in the Licence Agreement:
Images cannot be used to advertise a product, service or person.
Rights to publish or print the images cannot be sold to third parties.
Images cannot be sold or licensed through, or to, stock image libraries.
Images cannot be sold as artworks both in physical or digital formats.
Exclusivity
The exclusivity period of the licence is the time period within which only the client is allowed to use the images; or give permission for the images to be published by third parties.
The required length of exclusivity affects the price of the Licence Fee.
Exclusivity works differently for each category of work:
Campaigns - Client decides if they want exclusive use and for how long. Exclusivity period cannot be longer than the licensing period. Non-exclusive use reduces the Licence Fee by 25% per production day.
Commercial - All images are considered exclusive for the duration of the licensing period.
Non-Commercial - All images are considered exclusive for the duration of the licensing period.
Editorial - Client decides if they want exclusive use and for how long. Exclusivity period cannot be longer than the licensing period. Non-exclusive use reduces the Licence Fee by 20% per image.
Expenses
What are Expenses?
Expenses are all the costs associated with making the commissioned work. This includes, but is not limited to; travel, accommodation, equipment hire (if you require specific equipment), translators, fixers, assistants and sustenance (food and drink).
How do you calculate Expense?
I offer two different methods of dealing with expenses:
Upfront: I provide a quote for expenses that covers all costs of production. A 20% surcharge is added to cover any unforeseen costs. You pay the expenses together with your deposit, before the project starts. I deal with all logistics, bookings and payment throughout the project.
If the scope of the work changes during the project, expenses may need to be reassessed.
On Completion: You organise all travel logistics and pay for any travel and accommodation costs. All other expenses are invoiced with receipts on completion of the project.
Most clients choose the first option because it simplifies the process and they know exactly how much they are paying for the project. They also don't need to process receipts and worry about the logistics of the project.
So that is a complete explanation of how I price my photographic commissions. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me in the comments below or privately by email at thom@thompiercestudios.com.
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