Every photographer has their own style and ‘eye’ for a picture, and there is almost as many ways for them to price their work.  Price will naturally be influenced by factors such as:

• Reputation, skills and experience of the photographer
• Demand and availability
• Local market
• Nature of the photography experience
• Length of session and what’s included
• Creative editing process
• Range and quality of products
• Business overheads

To make things more confusing not all othose factors will be viewed the same by every photographer!   A ‘Professional photographer’ can be a recent art school graduate or someome who has another day job (and photographs horses as at the weekends) through to someone who has been working at this full time for years. Naturally someone with lots of experience and at the top of their game will charge more than the photographer that is still learning and just starting their career.   All this means equine photography costs can range from anywhere from a few hunderd pounds to several thousand.

Sitting fee

Portrait pricing typically includes some sort of sitting fee/ session fee/ creative fee/ booking fee (the name varies) that reserves the date, and time, of your session.  This fee might also include some kind of product such as prints, wall art, digital files or a print/ image credit but product inclusion is not a given so it is worth checking exactly what is or is not included before you book.

Image purchases

It is rare for professional photographers to charge just a sitting fee.  The purchase of images and/ or products are likely to be an additioanl cost.  Some photographers offer pre-prepared packages for their clients, bundling together popular product choices for client convenience. Others prefer a more flexible ‘a la carte’ approach where you select from a list of available individual products.  Packages may give you a firmer idea of final costs before you book but you are limited by the photographer’s choice of product in the package.  ‘A la carte’ pricing tends to suit those who require a more custom approach and like to make their own choices.   When looking for an equine photographer consider what you would like from the session and compare that to the likely cost of the session including the cost of any printed images or digital files.  Consider where you’d like to hang your portrait – a larger sapce is likely going to need a large print.  Taking a look at the photographer’s portfolio will confirm whether or not they are capable of taking the types of portrait that you prefer   Having said all this there may be some bargains to be had and I wouldn’t rule out an equine photographer simply because they appear to be more affordable and likewise an experienced and in demand photographer might charge more, but if you like their art and they are within your budget then why not go for it