Calculate Your Price, Profit & Hourly Rate
Gross Revenue
= price × slots × (1 − refund%)
Payment Fees
= (price × % + flat) × booked slots
Variable Costs
= cost per session × slots + assistant
Net Profit
Total Hours (All-in)
shoot + buffer + editing + travel + assistant
Effective Hourly Rate
Break-Even Price (Target)
Price per session to hit your target hourly (if set)
💡 Defaults are illustrative (e.g., 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing). Adjust based on your actual processor and policies.
How to Price Mini Sessions (First-Principles, not guesswork)
Pricing should reflect your client value, capacity, and constraints. Here's a simple framework:
- Define the outcome: What profit and effective hourly rate do you need? Set that in the calculator.
- Set a tight offer: 10–20 minutes, one location, clear deliverables (e.g., 5 edited images), limited slots.
- Account for all time: Shooting + buffer + editing + travel + assistant. That's your real hourly.
- Charge at booking: Reduce cancellations and smooth cash flow.
- Use scarcity honestly: Fewer slots often means higher perceived value and less admin.
80/20 Pricing Moves
- Raise price by $25–$50 before adding deliverables. Protect your time first.
- Bundle upsells (extra images, print credit) instead of longer sessions.
- Optimize slot density: Keep buffers small; cluster your schedule.
- Lock policies: Clear reschedule window and weather plan avoids refund leakage. Use our free contract template →
Slot Optimizer (Optional)
Use this to plan your run of back-to-back minis.
Common Pricing Pitfalls (Inversion)
- Under-counting time: Editing and travel minutes add up. Include them.
- Too many options: One theme, one location, fixed deliverables. Choices create friction.
- Charging later: Collect at booking to avoid no-shows and refund churn.
- No policy clarity: Publish reschedule, weather, and late policy on the booking page.
FAQs: Mini Session Pricing
What's a good starting price for mini sessions?
It depends on your market and demand. Use the calculator to back into a price that hits your target hourly rate and profit with your real time and costs.
How many photos should be included?
Most minis include 3–5 edited images with the option to buy more. Simpler offers sell faster and keep editing time predictable.
How do I reduce cancellations?
Require payment at booking, set a fair reschedule window, and send reminders 72h/24h before. MiniShoots automates confirmations and reminders.
What if weather is bad?
Publish a weather plan: backup date or covered location. Set expectations clearly on the booking page to minimize refunds.