Why You Shouldn’t List Your Prices as a Photographer
And How to Attract Better Clients and avoid the bad photography clients
Photographers, Stop Posting Your Prices - Here’s Why
If you’re listing your prices upfront, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Too many photographers and videographers fall into the trap of thinking that transparency equals trust. But here’s the reality: when you post your rates, you attract discount shoppers—not quality clients.
Let me break this down, show you why not listing your prices is one of the best business decisions you can make, and most importantly, tell you how to attract the right clients instead.
The Problem: Budget-Obsessed Clients
I recently saw a post from a bride named Rachel (congrats on the engagement, by the way), who complained:
👉 “If you don’t have your prices listed, I’m not even going to bother reaching out.”
And that’s exactly why I tell photographers NOT to list their prices.
Why? Because clients like Rachel aren’t booking you for your talent, your style, or your creative vision. They’re shopping for the lowest price—and when you attract budget-driven clients, you trap yourself in a race to the bottom.
Two Types of Clients: Who Do You Want?
Let’s break it down:
Budget-Obsessed Rachel – She’s looking for the cheapest deal. If you’re $1,000, she’ll try to get you for $950. If you’re $950, she’ll try for $900. She only cares about the price.
Artist-Friendly Rachel – She values creativity, connection, and quality. She’s willing to invest in someone whose work she loves, even if it means adjusting her budget.
Which Rachel do you think is going to make your career better?
Let’s be clear: Not having a huge budget doesn’t make you a bad client. But treating creatives like commodities does.
If a client refuses to even talk to you because your prices aren’t listed upfront, they’re already showing you who they are. Believe them.
The Two Ways Budget Clients Will Hurt You
1. They Gamify Your Prices
You charge one client $1,000.
✅ They brag about getting a deal.
✅ Their friend books you and tries to get it for $950.
✅ The next person goes for $900.
✅ Suddenly, you’re charging less for the same work.
It becomes a game for them, and you’re the one losing.
2. Photo Clients Attach a Negative Emotion to Your Prices
Think about gas prices.
When gas is $4.32 today and jumps to $4.54 tomorrow, you feel robbed—even though it’s just 22 cents. Now imagine you charge $1,000 this year, but next year you raise it to $1,200. Budget-obsessed clients don’t think, “Oh, they’ve grown and improved.”
They think: “Ugh, why are they charging me more? Let me find someone cheaper.”
Loyalty to discounts = zero loyalty to YOU.
How to Attract Better Photography Clients
If you want to work with clients who respect you, follow these rules:
Don’t list your prices upfront – Let clients reach out based on their love for your work, not their budget.
Lead with connection, not numbers – A real conversation builds trust.
Know your value – If you keep underpricing yourself, you’ll stay stuck.
You might be thinking, “But Walid, how do I price myself correctly? How do I attract the right clients?”
That’s exactly why I created VBA/Visual Business Academy.
VBA is a FREE community where photographers and videographers learn how to:
✔️ Set their prices with confidence
✔️ Attract the right clients
✔️ Protect their work with contracts & usage rights
✔️ Grow a sustainable creative business
It’s FREE, and it’s designed to help YOU build a profitable business.
🔥 Click here to join VBA and get the support you need! 🔥
Your art has value. Your experience has value. Your time, effort, and creative vision are worth more than just a price tag. So stop letting clients dictate your worth. If they refuse to reach out because you don’t list your prices? That’s not your client.
And if you’re tired of figuring it all out alone, click the link to join VBA for free.