All photographers inevitably find themselves in the scary place of having to increase their pricing. Whether you started by pricing yourself well and it’s a small jump, or you underestimated your costs and it’s a big jump, this change always comes with a lot of fear. As a result, many photographers stay stuck, unwilling to take the jump, or end up closing their doors. If you’re at the point where you’re not earning enough but can’t take on more, it’s time to raise your prices. And today I’m here to help you take the first steps toward moving past pricing fears in your photography business.

The fears we feel when considering raising our prices are serious – will I lose my client base? Will people book me at my new pricing? What if I don’t get more clients? The idea of instability in your finances is hard, and there’s no guarantee. I completely understand these fears and have faced them a handful of times myself. With any fear, sometimes the first step is to jump in, and then it does’t feel so scary. For most, that doesn’t work when it comes to moving past pricing fears. But, there are a few things you can do before jumping in to give you more confidence and help you take that crucial next step.

First, run your Cost of Doing Business. As a photography business coach, I recommend everyone do this once a year, or more if you aren’t yet profitable. You should know your numbers, what it’s required to run your business, and how much you need to make per client to pay yourself while also covering business costs. When you see the numbers on the page and have evidence of how much money you’re losing by NOT raising your prices, it can give you the kick you need to make the change.

Secondly, consider your “why”. While most of us chose to start a photography business because we loved the medium, that’s usually not the whole story. Personally, I started my business because I was a mom to young kids and wanted a flexible income doing something that was fun and was mostly manageable around my schedule with little ones. It took realizing that I was giving my time with my kids away almost for free to strangers to really motivate me to change my pricing and ensure I was profitable with each session.

Third, talk to photographers who are already booking clients at a higher price. There’s nothing more encouraging when it comes to moving past pricing fears to hearing the stories of others who are already charging what you need to charge, and doing it successfully. If you want to make connections with other photographers who are earning 4 figures per client, join my Facebook Community!

Fourth, if you can afford it, find a great coach. Someone who has experience with what you’re going through and can help you figure out the exact right steps you need to take to not only raise your pricing, but also appeal to clients who will be happy to pay your new pricing, can be super helpful. I’ve personally seen the most growth in my business each time I’ve invested in business coaching and had someone further along in their career than I am help me figure out my path forward.

If you’re looking to jump into Virtual or traditional IPS and start offering a luxury experience, earning 4-5 figured per client, and want to learn more about the support I offer during this transition, I’d love to connect and see if we’re the right fit!

After doing all these steps, the only next step is to jump in with both feet. Trust yourself, your ability to adapt, and that there are clients enough out there for everyone, at every price range. When things feel slow or scary, reflect on that “why” to help keep you motivated, and before long, your new pricing will feel much less scary.