A commercial photography quote template that prices the usage, not just the shoot.
This is a free commercial photography quote template with a brand shoot already itemized: pre-production from creative planning to casting, the shoot day with crew priced people-times-days, talent fees, and the line that separates commercial work from everything else, usage licensing scoped by channel, term, and territory. Load it in the builder, delete what this production doesn't need, and price the rest. Rates start empty because your day rate depends on your book and the brief.
The expensive mistake in commercial quoting is treating usage as included. The shoot produces the images; the license is what the client is buying, and it can renew. This template carries the license and its renewal option as separate visible lines, next to high-end retouching priced per image, because a quote that includes a perpetual full buyout at no charge gives away the most valuable thing on it.
What’s in the template
This is the exact checklist that loads in the builder, with each line’s unit already set. Delete what this job doesn’t need.
Pre-Production4 lines
Creative and shot planning, location scouting by the day, casting and talent coordination, and the styling prep that makes the shot list real.
- Creative & shot planningflat
- Location scoutingday
- Casting & talent coordinationflat
- Prop & set styling prepflat
Shoot6 lines
The photographer's day rate, then crew priced people-times-days: assistant, digital tech, hair and makeup, plus the studio and the equipment package.
- Photographer day rateday
- Assistantday
- Digital techday
- Hair & makeup artistday
- Studio rentalday
- Equipment packageday
Crew by the day. Quantity = people, multiplier = days.
Talent & Usage3 lines
Model fees by the day and the usage license scoped by channel, term, and territory, with the renewal option already on the paper.
- Model feesday
- Usage licensing (channels · term · territory)flat
- Licensing renewal optionflat
Post-Production4 lines
Cull and color on the take, high-end retouching and compositing per image, and file prep to the agency's delivery spec.
- Culling & colorflat
- High-end retouchingeach
- Compositingeach
- File prep & deliveryflat
Travel & Logistics3 lines
Travel days at a day rate, mileage and transport, and catering per person.
- Travel daysday
- Mileage & transportflat
- Cateringperson
Questions
Units, tax, deposits and exports are covered in the Help guide.
What does a commercial photography quote include?
Five sections: pre-production (creative and shot planning, scouting, casting, styling prep), the shoot (photographer day rate, assistant, digital tech, hair and makeup, studio, equipment), talent and usage (model fees plus the license scoped by channel, term, and territory, with a renewal option), post-production (cull and color, high-end retouching per image, compositing, delivery), and travel and logistics. The license lines are the ones that make it a commercial quote instead of a big portrait quote.
What do commercial photographers charge in 2026?
Day rates commonly run $1,000 to $3,500 depending on experience and market, with large campaigns quoted per project at $5,000 to $10,000 and up. Usage licensing comes on top, commonly 50 to 100 percent of the day rate and more than the shoot fee for broad multi-year campaigns, scoped by where the images run, for how long, and in which territories. The day rate covers the shoot and the license covers use of the images, so quote them separately.
How do I scope usage licensing on the quote?
Name the channels, the term, and the territory in the line itself: web and social, North America, two years reads differently than all media, worldwide, in perpetuity, and prices differently too. The template carries the license as a flat line you scope in the name, plus a renewal option line, so extending the term later is already priced.
Is the commercial photography quote template free to use?
Yes. The builder runs without an account, and the free plan includes every estimate export: client PDF, Excel, CSV, an internal budget export, and a read-only share link that carries a client-safe copy inside the link itself. A free account adds one cloud-saved estimate. If procurement asks for a commercial photography estimate instead, send the same document. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription: your branding on client exports, no Estimatery footer, invoice exports, unlimited cloud saves, and a Saved Items catalog of your standard lines.
Cost figures are national ranges compiled from Fash (Apr 11, 2026), Fash (Feb 26, 2025), Visual Education (Aug 24, 2023), Fstoppers (Nov 28, 2025), accessed October 2026. Your market sets the real number.
Related photography templates
Per-image pricing with styling, talent, and retouch lines.
Hourly coverage, second photographer, and fast turnaround.
Coverage, second shooter, albums, and delivery itemized.
General information for pricing your own work. Not legal, tax or accounting advice. Deposit caps, licensing, lien and permit rules vary by state.