Many photographers make most of their profit after the session fee: on extra images, prints, wall art and albums. Yet a lot of us deliver a gallery link and hope the client orders something. They rarely do. Selling add-ons is not pushing; it is helping people get the photos off their phone and onto the wall.
Why add-ons matter
Take a family session at a sample rate of $365 for four people. If the family also takes 10 extra edited images ($75) and a 24x36 canvas ($325), the order is $765. You did the same session. You only offered the right things at the right time.
What to offer
Keep the list short and clear. Too many choices and nobody chooses.
- Extra edited images in sets: 10 for $75
- Rush delivery: within 72 hours for $100
- Print package: one 8x10 and four 5x7 prints, $120
- Wall canvas: 24x36, $325
- Fine art album: 20 pages for $450 (family and events), 30 pages for $900 (weddings)
- Second shooter for weddings ($500) and events ($400)
- Travel beyond your free radius
How to price products
A common rule is three to four times what your lab charges you, so the price covers ordering, checking color, packaging, delivery and your time. A canvas that costs you about $90 to print and ship sells for $325. Never price prints at lab cost; you are not a print shop, you are the person who makes sure it looks right on the wall.
When to show them
Before the session, not after. The moment a client is choosing their session is when they are thinking about what they want. That is why add-ons belong next to the price:
- On your website, under each session package
- In the price calculator, as boxes they tick while they price the session
- In your inquiry reply and on the phone
- At the session, with a sample canvas and album in your bag
- In the delivery email, as a reminder
On LensPilot, every session package in your calculator lists its add-ons, and the AI receptionist offers the same ones when someone calls. A client who builds their order on your site at 10 p.m. does not feel sold to.
Show, do not describe
People cannot picture a 24x36 canvas. Help them:
- Bring a sample canvas and album to sessions
- Show photos of real wall art in client homes, with permission
- Ask where it will hang and suggest a size for that wall
- Offer a print package as the default and let them remove it
Make it easy to say yes
- Price products in round numbers that are easy to add
- Bundle: a canvas plus the print package for a little less than both
- Set a deadline: add-ons ordered within two weeks of delivery, so they do not sit in a gallery forever
- Collect when they order. Send an invoice they pay by card; order the print once it is paid
A simple add-on menu by session
- Family sessions: extra images, print package, canvas, album, extra hour ($150)
- Headshots: 3 extra retouched images ($60), rush delivery within 24 hours ($100), setup at the client's office ($200)
- Events: second shooter ($400), 20-page album ($450), print package, rush delivery ($150)
- Weddings: second shooter ($500), engagement session ($350), 30-page album ($900), rush sneak peek ($200), canvas
- Minis: 5 extra images ($40), full gallery ($125), print package
Match the add-on to what the client of that session actually wants. A business buying headshots wants speed and convenience, not an album. A couple wants the album.
Fulfilment is on you
You still order from your lab, check the proofs and deliver. Choose a professional lab with consistent color and good packaging, order a sample of every product you sell, and keep a few in your car to show. Factor your time into the price.
Track what sells
Look at your last 20 sessions: how many bought any add-on, which one, and the average order. If extra images sell and albums never do, put albums lower on the list or drop them. If nobody buys anything, move the add-ons earlier, into the pricing step.
Upselling without being pushy
- Recommend, do not pressure: "For your living room wall I would go with the 24x36"
- Offer once at booking and once at delivery, then stop
- Never make the basic session feel like a trap. Write clearly what is included
When add-ons are part of the package from the start, they stop feeling like extra and start feeling like the finished product. Read how to price photography packages to set the session fees they sit on.
Frequently asked questions
How much should photographers charge for prints?
A common rule is three to four times your lab cost, including shipping. At our sample rates, a print package with one 8x10 and four 5x7 prints is $120 and a 24x36 canvas is $325.
Is it better to include digital files or sell prints?
Many photographers include a set number of edited digital images and sell prints and extra images as add-ons. That keeps the session price simple and gives clients a reason to buy more.