Photographers will learn that pricing is tied directly to confidence and value, not years of experience, and that creating an irresistible offer matters more than chasing a "worth" number. Jai Long also explains how average costing across all clients, including free or discounted work, can still add up to a six figure year.
Jai Long, a wedding photographer turned business mentor, talks through the mindset and mechanics behind pricing a photography business. He covers why people say "too expensive" even when money isn't the real issue, how to raise prices without losing your market, and why being scared of success often shows up disguised as working on logos or other small tasks instead of booking clients.
About Jai Long
Jai Long has run a cafe, an electrical company, a vegan fashion label, and a wedding photography business, and now works as a business mentor and podcast host of Make Your Break. A photo of bamboo he posted went viral after being featured on WordPress's homepage, which led to his first wedding booking and helped launch his wedding photography career, which took him around the world; he later built a DJ photo booth business in Melbourne that he says is probably one of the city's biggest.
Key takeaways
1. Think in average costing, not single invoices
Jai worked for free, cheap and full price in his first year and still hit six figures because he tracked the average amount every client brought him, including referrals and upsells. Looking at the whole year rather than one booking removes the panic over any single low paying job.
2. Stop trying to convince clients of your worth
Convincing looks like justifying your price with your gear, courses and subscriptions, which clients do not care about. Instead, give people enough information to make a decision and trust that an irresistible offer and strong client experience will do the selling for you.
3. Build an irresistible offer before worrying about the number
Jai stacked extras like a wedding album into his early $500 package even though it cost him money, because an irresistible offer builds confidence and gets you working. Once you are busy, that scarcity naturally supports higher prices.
4. Raising your price means changing your market, not just your number
If you increase your price without changing your website, branding, venues and positioning, you risk pricing yourself out of the market you were already working in. Treat a price increase as a new offer aimed at a new type of client rather than a repackaged version of the old one.
5. Watch your bookings for signs your pricing is off
Booking far more than you can handle is a sign your prices are too low, just as an empty calendar for months can be a sign you need a different approach to confidence and marketing. Jai also rotates his package tiers so his highest priced option mostly goes unbooked, since it exists to anchor value rather than to sell constantly.
6. Being scared of success often hides as busywork
Jai says most people delay success by working on logos, tweaking pricing repeatedly or consuming more podcasts instead of getting a client. Recognising this pattern and taking direct action, like reaching out for bookings, moves your business forward faster than endless preparation.
7. Charge more at the start if you can support it with mentorship
Jai suggests a new photographer could start at a higher price point, like $5,000, and pay $1,000 of that to an experienced second photographer to learn from, rather than starting low and trying to climb later. He says it is much harder to start low and go high than to start high.
Favourite moments
"Business always needs to be your client's win, and this is what everyone gets wrong."
Jai Long
"If you have the humility to allow your clients to win on every interaction and every transaction, then you will win the game."
Jai Long
"Most people are scared of success. Most people."
Jai Long
Listen to the full episode
Watch the episode above, or listen to Photography Pricing Strategies with Jai Long on Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Frequently asked questions
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