Why I Package My Photography Based on Time 

Breaking the Rules 

When I first started out, everyone said: “Don’t package your photography by time—call your packages ‘small, medium, large’, or give them quirky names like ‘Business Booster’ or ‘Personal Brand Shoot’.” And yeah, those ideas did alright for a while, but truth is, photography is almost always about how long you spend doing it.

Time Equals Flexibility 

Let’s say you book one hour. In that hour, you might get a couple of really polished headshots, or—if you’re organised—you could get 15 quick-fire shots of an entire team. The difference? Efficiency. So it might sound like I’m contradicting myself, but bear with me.

The Real World Isn’t Simple 

In corporate photography, getting everyone’s diary lined up is like herding cats. People get called away, meetings overrun, emergencies crop up—you know, typical business stuff. So even if you’ve planned meticulously, it’s unlikely everyone turns up at once. Book half a day, though, and you’ve got breathing space to work through teams as they trickle in. The more people, the more photos, the more time you naturally need. Simple as that.

Engineering & Construction: A Day on Site

Construction and engineering projects are a perfect example of why time matters. Spend a whole day on-site, and you can capture an entire story unfolding—machines starting up in the morning, cranes lifting cages, concrete pours, and finishing touches. You can even throw the drone up for dramatic aerial footage. All of these happen in sequence, not simultaneously. You simply can’t cram that into an hour.

More Time, More Photos, More Value

If you’re on-site for a full day, you might walk away with a thousand shots. That’s brilliant, but it also means more time spent editing and finding the best images. Your clients get loads more value—hundreds of great shots and drone footage compared to just a handful from a quick shoot.

Why Clients ‘Get’ Time-Based Packages

In my experience, when someone asks “how much?” they’re almost always thinking in terms of half-day, full-day, or hourly rates. It’s a language everyone understands, especially in business circles. It just makes life easier for everyone.

Yes, There Are Exceptions 

Of course, stuff happens—weather ruins the shoot, things run slow, or you end up with fewer shots than planned. In those situations, time-based pricing can seem less fair, but thankfully, that’s pretty rare.

My Pricing Sweet Spot

After doing loads of research (thanks, ChatGPT!), I’ve settled on simple packages: 2-hour, 4-hour, and 8-hour sessions. The 8-hour offers cracking value, 4-hour is pretty standard for the industry, and the 2-hour option is on the pricier side—but perfect if we’re well-organised. Give me two hours and good planning, and I’ll deliver masses of photos that punch well above their weight.

So that’s the real-world reason why I package by time. It just makes sense.