If you’re a drone pilot, you’re probably considering diving into drone photography as a business. The problem is what to charge. Is it profitable? Can I make a living off it?
I know it’s scary to launch yourself into a new business, and figuring out the numbers is one of the hardest parts. This drone photography pricing guide is here to help you determine how to set your rates.
Keep in mind that the research presented here is primarily based on the US market. While the figures may not directly apply to your country, you’ll still find valuable insights on what factors to consider, how to create a pricing package, and more.
Let’s get started.
How Much Should I Charge for My Drone Photography?
Credit: Harry Cunningham
It’s not an easy task to establish your prices. You need to consider various factors, from previous work to location to industry.
I’ll discuss those factors in more detail later in the article. For now, I can tell you the average US drone photography prices just to give you an idea.
The hourly rate ranges from $100 to $200 if you’re a beginner and $350 to $500 if you’re more experienced.
Another way to charge your work is by project/package. In this case, you can charge between $300 and $600 as an add-on for your wedding photography or $150 – $300 for aerial real estate shots.
How Much Does Drone Videography Cost?
When pricing your drone videography, you must consider how much time you’re flying, how long the footage is, and the video editing time.
A real estate drone video ranges from $100 to $700, depending on the property’s size and the flight’s time and complexity.
A wedding video will depend on whether you covered the entire event, half a day or only the highlights. From that footage, you should consider how long the resulting video will last. On average, it may cost from $350 to $1500.
Drone videography is required in many other industries – agricultural mapping, construction, inspections, TV, etc. The project usually sets these prices, which can be anything from $150 to thousands of dollars.
Drone Photography Pricing Models
Drone photographers have different ways of pricing their services. Each pricing model may be more or less common according to the industry.
Flat fee
Flat rates aren’t very common in drone photography services. Unless you have a very standard practice, you could end up working more than you expected – losing money. You can instead set very high prices to protect yourself, but you could scare away your potential clients.
Some drone photographers make this work by setting a starting flat rate plus add-ons.
Hourly rate
Fixing a price per hour could be the fairest way to set your prices. This approach minimizes the risk of undercharging or overcharging.
However, many clients prefer to know the total cost upfront, which can be difficult to estimate with this pricing model. This might explain why it is not a more commonly used method.
Pricing packages
Most drone photographers charge by pricing packages if they work in real estate and weddings. There are generally different tiers, and some include drone photos or videos.
By project
In this case, you set a custom price depending on the client’s requests and budget. It’s common to see this in commercial photography, TV and film productions, nature or wildlife projects, inspections, etc.
The risk here is that you may underbid a gig and end up losing money because you didn’t correctly calculate the amount of time it would take you.
Drone Photography Pricing By Industry
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Drone photography rates vary based on the industry. Here are the three most common types of drone businesses and their average pricing.
Real Estate Photography
Usually, drone real estate photography and videography are done by the same professional doing the regular photos and videos. This helps lower the prices.
If you’re only doing aerial photography, you would have to charge more because of the time invested in only one product.
So, depending on the pricing model, real estate drone photography is either charged as an add-on service or included in the package.
When the real estate photographer charges a flat rate, it usually costs $150 to $250. Then, the client can add different add-ons such as virtual tours, drone photography, video, etc.
In this case, drone photography costs around $100 for 3 to 5 pictures or $400 to compile a 60-to-90-second video.
Most real estate photographers work with packages that vary based on the services and products included and the property size.
In this case, they have a few light packages without aerial photography and only include real estate drone photography in the higher-priced packages. An average package, including drone photography, may range between $350 and $750.
If you’re basing the packages on the property size, you can make tiers with increments of $100-$200 every 2000 sq ft.
Wedding and Event Photography
Credit: Cristian Manieri
Corporate and sporting events and festivals may be charged per project or hour/day. The cost is highly based on the photographer’s experience and the venue.
On average, beginner photographers may charge $100-$200 per hour or $1,000-$1200 daily. Experienced photographers have an hourly rate of $350-$450 and a daily one of about $2,000-$2,500.
Wedding photography, on the other hand, usually works with pricing packs. There are usually three or four different tiers where the first package only covers photos, the second includes video, and the third includes aerial shots.
There might be other perks from one tier to the next. Generally speaking, there’s a difference of $300 to $500 per tier.
Alternatively, wedding photographers can have an introductory flat rate and several add-on services. In this case, drone photography may cost an extra $200 to $500, depending on the flight time and final delivery.
Sometimes, the drone photographer is present during the entire event, while others, it’s just a one or two-hour photoshoot. You may charge a full-day coverage for $500-$1000 or half a day for $300-$700.
Commercial and Advertising Photography
Commercial and advertising photography has its own set of rules. The price depends on the photographer’s experience, the editing, the project’s complexity, the brand, and the licensing rights.
Because of this, most commercial and advertising drone photo shoots are priced by project. Therefore, it’s impossible to set an average – it may be anything from $150 to thousands of dollars.
What to Consider When Setting Up Drone Photography Pricing
Location
Prices vary based on where you are. You can’t charge the same if you’re in LA than in Wisconsin. Research what other photographers charge and determine the going fee in your area. Use this information as the starting point.
Experience
Beginner photographers usually don’t charge the same as professional photographers with years of experience. While a beginner may have a daily rate of $1,000, an expert may charge $2,500.
Equipment
The type of drone you have also influences your final rate. Not only because of the money you’ve invested in buying it and the insurance and maintenance costs, but also because of the quality of pictures you can get.
Flight time
Doing a short photoshoot is not the same as covering an entire event. This has an impact on the price you charge.
Post-Processing Time
Deeply connected with the flight time is the post-production. The more images or footage you have, the more time it will take to process them.
It also depends on the amount and complexity of the editing, and the number of final images you’ll deliver or length of the highlight video.
Industry
As you’ve seen in the previous sections of the article, each industry has different pricing. Pricing for real estate photography is different from event or commercial pricing. Each industry has different challenges and standards.
Insurance and Liability Costs
The most important coverage you need is public liability insurance in case you damage someone else’s property or, even worse, injure someone.
You also need to protect your drone against accidental damage, as commercial drones are expensive, and you don’t want to be paying for repairs or replacements frequently.
Additionally, consider the standard insurance needs of any photography business, such as coverage for claims of breach of contract and similar issues.
Permits and Legal Fees
Among the general costs of being a professional drone photographer are those related to complying with federal and local laws. Drone pilots need a license from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly a drone commercially, and it needs to be renewed every two years.
You also need to register your drone and renew the registration every three years. Additionally, you may need a permit to fly in certain areas, which can involve fees and may require specific insurance coverage.
Seasonal Variations
You should be aware that demand for drone photography isn’t stable throughout the year. For example, if you’re working in wedding photography, the high season is from May to October.
You need to know your industry to determine these fluctuations and calculate your prices accordingly.
Risk Assessment
First, you should get insurance to minimize the financial damages you risk.
However, each project may have special requirements. Do you need to do a pre-flight check? Do you need to follow a particular training course or one on security protocols? Should you hire any specific type of insurance for the occasion?
If so, you need to ensure that you’re considering the extra time and expenses when pricing the project.
What to Include In Your Drone Photography Packages (+ How to Price Them)
Here’s a list of what to consider when building your packages and a few examples you can modify to fit your services.
Real Estate Photography Pricing
Credit: Curtis Adams
You should consider the size of the property and balance it with the number of pictures. You don’t want real estate agents to book the cheapest package, which may include only five images for a large property, to save some money.
This would require extra work to decide how best to cover the property with a limited number of photos. You also don’t want them hiring the most extensive package for small properties and finding yourself trying to find new angles and ways to shoot it.
You should also consider the editing and whether you’ll include a drone video tour.
Alternatively, you can base the number of photos on the time spent at the location.
Remember that most drone photoshoots in real estate are considered additional services that usually cost about $200. This, of course, may change depending on the factors mentioned above.
Here’s an example:
BASIC PACKAGE – Properties up to 2,000 sq. ft
- 5 to 10 photos
- Color correction
- Sky replacement (if needed)
- Up to 1 hr on site
DRONE ADD-ON
- 10 drone photos
- Basic editing
- Video compilation with the photos
- Up to 30-min flight
Wedding Packages
Credit: Lewis Ashton
For weddings, you should include the duration of the service (2, 4, 6 or 8 hours).
Within that timeframe, you should also clarify which parts of the event you will cover (such as preparations, the ceremony, or the reception).
This involves not only the time commitment but also the number of locations. Covering a single location is different from covering multiple locations, such as the bride and groom’s separate preparation sites, the church, and the wedding venue.
Include the number of edited final images you’ll deliver and how you’ll deliver them. You should also specify if you’ll give access to all files with light and color correction.
You may also offer a video of aerial wedding photos. If you do, be sure to include the video’s duration.
Finally, specify whether you will provide video footage, and if so, whether it will be unedited or edited into a video clip. In either case, make sure to indicate the duration of the footage.
It’s wise to include a clause mentioning that flying drones may not be possible in all venues and that it depends on the weather.
Here’s an example of how you can build your packages. You should establish a starting price for your basic package based on the factors covered before, then increase it depending on how many extras you add to each tier.
PACKAGE A
- 4-hour flight during the ceremony and reception in a single location
- 10 fully edited and retouched digital photos
- Access to all the event photos with basic editing on an online gallery
PACKAGE B
- 6-hour flight during the ceremony and reception in a single location
- 30 fully edited and retouched digital photos
- Access to all the event photos with basic editing on an online gallery
- 60-second video compilation of the images
PACKAGE C
- 6-hour flight during the ceremony and reception in two locations
- 45 fully edited and retouched digital photos
- Access to all the event photos with basic editing on an online gallery
- 90-second video compilation of the images
- Unedited aerial video footage
PACKAGE D
- 8-hour flight, including bride and groom’s preparations
- 60 fully edited and retouched digital photos
- Access to all the event photos with basic editing on an online gallery
- 90-second video compilation of the images
- Unedited aerial video footage
- 10-minute edited video
- Three 30-second videos to share as reels or stories on your social media
How Much to Charge For Drone Mapping
Drone mapping costs can vary significantly based on several factors, including the type of drone used and the type of data required. Many of these factors ultimately translate into the amount of time you need to invest in the project.
You need to consider the travel time, flight time, post-production time, etc. However, if you charge per project, the typical price range for drone mapping is between $500 and $5,000.
Another possibility is to charge an hourly rate of $75-$300 or a daily rate of $500 to $1,500.
FAQs on Drone Photography Pricing
How much should I charge per drone photo?
Most drone photographers work for entire projects or events. Therefore, the price per photo depends on how many photos you can sell from that job.
It’s more cost-effective if you can distribute the expenses and time invested across 25 sold photos, rather than covering all your costs by selling just one picture.
Therefore, the price may range from $50 to $300.
How profitable is drone photography?
Drone photography is on the rise. More and more potential clients are realizing the benefits of having aerial shots from their event or property. So, being a drone photographer can be very profitable if you can deliver good-quality photos and have a good marketing strategy.
How much to sell drone footage for?
Drone videography has just as many variables as drone photography, making it difficult to add a number. However, footage from a real estate project or 1 min footage featuring the highlights of a wedding averages $500.
How much do drone photography photographers make?
According to Comparably.com a drone photographer in the US makes an average of $86,823, and Finmodelslab gives a range of $50,000 to $100,000.
How much does it cost to start a drone photography business?
You’re golden if you already have a good-quality drone and know how to fly it. Otherwise, you’ll need to budget these in. Then, you need to get a license to be a commercial drone pilot – the prep course and license will set you back $460.
You also need to consider the cost of insurance, editing software, marketing, etc. Most of these will be recurring costs. Consider that you probably won’t have enough gigs to cover the costs at the beginning, so you need to budget a few months for these premiums as part of the initial cost.
You may need a few thousand dollars to start your business and sustain it until you get enough clients to start making a profit.
How long does a typical drone photography session last?
The duration of a drone session varies depending on many things, mainly the industry in which you work. A wedding drone photo session typically lasts 60 to 90 minutes. However, a drone mapping session can last several hours.
Is it more cost-effective to charge per hour or per project for drone photography?
Hourly rates may be more cost-effective as you’ll be charging precisely for the work you’re putting in. This ensures you’re not underbidding a gig, and your clients can be sure they’re aren’t being overcharged.
However, many potential clients prefer to know the total cost upfront before committing, which can make it more challenging to secure jobs with an hourly rate. Ultimately, the best pricing strategy can vary depending on the specific industry and client preferences.
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