Documentary Photographer

How Much Does It Cost To Become A Documentary Photographer? (In 2024)

Pat Walls

•

Updated: January 18th, 2023

Looking to start a documentary photographer?

But curious about:

how much it costs to start a documentary photographer?
what are the typical documentary photographer startup costs?
or the actual cost of starting documentary photographers?

Well, we have the data to prove it, supported by real documentary photographers and how much they actually cost to start.

Let's go over it.

Learn more about starting a documentary photographer:

Where to start?

-> Pros and cons of a documentary photographer

Need inspiration?

-> Other documentary photographer success stories
-> Marketing ideas for a documentary photographer

Other resources

-> Email templates for a documentary photographer

Software Expenses

Your documentary photographer needs software to run efficiently!

Why spend money on software? Because it can help you save time and automate certain parts of the business, so you can focus on the most important matters. Software and technology can help you grow your business, and save you from expensive personnel costs.

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
Project Management Software	Recommended	$0	$25
Email marketing tool	Recommended	$0	$100
Accounting & Invoicing Software	Recommended	$0	$50
Internal Communication Tool	Recommended	$0	$20
File Hosting Service	Recommended	$0	$299
Design Programs & Software	Optional	$0	$50
Social Media Management Tools	Optional	$0	$50

Office Space Expenses

It will be your call to determine if you need office space. It is not a requirement but may be necessary as your documentary photographer grows.

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
Rent ➜	Optional	$0	$5,750
Utility Costs For Office Space ➜	Optional	$0	$1,150
WiFi & Internet ➜	Optional	$0	$100

Training & Education Expenses

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
Online Learning Sites	Optional	$0	$1,000

Advertising & Marketing Costs

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
Business Cards ➜	Optional	$0	$50
Customer Research & Surveys	Optional	$0	$300
Networking Membership Fees	Optional	$0	$250
Affiliate Marketing Commission & Fees	Optional	$0	$250
Influencer Marketing	Optional	$0	$750
Press	Optional	$0	$500
Google Ads	Optional	$0	$300
Facebook & Instagram Ads	Optional	$0	$350