Photographer accounting — wedding, portrait, commercial.
Project billing, deposit accounting, gear depreciation (Section 179 on lenses and bodies), travel deductions, and the S-corp election that matters for booked photographers.
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Photography revenue arrives in pieces — booking deposit, balance before the shoot, additional product sales after. Match that against gear-heavy expenses and travel deductions and most photographers we onboard are missing real money on year-end deductions.
We work with wedding photographers, portrait studios, commercial product photographers, and content creators.
What we handle
- Deposit accounting as deferred revenue.
- Gear depreciation — Section 179 on bodies, lenses, lighting.
- Travel and venue deductions.
- Print and album sales separated from session revenue.
- S-corp election at $80K+ net.
A wedding photographer spent $14K on a new body and three lenses in Q4. Year-1 Section 179 captured the full expense; the alternative (5-year MACRS) would have given only $2,800 in year 1. The decision moved real cash.
If you shoot under 10 events/year, simple Schedule C with quarterly review is fine.
If you book 15+ events at $3K+ each, S-corp math gets interesting.
If you carry gear above $25K, depreciation timing matters.
Real per-shoot margin, gear math right, deposits accounted right.
From $300/month for solo, $500+ for studios.
Frequently asked questions
Section 179 on lenses?
Yes, qualifying business equipment expensed in year 1 within annual cap.
Software?
HoneyBook, Studio Ninja, ShootProof. Sync to QuickBooks.
Sales tax on prints?
Print sales taxable in CO. Digital deliverables generally not. City rules vary.
Travel deductions?
Yes — destination weddings and out-of-state shoots are deductible business travel with proper documentation.