Explaining the necessity for a rate adjustment in 2026

I’ve always aimed to be as transparent as possible with my clients. For the last four years, I’ve kept my rates the same. I wanted to provide consistency for you, even as the costs of running a business started to climb.

However, to keep the business healthy and moving forward, I have to adjust my pricing starting in 2026.

The reality of the last four years

The cost of living and doing business has jumped since 2022. Inflation alone has risen by about 18% in that time. This affects everything I do—from the insurance I carry and the software I use to process images, to the cost of travel and secure cloud storage.

To put the impact of inflation into perspective:

  • To have the same value as £620.00 did in 2022, a rate would today need to be over £730.00

  • Conversely, if I continued to charge my old rate of £620.00 in today's economy, it would only have the purchasing power of £525.42 back when I last set my prices.

By not adjusting my rates, I would be taking a nearly £100.00 cut on every single job, which isn’t sustainable with all of my costs increasing.

Keeping the tools up to date

A photography business is expensive to run. Since my last price review, I’ve invested over £40,000 in new equipment and hardware. This isn’t about having the newest gadgets; it’s about having the most reliable, high-performance tools available to ensure that when I’m on a shoot, I have the best performing equipment, everything runs smoothly and is backed up securely.

The 2026 Rates

  • Standard Rate: £695.00 (previously £620.00)

  • Additional Hours: £110.00 (previously £90.00)

I’ve intentionally kept the main rate increase to 12%, which is well below the 18% inflation mark. I’ve done this because I value my working relationships and I want to keep this adjustment as fair as I can.

A high standard of reliability

Since I started my career, I’ve never been late for a job, never lost a client's image, and never missed a shot due to kit failure. This level of consistency and reliability is expensive to maintain, but it’s the only way I know how to operate.

I hope this explains my reasoning and why this adjustment is necessary for me to continue delivering at a level I need to.