Tip prompts are everywhere since COVID. (A tip jar at self-checkout? Are we really doing this?) And it’s even expanded to high-dollar services like photography. Which begs the question: should you tip your photographer?

Let’s get into it.

Do most people tip their photographer?

Tipping is not expected (or common) across the board in photography. And though there’s no hard data to back it up, the consensus is that tips are a nice surprise, but never an expectation.

Tipping shows up when a photographer provides exceptional value or exceeds your expectations, but not as a baseline.

Should you tip a wedding photographer?

Weddings get tipped more often, and it makes sense. It’s a brutal day. Six-plus hours of shooting, then hours of culling and editing after.

High stakes, lots of room to go above and beyond, and it’s probably the most expensive photography you’ll ever buy.

That’s why wedding photographer tipping is more common. But again, it’s not an expectation.

You can—not ‘you should,’ but you can—tip your wedding photographer if they went above and beyond your expectations and/or provided exceptional service.

But you do not have to tip, and no photographer expects it.

If you tip your wedding photographer, skip the percentage math.

A 20% tip on a $10,000 wedding package is a real gut punch to the budget. Tip what feels right, not what a calculator tells you to.

Is it rude to skip the tip?

Not even a little.

If your photographer delivered what you expected and the price matched the value, you’re square. No tip required, no side-eye given.

Does experience change the math?

A little.

Early in my career, I got tipped often. I was charging rock-bottom prices, and about half my clients tipped on top because they knew I was underpriced.

Now that my prices reflect the value I provide, tips are more rare. Not because the experience got worse, but because the price already accounts for it.

Why I ditched the tip prompt entirely

A client’s feedback changed how I handle this. Her words:

“I was not a fan of asking if we wanted to tip. I mean, I don’t want to not tip because I’m afraid we won’t be your priority, but a 20% tip sends the cost way up. So the other option is a shitty tip, which also feels lousy. All the options for that sucked and made me feel crappy.”

That hit hard.

Even asking about an optional tip put her in a lose-lose situation: tip and resent the ask, or skip it and feel guilty. Neither of those is a good client experience, and definitely not one I want to create.

So here’s my policy: if you want to tip, cash works, after the session, only if I blew your mind with my awesomeness.

No prompt, no percentage chart, no guilt tax.

What’s a “normal” tip amount for a photographer?

Whatever fits your budget and feels right for the experience you had.

I’ve been tipped $10 on a $1,000 session. And I’ve been tipped $300 on a $600 session (that client was thrilled).

Every single one felt right, because they came from genuinely happy clients.

That’s the only tip I want. The guilt kind isn’t worth either of us having.

The bottom line

So no, you don’t need to tip me (or any photographer).

If we work together and you walk away loving your photos (which, spoiler, is the goal), and you want to slip me a little something after the fact? I’ll take it with a big thank-you.

But it will never be the expectation, the ask, or the reason I show up ready to give you everything I’ve got.

That part’s already included.