How much deposit should I charge for a photo session?

A photography deposit does two things at once. It secures the date on your calendar, and it filters out the bookings that were never serious. A range of 20 to 50 percent of the total session price is common, with the rest due before or at the session.

For a smaller mini session, a flat deposit or even the full price up front is common, since the time commitment and prep are lower. For a wedding or a larger multi-hour booking, the percentage model usually makes more sense because the total price itself is bigger.

Whatever you charge, state clearly that the deposit applies to the final total, not on top of it, and whether it is refundable if the client cancels.

Turbo Link builds deposit invoices into the booking flow, so the client pays it as part of scheduling rather than a separate email you have to send.