Cameras for Girls

Day Rate Calculator

Know your number before every conversation.

1
How much do you want to earn each month?
Set your income target. Be honest with yourself about what you actually need.
Monthly income target Total take-home pay you want each month
TZS
Working days per month How many days will you actually bill clients? Not all 30 days are paid.
days
2
What does each shoot day actually cost you?
These are real costs you pay to do your job. They must go into your rate.
Equipment wear per shoot day Camera, lenses, battery, SD cards all wear out. Estimate a small amount per day.
TZS
Editing hours per shoot How many hours to cull, edit and deliver?
hrs
Your hourly editing rate What is your time worth per hour?
TZS
Travel cost per shoot day Transport, fuel, parking, anything you spend getting there
TZS
Meals cost per shoot day Food and drink you buy because you are working away from home
TZS
3
Set your negotiating buffer
This is how much above your floor you will quote. Do not skip this step. It is what protects you when a client pushes back.
I want to quote
25%
above my floor
5% (thin) 25-30% (recommended) 60% (wide)

Your Numbers

Tanzania (TZS)
Base day rate (income target / working days) 0
Equipment wear 0
Your Floor
0
Your breakeven per shoot day
Quote This
0
Say this number first
Negotiating Room
0
You can drop this much before hitting your floor
Enter your monthly target to get started.

What to actually say

Use these exact lines in your next negotiation.

Opening: "My day rate for this type of assignment is ___. That covers the full shoot day, delivery, and equipment."
If they push back: "I understand budgets can be tight. The lowest I can go on this is ___ to cover my costs. Is that workable?"
Never say your floor first. Always open with your quoted rate. Let them negotiate you down to your floor, not below it.
Built for Cameras for Girls by AvoMotion.
Your numbers stay on your device and are never saved or shared.

What is your floor?

Your floor is your breakeven rate per shoot day. It is the minimum you can charge for a single day of work without losing money.

It covers two things:
1. Your daily share of your monthly income target (target ÷ working days)
2. Your actual per-shoot costs: equipment wear, editing time, travel

If you charge exactly your floor on every shoot and hit all your target days, you will land at your monthly income target with nothing left over. That is why you always quote higher, so you have room to negotiate without falling below it.

Going below your floor means a client is paying you less than it costs you to show up. Do not go there.

How to estimate equipment wear

Every shoot puts wear on your camera and gear. Over time, parts break, shutters wear out, and equipment needs replacing. The cost of that replacement belongs in your rate, not out of your pocket.

Simple formula:
What you paid for the gear ÷ how many shoots it will last = wear per shoot

Example: You paid KES 80,000 for your camera body. You expect it to last about 1,000 shoots before it needs replacing. That is KES 80 per shoot day in wear cost.
What to include:
Camera body, lenses, memory cards, batteries, bags, straps, filters, cleaning supplies. If you use it on the job and it will eventually need replacing, it counts.

You do not need to be exact. Even a rough estimate is much better than nothing. Start small and adjust as you learn what your gear actually costs you per year.

Read: How to Price Your Photography (Format.com)