Bookkeeping and P&L Spreadsheet for Photographers

Photography income lands as retainers months ahead, final payments around the shoot, and album and print orders later, while gear, editing software, second shooters and travel pile up in peak season. You need to see profit by month and by type of shoot.

This workbook is set up for photographers. It has 7 income categories (Wedding packages, Portrait & family sessions, Commercial & brand shoots, Prints, albums & wall art, Mini-session events, Second shooting for others, Image licensing) and 13 expense categories (Cameras & lenses, Lighting & accessories, Editing software & cloud storage, Album & print lab costs, Second shooter & assistant pay, Travel & mileage, Studio rent, Props & backdrops, Gallery & client-proofing platform, Insurance (equipment & liability), Marketing & bridal shows, Repairs & sensor cleaning, Education & workshops), each with a note on what goes there, plus spare lines for your own. Fees kept by your card processor or platform are entered next to each sale and reported as their own expense line (card, gallery & invoicing fees).

The Monthly P&L totals every category by month, then shows net profit, margin, a tax set-aside at the rate you choose and your monthly sessions shot. The Dashboard compares any month with the year to date and tracks 5 trade KPIs against your targets: revenue per session; gear spend % of revenue; lab cost % of print & wedding revenue; second shooter cost % of wedding revenue; marketing % of revenue. The Annual Summary gives quarterly totals, your best month, the largest cost and the receipts still missing.

Included: a worked-example copy filled with a fictional photography business year, a blank copy, and a 6-page quick-start guide in US Letter and A4 (category map, KPI guide, worked example, tips for the trade). 7 sheets, 6,746 formulas, room for 1,000 income and 1,500 expense entries a year.

General information, not tax or accounting advice.