If you have a talent and a passion for photography, it’s possible to turn your skills into a business. It’s not as complicated as you may think, but there are specific steps to take to do it properly. From choosing the right business structure to understanding tax obligations and marketing your work effectively, this guide will walk you through every essential step.
What qualifications do you need to start a photography business?
You don’t need to have any educational qualifications, permits or licenses to start a photography business. The proof of your expertise is in the pudding.
If you have a talent for taking great photos and an inkling about how to market them, you’re ready to go. Of course, you may choose to take a photography course in order to learn your trade and earn a certificate or diploma to impress prospective clients.
To be successful as a professional photographer, you’ll need to invest in top-of-the-range camera equipment and lighting.
Registration: Choosing the right business structure for your photography business
If you want to offer your photography services under your legal name, you don’t need to register your business. But if you add anything to your name, like “Ashley Smith Photography”, you must register.
Your business type determines how much tax you’ll pay on the money you make and how personally liable you’ll be for business debts. Here are your main options:
- Sole proprietorship. You’ll continue to pay income tax and other remittances to the government as an individual. You personally will be held liable for business debts or lawsuits against your business.
- Partnership. This is essentially the same as a sole proprietorship, except profits are shared with your business partner(s). Under a general partnership, each partner is held personally liable. Under Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Partnerships, only general partners (those who manage the business) are liable, while limited partners (investors) are not.
- Corporation. Here, your business becomes an entity in its own right, and your personal finances are separate from your business finances. In addition to filing your own personal tax return, you’ll also file a separate business tax return. Plus, you’ll have to pay yourself a wage from company profits. You can’t be held personally responsible for business debts and will have reporting and management responsibilities.
- Cooperative. Cooperatives are best for groups of people who share similar social or economic needs and want to operate a business democratically. In Canada, all cooperatives must be incorporated, either at the federal or provincial level. Cooperatives can be set up as for-profit, not-for-profit or charitable organizations.
Set up business banking for your photography business
If you’ve registered your photography business as a corporation or partnership, you’re legally required to open a business bank account. But, even if you’re a sole proprietor, separating your personal and business finances can help keep your bookkeeping clean, make tax time easier and give you a clearer picture of your business’s financial health.
When it comes to business banking, you have two options. Traditional banks like RBC or Scotiabank offer in-person services, a wide network of ATMs and access to advisors, but they often come with monthly fees. On the other hand, fintechs like Wise or Wave provide online business accounts that have low or no fees, with digital tools for invoicing, payments and expense tracking — great for small, mobile businesses like photography.
You can open a business bank account online, over the phone or in person, depending on the provider, but you’ll need documents like your business registration, business number and possibly proof of insurance.
Here are some of the best business account options to consider.
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How do taxes work on a photography business?
The way you file your tax return and pay your taxes depends on your business structure. If you operate as a sole proprietor or in a partnership, you’ll report your photography income on your personal tax return. If you incorporate your photography business, you’ll need to file both a corporate tax return and a personal tax return.
You must submit your personal and/or corporate tax returns between April and June, but make tax payments in monthly or quarterly installments throughout the year.
Since you’re self-employed, you’re also responsible for both the employer and employee portions of Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions. For 2025, the total contribution rate is 11.9% of your net income, up to a maximum of $8,068.20.
So, to estimate how much you need to set aside, let’s look at the relevant tax rates for 2025.
Federal income tax rates:
- 15% on the portion of taxable income that’s $57,375 or less, plus
- 20.5% on the portion of the taxable income over $57,375 up to $114,750, pls
- 26% on the portion of taxable income over $114,750 up to $177,882, plus
- 29% on the portion of taxable income over $177,882 up to $253,414, plus
- 33% on the portion of taxable income over $253,414
Federal corporation income tax rates:
- The federal tax rate is 15% (after the general tax reduction and federal tax abatement).
- If you’re eligible for the small business deduction, your federal tax rate would be further lowered to 9%
Provincial income tax rates for Ontario, as an example:
- 5.05% on the portion of taxable income that’s $52,886 or less, plus
- 9.15% on the portion of taxable income over $52,886 up to $105,775, plus
- 11.16% on the portion of taxable income over $105,775 up to $150,000, plus
- 12.16% on the portion of taxable income over $150,000 up to $220,000, plus
- 13.16% on the portion of taxable income over $220,000
Provincial corporation income tax rates
- If you’re eligible for the small business deduction, your provincial corporate tax rate would be 3.2% for eligible income up to $500,000
- 11.5% for all other provincial corporation income
Also, if you make $30,000 gross income or more in four consecutive calendar quarters (a period of three months beginning on the first day of January, April, July or October in each calendar year), you’ll have to charge your clients GST/HST. Then, you’ll be assigned a monthly, quarterly or annual reporting period to file your GST/HST return.
Here are the GST/HST rates you’d charge based on your location:
- 5% (GST) in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Yukon
- 13% (HST) in Ontario
- 14% (HST) in Nova Scotia
- 15% (HST) in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island
This means, if your net income is $45,000, you live in Ontario and your cleaning business is a sole proprietorship, you’ll need to pay the following:
- $6,750 in federal taxes
- $2,272.50 in provincial taxes
- $5,355 in CPP contributions
- $5,850 in HST
- Total = $20,227.50
Creating a business plan for your photography business
Unless you plan to apply for financing, you don’t need to create a business plan for your photography business. But doing so could still be helpful. Laying out your plan clearly will allow you to spot potential obstacles to your success or reasons why you might want to reconsider starting a business or explore other options.
A great photography business plan should include:
- Company overview. The name of the business and its owners, the business type and its address. Perhaps a short mission statement explaining your goals for the company.
- Your target market. Who will you market your services to and why? It pays to be as specific as possible. The better you know your audience, the easier it is to market to them.
- Products and services. A full list of what products and services are offered by your business, plus how much you’ll charge.
- Competitors. Who are your competitors? How does your business differ from theirs? Why is yours better?
- Marketing plan. Are you planning to distribute brochures? Where will you market your business? What is your monthly marketing budget for each marketing platform?
- Financial plan. How much will it cost to launch your business? What are the estimated monthly running costs? What are your monthly sales forecasts? (You should list a minimum viable target amount, an average target amount and stretch targets for long-term growth.)
Things change quickly in the world of business, so it’s recommended to review and amend your business plan at least once every quarter.
Setting up your photography business
Here’s a step-by-step guide to starting a photography business in Canada:
1. Define your niche and services
Start by deciding what type of photography you want to offer so you can target the right clients and market yourself effectively. If you’re passionate and skilled in a certain type of photography already, you can pursue that or conduct market research to see what photography services are missing in your area.
Here are some types of photography to consider:
- Portrait
- Weddings and events
- Commercial
- Fashion
- Real estate
- Architectural
- Travel
- Landscape
- Sports
- Wildlife
- Fine art
- Stock
- Pet
2. Choose your business name and structure
Now that you know your niche, you can choose a unique name that highlights it, like “Julie’s Wedding Photography”. Just make sure it’s available in your province or territory on the relevant business registry.
Then, choose a business structure. Most photographers start as sole proprietors because it’s a simpler setup with fewer formalities. But if you want limited liability and tax advantages, you can incorporate.
3. Register your business
You’re now ready to register your business with the provincial or territorial government online. Upon successful registration, you’ll receive a business number. If you think you’ll earn over $30,000 annually, you must also register for a GST/HST account with the Canada Revenue Agency through the Business Registration Online portal.
4. Get the right equipment and tools
If you’re an experienced photographer, you may already have the equipment you need to start your business. But, if you’re just starting out, here’s some gear you should consider investing in:
- Camera body
- Lenses
- Tripod
- External flash or speedlight
- Extra batteries and memory cards
- Camera bag
- Computer or laptop
- Photo editing software
- External hard drives
- Lighting
Depending on the type of photography you plan on doing, you may also need to rent a studio.
5. Arrange business insurance and banking
Although you’re not legally required to purchase insurance, it’s highly recommended so you, your clients, and your equipment are all protected from damage and legal claims. The same goes for business banking; it may not be a requirement (depending on your business structure), but a separate business account can help you manage your finances more effectively.
6. Build your online presence
Before you start marketing your photography business, you should create a portfolio website, set up social media and claim your Google Business Profile so clients can find you and see your work.
Do professional photographers need insurance?
Although not all insurers offer the same options, you may find the following types of coverage helpful for your photography business:
- Photographers’ Professional Liability Insurance (also called Errors and Omissions Insurance). This provides coverage for the cost of handling lawsuits from unsatisfied clients claiming you did not follow through with your job commitments or provided substandard work. Given the subjective nature of an artistic profession like photography, it can be crucial to have this type of insurance.
- General liability (or Third Party Liability). This protects you and your employees if legal action is brought against your business for damages done to a client’s person or property.
- Business contents insurance. This protects any professional assets you keep in your place of business, regardless of whether you rent, own or work out of a home office. Coverage can potentially extend to computers, office furniture, inventory, machinery and equipment.
- Commercial property. Provides coverage for lost, stolen or damaged equipment.
- Personal injury. Helps cover costs associated with recovering from a work-related injury.
- Commercial auto coverage. Get car insurance for vehicles you use for business, including supply vans, trucks and regular passenger vehicles.
There are some insurance companies out there offering photographers’ insurance, which will cover you in most or all of these potential scenarios.
How much should you charge?
On average, professional photographers charge around $100-$250 per hour. The newer you are, the lower your rate might have to be to attract a client base and begin to develop a business reputation.
You can charge a “day rate” or “creative fee” for a day’s worth of services (which could be good for big events like weddings). Just remember to factor in the cost of all the time before and after the day you’re shooting to make sure you’re adequately covering your costs.
Extras like loading photos onto a CD or flash drive, printing hard copies and travelling to your client’s location should be charged separately. This allows customers to customize the type of package they want.
If you’re regarded as one of the best photographers in your niche, you can charge through the nose and probably still attract customers. If you haven’t built that sort of reputation yet, it may be necessary to lower your prices in order to stand out from your competitors. Take a look at what your competitors charge on job sites like Kijiji and Upwork, then price your services appropriately.
How to market your photography business
The best way to market your photography business is to get your photos in front of as many potential customers as possible (while making it clear who was responsible for them).
Here are some ideas for doing that:
- Leverage social media. The more people see your work on social media, the more likely you’ll find someone who loves it enough to hire you. The best strategies for building a social media audience appear to be changing all the time. Honestly, it may well be worth hiring a dedicated social media manager to take care of this side of your business.
- Start a blog or online portfolio. Your website should showcase your photography and all the key details of your business, but your business blog doesn’t necessarily need to be just about photography. It could also cover other topics that your target audience will want to read about. If you’re a sports photographer, write blog posts about sports. If you’re a nature photographer, write about wildlife. Include your best photos in the blog posts and do everything you can to help them get shared. Sites like Zenfolio, Flickr and 500px provide great tools for displaying your photographs to potential clients.
- Have a referral scheme. Photographers can secure a lot of business from customer referrals, especially if they make it worth their while. Consider launching some sort of bonus scheme for customers who refer friends.
- Cross-promotion. It’s worth setting up cross-promotion deals with other professionals that you could share clients with. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, you should be looking to collaborate with other companies that work at weddings (venues, DJs, florists, etc).
Bottom line
Starting a photography business in Canada offers a rewarding opportunity to turn your passion and talent into profit. But, success requires careful planning, understanding local regulations and building a strong brand. By investing in quality equipment, honing your skills and effectively marketing your services, your photography business can flourish. If you need additional financing to start your photography business, check out our guide on the best business loans in Canada.
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