Worked example: a photography invoice that separates the shoot from the licence
This is not another list of fields. It is one invoice, walked line by line, for a one-day commercial shoot that also sells a 12-month web-and-social licence. The numbers are invented. The structure is what actually prevents the "they reused the photos two years later" argument.
Open the same structure in the tool: photography line items preloaded. Then change the rates. The generator does not invent a price for you.
The job
A small food brand wants a half-day studio session, a short edit, and the right to use eight finished images on its website and Instagram for a year. They do not want print, packaging, or paid ads. They asked for "the photos" as if that were one product. It is not.
The invoice, as it should be written
| Line | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio shoot — half day (4 hours, one location, eight hero frames agreed in advance) | 1 | 900.00 | 900.00 |
| Post-production — select, colour and retouch eight finals, one revision round | 8 | 35.00 | 280.00 |
| Usage licence — web and organic social, worldwide, 12 months from delivery, eight images | 1 | 450.00 | 450.00 |
| Studio hire and seamless paper (at cost) | 1 | 120.00 | 120.00 |
| Less booking retainer received 20 Feb 2026 | 1 | −400.00 | −400.00 |
Subtotal after retainer: 1,350.00. Tax is omitted on purpose — whether you charge it depends on where you are registered, not on this example.
Why these lines are separate
The shoot is time
900 covers being in the room. If the client later says "can we just do a second setup", you are negotiating more time, not more "photos".
The edit is a cap
Eight finals at 35 each, one revision round. The next email that says "a few more looks" now has a price.
The licence is the asset
450 buys a year of web and organic social use, worldwide, for those eight files. It does not buy packaging, paid media, or year two.
Usage rights described on this invoice transfer on receipt of full payment. Use outside the medium, territory or term above requires a new licence.
That clause turns an overdue invoice into an unlicensed-use problem. Accounts payable is slow. A marketing manager who cannot publish next week's campaign is not.
What the collapsed version costs you
The same job billed as "Photography package — 1,750" looks cheaper to write and more expensive later. You have no line to extend, no licence to renew, and the retainer is hidden so the balance due is an argument instead of arithmetic.
Related
- Photography invoicing guideShoot, edit, licence, expenses
- What to include on an invoiceThe fields a valid invoice needs
- Open the generator with this structureRates start at zero on purpose