The price range for photography in Pattaya is wide. People photography is billed by the hour: from 1,000 baht with a beginner to about 10,000 at the premium end. A wedding is a separate format — a full day, 6–10 hours plus an album, starting at 30,000 baht and up. A corporate portrait goes by the same hourly people rate; there’s no surcharge for the word “corporate.”
The difference is not arbitrary. Every price reflects a specific set of what’s included and what’s not. Most post-shoot frustrations are not “the photographer cheated me” — they’re “I didn’t understand what I was buying.” Price is a contract, and it needs to be read carefully.
What a standard package includes
Shoot time. How many hours the photographer works with you. Usually 1, 2, 3, or 4 hours, or a full day (8–10 hours for weddings).
Location. Specified or agreed upon. If the photographer is limited in movement (for example, only a certain area), that affects the price.
Number of final edited frames. This is the critical variable. It may be stated as:
- “All processed” (meaning the photographer selects, usually 20–30% of what was shot)
- A specific number (e.g., “50 final frames”)
- “From 30” (a minimum, may be more)
- “All originals + 20 edited” (a combination)
If no number is given, ask. It’s the most common source of disappointment: the client expected 200 frames and received 50.
Type of editing. Basic color correction (always), skin retouching (often included but not always), removal of incidental people or objects from backgrounds (rarely included), artistic processing with film tones (depends on the photographer’s style).
Delivery time. From 3 days to 4–6 weeks depending on workload and shoot type. Weddings typically 2–6 weeks. Family/couple sessions 1–3 weeks. Rush delivery usually costs extra.
File format. JPEG (always), RAW (rarely included, usually an add-on). JPEG is sufficient for a personal album. Commercial use or large-format printing may require RAW.
Usage rights. Personal use (always included), commercial use (for business or advertising — extra cost), exclusive rights (the photographer can’t use the frames in their portfolio — rare and expensive).
What’s often not included
Transport. If the shoot is at a distant location (Bang Saray, Sattahip, Koh Larn), there may be a travel surcharge. Ask.
Early or late time surcharges. Shoots before 7:00 or after 19:00 sometimes carry a higher rate. Standard practice for wedding photographers.
Additional locations. If the base package includes one location and you want two, there will be an extra charge. Clarify before the shoot.
Assistant or second shooter. For complex sessions (weddings, corporate events) — usually a separate budget line.
Specialty equipment. A drone, additional lighting, a tripod for long exposures — sometimes charged separately.
Rush delivery. If the standard turnaround is three weeks and you need it in five days, expect +30–100% to the price.
Additional rounds of revisions. The standard is usually one or two rounds. Each additional round is extra.
Prints or albums. Physical products are always separate. Prices range from 1,000 baht for a 20-page photo book to 30,000+ for a premium handmade album.
Full file set. If you want every frame that was shot (not just the selected edited ones), that’s usually a separate price.
How to read a quote
Compare the full package, not just the number. Photographer A: 8,000 baht, 1 hour, 30 frames, 2-week delivery. Photographer B: 12,000 baht, 1 hour, 60 frames, 1-week delivery, background cleanup included. Calculated per frame, B may be cheaper — and with better service.
What “starting from” means. “From 5,000 baht” is the base price of the simplest option. The actual price for your needs may be two or three times higher. Ask for a specific quote.
“All inclusive.” This phrase is almost always inaccurate. Ask directly: what’s not included? The “not included” list is more revealing than the “included” one.
Discounts and promotions. A “30% seasonal discount” in the tourist market is usually just the real price. Don’t treat it as a genuine saving.
Deposit. The amount depends on scale. For a significant or high-demand shoot (wedding, peak date, large package), serious photographers collect a deposit of 30–50% at booking — that’s normal. For a small everyday shoot (1–3 hours, no holiday date), deposits are typically not collected at all; they’re usually only exchanged in person. The logic is simple — photography is a service, not a manufactured product: if a client’s only reason for showing up is an irrecoverable deposit, the session won’t go well anyway. Keep the local norm in mind: in Thailand a deposit is non-refundable by default if the client cancels, so discuss rescheduling and force majeure up front.
Budget reference points in Pattaya
These figures are drawn from public profiles of several dozen photographers in Pattaya and Bangkok, verified through MyWed, personal websites, and Facebook. They are a snapshot, not a rule.
One-hour family or couple session (hourly rate by level):
- Beginners: 1,000–2,000 baht
- Standard: 2,000–3,500 baht
- Pro: 3,500–5,000 baht
- Premium: 5,000–10,000 baht
A full rate table by level, a list of common add-ons, and answers to frequent pricing questions are on the prices page.
Wedding photography (full day, 6–10 hours + album):
- Full day: 30,000–80,000 baht
- Premium with a team: 80,000–150,000+ baht
Corporate portrait. This is the same hourly people photography — by the table above (from 1,000 to 10,000 baht an hour), with no separate surcharge for the word “corporate.” The difference comes down to gear and approach.
Real estate photography. The spread is wide: from 1,000 baht for a studio apartment with a beginner to 30,000+ for a villa with a pro (interior and exterior, day and evening). The price is driven by property size, frame count, HDR, and shooting two sessions — day and evening.
Rush shoot:
- Typically +30–50% above the standard rate for the same format.
International aggregators (MyWed and the like). Pattaya rates there look higher — on the order of $95–200 an hour: these are prices aimed at international clients. Don’t take them as a local benchmark — only as an upper bound, scaled down by roughly two to two and a half times.
Estimate the cost from the inside
A useful way to gauge whether a price is reasonable is to build it up from what the shoot actually costs the photographer. Three components: the daily rental cost of their equipment (full-frame body, a couple of fast lenses, external flash); fair pay for three or four days of real work (one shoot day plus two or three days of culling and editing); and roughly a third on top for taxes if the person works legally. A price noticeably below that total means something was cut — on the gear, on the editing, or on compliance. Noticeably above it without visible extras (a team, a special location, premium post-processing) is overpaying.
When the price looks too low
1,000–2,000 baht per hour is a beginner’s rate: high-volume shooting in available daylight with minimal editing. For simple shots this is an honest entry point, not a scam. The trap is different — when these rates come with promises of professional-grade lighting, selection, and retouching: those promises won’t be kept.
A wedding for 8,000 baht is either an assembly-line studio with fast template work, or a beginner. Either is a risk for a wedding.
That doesn’t mean low price is always bad. Some beginners produce strong work at low rates while building their portfolio. But ask to see their complete series, ask about experience, and don’t rush.
When the price looks too high
A one-hour family session for 30,000 baht puts you in the top end even for premium studios. There should be clear justification: a named studio, a special location, an additional service. Without it, you’re paying for marketing.
A wedding for 200,000+ baht is premium tier. It should include: a team (lead photographer plus assistant or second shooter), a full day, premium post-processing, a finished album, sometimes video. If the package doesn’t contain those elements, it’s overpriced.
What to confirm before paying
The full list of what’s included. In writing. Not “everything we discussed” — a specific text in a message or contract: time, number of frames, editing, location, delivery time, file format, revisions.
What happens if something goes wrong. Rain, illness, the photographer gets sick, a guest was late, the hotel didn’t allow shooting. A serious photographer has a policy for this — rescheduling, partial credit, force majeure terms. It should be documented in advance.
Additional expenses. Transport to a distant location, permit fees for a specific venue, props — who pays. Sometimes the photographer includes this in the price, sometimes it’s separate.
Payment timing. Deposit now, balance before the shoot or after. If the photographer requires full payment a month in advance with no alternative — that’s non-standard.
Responsibility on each side. If the photographer doesn’t show up — what are you owed (in that case the deposit should be returned by law)? If you cancel — what can you expect (the deposit typically stays with the photographer)? This isn’t paranoia — it’s normal business terms.
A low price with a vague offer is more often a risk than a deal. A high price with no justification is overpaying. The right price is the one where you can see the structure of the work and the photographer is willing to confirm it in writing before payment.