Cost Sharing


We don't sell photos. We license usage. When a project is built by a team, the photography can serve the whole team.


Cost sharing lets the designer, builder, stager, and other partners join the shoot before it happens, split the session fee, and license images at the preferred rate of $25 per image. Join after the shoot, and the same images are licensed at the third party rate of $200 per image.


The difference isn't who you are. It's when you join the project.

Who It's For


Every finished space is the work of many hands. Cost sharing is designed for the professionals who helped bring it to life:


  • Interior designers
  • Architects
  • General contractors and builders
  • Developers
  • Home stagers
  • Realtors and listing agents
  • Specialty trades and vendors: cabinetry, stone, tile, lighting, millwork, flooring, windows, and landscape


If you contributed to the project and want images for your portfolio, website, or social media, joining the shoot from the start is the most economical way to get them.

Why Timing Matters


When only one party books the shoot, they carry the full cost and the full risk of production. Everyone else who wants the images later licenses them as a third party at $200 per image. Ten images for a portfolio page becomes $2,000.


When you join before the shoot, you share that cost and that risk. In return, you license at the preferred rate of $25 per image. Same shoot, same images, a fraction of the cost.


Once the shoot is complete, the images already exist and the production risk has passed. That's why the preferred rate is reserved for parties who contribute to the session fee. It isn't a penalty. It's standard practice in architectural and interiors photography.


Licenses are non-transferable. Even when one partner funds the shoot, their license covers their business only. Each company using the images needs its own license.

How It Works


  1. Plan early. The booking party (usually the designer) holds the date with a $500 retainer, applied to their share. They invite project partners to join, or send me their contacts and my team will reach out.
  2. Confirm and lock. Partners confirm and sign the cost sharing agreement. The group locks 7 days before the shoot, and pricing is set at that point. After the lock, each partner's share is committed.
  3. Split the session fee. The total is divided evenly, and each business receives its own invoice at the lock date, paid before the shoot.
  4. Build the shot list. The booking party leads the shot list. Each partner can request the specialty shots that matter to their business, like a builder's custom staircase or a cabinet maker's kitchen detail.
  5. Shoot day. On site, the booking party is my single point of contact. This keeps the day focused and every frame carefully composed.
  6. Gallery delivery. Every participating partner receives access to the full proofing gallery.
  7. Retouching feedback. Feedback comes through the booking party, so edits stay consistent across the set.
  8. License what you need. Each partner selects and licenses their own images at $25 per image.

The Savings: A Real Example


A designer and a general contractor both want images of a completed home. The designer wants 20 images. The GC wants 10.

Without Cost Sharing


Designer (books the shoot)

  • Session fee: $1,499
  • Licensing: 20 x $25 = $500
  • Total: $1,999


General contractor (licenses after)

  • Session fee: $0
  • Licensing: 10 x $200 = $2,000
  • Total: $2,000

With Cost Sharing


Designer

  • Shared session fee ($1,950 split): $975
  • Licensing: 20 x $25 = $500
  • Total: $1,475
  • You save $524 (26%)


General contractor

  • Shared session fee ($1,950 split): $975
  • Licensing: 10 x $25 = $250
  • Total: $1,225
  • You save $775 (39%)


Together, the team saves nearly $1,300, and both partners get the shots their business needs.

More Partners, More Savings


The total goes up as partners join, but each share goes down.


  • 1 partner: $1,499 session, $1,499 your share
  • 2 partners: $1,950 session, $975 your share (save 35%)
  • 3 partners: $2,100 session, $700 your share (save 53%)
  • 4 partners: $2,100 session, $525 your share (save 65%)

Full Day Shared Session


  • 2 partners: $1,950 total ($975 each)
  • 3 to 4 partners: $2,100 total ($700 or $525 each)
  • 5 or more partners: custom quote


Includes everything in the Full Day package:

  • Session Fee
  • Up to 10 hours of shooting
  • Digital library of edited images
  • Location scout
  • Proofing gallery access for every participating partner


Date held with a $500 retainer from the booking party, applied to their share.


Cost sharing is built around the Full Day. For a single focused space like a kitchen or bath, ask about a Half Day shared session.

Image Licensing


Participating partners: $25 per image

Third parties licensing after delivery: $200 per image


Your license is for promoting your own business: portfolio, website, social media, client presentations, proposals, award submissions, and press features.


Licenses are non-exclusive and non-transferable. They don't cover reselling or sharing images with other companies, heavy edits or filters, crops that remove the design context, or paid advertising, catalogs, and product marketing. For those uses, ask about a commercial license.

Who Qualifies


To join as a participating partner:

  • You contributed to the design, construction, staging, or sale of the project.
  • You confirm and sign the cost sharing agreement before the lock date, 7 days before the shoot.
  • You pay your share before shoot day.


Partners who join after the shoot license as third parties at $200 per image.



Common Questions


Can I join after the shoot and still get the $25 rate?

No. The preferred rate reflects your share of the production cost and risk. Once the shoot is complete, additional partners license as third parties at $200 per image.


The designer already paid for the shoot. Can't they just share the images with us?

Licenses are non-transferable. The designer's license covers their business only, so each company using the images is licensed directly. That way everyone has clear, legal rights to use the photos.


We only want the images for our website. Do we still need a license?

Yes. Any use that promotes a business is commercial use, including websites, proposals, and social media. Licensing simply defines how the images can be used and protects both you and the photographer.


Why is there a premium, and why is it 40% for three or four partners?

The premium reflects coordination, not headcount. Each partner brings their own priorities, so planning and coverage take more care. Beyond two partners, that complexity grows faster than the number of people, so we account for it upfront.


If the total goes up when we add partners, aren't we paying more?

The total goes up, but your share goes down. See More Partners, More Savings above.


What if a partner drops out or joins late?

Before the lock date, 7 days before the shoot, the group can change freely. After the lock, each partner's share is committed, so everyone's price stays the same. If a new partner joins after the lock, existing partners receive their savings as licensing credit.


Do I have to license a minimum number of images?

No. You license only the images you need.


Can each partner request specific shots?

Yes. The booking party leads the shot list, and each partner can request the specialty shots that matter to their business.

Let's Plan It Together


If more than one partner will want the images, the best time to talk is before the shoot is scheduled. A short conversation upfront saves everyone time, money, and frustration later.


Send me the project details, the shoot timeline, and the partners who may want to join, and I'll put together a shared session that works for everyone.