FAQ: Photographers and Sales Tax

I am frequently questioned by my clients as to why they have to pay sales tax on their sitting fee-- since I am providing a service at that time, and not a product. Some feel that they should only be paying sales tax on the prints or print value in their package, not on the creative fees and photographer's time. I have even been told by clients that if I charge them separately for the services vs. the products, that they only need to pay sales tax on the product.

In the state of Texas, photographers are directed to collect sales tax on "all expenses directly related to the production and sale of photographs". Anything that's billed to clients is taxable... which can include travel, location fees, meals, parking, etc. It doesn't matter if the client is paying an hourly fee, or of he/she is paying an itemized list of expenses; their total is still subject to sales tax.

Charitable organizations, schools, churches, and any others who can provide tax-exempt paperwork do not have to pay sales tax. The only other exception to the sales tax is a situation where an individual or organization is purchasing photography services for the purpose of manufacture/resale. For instance, a newspaper/magazine, someone looking to use photographs in a calendar they will sell, or someone procuring my services to use the photographs in a book that will be sold would not pay sales tax. Essentially, since it's part of the process where there will be an end-product sold that is taxed, this is not taxable.

If a business is paying me to shoot headshots of their employees, and these shots will be used on their website, business cards, and promotional materials... then tax is applicable because the final products are not sold and taxed.

All regular consumers must pay tax on photography services (unless the end-user is a tax exempt organization). This includes portrait clients, wedding clients, and just about everyone else. Texas has even made it illegal to list "tax included" rates for consumers-- the tax must be listed out as a separate line item on any invoices or detailed receipts.

If you would like to hire me to consult on wardrobe, teach you how to use your camera, or help you design a studio, those true "services" would not be subject to sales tax.

Here's a link to the great State of Texas's comptroller fact sheet about photographers and sales tax... enjoy!

Holly & Will's Preview

While the fabulously newlywed Holly & Will are waiting for their pics to be edited, I thought I'd whip up a quick slideshow preview : )



Congrats to both of you! Pics should be posted on Monday.

A little bit o' Lesley & Chad : )

Ceremony: St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston's Museum District
Reception: Crystal Ballroom at the Rice, Downtown Houston
Gown: Jenny Kim Couture
Floral: Wedding Flowers by Lisa
Bridal Hair & Makeup: Cosa Bella Salon
Cakes: Who Made the Cake
Tiny Pie Wedding Favors: Porch Swing Desserts

Lesley & Chad's wedding was expertly coordinated by Kristin McShane of Keely Thorne Events.

What to expect when I come to your home for a shoot!

Everyone always wants to know what they should expect when I'm coming over to do a portrait session in their home, so I've decided to just go ahead and share it here : )


When I arrive, I'll usually walk around the house with my light meter to figure out where our best light will be (please let me know if there are any off-limits areas). I totally do not mind if your house isn't clean, so please don't be self-conscious about it or stress yourself out over cleaning up just for me! We may need to move furniture around to utilize the space best, but rest assured that I'll help you get it all back to normal before I head out. If you don't want something moved, we don't have to move it.

As you probably know, fed, comfortable and rested kids are happiest and most likely to cooperate. Call me the morning of the shoot and let me know if anyone isn't feeling well, if they bumped their noggin and have a giant goose egg or bruise, are badly sunburnt, have a rash on their face, etc. so that we can reschedule. With tiny brand new infants, sometimes there's a little bit of baby acne or peely skin. We don't need to reschedule because of those things.



The best experience for all of us will happen if I am welcomed into the house as a guest, and the kids do not "practice" smiling, saying "cheese", looking at the camera, etc. beforehand. I'm also not a fan of bribes, such as "If you're good and you smile we will get ice cream/candy/go to the toy store later", as this takes their focus completely off of me and all they can think about is getting ice cream/candy/a toy. I become their roadblock to this great prize!



I appreciate most when you simply let your kids be who they are, and discipline them as you normally would were I simply a visitor in your household. Pretend like it's a normal day, don't build it up or threaten kids, ESPECIALLY toddlers and preschool-agers. Let their curiosity work in our favor : )

I'll give you directions while we're shooting about where to stand/sit so we can be sure to have little ones looking the right way. Most parents' instinct is to make lots of noise and coo and laugh, try to be funny, etc. which can sometimes overstimulate kids (especially if there is more than one parent doing so). Please just hang out, keep the volume to a minimum, and be patient. It's not advisable to invite other relatives and friends over for the shoot. If the kiddos are interested in a toy, or need their lovely/wubby/bunny security item that's fine. I shoot a lot of facial expressions and candid little details, and will adjust the scenario/environment/clothing if it is going to make a difference in the shot I'm taking.



If there's more than one child, we'll probably start with both/all of the kids, and do individuals later-- but if it happens in a different order it's no big deal. I try and take hints from the kids while still remaining in charge of the situation! Flexibility is key.

Because the whole experience is a *little* stressful and different to kids, they'll probably be hungrier and thirstier than usual. Have a couple of refreshment options on hand, but please do not feed them while I'm shooting or offer them something like a fruit bar/biscuit/crackery snack to carry around while I'm shooting (it will inevitably get crumbs on their face or be stuck to their tongue when they smile for a picture). We can take a little break if we see that your child's patience is wearing thin; just be sure to gently wipe crumbs once the eating is done. Fruit, vegetables, small bites of meat, etc. are great options. Please do not offer candy/treats during our session. If you want portraits with a piece of candy (people like lollipop pics!), it's important that we save it for last, and do not give the kids this information in advance.



I allow about an hour and a half for these types of shoots. Sometimes we're totally done in 30 minutes, and sometimes we really take up the whole time. Just remember: relaxed and happy kids are usually accompanied by relaxed and happy parents. Relax and let me do the work : ) I don't mind if the kids need to touch my reflectors (ooh! SHINY!), and sometimes they're more comfortable if I've allowed them to touch my camera or press the shutter release button a couple of times by themselves.

If it's really dark and rainy on the day of your session, we may not be able to shoot (to get the look my clients adore, I rely on window light in a home shoot, artificial light will not give us the same results), but in that event I'll try and reschedule to as soon as possible in keeping with your timeline.

Payment is due when I arrive for the session, and I'll bring along the price list and a contract for you to complete. I accept checks, cash, or credit cards (can generally run your credit card from my phone at the time of the session). If you'd like to take care of payment before the day of the session, that's fine too-- just let me know. I like to take care of payment at the beginning for a couple of reasons... a) your children will be getting used to me, and this gives them a chance to observe and build some curiosity and b) in the event of epic meltdown toward the end of our session (or worse, epic diaper containment failure) the last thing you want to have to deal with is making monetary decisions and filling out paperwork.



After your session, you'll be given an edit date. This is the tentative date that I'll be working on your images. Final, edited images will be posted to your online gallery either on your edit date or on the following day. Any editing you request after the gallery has been posted is billed separately. In most cases, I post Facebook sneak previews. If you prefer not to have a sneak peek, please tell me. If you prefer to come to my office and choose your prints in person, we can make an appointment for that process (allow 2 hours).

I look forward to working with you! My clients are so special to me, and helping create these images that will become cherished memories for years... well, it's really and truly the best part of my job. I'm lucky to have found an occupation that allows me to share in these wonderful times with all of you : )

Sam and Hannah in Galveston

Sam and Hannah came alllll the way from Singapore for this very special portrait session! Okay, well they really came all the way from Singapore for a vacation with their family, but lucky for me, Mommy contacted me in advance to set up a portrait session for the kids while they were vacationing in Galveston.

We had sooo much fun racing and playing in the surf on the beach. Hannah and Sam ran and played, splished and splashed, providing endless entertainment for me and Mommy. After a while, cousins Reli and Ben joined us for a few shots with their Mommy and Daddy as well.

Sara & Will in Hermann Park

Sara and Will are getting married this August, so we recently shot their engagement portraits along North Boulevard and throughout Hermann Park.

We lucked out with a nice, cloudy day-- which really gives North Boulevard that foresty-fairyland look, you can see all of the climbing vines and ferns growing along the giant boughs of the oak trees. Sara was adorable in her navy dress with the red belt.

We moved along to Hermann Park for some shots by the water and among the sunflowers... and more big oak trees. I think my favorite from this session is the one where the couple is on the left, and you can see the reflecting pool, fountains, and Sam Houston statue on the right side... they're so happy and into one another amid the hustle and bustle. Ahhhhh. So sweet!

Thanks to Haley of En Vogue Events for the referrals of Sara and WIll : ) I'm looking forward to working with you on their wedding day.

The Lowe Family welcomes Lucy!

Lucy is the newest of three sisters! Her big sisters Lauren and Lindsey have been my little clients for quite some time now, I met Lindsey when she was two years old and had just moved to Houston with her family from Seattle. I was privileged to meet little miss Lauren when she was about three months old, so as you might imagine I was thrilled to hear that there had been another addition to the family! You may even see Lindsey and Lauren in the banner at the top of the blog-- one of their pics is still rotating (they're in pink and green polka dotted dresses).

We got a few family portraits, and some beautiful shots of Lucy and Lindsey. Lauren was having one of those "I'm not sure about you, Lady" kind of days that many of my preschool clients tend to have (I recall her older sister needing several handfuls of goldfish crackers and an episode of Clifford to warm up to me)... but I did manage to catch a beautifully "Lauren" shot of her peeking at me from behind a couch cushion. Sometimes the pictures that really remind us of a child's true personality are better than any forced smile we could coax. There's so much excitement welcoming a new baby into the family, but also quite a bit of transition as the former youngest learns to cope with not being the baby of the family anymore.

I capture what's happening... and sometimes, it's pouting : )

We shot in the family room upstairs in their home, a familiar location for me. After a bit of furniture rearranging, we cleared a sweet spot with lots of pretty light. Here re our results!

Leigha's Bridal Portraits

Leigha and her husband Michael renewed their vows recently for their fifth anniversary... and Leigha really went all out to plan a full-fledged wedding!

She even took bridal portraits : )

We shot in Downtown Galveston on a nice weekday evening, going to lots of my favorite places around The Strand. Lots of thanks to Leigha's coworker and wedding coordinator, Georgia, for all her help during the session!

As we were nearing the end of our time together, we made it back to our starting point near a really big art installation on the street-- a huge Mardi Gras arch, which was completely lit up. I pulled the flash off to the side so we could illuminate Leigha, but preserve the pretty lights behind her. It turned out great! It's one of those shots that gets a lot of "Is that real?" and reminds me of the electric light parade at Disney.