Along with purchasing gifts and decorating the house, taking holiday photos has become an increasingly important tradition for many families, whether they’re using the portraits for holiday cards or sharing them on social media.
But if you’re paying for a holiday photo session, should you also plan to tip your photographer? The answer, according to experts, is “it depends.”
Most Photographers Don’t Get Tips
“Generally speaking, if the photographer — or any vendor — is a business owner, you don’t tip them, because they take the proceeds from everything,” says etiquette expert Lisa Grotts. “But if the business owner sent their people to provide the service and they’re not there, you might tip the workers.”
Most shutterbugs typically don’t receive gratuities, says Kyla Goff, owner of Kyla Goff Photography in Bellingham, Washington.
“Wedding and boudoir photographers might get tipped but I don’t know anyone who has been tipped for holiday pictures. That said, it would be a great time to give one,” she adds.
[READ: Your Holiday Tipping Guide: Who to Tip and How Much.]
How Much Should You Give if You Choose to Tip?
While 15% to 20% tips are standard in certain service sectors, there’s no such generally accepted amount for photographers. Some photo sessions can run hundreds of dollars or more, making it impractical to tip at that level.
There’s also no standard method for actually giving tips. Some photographers use invoicing software that allows clients to add tips to their payments, but they would also accept a cash or Venmo tip at the conclusion of a session, Goff says.
[When It’s OK to Say No to Automatic Tip Requests ]
Grotts recommends planning out your tipping ahead of time and putting cash into a envelope with the photographer’s name on it. During the holiday season, families might also consider showing their appreciation with a small gift or gift card.
Exceeding Expectations Might Call for a Tip
Tipping may be most appropriate if the photographer goes above and beyond your expectations during the photo session. If, for example, they display exceptional skills coaxing an unwilling child or pet to cooperate for a shot, you might consider rewarding them with a tip.
“Plain and simple, there’s nothing wrong with being generous,” Grotts says. “We get when we give, and the act of being generous is never a bridge too far.”
Another situation in which photographers might especially appreciate tips is for mini sessions, which involve setting up a scene and conducting a few days’ worth of work in one long day of 15- or 30-minute, back-to-back sessions with families.
These sessions, common ahead of the holiday season, require a lot of upfront organizational and logistical work for photographers, aside from their work on the day itself — and there’s also the editing they do after the shoots.
“Photographers put a lot of time and energy into making those mini sessions happen,” Goff says. “But they don’t make a lot of money for the amount of time that they put into them.”
If you want to show appreciation for a photographer but are unable or uncomfortable giving a tip, they’ll always appreciate a positive review on social media, a referral to a friend or repeat business from you, Goff says.
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How Much to Tip a Holiday Photographer originally appeared on usnews.com
