Creative work is billed in ways that do not fit a simple sales model: a retainer booked months ahead, a shoot fee, a licensing arrangement that may recur, and product sales that carry their own tax treatment. Add second shooters and assistants paid as contractors, equipment that should be capitalised rather than expensed, and heavy travel, and the books need structure well before the business feels big enough to need it.
Retainers held
Deferred until the session is actually delivered.
Three revenue types
Session fees, licensing, and products kept distinct.
Gear capitalised
Bodies and lenses as assets, not as a single expense line.
Crew 1099-ready
Second shooters and editors set up before year end.
What we handle
- Booking retainers held as deferred revenue until the session is delivered
- Session fees, licensing, and product sales tracked as distinct revenue types
- Equipment capitalised where appropriate rather than expensed wholesale
- Second shooters, editors, and assistants set up for accurate 1099 reporting
- Travel, mileage, and shoot-specific costs captured against the jobs they belong to
Common problems we fix
- Retainers recorded as income on receipt, so a cancelled booking creates a mess
- Every purchase expensed, including bodies and lenses that should be assets
- Contractors paid without W-9s, discovered in January
- Product and print sales blended with service revenue despite different tax treatment
We keep the books. You run the business.
Categorization, reconciliation, month-end close, and clean financial statements — with nothing left for you to chase.
View pricingHow It Works
Free review
We look at how your photographers and creative freelancers books are set up today.
Fix the structure
Chart of accounts rebuilt around how your industry actually earns and spends.
Catch up
Anything behind gets cleaned up at a fixed quoted price.
Close monthly
Current, reconciled books every month — ready for your CPA.
Photographers & Creative Freelancers — Frequently Asked Questions
Do you understand photographers and creative freelancers specifically?
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Do you work in my existing accounting file?
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Can you help if I am months behind?
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Bookkeeping built for photographers and creative freelancers
Book a free consultation and we will tell you what your books need — and what it costs.
- Done-for-you
- Solo or group
- Nationwide
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