Photographe de mariage : quel statut juridique choisir ?

Before getting into wedding photography, you need to think about the legal status that best suits your situation.

An amateur photographer and a professional photographer will not opt for the same legal status.

Therefore, it is essential to learn about each of them to choose the one that will suit your business.

In this article, I will talk about the 2 main statuses chosen by wedding photographers: the status of self-employed photographer and the status of artisan photographer.

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The status of self-employed photographer (in France)

The status of self-employed photographer allows beginners and amateurs to practice their passion while holding a salaried job.

Created in 2008 to facilitate the launch of an activity in the form of a sole proprietorship, the self-employed person status allows many people to practice their activity without financial constraints.

Indeed, in front of the competition, you will need time to make a place for yourself in the business. With the status of “auto-entrepreneur” / self-employed person, you will be able to take this time while protecting your back with your double job as an employee.

Le statut de photographe auto-entrepreneur

The advantages of the self-employed photographer status

The administrative procedure to get started is very simple.
There is no financial risk in the event of a decline in business.
The self-employed photographer is exempted from social charges in case of sudden drop of his activity.
Moreover, the charges are relatively low compared to other statutes. A self-employed photographer will have to pay social contributions equivalent to 22.2% of the turnover.
If the photographer earns less than 30,000 euros per year, he will be exempt from VAT.
He is recognized as a “social” photographer and in this way he can realize different types of services and photos: pregnancy photos, shooting, wedding… But also training in photography or realization of videos for events for example. Thus, he has a great flexibility on the management of his activity.

The disadvantages of the self-employed photographer status

The photographs do not belong to the photographer but to the client because it is a service.
Therefore, it is impossible to charge royalties (not recognized by Agessa)
If the self-employed photographer exceeds the annual limit of 82 200€ for two consecutive years, he must change his status.
It is strictly impossible for him to recover his business expenses in his tax returns. Thus, he cannot always amortize his investments and purchases.
Beware, the status of self-employed photographer does not allow him to contribute to the pension.

The status of artisan photographer (in France)

The status of artisan photographer is suitable for professional photographers who want to devote all their activity to photography. It is the status that offers the greatest freedom in terms of the types of services offered.

Only people with a diploma recognized by the profession in France (such as a CAP or BEP) or at least 3 years of professional experience in the field can opt for this status.

Several legal statutes are intended for photographers artisans: as a sole proprietorship (EIRL, EI), or in the case of a company (EURL, SARL).

In the first case and only in France, the photographer is taxed under the BIC system (commercial industrial profits). On the other hand, if he has the status of company, the structure is subjected to another tax, that of the IS (tax on companies).

The artisan photographer is registered in the Répertoire des métiers.

The advantages of the status of artisan photographer

At the beginning of his activity, the photographer can be exempted from certain charges.
In some regions, the Chambre des Métiers proposes a support to the photographers in the different steps of their activity.
The photographer has the possibility to follow a free training (up to 100h per year) thanks to the unique fund of training insurance (FAF).
The artisan photographer is also affiliated with Agessa so he can cumulate an activity of photographer author (for the exhibition or publication of certain works). In this way, he can benefit from the author’s rights.
He can recover the business expenses in his tax returns.
The artisan photographer can hire other employees (CDI, CDD…)
Finally, the status of artisan photographer allows him to contribute to the pension.

The disadvantages of the status of artisan photographer

The photographer is subject to accounting obligations. Therefore, some choose to hire an accounting professional to manage the financial aspects of their business.
Social benefits charges are high (42% for the SARL status and 70% for the SASU status).

Regardless of the legal status you choose, it is extremely important to inquire about each of them to see all the rules and your rights.

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments, I’ll be happy to help!