How to start a videography business in 2026

No license to film — but a registration, and a sales tax account in some states. In the US no videography license appears on the Texas licensing department's program list (Texas TDLR), and none turned up for the other states checked; what you register is the business and, where the state taxes the work, the sales tax account. Form the business — trading under your own name costs nothing; an LLC is $40 in Kentucky (Kentucky SOS), $300 in Texas (Texas SOS) and $70 in California (California SOS), where every LLC also owes an $800 yearly tax (California FTB) — get the free EIN, open a business bank account, and get the city business license where your city wants one: Seattle's is $73 a year under $20,000 of revenue in the city and $147 from $20,000 to $499,999 in 2026 (City of Seattle). Our guide to whether you need an LLC walks through the choice.

Sales tax on video is a state question, in each state's own words. Texas lists "photography and videography" as taxable labor (Texas Comptroller, publication 96-259, January 2026). New York's tax appeals tribunal held that "While the videotaping of an event by itself would not be taxable," a videographer who films an event and transfers the recording "is making a retail sale of tangible personal property" and the entire receipt is taxable (New York Tax Department, advisory opinion, 1996 — a ruling about delivered tapes). Florida's revenue department: "The charges for production and post production are subject to sales tax" when a recording is delivered, but not for design and consulting with "no transfer of tangible personal property of consequence" (Florida DOR, technical assistance advisement, 2005). Washington splits it: a one-of-a-kind master copy is a service under its business and occupation tax, while "Unedited recordings transferred electronically are considered digital goods" subject to retail sales tax, with a business-purpose exemption (Washington DOR). California taxes "Videotapes of private events, such as weddings or graduations" and CDs and DVDs, while photographs transferred electronically are "generally not taxable" (CDTFA, publication 68). Never assume the service is untaxed; check your state's revenue department before the first invoice.

The kit, at listed prices. Sony announced the ZV-E10 II at $999 for the body in July 2024 (The Dead Pixels Society, July 2024) and the FX30 body sells for $1,798, down from a $2,099.99 list (Imaging Resource, February 2026); Sigma's 18-50mm F2.8 is the one-lens answer for either (Sigma — its US price page refuses crawlers, so the plan page carries a planning range for the lens). DJI's RS 4 Mini gimbal is $369, $459 as the combo with the tracking module (DJI, February 2025). RØDE's Wireless GO Gen 3 is $199 after the September 2025 price cut (RØDE; Newsshooter, September 2025) and its VideoMic NTG $259 (RØDE). An amaran 200d light launched at $299 (Pro Video Coalition, December 2020 — a 2020 price). A 2 TB Samsung T7 Shield sold for $199.99 in a February 2026 deal against a $400 street price, in a year when memory prices climbed (9to5Toys, February 2026). DaVinci Resolve is free and Resolve Studio a one-time $295, on sale at $236 (Blackmagic Design); a music library's Pro plan is what covers client work — Epidemic Sound's Creator plan excludes it (Epidemic Sound). For a drone, the DJI Mini 4 Pro launched at $759 with the basic controller, $959 with the RC 2 and $1,099 as the Fly More Combo (The Dead Pixels Society, September 2023).

Who owns the footage, and the music. "Copyright in a work protected under this title vests initially in the author or authors of the work" — the videographer, not the couple or the company (17 U.S.C. §201); a work "specially ordered or commissioned for use … as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work" becomes a work made for hire only "if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them" (17 U.S.C. §101), so read what you sign and put the raw-footage policy in writing. Every recorded song carries two copyrights — "Sound recordings and musical compositions are considered two separate works for copyright purposes" (U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 56A) — so a chart song needs permission from both the composition's owner and the recording's owner, which is why working videographers use a licensed library and why an unlicensed track is muted or taken down. A signed release from anyone recognizable in a commercial piece "adds commercial value" and lets you license the work without a privacy claim (ASMP, 2012 — written for photographs; the same principle).

Drones: the FAA's rules, from the FAA. "If you have a small drone that is less than 55 pounds, you can fly for work or business by following the Part 107 guidelines": be at least 16, pass the "Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG)" knowledge exam at an approved testing center, clear the TSA check, and complete the free online recurrent training "every 24 calendar months" (FAA, June 2026); the test is $175 at PSI's centers (Flying Magazine, December 2022). "Part 107 registration costs $5 per drone and is valid for three (3) years" — and under Part 107 even a sub-250-gram drone is registered (FAA). Since September 16, 2023 a registered drone must broadcast Remote ID; since April 21, 2021 Part 107 pilots "may fly at night, over people and moving vehicles without a waiver as long as they meet the requirements defined in the rule" (FAA, March 2025); under 400 feet in controlled airspace you need an authorization first, which LAANC gives "in near real-time" at 726 airports (FAA). Some states add their own limits: Texas makes using a drone to image a person or private property "with the intent to conduct surveillance" a Class C misdemeanor (Texas Government Code §423.003), and Florida bars recording private property or its occupants "with the intent to conduct surveillance" without written consent (Florida Statutes §934.50).

Film permits are municipal, with thresholds. New York City needs no permit for "a hand-held camera, a camera on tripod, hand-held props and/or hand-held equipment" when you aren't claiming exclusive use of city property, and charges $500 per 14-day period when you are (NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment); Chicago's permit is $250 a day per location, but "B-roll, and other low impact productions that do not interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic typically do not require a permit" (Chicago Film Office); Los Angeles's permit application is $931 for up to five locations over seven days (FilmLA, November 2025); Austin "does not require a universal film permit," only permits for the right-of-way, parks and the airport (City of Austin). Weddings run on the venue's rules, not a permit.

Insurance — the certificate the venue asks for. One insurer's annual videographer policy starts at $12 a month, $129 a year, for $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate, $347 a year with $20,000 of camera-equipment cover, or $59 for a single three-day event, and its page says "It's common for venues, national and state parks, landlords, event organizers, and other third parties to require you to provide proof of insurance" (Full Frame Insurance). Insureon's 2024 averages for its freelance photographer and videographer customers are $29 a month for general liability, $46 for a business owner's policy and $43 for equipment cover (Insureon, April 2024); NEXT says general liability costs 75% of its photographer customers $19 a month on average (NEXT, October 2026). What a venue actually writes: "Vendor insurance is also mandatory," general liability of at least $1,000,000, aggregate $2,000,000, the venue named as additional insured, due three weeks before the event (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 2023); a chapel approves outside photographers only with "proof of insurance" and allows tripods in the balcony only (Washington and Lee University).

Outside the US. In the UK no license is needed; you register as a sole trader with HMRC once you earn more than £1,000 in a tax year, and tell HMRC by October 5 of the following tax year (GOV.UK; GOV.UK, self assessment); a drone operator ID is £12.34 a year and the flyer ID free (UK CAA; flyer ID). In Australia you trade on an ABN (Australian Business Register), register for GST at $75,000 of turnover (ATO, September 2026), and any drone used for business is registered with CASA regardless of weight, with the 120-metre, daylight and line-of-sight rules (CASA; CASA drone rules). Check your own regulator's rules before you fly for money.

The business, and the calendar. Pick the lane, price it from the pages above, put a contract under every job, keep two copies of every card, and send the reel to the photographers. For one filmmaker going out alone, our free videography business plan puts the start at $3,175–$10,790: the body, the lens, the gimbal and the microphones, storage, the edit software, a year of liability cover, registration, the website, and two months of running costs — the drone, the lights and the Part 107 on top. Card fees come out of each payment — Square takes 3.3% plus 30¢ on an invoice and 1% on a bank transfer (Square) — and driving to shoots costs 76¢ a mile at the IRS rate for the second half of 2026 (IRS). The videography website templates show what a good videographer's site looks like, and Zarla's videography website builder is how a couple searching for a videographer near them finds yours.