Emma wants to hire a photographer to take graduation photos for her and her friends. She found a local photographer who charges $120 per hour. She also found an out-of-town photography student who charges $75 per hour, plus a $90 travel fee.

Question

How long would the photo session need to last for the total cost for either photographer to be the same?
hours

Answer 1

To find out how long the photo session would need to last for the total cost to be the same for both photographers, we can set up an equation based on their pricing.

Let's denote the number of hours for the photo session as \( h \).

1. The cost of the local photographer is: \[ \text{Cost}_{\text{local}} = 120h \]

2. The cost of the out-of-town photography student is: \[ \text{Cost}_{\text{student}} = 75h + 90 \]

Next, we set up the equation to find when these costs are equal: \[ 120h = 75h + 90 \]

Now, we can solve for \( h \).

First, subtract \( 75h \) from both sides: \[ 120h - 75h = 90 \] \[ 45h = 90 \]

Then, divide both sides by 45: \[ h = \frac{90}{45} = 2 \]

Thus, the photo session would need to last 2 hours for the total cost for either photographer to be the same.