The Most Common Freelance Question: How Much Should I Charge Per Project?

I'm a big fan of Flickr. And I'm an avid member of the Canon DSLR Group. Recently there was a question posted in the discussion boards titled "please help me out on pricing my photoshoots!". It's a common question among first-time freelance designers, animators and web developers. Although, my answer was directed at a photographer, it applies across skills:

My suggestion (not a pro photographer by the way) is to charge hourly.

How much? The short answer: enough to make it worthwhile.

My long answer is based on how I first figured out how much to charge for my freelance design work years ago:

1 - Figure out how much you would ideally like to make as an annual salary doing this for a living.

2 - Break that down into cost per week and therefore cost per hour.

3 -Multiply that hourly rate by three (once for your time, once for overhead and once for profit) and use that as your hourly rate. Honestly, it's not the definitive way to do it, but at the very worst it'll be a start.

On top of that, charge separately for post production. Don't ever forget post-production. Clients either assume it's part of the process or that photos magically come out of the camera perfect.

Post production is an important and time consuming element that's often misunderstood. It's important for the customer to understand that part of your skill is in the darkroom (albeit digital). Hell, show them before and after shots. Hopefully, it'll get them to appreciate the process more and, therefore see your services for what they are: more than just pointing and shooting.

In order to charge what you're worth, it's often necessary to show your worth.

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