# Question about how you charge.



## zombiesniper (Aug 31, 2016)

I've seen it a few times now where someone will state they have an hourly rate but then turn around and ask how much to charge for something slightly different i.e.. drone photography, 360 etc.

Coming from a welding angle, If I charge an hourly rate then that's what I charge. Doesn't matter which welder I use. The materials + (time X hourly rate) is what I charge and I would be very suspicious of anyone that did it different.

Back to photography. 
Is there a valid reason to have an normal hourly rate but on something else have a flat fee/rate?


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## tirediron (Aug 31, 2016)

Absolutely.  My retail work (the majority of what I do) is all quoted as a flat fee; Portraits are a session fee of 'X' plus product; headshots are this, T&I is that.  The reason (my reason) is because by quoting a flat fee the prospective client has an assurance of the final cost, whereas if they ask for a quote on a family portrait session and I say "$125/hour" they don't know how long it will take, or what the final tally is likely to be.  Now, that said, all of my flat fees are based off of my hourly rate, and if you look them up, and do the math, you'd figure out that they're pretty much the same thing, no matter which way you slice them.


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## pixmedic (Aug 31, 2016)

We did flat rate for pretty much everything where wedding and portraits were involved. 
You DO want to know what your approximate hourly rate is though, because sometimes you will need to quote for additional hours that weren't in the original quote,  or someone will ask about overage costs.


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## runnah (Aug 31, 2016)

Back when I did more freelance work I would give a flat rate but give the per hour breakdown. This way I would have a defined rate I could charge for overages.


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## zombiesniper (Aug 31, 2016)

Okay, these all make sense. 
So it's mostly just to make the client comfortable with knowing a total but in reality it's still normally based on the hourly.
Got it.
Thanks.


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## table1349 (Aug 31, 2016)

Flat rate for standard job with an hourly rate added for outside the scope of the standard job.  Photo sales were extra depending on the job.


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## randymckown (Sep 1, 2016)

How much is the client willing to pay for a specific service?
How much extra hassle or work will I need to invest?

That's basically what it comes down to. For example ... All the aspects of a wedding are expensive from the dress to the DJ .. so clients expect to pay more. Weddings can also be a huge pain in the butt at times .. Im working harder .. I want more money for my time. Now another client wants a standard headshot against a solid background for their Linkedin profile .. easy peasy .. throw me some cash and we're done. ... Naturally, I'm going to have incentives and up-sells ready for that headshot client but you get the point ... harder work = higher rates.


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