David Lumen Photography wrote:
Laura...it looks like you have been modeling for 4 years now. I find it hard to believe that you have yet to come up with an hourly, half-day, and all-day rate that you like to get for your services? Travel is not modeling, and is always a separate consideration and negotiation.
If you thought enough of someone to respond...what would be wrong with this...
"Generally speaking, my hourly rate for nude work is $xx with a 2-hour minimum, $yy for a half-day, and $zz for all-day...but rates ultimately depend upon the project. If travel is involved, those expenses must be covered. So...what kind of theme did you have in mind?"
I understand not wanting to get blocked into a rate, so "generally speaking" leaves room for change, as does the statement that rates ultimately depend upon the project. If the photographer wants to add something not contemplated, then address it at the time it comes up.
And yes...the whole process is one long negotiation...and having spent a number of years as a professional buyer...I can see now that the question of "What did you have in mind?" is somewhat out of sequence in a normal negotiation.
No, saying "generally speaking its this much, but what do you have in mind" means theyre going to tell me a concept and if I want to charge more for it, Im going to hear a lot of whining about how Im too expensive and why cant I negotiate down to what I said before.
Theres nothing odd about wanting to know all the details before setting a price. Having worked for those SIX (separate profiles) years has taught me that. Its much less hassle to just say one price, not spend days haggling and getting on each others nerves.
Nobody wants to hear why youre charging what you are. Nobody wants to hear "my modelling rate is 100 per hour, you want to shoot for only two hours so that would be only 200 dollars, but you need me to drive another 6 hours, so actually I need to charge you several hundred more dollars to make this a profitable experience for me...what do you have in mind?" They just want a number. I also dont owe it to anyone to itemize my rate so they can sit there and be indignant about what it is theyre being charged for and why.
Especially when so many people want to lowball you from the get-go, trying to go UP from your "base rate" is near impossible. In any other real life situation that involves negotiation the first person to name a price usually starts higher and lets themselves get haggled down to what they really wanted. Unfortunately with model mayhem, people would rather just not even bother answering that, go hire a newbie for half your rate, then come to the forums and bitch about how they paid a inexperienced model and it was terrible and theyll never pay a model again because its not worth it.
