Ok, I've been doing portrait shoots for about two years now. Mostly only of friends as practice. Through this I've had other people come to me asking me for pictures. But they ask me how much I charge.

Never having really given it much thought, I don't know what to ask for. To me, my equipment is paid for, all it costs me is the blank cd to put the pics onto....but I actually have one or two models who want me to take pictures of them, but refuse to model for me unless they can pay me for the work.

So, I guess my question is...what should I be charging? You can take a look at some of the work I do either in my profile, or at http://photos.yahoo.com/grunge_21 where I have a large sampling of the work I do.

good idea to ponder/ask rate-range for shooting! But, rates partly depend upon "what is normal for your area" ... which varies from state to state.

however: here are some things you seem to not be considering ...
1) your equipment is NOT paid for; you need "replacement costs", also
    known as depreciation. as well as new equipment you decide you now
    need in order to do/expand the paying jobs.
2) your time is valuable; setup time, shoot time, photo-editing time. not
    to mention your talent and experience.

check out some portrait studios for their pricing. remember that they probably have much more equipment & experience (and a studio!), so
that they will be charging more than you. Be "comparable" in range of your experience/equipment. Do NOT charge too cheap; you cheat yourself -and- the photogs with the studios.

I actually do have my own studio...

granted, it's currently under construction/reconstruction in an unused bedroom of the house I bought last year...but it's something that works for me.

I guess I should ask this...

If I'm doing headshots, should I charge a flat rate for a session of maybe an hour or less? Portraits, per hour or per outfit or per shot?

This has always been a problem since I honestly don't know what my work is worth. I've had models tell me I'm better than most of the pros they've worked with so it has to be worth something...

Your most helpful answers will come from other photographers offering simular sevices in your area.

Ok, sounds like a plan.

"your equipment is NOT paid for". Boy, is that an understatement. I always think...whats my ROI when I buy gear.

anyway....I charge $125 for headshots. I tend to shoot 2-3 different tops/shirts, roughly 2 rolls of film, or digital equiv. contact sheet of all images. 2 finished 8x10 prints. Additional prints and retouching are separate line items.

You can find cheaper than the above, even in NY. I think I am middle of the road.

Good luck!

Stu
www.stuartphotography.com

Stu, I was about to say that if your clients were actually getting auditions from those headshots, you should raise your rate...but then I saw your premium package.  That's about right for middle of the road.