Hi Guys
Stand easy- not a shimano 12sp issue this time.

My wife is am amateur photographer. She’s done some courses, and
is actually quite good. At school and at work she does a lot of stuff.
Many people ask her to do stuff for free. She is a very social person
so she’s happy to be a free photographer. – she has a high demand.

I guess the long term aim i to

Money is important. It’s how we live in the main.

Don’t do stuff for free. Does my head in, in the creative industries that so many people expect you to work for nothing to ‘build your portfolio’… It damages the industry for those that need to earn a living.

Charge a fair rate.

To quote the Joker, ‘if you are good at something, never do it for free’.

Wait till she’s had some less than perfect ‘clients’, then see if she’ll still do it for free.

It’s also unfair to do things for free when others are trying to earn a living from it.

I make furniture as a job/hobby/retirement fulfilment exercise.
I don’t need the money but I put a value on my time. (I make really good stuff at a very reasonable price).
The people I charge the most are the ones who appreciate it the most, the ones I do a favour for regard it as a bit “meh”.
If someone says “I definitely want you to do this job” and doesn’t hand over a deposit; I never hear from them again.
Never undervalue yourself. Money=commitment.

In the long term I aim to finish my sentences.

Agree with the don’t work for free bit.

It’s an utter piss-take and seems to be the norm, unfortunately.

I used to take wedding photos for friends and hand them an album as their wedding present. I was pretty good at it. Always film, always black and white, always a different angle (my 24 mm lens was a favorite). Never had a disappointment. But there is a difference between doing things for friends and doing it professionally.

Always charge for your time. My charge was the cost of an album, developing and reprints. Effectively a wedding present. As said, it’s not fair on the professionals. I never thought to get in their way and do their job on the occasions where they had also hired a pro.