Manage Time

Figuring out your hourly rate especially when you are a startup freelancer is difficult. There are many information presents online that may mislead you, but it is important for you to know how much you should charge

Being a freelance photographer that knows his hourly rate is fundamental. There are many factors to consider when determining your rate. However, remember that not all freelancer charges by hourly rate, some do package deals. But, having a rate in mind serves a good possibility to make your project estimated accurately.

1. Look at the project span

For you to be able to offer a reasonable hourly rate, you have to find out how long will be the project. As a freelance photographer, you can ask your client about how many photos do they expect. From that, you can estimate how many photos per hour you can make.

2. Use your experience

Working as a startup a freelance photographer from freelance photographer for almost a year is different. If you know that you have already enough experiences, you can charge your hourly rate higher than those who are just starting up their photography business.

3. Consider the time frame

Unnecessary situations may set impact to your hourly rate. If the client wants you to complete the project in a rush, increasing your rate must be your solution for you are likely to have a delay to other work in order to meet the tight deadline.

4. Consider competition

Part of the client meeting is the comparison of rates from other photography businesses. If you know that your competitor is highly skilled than you, you must rate your charge lower.

5. Have a salary goal

Ask yourself how much you want to earn for a year. This factor will help you to charge your rate based on the expenses you will have.

6. Drop 3 zeros

If your salary goal for a year would likely to earn $40,000. Then, drop the three ending zeros to get $40 per hour. If you calculate $40 per hour by regular eight hours work a day, you would get $76,800 estimated income a year. This is just a rule of thumb and this method might be good for you.

7. Charge the same rate of other freelancers

Don’t be confused about this. Others mean the same experience level. You can ask other freelance photographers on how much their hourly rate was. From this, you can determine if you will charge the same amount or decrease it based on your abilities.

Time management has always become a challenge to everyone, but freelance photographers face this differently. They may look available every time, freelancers juggle projects and meeting clients simultaneously to earn money for a living. In fact, they are one man army to every operation they have.

To ensure that you can make the best out of your time as a freelance photographer, here are some of the tips on how you can manage your time:

1. Try online banking for your bills and income

Rather than having a meet up to your client to claim your rates, or line up to the nearest bank to pay for your credit, why don’t you try online payment using your smartphones? Many banks and credit companies’ offer online banking nowadays. From here, you can easily check out your balance and make a transaction. As a freelance photographer, you can try this platform to do transaction within your clients.

2. Set goals for the day

Setting goals will serve as your vision towards your tasks. As a freelance photographer, setting goals will make you manage your time very well. You were able to complete your desired tasks to meet your client’s deadline.

3. Keep a Task List

A task list is a reminder system that will tell you the things you need to do. Having a task list will help you to be organized and prioritize what should be important. A dreelance photographer will be able to get reminded to do important stuff such as meeting with the client and meeting deadlines.

4. Minimize distractions

As much as possible, make your post-production time away from distraction. A freelance photographer must manage their time editing and make their work beautiful before they deliver it to the client. Distractions will just be your enemy to meet your assigned tasks or deadlines.

5. Overcome Procrastination

You may not be supervised by a head or a boss like any other regular employee, a freelance photographer should avoid procrastination. Never let procrastination steal your time to be productive. Remember that you have clients waiting for your work. Allowing procrastination in you will just let clients unsatisfied with your work.

6. Have a break

Doesn’t mean you have your own time as a freelancer, you have not burned out from stress anymore. You are an artist making creative photographs for your clients. A valuable time to rest and recharge will make your work done creatively. Having a break is not wasting time, rather it is a smart time management to produce quality work after a well-rest.

Time is essential to everyone, especially when you are a photographer. Many photographer falls into trap of never-ending-multitasking without utilizing the perfect tools to keep them on track. Things begin to get postponed or forgotten, but the workload seems to grow huge by the day. The problem is not necessarily too much work, it is the inability to properly manage the time that would best work for you.

It is everyone’s dream to go out there and get paid to do cool things like shooting a campaign. In this time, photographers pretty much do nothing but shoot and the income just flows freely. The reality could not be any further from this dream. Modern freelance or professional photographers are indeed shooting less as the market has evolved over time. Photographers are business people that offer self creative services and that is tougher to do than you could possibly think.

Here are tips on where you can start using your time wisely.

SET FIRM BUSINESS HOURS

It is easy to get really flexible with your work hours when you are self employed. Make it a point to start your work day at the same time you have worked yesterday – the earlier, the better.

When you have other priorities like your kids, your home or whatever it is, it is extremely important for you to have strict business hours. Without setting firm business hours, you risk losing work-life balance. Important relationships always require attention, so you have to make sure quality time with the people you love is a priority!

KEEP ONE DAY FOR FAMILY OR PERSONAL TIME

You have to keep at least a day for your family, better make your Sunday a free one, because you know Sunday’s are family day. So do not shoot or set meetings, it is a huge difference in your personal life. Remember you deserve a day off.

STOP MULTITASKING

Multitasking is probably the number one thing that is really eating up you time. You are probably not aware that you are multitasking. In today’s digital world, it usually involves some sort of stimulating media. Removing distractions is the first step in focusing to a single task. Remove all your social media notification; put your phone away from your desk.

GET ORGANIZED

This is pretty straightforward but you will find that many creative individual are not organizing themselves in the best possible way, getting organized goes beyond writing things down in a planner.