In article ,
charyk@inforamp.net says...
>Someone has asked me to take portraits of their children. I have been
>doing this free for years, but this is the first time I am charging a
>flat rate plus development. Who keeps the negatives? If I do, and they
>want future copies, do I charge again?

Ah, there's the rub... Whether 'tis nobler to remain an amateur,
or to figure out pricing schedules and become a pro.....
My suggestion: if shooting for a friend, settle for reasonable
expenses plus enough to make you not feel used, but not so much
that the friend feels taken advantage of. If shooting for a
client professionally, charge by the hour, and add a location fee
to cover shooting time lost in travel and preparation. In addition,
charge enough for processing and printing costs to cover trips to
the lab and numbering and sorting time (or have a flat rate for
services and materials for particular types of jobs). Keep the
negatives, or sell them to the client. It is hard for most
beginners to charge high enough rates, but remember what those
whopping rates pros charge need to cover: your down time (we can't
work ALL the time), medical insurance, business and equipment
insurance, lots of equipment (so you can do a professional job),
the rent, materials and time for checking out new film and papers,
advertising (and sales time visiting and calling potential clients),
etc.,etc.,etc. DO NOT UNDERCHARGE! It hurts you, since it is hard
to later raise rates (which you will need to do to stop killing
yourself with too much work for too little money [which can result
in "burn-out"]), and it hurts your fellow photographers, who then
must work in an area where some beginner has depressed or killed
the market. Sorry if I over-answered your question.
Hope this helps.