Experimental Photoworks wrote:
This is not a who should pay whom but more of a how do you decide personally what to charge.

Do you charge on a sliding scale or do you have a set fee or range of fees that you do not budge from??
If you charge one person one amount do you charge the next person the same amount or is each client diffrent depending on the project?

Lots of variables here... What kind of shoot is it? Portrait, headshot, event, etc?

I factor in ALL costs - shoot time, prep, props, travel, etc and provide a flat fee quote.
I do allow for other factors. Not really a sliding scale, but if I'm interested in the idea/concept of a shoot, I'm more likely to reduce my rate.  Often I get requests from people who can't quite swing my rate for say, headshots. In those cases I'll often offer to halve my fee if they'll sign a release so I can use the shots for Stock. A bit of a gamble on my part, but I've gotten quite a bit of referall work due to this so its paid off.

Experimental Photoworks wrote:
This is not a who should pay whom but more of a how do you decide personally what to charge.

Do you charge on a sliding scale or do you have a set fee or range of fees that you do not budge from??
If you charge one person one amount do you charge the next person the same amount or is each client diffrent depending on the project?

Because I adore Iona. . .
I say. . .charge what you think is right for the time involved.  Shooting time, retouching time, etc.  But as it pertains to me. . .just charge me the Iona port hookup rate.

Experimental Photoworks wrote:
This is not a who should pay whom but more of a how do you decide personally what to charge.

Do you charge on a sliding scale or do you have a set fee or range of fees that you do not budge from??
If you charge one person one amount do you charge the next person the same amount or is each client diffrent depending on the project?

I charge less if it's something I really, really want to do.
But, generally, I some set fees that I would possibly budge from, but no one's ever asked me to lower a rate I told them.  There have been cases, though, where a photographer sends me a message expressing how much he is willing to pay, which is usually lower than what I charge.  I then base my decision on the quality of their work.

Experimental Photoworks wrote:
This is not a who should pay whom but more of a how do you decide personally what to charge.

Do you charge on a sliding scale or do you have a set fee or range of fees that you do not budge from??
If you charge one person one amount do you charge the next person the same amount or is each client diffrent depending on the project?

I do photography strictly for enjoyment and don't really derive any income from my work, so I have a very limited budget.  I suspect many MM photographers are in the same boat. 

I do TFP for any non-nude shooting and I have a fixed non-negotiable pay rate for anything that involves nudity.  Since there are not many models in north Alabama, I also pay a small travel allowance which allows me to attract models from surrounding states.  This has been my policy for years and I've never had a shortage of models, although I have limited time to do any shooting so I admittedly don't need very many models.

Experimental Photoworks wrote:
This is not a who should pay whom but more of a how do you decide personally what to charge.

Do you charge on a sliding scale or do you have a set fee or range of fees that you do not budge from??
If you charge one person one amount do you charge the next person the same amount or is each client diffrent depending on the project?

If you charge one person one amount do you charge the next person the same amount or is each client diffrent depending on the project?

Yes, if you are ethical and fair you should...if the following are correct...
1.They are both of equal capability and skill
2. They both offer the same amount to your portfolio

If they don't...
Then of course the person you can glean the most from should be paid a higher percentage correct?

Well its the same thing with a model..
1. Is this photographer equal to or do they superceed your work?
tfcd/tfp - much discounted pay  should be expected...if they offer your regular or higher amount then you should be smart and lower it for another chance at working with them in the future. i.e *let them know that it won't cost them an arm and a leg to use you again.

2. Is this photogs work subpar (just in your opinion) to the work you already have? To another photographer who paid? Or just doing a project you are not particularly interested in keeping for your port??? Do they want to pay a much less rate for your time???
No its not fair,
The reason its not fair to let them pay a very discounted rate is because that is for photogs with much higher caliber work (which they have worked hard to achieve) and why would you have one person who's work is stellar pay you twice as much as someone who's work you probably won't even use? Its not fair or ethical and those are really the only things it should be based on.

Whats the quality of the work, who is it benefiting and what is the going rate for what is required?