What Time Is It When An Elephant Sits On Your Fence?

On one of the photography forums I participate in, one of my correspondents wrote: "Is it better to charge hourly for commercial shoots or is that up to the photographer?"

The answer is:

Hourly? Plumbers charge hourly. It's better to charge by how the image is going to be used, the criteria being:

1) Print or Electronic Use;
2) Advertising, Corporate or Editorial Use;
3) Prominence;
4) Duration of Term (One-time, 6 months, 1 year, etc.);
5) Number of Insertions (advertising), size of Press Run (if use is print other than advertising);
6) Territory (local, regional, national, international);
7) Exclusivity.

Other factors can include degree of difficulty or the amount of time involved, proprietary techniques (if any), etc.

...and it is always up to the photographer because:

when you get a haircut, the terms & pricing are decided by the barber;
when you get your car repaired,, the terms & pricing are decided by the mechanic;
when you're represented in court, the terms & pricing are decided by the attorney;
when you eat a meal, the terms & pricing are decided by the restaurant;
when you rent a car, the terms & pricing are decided by Hertz (Avis, etc);
when you see a movie, the terms & pricing are decided by the theater;
when your suit is cleaned, the terms & pricing are decided by the dry cleaner;
when you use a credit card, the terms & pricing are decided by the lender;
when you ride the subway, the terms & pricing are decided by the transit authority;
when you cross a bridge (or use a tunnel), the terms & pricing are decided by the port authority;
when you watch television, the terms & pricing are decided by your cable or satellite provider;
when you drink a lemonade, the terms & pricing are decided by a six year-old; so
when you buy photography, the terms & pricing are decided by THE PHOTOGRAPHER!