Most creative professionals price by looking at what others charge and picking something slightly lower. That is how careers become unsustainable.
Start from your actual numbers
Add up what you need in a year: living costs, equipment, software, insurance, storage, training, tax and pension, plus time off. Then estimate how many days you will genuinely be paid for. For most freelancers, non billable work such as quoting, admin, marketing and unpaid revisions takes a large share of the week.
Your minimum day rate is the annual total divided by the billable days. Every rate below that is subsidised by you.
Day rate or project price
Day rates suit work where the scope is genuinely open, such as shoot days and session work. Project prices suit defined deliverables and reward you for being efficient. Price by project when you know the work well and by day when you do not.
Quote what is included
A quote should state deliverables, number of revisions, the schedule, what is excluded, usage, the payment terms and how long the quote is valid. Most disputes come from something that was assumed rather than written.
Deposits and terms
Take a deposit before starting work of any size. Invoice promptly with clear payment terms. Late payment is common in creative industries and is far easier to manage when the terms were stated at the beginning.
Rush, overtime and scope changes
Decide your policy now rather than in the moment: a premium for compressed deadlines, an hourly rate beyond the agreed day length, and a rate for work beyond the agreed scope. Apply them consistently.
Discounts
If you discount, get something back: a longer booking, faster payment, a credit, a case study, flexibility on dates. Discounting for exposure alone teaches clients your price is negotiable.
Raising your rates
Raise for new clients first, then existing ones with notice and a reason tied to value rather than apology. Expect to lose a small number of clients; that is part of the mechanism, not a failure of it.
Review annually
Put a date in the calendar to recalculate. Costs rise quietly, and a rate set three years ago is usually a pay cut.