AMAZING TALENT OR Business ROBOT?

There are tons of photographers out there but only a small number of photographers are blessed with amazing talent. They can naturally through their camera's eye capture and record the inner beauty of what they see.
They can put a new twist on locations that others have used for years.
Some will imitate:follow as a pattern, model, or example.
To be or appear like : resemble! I call these the ROBOT Photographers!
Robot photographers are so worried about the business side of their trade Some let their talent go to the wayside!
I believe if you use your talent and people love it then they will buy it.

My goal in Photography is to be an individual first and foremost,take wonderful pictures and learn all I can about photography and if and when it turns into a business not to become a ROBOT!

Stay humble or you'll stumble~Arrogance will bring your downfall.- Rick Warren

This saying reminds me of some professional photographers who try to deter others from taking up their profession.
I challege all the Professional photographers to go through their old photos...the ones from when they were just starting out in photography...the ones from before they were a pofessional and look through them!
Try to remember back to just starting out. Learning new things. Asking people with more experience questions.
Then think of all the then pros who gave you advice. Maybe posted a comment of like on one of your photos and then think of the ones who tried to deter you from photography!
Now which ones do you think highly of now that your a "Pro" and which ones are still in business :)
"Always remember where you came from and Where you started"
Everyone starts somewhere and it's usually not at the top!

Just get on with it!

If the client likes it the client will buy it no matter how many years studying how much technical info or how much experience is behind that picture!
If an Amateur is really not good enough they will ultimately educate the client rather than steal from the better photographers in the end.
In the end they will end up herding the client to the better
photographers.

You will note I've not used the word professional because I've seen some horrendous "professionals" just because you make a living out of it does not mean you are the shit. On the other side I've seen some incredible "Amateurs" that make me swoon with envy, talent is born.

What it all boils down to is adapt or die, if someone is better than you Professional or Amateur then work harder and be smarter, sitting around complaining about it will just make you fall further behind while everyone else just gets on with it.

What to charge when pricing Photography?

I am just learning so I have not been charging but with everyone asking me "How much do you charge?" It is one of the things I will have to decide in the near future :)
How much is a memory worth?
How much am I worth as a Photographer?

The first general thing to take into consideration is that with any client, once you charge them a specific fee, it’s difficult to get them to pay more next time.Some entry level photographers say, Well I’m not really that good yet so maybe I shouldn’t charge so much, but if you charge X, they will always want to pay X and you will never be able to charge them more. You’ll have to find new clients every time you want to raise your price. So find a number that works for you and will for the next few years as you start building your business. Better to set a price a little too high to start than charging too low and having to constantly explain to clients why you’re raising your rates in six months.

In addition, charging lower rates will also hurt the rest of the photographic community in an industry where the bottom line often means much more than the quality of the product. With thousands of photographers trying to enter the business every day, there will always be someone who will be willing to charge less than you because they don’t understand the ripple effect of the lowest bid and how that will ultimately affect their own ability in the future to charge a fair price to stay in business.

Giving discounts is a slippery slope as well. It can give the impression that you don’t value your work if you’re not careful how you do it. Rather than discounting, consider throwing in an extra and state it as such, which can allow you to maintain your rates. Even making an extra print of one of your art pieces as a thank you or something else that will allow you not to lower your rate.

Giving a discount to a long term client as a thank you for their loyalty is one thing. Discounting your work from the start is quite another!