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!