Assigning a value to creative work is like juggling cash. No matter how you try to handle it, things get complicated. Artists often face the dilemma of doing too much work and receiving too little pay. Price is a controversial topic because people look at the result and often underestimate its value. Rarely will an artist encounter a situation where the client feels undercharged for the work. Agreement on respectable prices varies from person to person, so the discussion remains on how to charge a fair price. From time to time, I am faced with clients who dispute the price of my work. I have never been asked about the quality, but more times than I care to remember about the price. I spend hours taking photos and then more time editing and perfecting the images. When it's time to deliver the prints to the customer and collect payment, I hear the feedback "$200 for photos is too much money!" Pricing is a common issue in the photography community and many other artistic endeavors. The challenge is how you, as a photographer/artist, create an understanding with clients that the value of your time spent on the artwork is worth the value of their precious money. In this essay I will discuss the problem of getting clients to understand the value of labor and time in artistic services along with how to present costs to clients. There is a quote that says: “Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you can't get more time” Jim Rohn (brainyquote.com). Time is one of the most precious things in the world and when you are involved in an artistic project you spend a lot of time making sure the work is perfect. As with any other job, photographers are paid for their time and it is not… a means of paper… that the client knows the initial cost and can plan accordingly. There are no surprises on either end. The downside of flat rate pricing is that it may overlook some details and usually doesn't account for contingencies. Talent has value and it is up to the artist to determine how much people value that talent in their price. If the artist is confident and knows that their work is of great value, they know that they can charge reasonable prices. As an artist you cannot undervalue your work when you invest time, resources and creative mind into a project. James Whistler says: "An artist is not paid for his work but for his vision" this means that as an artist what I am actually selling is my art because it is one of a kind and not the labor needed to make it. As an artist you can never devalue your vision, because it is unique and therefore precious (gloriamarie.com).