Problem: Article: Once this is settled, you will be able to calculate projects and retainers from this figure.  Find your pay information from your most recent salaried jobs. Determine what your hourly wage was by dividing your weekly/bi-weekly payment by the number of hours you worked in that time. Figure out your new consulting hourly rate by tripling this number. Consultants must base their rate on their wage plus expenses and administration of running your own business. When you triple your wage and round up to the nearest multiple of 5 or 10, you should have a reasonable rate for providing for all 3 of these payments. If you work in a consulting field that has very low overhead, you may need to charge double the hourly wage instead of triple to remain competitive, while still covering your wages and expenses. Internet-based work from home jobs might fit into this category, if you do not have employees. Compare your calculated rate to those of your competitors. If your doubled or tripled hourly rate is in the range you found during your research, then it is likely you can move forward and decide whether you want to offer project or retainer rates. To figure out your daily rate, multiply the new consulting hourly rate by the number of hours (around 8), that you will work on the project. Some consultants also offer half-day rates. Do some research into past jobs to see how long certain projects tend to take. Try to find 5 to 10 different projects, take an average of them and then multiply the average hours by your newly set rate.  You may be tempted to undercut your competitors with a lower project-based fee. Keep in mind that many businesses identify higher cost with higher quality. If you set your fees high, you can always negotiate a little lower, but it is hard to add to your project costs for repeat customers. Make detailed notes about what is included in the project, so that you can compare like for like. You will need to return to these notes when starting to set the scope of your projects. If a company wants a number of projects in a month, quarter or year, you can sit down and calculate what amount of time you will be setting aside to work on their projects. If you cannot judge by a project basis, then decide how many days per week you will work for that company and multiply your daily rate by that number each month you plan to work. If you can advertise that you are a forerunner of your industry, you can charge more. The following are good indicators that you can raise your rates slightly:  You have written a book. In this case, you have taken the time to evaluate the industry and provide professional opinions. This makes you both a teacher and an expert. People will pay more money to have a consultant who is an author. You have been consulting in some capacity for years. If you are starting a new consulting business, but you can prove that you have completed projects for 5 to 10 years, you can place yourself on the high end of the fee spectrum. You have moved to a new area. If you have moved from the suburbs or a rural setting to an urban location, increase your rates by around 25 percent. If you are moving away from an urban location, reduce your rates by around 25 percent, even if you are an expert. Your rate is based on cost of living as well as expertise. You have a number of big name clients. If you do not have a non-disclosure agreement, then advertise the large contracts that you work with. Potential clients will assume that you are worth more if you are chosen by companies they recognize and respect.
Summary: Calculate your hourly rate. Calculate project rates. Calculate your retainer. Adjust your fees for expertise.

Problem: Article: Negative space refers to the elements of a composition where there isn’t an object or subject (like the dark shadows in an alley, or the empty parts of a blue sky). Using a lot of negative space will change the way your viewer interprets the subject of your photo, while avoiding negative space entirely will make your image feel claustrophobic and confrontational.  You can always crop your image in editing, so try to start out with more negative space when using your camera. A balance between negative space and subjects or objects results in an even composition, but that’s not always what you want! Framing refers to the specific location of a camera when a shot was taken. Framing is used to talk about the order of images inside a composition in terms of a focal point, foreground, and background. When you choose to focus on a particular object or subject and ignore others, you’re choosing how you want to frame your photo. When you’ve decided to photograph something, play around with framing by changing where you’re shooting from and modifying the amount of negative space in your image.  A focal point is where your eye immediately travels when you look at an image. The foreground refers to the objects in the front of your picture, while the background is a term that refers to all of the objects that are farther away. Look for natural frames, like doorways, windows, and bushes, and use them to play with perspective in an interesting way by shooting around them. The rule of thirds is a common method used for making smart framing decisions. Basically, imagine a 3 by 3 grid of vertical and horizontal lines in your camera. Try to keep important elements and focal points at the intersections between your vertical and horizontal lines.}} Avoid putting your subject dead-center in your image. This is an extremely traditional framing choice and your photograph won’t appear unique or interesting. People will naturally change their behavior in front of a camera. They’ll smile, look directly at the lens, and stand unnaturally. None of these behaviors make for interesting photos. If you’re shooting people, wait for them to relax before snapping your image. Just make sure that you always have permission from the person that you’re photographing! Setting the aperture between f/7 and f13 will result in an image with a balanced sharpness between the foreground and background. Use an aperture in this range when shooting landscapes to ensure that you pick up on a variety of details across the entire range of your shot. A tripod keeps your camera from moving or shaking when the lens is open. This is important when you’re using a higher aperture, since the shutter speed will need to be higher to compensate for the f-stop.
Summary:
Use negative space as a visual element in your photos. Use framing techniques to shift the focus in your photo. Apply the rule of thirds to create balanced images. Wait for your subject to relax when shooting portraits. Use a tripod and higher f-stop setting for landscape shots.