My hairdresser asked me if I would photograph his mother's house for her to use in the adverts for the sale of home. The expectation is "Free" because I did it once before for free for their B'nB so I'm not too sure where to draw the line now between getting experience and getting known vs starting to charge for my time and work.
I believe I would tell him you normally charge for such work And ask him return the favor you are doing by telling others what a wonderful job you did and that you were worth every cent of what you charge.
The swap for Haircuts is a great idea .. people are inclined to think that a click of a camera does not 'cost' anything .. I did a 'job' recently and got free accomodation for two nights and a dinner out ..
You know best what would be a reasonable exchange/acknowledgement of your time. Please consider how much research, planning, displacement, choosing and editing shots, compiling them in an interesting way etc. Above all note how much time you spend this takes....which may not necessarily be all in one session. You might find it useful to ask photographers in nearby towns etc what their charges as if you were a potential customer. You can always negotiate a lesser price if you start with a higher one. Psychologically, the client thinks he's negotiated a good deal. Good luck!
@s4sayer Thank you for the wise words and great insights. You are quite right - the time it has taken me to do the shoot, and now even longer to do minor edits / adjustments in Lightroom to bring out the shadows etc. is very much longer than the simple haircut I have! Quite right too, about negotiating the price down for the client to feel like a winner
