Yes, I do. And my contracts give me the flexibility to work on any project at any time, as long as I complete the terms of the contract on time. Why would you lock yourself down like this? If the skills and production levels you bring to FLEX is good enough to warrant any negotiating power, you should write that in. The entire day you spend in the hotel room watching tv and surfing getbig while waiting for your flight- you could schedule a few independent shoots and save yourself the next plane trip. I'm not flaming man- I'm just saying it's strange that you don't WANT to give yourself more opportunities to earn. You are an independent contractor- so FLEX doesn't have absolute power to determine you waste your time while waiting to head back. Just my 2 cents... but you gotta grab the $ while it's there, as long as the product you give FLEX does not suffer.
I'm quite happy to discuss different approaches to business but you need to stop coming out with "FLEX doesn't have absolute power" when I've clearly told you that it is my choice not to seek other work while someone else is picking up the tab. II don't have an exclusive contract with FLEX so I could submit work to any magazine, but I choose not to.
Ok, no flaming - let's see how long that lasts
Let's say we both want to earn $150,000 doallars a year, then our day rates will determine how many days we have to work. What we do after we've reached our target is a personal decision. In commercial photography your day rate also determines the maximum amount of days you can work. If you charge $100 a day you could easily work 7 days a week. At $5K you'd average 2 days a week. At $50K you'd max out a 2 a month.
If you really want to earn then become a "paparazzi"