A photographer just building a portfolio, shooting mostly for exposure or small local clients, often lands in the $30-40/hr range. Established photographers with a consistent booking calendar and word-of-mouth referrals sit closer to the $50-65/hr median. Photographers who've built a specialty (destination weddings, commercial product photography, brand campaigns) routinely charge $85-150/hr or price by the project instead of the hour entirely.
A rate only matters if it actually gets collected. Once you've picked a number, send a professional invoice that states your terms clearly, and consider a simple contract for anything beyond a quick one-off, it's the easiest way to avoid scope creep eating into that hourly number. If you want to see how your rate translates into real take-home pay after taxes and time off, try the freelance take-home pay calculator.