One of the highlights of my brief but intense career as a food photographer has been to teach food photography; I really enjoy the passing of knowledge and experience down to those who want the knowledge.
The quickest answer is yes, I've been cheaped out on and it sucks! I believe everyone in business has been in that situation quite often. But as a freelance creative, it probably hurts more because of the artistic value of our work and the sentimental attachment we have to our work.
Let me tell you a little bit about passion and what I've learned from it. Nowadays, everyone has a passion for something, every entrepreneurial story begins because of passion and every photographer turns their hobby into a business because of passion.