Shooting up? Shooting Down? Shooting on a Level Playing Field?

Part I:

What’s a model/talent to do? You’re new to the business. You’re trying to build your portfolio. You’re trying to network with other professionals. And you’re trying to find photographers to get your portfolio on the fast track to really promote you to agents, casting and art directors.

You will experience (or may) the following scenarios:

·         Set up free shoots with photographers

·         Set up free shoots with photographers

·         Set up free shoots with photographers

·         Oh My Gosh – a photographer wants me to pay them!

Let’s talk about the first “3” bullets above. Now that you have a few sessions under your belt you need to look at how you did. Are the images professional? Did the photographer help and guide you to get the images you need to start your portfolio? Do the images really portray the “real” you or are they merely snapshots? Did you get full resolution/print ready images or just web size ones? You need to realize that everything and everyone is not equal. Both models/talent and photographers are at different skill levels. There are photographers that are just starting out and doing it as a hobby, just like you. There are photographers who have been doing it as a part time business, just like you. And there are photographers who are relying on photography as their sole source of income, just like you are with your modeling.

You have to make a few very important decisions – one of which is “Do I need to pay a photographer to really jump start my career?” The answer is “probably”, but not always. Sounds somewhat iffy, right? The true answer is whether or not the photographer that worked with you on a “TF*/Test” basis provided you high quality images to jump start your portfolio. If the answer is “no” then you probably need to seek out (and pay) a photographer to provide you with what you need. Some professional photographers will do test shoots – sometimes as TF* and sometimes at a discount off their normal rates. Seek out photographers who can provide you a variety of styles – you don’t want a complete portfolio of images from a single photographer who shoots the exact same style each and every time. Versatility of styles is the key.

Part II:

Here comes the hard part. You have some decent images in your book. A photographer approaches you on your online portfolio, sends you a message, and wants to set up a shoot. What are you going to do? His images aren’t quite the same quality that you already have (in fact they look like snapshots). Is it going to benefit you to work with that photographer? Is this photographer going to really benefit you? You are the important part of the equation. You can shoot all day long and never improve your book if you don’t “shoot up”.

Always try to work with photographers who can provide you images that are better than, or at least equal to, the best in your book. Also remember that “shooting down” can sometimes hurt you even if you don’t use any of the images. Why? Because the photographer who took them is most likely going to use them, along with your name, in his portfolio.