Hunter500
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2016
- Messages
- 20
- Reaction score
- 0
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos NOT OK to edit
Seems the modeling industry has changed drastically in the last 5 years. It has become more saturated and dominated by a completely unbalanced have and have nots.
After 10 years of testing, and editing for over 15 agencies in the Los Angeles area, it's become very different the last few years since Instagram. The level of perfection has increased dramatically in cellphone photos, and the amount being paid, has decreased substantually.
I went from 7000 a month to about 3000 a month, and working 3 times harder to get those gigs. Im also finding, that models are being selected through Instagram, and agencies are being avoided. so the agencies are now attacking photographers with things like slander and defamation of character. Its brutal. They have high quotas!!! They only want to use their photographers, over charge the models, and then get kickbacks. They also need their models, and photographers to have a higher following in order to get more bookings. They own the models, and they can't shoot with anyone but what is appointed to them.
They don't have any ethics or morals when it comes to photographers having degrees, or any loyalty to how long you have worked with them. They all follow the protocal. Los Angeles is a brutal market for photography, anyone will shoot for free, so the Agencies take advantage of that. Some agency managers will pay themselves, and just give the photographer pictures for their portfolio. Its free, or we will find someone else. Models make much less now compared to 10 years ago. So they don't really have a budget for photography. The agencies lend them the money as debt, and then they test. The industry is based on money in and no money out. Or its not in are best interest!!! Instagram has flooded the market with cellphone pics, and regular photography. So to many its just not worth anything more then a cellphone pic, its loosing its value, it's just not the same market anymore. People are very cost effective, not all of them, but a lot of people don't care about the best photography, if it's just good enough, then they will pay for the discounted pics. Setting yourself different, really is the key, although, its anything goes in the modeling industry!
After 10 years of testing, and editing for over 15 agencies in the Los Angeles area, it's become very different the last few years since Instagram. The level of perfection has increased dramatically in cellphone photos, and the amount being paid, has decreased substantually.
I went from 7000 a month to about 3000 a month, and working 3 times harder to get those gigs. Im also finding, that models are being selected through Instagram, and agencies are being avoided. so the agencies are now attacking photographers with things like slander and defamation of character. Its brutal. They have high quotas!!! They only want to use their photographers, over charge the models, and then get kickbacks. They also need their models, and photographers to have a higher following in order to get more bookings. They own the models, and they can't shoot with anyone but what is appointed to them.
They don't have any ethics or morals when it comes to photographers having degrees, or any loyalty to how long you have worked with them. They all follow the protocal. Los Angeles is a brutal market for photography, anyone will shoot for free, so the Agencies take advantage of that. Some agency managers will pay themselves, and just give the photographer pictures for their portfolio. Its free, or we will find someone else. Models make much less now compared to 10 years ago. So they don't really have a budget for photography. The agencies lend them the money as debt, and then they test. The industry is based on money in and no money out. Or its not in are best interest!!! Instagram has flooded the market with cellphone pics, and regular photography. So to many its just not worth anything more then a cellphone pic, its loosing its value, it's just not the same market anymore. People are very cost effective, not all of them, but a lot of people don't care about the best photography, if it's just good enough, then they will pay for the discounted pics. Setting yourself different, really is the key, although, its anything goes in the modeling industry!