freelance gone wrong?

blooper · Sep 7, 2006

just recently i started getting into photography as a hobby and wanted to try some new things with models. all within the 1st month or 2 of my purchase of my camera (digital rebel xt with kit lens) ive gotten several volunteers to model for me. one of which agreed to do nudes upon request and the rest are aspiring models and actresses from a local school. i got this camera as a way to take my own images to use in my portfolio (im a digital artist, use these images for post editing and photo manipulation). so i bought a camera to take my own stock photos.

my situation is that im very inexperienced in working with models and have little to some knowledge of photography. im also shooting free of cost. this is because im charging them for the experience that i have. so now that i have a rather large cliental forming, expecting to be shot for free, im worried that i might have to turn them away and i dont want them to think im not being serious.

so with that said, i would like to ask you, people that have most likely been through and past this stage, what i can do.

i love the idea that there are several models coming to me and asking me to shoot them. im also looking at this as a potential job in the future (expecting some type of income from this later). i have already been doing some preparation by purchasing lights, back drops, etc.

should i turn some of these people away and tell them that im just doing this as a side thing for now?

should i just take them all and use them as practice?

JDS · Sep 7, 2006

Without knowing really how many 'several' is, I'd take what clients you have and put all of your new clients on a 'hold' until you get your portfolio built up the way you want it..Let them know (the ones on 'hold') that you'll be charging for your services at that point. Some may decide not to stick with you, but others will, and you'll be getting paid to enjoy your hobby, not to mention a return on investment for your already-purchased equipment.

The thing is, once you build your portfolio and potential clients can see your work, they'll gladly pay you for it..obviously provided it's good enough.

Lunatick · Sep 7, 2006

Read up on poses and read a lot, I've had several models that were great, would move on their own, do small adjustments, and change their expressions without me telling them to. Then I've had some that will freeze in place until I tell them what to do, they needed 100% direction and without a good idea on how you want them to pose, it can become quite difficult to get a good shot, plus both of you will get frustrated.

Orgnoi1 · Sep 7, 2006

I dont shoot people... but I will say this... MODEL RELEASES...

blooper · Sep 7, 2006

great suggestions. 2-3 of them are good friends of mine that are willing to help. i think thats plenty to practice with without worrying too much about over exposing myself to the public yet. i think putting them on hold for now is a great idea. when i said "several" i mean classes of students from a local modeling school(20+). they were all asking for head shots. whats the harm?

as far as poses, ive been looking through alot of swimsuit shoots and other catalogs for ideas and themes i might want to pursue and try for my first couple shoots. i know some about lighting and have a thrifty little kit on its way to try out. i realize that the lighting of the shoot is just as important as how interesting the subject may look.

Lunatick · Sep 7, 2006

i would definitally do your friends first. they will understand you're just learning and won't mind spending time with you doing shoots (that is if you don't get a single good shot, they won't think it was time wasted). once you get comfortable with them and get some techniques down, move on to the art students, if you shoot them and get no good shots, they are far more likely to tell other students you're awful and they shouldn't waste their time.

I'm in the same position as you, I've done a number of free photo shoots for my close friends to build my skill and portfolio, after a few more I'm going to start putting up ad's around campus.

Rv5 · Sep 7, 2006

little off topic, but how exactly did you go about getting all these models?

markc · Sep 7, 2006

I don't know if sharing my own experience helps, but I've done a bit of both. I've shot weddings and done other paid work, and I've sold a number of my images, but right now I'm not doing any paid work due to medical reasons. Since I have limited shooting time, I only want to shoot what I'm interested in. I do it in trade for time, with me getting a release and the model(s) getting prints, but I'm still picky about where I spend that time.

I think you can continue to shoot on a trade basis without it hurting anything. If you have people approach you about it and you aren't interested, just tell them politely that you have limited time and that you are shooting for specific reasons. I think it's good to get in as much practice as possible, but it can be counterproductive if you don't have an interest in the shoot.

craig · Sep 8, 2006

Start off with photographing friends and or folks who are not relying on said photos to get a job. This way you will gain experience without any of the pressure. Once you are confident in your skills then you will be able to barter or get paid for your work. Free, paid, or barter you absolutely can not produce less then amazing work for clients.

blooper · Sep 8, 2006

sounds great guys. as how i got my volunteers, i knew someone that knew a student of a modeling school and she offered to ask all her friends and most of them sounded interested. of course i didnt make any committing agreements to take any photos just yet.

love that statement you made about producing nothing less than amazing work, craig.

on a side, what is "model release"? i have a feeling i should have known about this before i posted this.