Got a modeling offer, but am weirded out by it.

After buying my first DSLR I posted an ad on craigslist saying essentially that I am a photographer, looking for to do shoots with, I specifically specified in the ad that I would do senior portraits, But I am open to a variety of different types of photography.

Last week, I was contacted by someone that saw my ad, and was interested in doing a shoot for their daughter. Initially I didn't know much about the shoot, other than that it was for their daughter.

Over the next couple of days I began talking to the interested customer, I found out that it was a father looking for a photographer for his daughter, he said that he wanted "senior photo type photos" but upon talking to him more, he also asked for photos of her feet, because she wanted to be a foot model, I was a little bit weirded out by this, but still I was open to it. After further talking, he mentioned if we could do some shots in a hotel room, I said yes, even though this added to my concern about the shoot, he later went on to ask if I could do some shoots in lingerie, I said yes, but just like the previous requests, this further raised my concerns. After more talking, I asked him how old his daughter was, and if her mother or another legal guardian knew about the shoot, and he said that his daughter was 15, this raised a major read flag, he also told me that her mother knew about the shoot, and modeling. He did also state that the shoot wouldn't be pornographic. I told him that I was a bit weary of this situation and that I would have to look into the legality of doing a shoot with a minor in lingerie, to ensure that we weren't breaking any laws. I did also state that I would have to have both of their IDs and have them sign a release form, stating that the requested my photography service. He was also willing to pay about $250 for a 4 hour shoot, I also told him, that if I agreed to the shoot, that I would have another person be present on my behalf to ensure the safety of his daughter and my own.

Upon doing some research, I stumbled upon many different forums, on this site, Model Mayhem, and others that stated that this type of photography shoot is in more of a grey area in terms of it being considered a proper shoot, or child pornography. Upon reading that, I decided to decline his offer, as to not jeopardize my reputation or find myself in a legal mess.

My main concern was if I had agreed to the shoot, what would happen if someone found the photographs on my camera or laptop, would I get into any legal trouble or end up on a sex offender registry, which made me also decline his offer.

 

TBH, there is absolutely no way I would do this without good identification for everyone and the mother present - and a good contract.
Even then, I would be really, really leary of doing this.
Nothing about this seems above board.

 

Thank You, I was a concerned about this this as well, which is why I ultimately declined the offer. Had this been someone who was 18, I most likely wouldn't have had a problem with it. After learning that my model was only 15, that completely changed my view, and made me put my walls up so to speak.

 

Good trusting your instincts.

Why would her 'father' want to do the shoot at a hotel?? And wants pictures of her feet, and her in lingerie?? I might think about bringing the ad to the attention of authorities or report it to craigslist because I don't know what this is about, but it seems to involve a minor and her 'dad' (who I'd suspect isn't). I say suspect because who knows, maybe it is a daughter, who wants to model shoes??

Even if she/the father said she was 18, I'd wonder...

 

If you felt uncomfortable, then declining it was the right choice. Regardless of whether or not it was legal, or even if she was 18 and mom was going to be there. If you don't feel right about it, it is your choice of whether or not you do something. There are times in any business when you have to make a decision based on nothing more than if you are comfortable with something or not.

 

Damn what a creeper, I would consider reporting this too and I never like talking to police. Dude wants photos of his daughters feet?

 

Strike One - got the job off of Craig's List
Strike Two - his 16 yo "daughter"
Strike Three - lingerie and feet pictures
and you're OUT

 

Especially not with an 8' pole.

 

A couple of quick points:
--weird vibes. Irrelevant of if it's legal, you shouldn't shoot anything you're uncomfortable with.
--shooting underage means the model can't sign a release form or can't legally consent. So this has to be done by parents.

 

If you are very very uncomfortable, you might talk to Childrens protective Services and see what they think.