i just want subjects!

I personally hate doing self portraits. They are such a pain. I want to see what I'm getting before I hit the shutter, not after.

do you ever sit around desperately wanting someone to photograph? i am always in the mood to take pictures of people, and i find myself always asking my friends to model for me, or to let me take pics of their children. ughhh today is just one of those days and there is no one for my camera and i really wanna play :(

You could try some of the modeling sites, like Model Mayhem. I've had a string of bad luck with models standing me up, so I've given up on that route, but sometimes you find someone good that you can work with regularly. If you aren't confident with your own photography, you can contact models who are just starting out. They need the practice in front of the camera.
 
Usher! you can go outside with your camera and 'shoot lots of pictures"

and come home with a bunch of pictures. Anyone can do that, and it is a lot of fun, all the time.

But I am trying to get you to LEARN..(this takes time) HOW TO SEE... how to look.. sure you can walk around and look & see and take lots and lots and lots of photos.OR .YOU CAN look! all around you..and PLAN .

Ansel Adams.. .. .. didn't just point and shoot.. he always had a plan. he planned his composition & his subject(s)

this takes time to learn.. by taking lots & lots of pictures.. Ansel Adams did not "learn" this overnight, either will you!

I don't really want to be the person shooting tons of worthless pictures. What I'm saying is I have a hard time being inspired by things at all. Your ideas of photographing strangers for instance is fine for some people, but that's just not me at all.

I have ideas, but I have a tough time translating them to a photograph. I know you can't fly without walking, and I don't expect to be someone like AA...:lol: Like you said I want to be able to see things I might usually overlook.
 
only because I have been there my self.. I put my self into that "EMPTY" room in 1970..I stayed in that empty room, until I learned how to see & think & look. Then I went iinto a room that was filled with "objects" and I learned to open my eyes, look around, see, plan, compose, using NO CAMERA. just a "blank" piece of "cardboard" cut out into a 4" x 5" paper viewfinder. The next step (for me) was to go outside, and walk around the house outside. just keep looking aournd the OUTSIDE of your house. Keep looking, keep walking around that house outside.. then.. once that lesson is complete.. I will "cut" your so called "leash" keeping you close to home.. and let you go free.. and roam..I got so upset, because I couldn't do or accomplish what other photographers were doing. I thought my work was great, until I went out and looked at other's work, then I hung my head, went back to the lab, got more film, went back out and did it all over again. & again & again, year after year after year.

Sorry, but I gotta tell the truth. I am a slow learner. it takes me time to fully understand some things. I can't put a finger on when I reached the confidence level that I enjoy now..I really can't.

Salem Witch Museum, Salem Mass. 1974. I was just leaving the Salem Commons, a favorite place to go, sit down, relax, and watch, people!

I had been there for quite a while and I stated to leave. A $400,000 car pulled up to the Museum and I thought WHOA! LOOK AT THAT CAR.

As the person got out. I said to them .. is this your museum? he laughed and said yes. I siad.. How would you like a GREAT photo of your museum,
he laughed and said.. Oh .. you're funny.. ome here he said.. while he was laughing. and we went into his office. ha ha ha ha ha. .Know I know WHY he is laughing. Box after box after box of kodak "paper" was all over that office up on shelves. 100 sheet boxes, 500 sheet boxes and he brought a few down and opened them and threw them into a big pile. See he said.. EVERY SQUARE inch of this place.. INSIDE and out has been photographed umteen million times. I said but Oh! my picture is going to be in COLOR!

he reached up and grabbed more boxes.. and said.. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SHOW ME? that I haven't already seen. I stated CONFIDENTLY. I am going to SELL you! one image 16 x 20 for 300 dollars! I sure got his ATTENTION with that statement. He laughed hard!

I asked, will you be here tommorrow sir? he said yes.. tommorrow afternoon, I shook his hand and left. The next day.. I came back with a box contianing one 16 x 20 color print of the outside of his museum in color. when I opened that box, his face sure changed, His eyes got as big as pancakes! he reached into his back pockect and immediately wrote a check for 300 bucks without ever saying one word. HIS mouth was still haning open. in SHOCK! He had NEVER seen anything like this before.

What he was looking at was a COLOR POSTERIZATION of his museum!

he expected to see a normal photograph of the outside of his museum during the day time. The colors in this image were UN-REAL.

although the original photograph was taken outside during the sunny day.

My image had a black sky, the red brick building was red with orange/green moss and the other colors were SPLASHED in much the same manner that Leroy Neiman would use color. This image required 25 high contrast b&W negatives and 25 high contrast B&W positives to use as "stencils"
to splash / paint color onto the resulting image.

He said to me.. can you remove the cars? I don't want any cars in front.

I smiled oh so big.. and said. I can do it again.. ! and I had to take another photograph. and repeat the entire process.

YOu just never know.. what is going to happen when you approach a person WITH CONFIDENCE and try to sell them your work !
 
so does your statement!

"I know people do this, but be careful with it. You have no right to sell a person's image that can be recognized unless you have a release (or if it's for a news story), even if it's to the person in the picture. If they knew this and wanted to, they could get you in trouble. If you plan on selling them, it's best to get releases for any images that have recognizable people in them."

If I approach a mother on that field.. and show her.. a pic.. of her son/daughter.. THERE IS ABSOLUTLYL nothing wrong with that!

I can take a photo of George Bush in public AND SELL THAT IMAGE to anyone.. I cannot get into trouble UNLESS I publish that image!

paparatizi.? I dont know how to spel that word..DO THEY ASK? or did they ASK?? Princies Diana for a model release ? ever ??! being in a "public" place.. is another story.!

I DO NOT NEED A MODEL RELEASE!... the only time I need a model release

is If that photo or recognizabe image is used: tv, newspaper, advertising, magazines etc. BUT TO SELL HER A PIC OF HER child.. I DO NOT NEED A MODEL RELEASE!

I have an Educational Fine Art Life-style / Culture gallery

I have no model releases.........EDUCATION does not count

read the LAWS become very familiar with them FIRST.!

I need SUBJECTS.. sorry if I got off the subject of this thread,

SUBJECTS.. how do you find them?.......LOOK!

There is in (my opinion) no such thing as a stupid question!

how do you learn .. ?? how to look.. how to see?....YOU NEED inspiraton!

How do you get that ? Look at other GREAT photographers work!

Honestly.. wanna know what hapened evertime I did that ?

I got depressed! .....then I got MAD...........then I was determined......then I went out..again. to the same places..and OPENED my eyes.. in a different way!

I wish I could just copy & paste! my imagination to yours.

For you to build on your imagination.. first you have to do excercises!

then it will get much stronger.! I PROMISE.!

think..... "different"!

art3.JPG
 
I don't want to derail this discussion, but this comes up time and again.

http://www.apogeephoto.com/mag4-6/mag4-6model_releases.shtml

"The subject needs to prove only that the pictures were used for commercial purposes--that is, used with an expectation of bringing profit directly or indirectly."

"Personal use of photographs does not apply. Also excepted are photographs of public figures which are deemed to be newsworthy or informative, even if profit is derived from them."

So this doesn't apply to your paparazzi example. You're telling me to read the laws. I have. How about you show me some well researched examples instead of just winging it with poor logic. I'm open to being convinced otherwise, but not like that. Yeah, I'm being snarky back, but I'm getting tired of having this thrown back at me. Personal opinion matters squat when it comes to the law. It doesn't matter how you think things should be, just what a judge interprets the law as. I'll be the first to admit that I'm just giving a personal opinion, since I don't have a law degree, but at least it's a somewhat researched one. I'd hate to see someone get into trouble because of some of the terrible law advice I see brandied about here. At least I'm leaning on the side of caution.

Just because you haven't been sued doesn't mean you won't be, or more to the point, someone else won't. And you don't have to break the law to get sued. It pays to protect yourself.
 
Just because you haven't been sued doesn't mean you won't be, or more to the point, someone else won't. And you don't have to break the law to get sued. It pays to protect yourself.

I absolutley 150% agree with this point.
I would not feel comfortable going to a childrens ball game or playground and just snapping pictures.
If I had children and I seen someone taking pictures from far away I wouldnt hesitate to tell them where to go.
If they showed up the next day trying to sell those pictures... they might not be seen again. This is borderline creepy.

However... If you were to contact the coach or someone in charge of an event, get their permission. Maybe get model releases signed BEFORE THE EVENT and offer them all one free print for letting you photograph them. This may go over a little easier.
From there the word of mouth will spread. People will tell friends 'Yeah that John Smith took a great picture of our little Tommy getting a home run on Saturday' instead of 'Does anyone know that dude who was taking pictures last weekend. Where did he come from?'

I worked for a local newspaper a few years ago and even though it's a small town and most people know me I still made it known who I was and why I was taking pictures.

As for subjects.. I look through magazines and at others pictures online. I often find them very inspiring. Go out and try to make similar pictures... even if you have to.. god forbid.. copy it at first. Then start to put your own spin with different angles etc.

I totally understand where you're coming from. I'm in the exact same boat most of the time.

I just noticed that the person who started this thread has not posted any more messages... I'll assume you're still watching and reading.
 
neea I'm glad you made this point as I am thinking of going to some little league baseball games and taking some photos with a view to selling them to the parents. I was planning to approach the coaches before the game and will definitely do this. The idea of release forms is a good one. Is there a site online where you can print them off?
 
Put a classified ad in a local college newspaper... TFP. They get the digital images, you get a free model, everyone is happy. :thumbup:

Do some research and find the appropriate contracts/releases etc for TFP agreements - I did it back when I was in college.
 
Well I must admit that my parparazzi example was a poor one.

and againi I agree with what you said about (emphasis mine) some "creep" hangning around "lurking" or whatever.. yeah I can see that..!

Thanks for pointing all of that out.. I mean it.. I am sure that you can also understand.. that what I was doing 40 years ago was a "different" time.

I will reflect on that as I make posts in the future.. Thanks Gentlemen I mean it.! but.. one thing you 'forgot" when ever handing an image or selling an image to a person or company etc.

I always had a rubber stamp to put name address phone # etc.

"THE ABSOLUTE best method of advertising is 'word of mouth"!

that!, will never change!

"here's lookin at you all " (WINK) .. ... smile .. -=click=-

http://majikimaje.com/img060.jpg

Now! can I interest you in a few pic's ? OF YOUR WORK ?!

Dont be afraid to show people your work. Once they see what you are trying to learn or promote, they will less likely to wonder why your speaking to them. everyone has a camera.. (creepy people) but a small portfolio of your work.. I always had one with me. eye poping photos of different subjects.. People love photos of their pets.. You know people that have pets. Can I "practice? by takinig a pic of your pet? I will give you some for free.. Now when they see those images.. they are gonna brag! the people that see your work.. want some of that ! you truely will be surprised at what you get calls for. ..."my strangest request, I thought was ..'photos of my pet skunks" sure let me grab a 500 mm lens and lets go !! Only kiddng.. I used a normal lens. ! ha ha. and held my breath!
 
neea I'm glad you made this point as I am thinking of going to some little league baseball games and taking some photos with a view to selling them to the parents. I was planning to approach the coaches before the game and will definitely do this. The idea of release forms is a good one. Is there a site online where you can print them off?

Here's a few links
http://www.danheller.com/model-release.html

This one has for adults and minors
http://www.accesskansas.org/tourism/docs/photo_modelrelease_form.pdf

If you google 'model release samples' you'll get tons of results.
Some are pretty complicated in their wording. This may confuse people or make them nervous, thinking that you've got secret motives that are stated within all the fancy-schmancy legal terms.

I usually copy the text into Word or something. Change it a bit and put my logo at the top.

Minors require different forms because the parents have to approve and sign it.
 
Thanks neea. I will definitely look into this. I'm glad this was brought up or I might have had some problems although I was planning on talking to the coaches first to make sure it's ok.
 
A great place to get free models maybe One Model Place.

There's various levels of models and photographers.
Try finding someone in your area who wants a free portfolio.
A free portfolio for her means a free portfolio for you as well.

I tried this but live a few hours from the nearest major city so it would've never worked well.
 
Markc

I was always under the impression from what I have read that as long as the piece is being sold as editorial or art even though you are obtaining money you did not need a model release. It was only when the person in the picture was being associated with a product or business. Which would mean in the case of selling the picture to the mother it would be as 'art' and not require a release. (Will go back to see if I can find some of the sites.. read the one you quoted but thats the problem with law.. all sorts of ways to see it)
 
Thank you Zedin !!

Standing, clapping, cheering.. that is Zactly what I am talking about!

I remember what I read.. about the laws in Alaska I just don't have any links to it.

I guess it is best said. by.. certain laws apply to WHAT your trying to sell.. news, advertising,

or the words I use in my gallery and the most important word in my gallery is Educational (which puts it in a whole new category)

I have an Educational Fine Art lifestyle / culture gallery and I do not need any model releases even though I sell photos of people!

if they were to go ito advertising then that is different
 
Either way.. no matter what the laws say about 'editorial' work or not... If you want to be seen as a professional and not a stalker then it'd be best to at least talk to people. Give them your business card and website address.
Personally... I'd always get a release. I wouldnt want parents phoning me up all mad that their kids picture is online.

I put passwords on any online family albums that have pictures of young kids because I know their mothers would prefer it that way.
 

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