Model Mayhem.

2WheelPhoto · Jan 26, 2012

Schwettylens said:
In a perfect world, a company will pay both of you and the model to create an advertisement or editorial work. In reality though, most of the shots you see on modelmayhem, the photographers either pay the model $ or do a TFP. They use these photos just for entertainment/hobby. Only a small percentage of these photographers actually make $.

The chance for a model to come to you and PAY you to take their photos for their portfolio is very slim (with the amount of decent photographers who are willing to do TFP). If I were to do one (pay the model or TFP), I probably make the model dress up like a bride OR pretend to be a high school senior to reinforce my portfolio in that category.

Let me add in the Florida world the photographers I know are a very small part of the scene.
The customer (magazine, clothes designer, Nordstrom's, make-up or shampoo company etc) requests from a marketing agency the shoot. Everyone gets paid. Marketing agency hires a modeling agency and flies the model in from Milan, Italy or a Miami modeling agency, or local ect. Model and her agent arrive in the studio in Tampa for the shoot.
Everyone gets paid including make-up artist, hair airtist, model agency, photographer. And in one instance I saw a body painter. Add to this after the shoot its not over, the photographer is a photographer and the pics go to the GRAPHIC ARTIST for edit. For example, Photographer shoots body painted models for a magazine at Southbeach against the white studio background. The pics go from there to a graphic artist who take the pics, puts them on an American Flag background, and preps the front cover of the mag and a few pages within where the pics will also appear.

Just one simple example but it always goes crazy like that on the paid shoots I've seen. I'm still a student but get invited to watch this stuff occasionally.

DiskoJoe · Jan 27, 2012

Schwettylens said:
Shooting models "generally" wont make you any money in the future. That's my observation so far.

Well it can if it helps you improve on future shoots.

Trever1t · Jan 27, 2012

OK, I've had success with the ladies from MM with one exception noone has flaked on me.

I find it a resource of available talent that I use to hone my skills as a portrait photographer. Pretty young ladies whom will model in exchage for print rights. I've had fun with it and made some good contacts for future projects. I get 3-5 requests a week now from models, some with very lovely portfolios but I'm busy with other business for the time being.

Of course there's the flakes and drooling weirdos.

MReid · Jan 27, 2012

If you are serious about getting good at shooting people it takes a LOT of practice...you eventually run out of volunteers....that are worth shooting.

Enter Model Mayhem, on the site I do a search of the local area for girls with recent activity, pick out girls I want to shoot and send them a message.
Once they respond and you send a few messages back and forth it kinda sorts itself out...the flaky girls eventually don't reply...the ones that are serious follow through to the shoot.
Never pay....it is symbiotic...everybody gets something out of it they can use.
I imagine the better your work is the less of the models will flake on you...once you get pretty good, they almost always follow through and show up.
My rule is if a girl flakes once, don't reschedule her...it is a good rule.