models

[silver163]

I believe that the proper link would be Vlad Kryvdyk - Portfolio

Looks like we are neighbors, I live in Buffalo Grove and work in Vernon Hills
and looks like you have some russian cityscapes in your portfolio. I am from Russia as well, so if you wanna go shot somewhere, sometime, let me know, especially if you find a good model

haha this is a one in a million shot but it is actually ukraine.

 

[Alleh Lindquist]

my portfolio: Vlad Kryvdyk - Portfolio

but as i said i was trying to find models with 0 experience but problem is that even they want money and not just a bit usually its from $200-$500 I had one who wanted $2,000 per photo but that's the most extreme they gotten.

I wouldn’t pay a model squat for a shoot that was for either for mine or their portfolio. If I was getting paid and I was hiring a model from an agency for the job that’s one thing.

People ask me all the time if I will shoot them for free for their portfolio and it's a joke. I don't even waste my time to respond unless it is to tell them no and if they want to pay I would be happy to help them better their portfolio that they will in turn use it to earn money.

The key is to find a balance in the level of experience you have vs. they have. You can't contact someone who is constantly booked for paid work and expect them to waste their time so you can practice. You will only be able to get someone to do it for free if it's going to be of benefit for them as in you will actually be able to provide a quality even to or better than the images they already have.

In the case of all the wannabe models that exist that think they are a gift to the industry the tools I use for my business weren’t free why should their tool (portfolio) be free.

 

[JerryPH]

I didn't have that chance, I used ModelMayhem and prior to even meeting them I would ask if they were interested in boosting both portfolios but they would just say "i want money" and these were ones without any experience.



I tried but they just change their minds and want money

Thats the thing. I am willing to bet that:

A - Your "reputation" on MM is not that of an established professional.
B - Your choice of models is not getting you what you want
C - MM basically sucks 98.99% of the time from what I see.

A - Get some experience and fill your portfolio with some good shots. Use family if you must.
B - Learn where to go for better models
C - Did I mention that MM basically sucks?

Oh... BTW, model mayhem... sucks.
Most of the time all one reads is "they never showed up" or "they weren't ready" or "they were late" or what ever.

"Models" like that, no one needs. Time to look elsewhere.

Find a local strobist group and if none exist... MAKE one yourself. Make some contacts, network, talk to people! Photographers that want to shoot models and portraiture almost always have aspirations of turning pro... well, guess what, being a pro photographer has VERY little to do with pressing the shutter. Learning and knowing how to talk to people and network is a GREAT tool... so go out and practice that aspect of it... find yourself models, make-up artists, other photographers, pro and otherwise... learn to network, and grow your environment to meet your needs!

 

[LuckySo-n-So]

Thats the thing. I am willing to bet that:

C - MM basically sucks 98.99% of the time from what I see.


C - Did I mention that MM basically sucks?

Oh... BTW, model mayhem... sucks.

"Models" like that, no one needs. Time to look elsewhere.

I clicked the link just for schitzengiggles, and it took all of about 5 minutes to agree with your assessment. I think I'll stick to friends and family to start. If I'm good enough, it will go from there. Word of mouth is better than any advertisement.

Find a local strobist group and if none exist... MAKE one yourself. Make some contacts, network, talk to people! Photographers that want to shoot models and portraiture almost always have aspirations of turning pro... well, guess what, being a pro photographer has VERY little to do with pressing the shutter. Learning and knowing how to talk to people and network is a GREAT tool... so go out and practice that aspect of it... find yourself models, make-up artists, other photographers, pro and otherwise... learn to network, and grow your environment to meet your needs!

Sounds like good common sense advice from you as always, Jerry. I enjoy reading your posts.

 

[JerryPH]

I clicked the link just for schitzengiggles, and it took all of about 5 minutes to agree with your assessment. I think I'll stick to friends and family to start.

You will never know how lost I was the first time I had a "stranger" in front of my lens that was not a family member. I had no idea how to even ask for a position or pose... and when she asked me what to do... man, my inexperience showed.

That fades VERY fast, though and within a couple hours things were wailing and on top of that, the 2nd time we had an event, a few extra models showed up "just because that guy with the funny T-shirt is coming and we like him..."

I am *so* looking forward to this Saturday and the following entire weekend. Our club has 2 events happening 2 weeks in a row. After this, I have a good feeling that I will easily have a couple hundred nice photos to add to my portfolio.

Sincerely, don't give up, keep plugging away.

 

[Joves]

That and use any friends and their girlfriends as subjects too Lucky.

 

[silver163]

Thats the thing. I am willing to bet that:

A - Your "reputation" on MM is not that of an established professional.
B - Your choice of models is not getting you what you want
C - MM basically sucks 98.99% of the time from what I see.

A - Get some experience and fill your portfolio with some good shots. Use family if you must.
B - Learn where to go for better models
C - Did I mention that MM basically sucks?

Oh... BTW, model mayhem... sucks.
Most of the time all one reads is "they never showed up" or "they weren't ready" or "they were late" or what ever.

"Models" like that, no one needs. Time to look elsewhere.

Find a local strobist group and if none exist... MAKE one yourself. Make some contacts, network, talk to people! Photographers that want to shoot models and portraiture almost always have aspirations of turning pro... well, guess what, being a pro photographer has VERY little to do with pressing the shutter. Learning and knowing how to talk to people and network is a GREAT tool... so go out and practice that aspect of it... find yourself models, make-up artists, other photographers, pro and otherwise... learn to network, and grow your environment to meet your needs!

I can try to create a Strobist group but I doubt it will be successful just being realistic with my situation.

Everyone starts off with 0 experience, I have some photographing some friends but none of them are really that willing. I don't have family to rely on.

But what is frusturating for me is when models have as I have said have absolutely 0 experience when it comes to modeling reject.

I expect models who had experience reject me since why would they waste their time with me, but why are models who never modeled before acting like this?

just want to make this clear: I do look for models who have very little or no experience not models who have lots of experience but its frusturating when models who have 0 experience start demanding money and not cheaply.

 

[silver163]

You will never know how lost I was the first time I had a "stranger" in front of my lens that was not a family member. I had no idea how to even ask for a position or pose... and when she asked me what to do... man, my inexperience showed.

That fades VERY fast, though and within a couple hours things were wailing and on top of that, the 2nd time we had an event, a few extra models showed up "just because that guy with the funny T-shirt is coming and we like him..."

I am *so* looking forward to this Saturday and the following entire weekend. Our club has 2 events happening 2 weeks in a row. After this, I have a good feeling that I will easily have a couple hundred nice photos to add to my portfolio.

Sincerely, don't give up, keep plugging away.

how do you manage to take photos in a club? i tried that but flash is too hot and creates really poor quality photos and the lighting sucks.

 

[craig]

As always your lighting and style will command the people you work with. If you have no wiling friends or family then pay a model or join a group. Contrary to popular belief Model Mayhem is a good resource if you use it wisely. That means making contacts as opposed to random "I would like to shoot with you" comments. Keep in mind that a model with 0 experience and a photographer with 0 experience equals a nightmare. Also keep in mind that real modeling portfolios are a tough game. Not to mention commercial/editorial and fashion work. Long story short your work has to be amazing. Best advice is do not get discouraged. Know that you are swimming with sharks.

The real question is what kind of work are you looking to get in to? Spill some details and we can help further.

Love & Bass

 

[silver163]

As always your lighting and style will command the people you work with. If you have no wiling friends or family then pay a model or join a group. Contrary to popular belief Model Mayhem is a good resource if you use it wisely. That means making contacts as opposed to random "I would like to shoot with you" comments. Keep in mind that a model with 0 experience and a photographer with 0 experience equals a nightmare. Also keep in mind that real modeling portfolios are a tough game. Not to mention commercial/editorial and fashion work. Long story short your work has to be amazing. Best advice is do not get discouraged. Know that you are swimming with sharks.

The real question is what kind of work are you looking to get in to? Spill some details and we can help further.

Love & Bass

I just want to get experience that is all, i try to establish contacts but no one wants to bother with me =/

 

[bigtwinky]

Once my play is over, I so want to get into the Montreal Strobist group. From the pics I have seen of the events, they look totally fun.

And from what I hear, they are very welcoming to newer people too.

 

[silver163]

well apparently my account got closed do to "lack of experience" which is rather strange but oh well.

 

[JerryPH]

Once my play is over, I so want to get into the Montreal Strobist group. From the pics I have seen of the events, they look totally fun.

And from what I hear, they are very welcoming to newer people too.

There is no snobishness concerning experience levels, equipment or camera brands (well, I kid the Canon guys and they give it right back to me... lol) You're missing out on some interesting things over the next 2 weekends.

This Saturday we are going back to Studio4Fun. *THIS* time not just with our group but 2 other local photo forums with more models, more photographers, more make-up artists. The organizer even has a local photography store on the line to lend us as many as possibly *10* monolight strobes between 200-1200 W/s to play with!

The following event is 6 days later. We've organized a Fri-Sat-Sun event at a place that promises some INCREDIBLE potential. At about a 2 hour drive from Montreal, Mont Tremblant has one of the bigger ski mountains in the region. Boasts 200 year old architecture as well as a practically completely re-renovated town and in surrounding areas, many old and/or abandoned places like 100 year old barns, a covered bridge, ice mountain climbing, forests galore and we will have access to ALL that and more, plus the main area indoors. One or two of the evenings I will be bringing a few photo seminar DVDs that I've bought and we will watch after the day is over on a big screen as a group (strobist porn... lol). We can discuss, get ideas from, and have fun. Leaving Friday evening and ending Sunday afternoon, it promises to be a mini-vacation for not just the strobist lover, but landscape and nature photographers too!

 

[silver163]

There is no snobishness concerning experience levels, equipment or camera brands (well, I kid the Canon guys and they give it right back to me... lol) You're missing out on some interesting things over the next 2 weekends.

This Saturday we are going back to Studio4Fun. *THIS* time not just with our group but 2 other local photo forums with more models, more photographers, more make-up artists. The organizer even has a local photography store on the line to lend us as many as possibly *10* monolight strobes between 200-1200 W/s to play with!

The following event is 6 days later. We've organized a Fri-Sat-Sun event at a place that promises some INCREDIBLE potential. At about a 2 hour drive from Montreal, Mont Tremblant has one of the bigger ski mountains in the region. Boasts 200 year old architecture as well as a practically completely re-renovated town and in surrounding areas, many old and/or abandoned places like 100 year old barns, a covered bridge, ice mountain climbing, forests galore and we will have access to ALL that and more, plus the main area indoors. One or two of the evenings I will be bringing a few photo seminar DVDs that I've bought and we will watch after the day is over on a big screen as a group (strobist porn... lol). We can discuss, get ideas from, and have fun. Leaving Friday evening and ending Sunday afternoon, it promises to be a mini-vacation for not just the strobist lover, but landscape and nature photographers too!

why strobes not steady light?

 

[JerryPH]

why strobes not steady light?

- They are much weaker
- The quality of light is much poorer
- WB is not consistent from blub to blub, often even when they say they are the same K.
- Not portable

Kinda hard to get the extension cord to go that 1500 feet into the woods to that field or out on that bridge to get a shot... or in that back alley at 2:00AM.