Suicide Girls?

AprilRamone · Jan 24, 2008

Has anyone ever shot for them before?

I had a gal contact me saying she was trying to find a photographer to do her set for the Suicide girls. Well, they already have a person in Denver that they refer girls to but I guess she doesn't like that photographer.
In any case, I contacted them to get some more info on how it works and I'm pretty astonished at their policies.
These are the ones that stand out to me the most:
"6. Rates

-Accepted Prepped Set: $200
-Accepted UnPrepped Set: $100
(For prepping specifications please see the Photoshopper FAQ)"

So basically they have said that a full set is like 45-65ish photos but they pretty much want to see every one that's not blinked eyes or out of focus etc... from the session. And they want the full res files.
My problem is that first I'd have to request permission to do my own editing on them and then I'd have to edit 65+ images for only $100 more.

So even if I can think of how fun this kind of photoshoot would be and not get worked up over the $ aspect, then they say that they basically own your image and you can't show them anywhere. I think I saw somewhere in the paperwork that you could use two for your portfolio but with the SGs label on it.

And to top it all off, they have non-compete agreements in the contract.

So has anyone here ever shot for them before? You basically get to do a TON of work and not even own your own work for $100-200?
Is there something I'm missing here?

I'm probably going to have to tell this poor gal that I won't do it, but I thought I'd check here and see what anyone has to say first.
I mean, if I want to do a SGs type of session, I know PLENTY of girls who fit the profile. I'm in Roller Derby for crying out loud! At least then I'd own my own pictures!

Big Mike · Jan 24, 2008

It sounds to me like they want a bit much control for not much money. Probably a good idea to send them packing...unless of course, it could lead to lots of referrals and such...but if they are so tight with their images...they may not get 'out there'.

I'm with you, decline and move on.

AprilRamone · Jan 24, 2008

I actually think my set would be accepted, but they are really strict about what kind of session you can do (right now they want NO bathtub scenes of any kind etc...) but they don't pay at all if your set isn't accepted.

Big Mike · Jan 24, 2008

Maybe go back to them with what you think you should charge for that type of shoot and giving up that much control of your images. If they really want you...they may up the anty.

AprilRamone · Jan 24, 2008

lol...I've just spent the last ten minutes googling them and trying to find out any info on photographers who shoot for them and it does not sound pretty. They are suing one of their photographer for photographing his own wife because she put the images on her own personal website. It sounds shady. I'm just not going to mess with it. It's one thing to give away photos to a particular session and another to sign away rights to take any similar kinds of photos for any website that they might think is competing with their website.
Besides, any company that is doing that well and pays the photographers such a pittance is not a company I want to get involved with!

Mike_E · Jan 24, 2008

Tell them what you will do and for how much. Nobody gets out for free (they pay you a sitting fee), you own the rights and they may purchase unlimited rights for $X.

If they don't go for it then you are out one huge headache.

Alpha · Jan 24, 2008

DO NOT SHOOT FOR SG. end of story. Keep reading on Google if you're not certain.

ScottS · Jan 24, 2008

MaxBloom said:
DO NOT SHOOT FOR SG. end of story. Keep reading on Google if you're not certain.

I agree 100% with MaxBloom!

I know a guy who did a shoot for them here in Denver, and he said it was the worst shoot in his life.

JIP · Jan 24, 2008

Big Mike said:
Maybe go back to them with what you think you should charge for that type of shoot and giving up that much control of your images. If they really want you...they may up the anty.

I think if you are going to do something like this you might as well just tell the girl no and let it go at that. To mee it seems like there would be a million people out there that would shoot under those terms and thet is pretty much the reason they use them.

DeepSpring · Jan 24, 2008

Go check out model mayhem. Search for suicide girls and you will see thread after thread after thread of people giving their horrible accounts of how that company works.

JimmyJaceyMom · Jan 25, 2008

It sounds to me like they almost thimk they're so cool that YOU should have to pay them! LOL As if you would do all that work just for the thrill of being able to say you did it for them.> They have a neat concept in the Suicide Girls but jeez, it's not so much of a priviledge I wouldn't think. I would probably not do it, and I didn't know you do roller derby - you go girl!

sabbath999 · Jan 25, 2008

I have heard personal first hand experiences with a friend who did a set for a girl for SG. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT do this. The non-compete is insane, and it covers ALL KINDS of websites that have nothing to do with soft porn (or, in some cases, not so soft porn).

AprilRamone · Jan 25, 2008

lol, yeah I was pretty much convinced I wasn't going to do it after reading the material they sent me, but I was 100% convinced after I read about one of their former photogs being sued for taking nude photos of his wife which she used on her website.
I always thought SG seemed kind of a cool idea, but now that I know how they treat photographers I think they are REALLY LAME!

nossie · Jan 25, 2008

Wow! Thanks for bringing it up. What an utter rubbish organisation to deal with. phew! makes me think of an autocrat client that I'm disposing off right now.

RMThompson · Mar 25, 2008

Hmm interesting.

I will say that I recently found out that they raised their rates.

Also the whole "photographer sued for suing his own wife" was true, but the part people seem to leave out was that his wife was a former SG model and they were working on a site to compete with SG for just that model. Like if you were working for a computer company and then decided to go out and make your OWN computer company; competition clauses would come into play.

From what I've understand thanks to their recent legal wranglings, the site has had to be lax on what it considers a "competitor".

If anyone has LINKS to these horror stories, please share them here!