will you pose for me?

[Shadowbox]

Currently I can only take photos of flowers, scenery, my pets and candid shots of the nieces and nephews. I'd really like to try formal photo's, as in a 'session' type where I can control the settings, the lighting, and see how it works out. It's for my own practice and experience. I can only take so many photos of kids playing, my pink tree's and my cats sleeping. While I actually love taking all types of photos I want to practice portrait photography.

Where can I find more subjects? I have looked via craigslist, no response. I have looked on model mayhem, but most of those women are a different style than I am going for. I don't have any family or friends who would do a real session. Every time I try they just want to get normal snapshots and candid shots.

Please advise, I have searched the forums but being so many words it brings up 100's of unrelated threads. I typed in "finding subjects" and "where to find more people to photograph" .. lol .. doesn't really work out well!

 

[AJRacca]

You could offer to pay people to do it. Lol or offer to give them a free print or something. That way both of you benefit from it. You get to practice your skills and they get a free picture or something. Just a suggestion, hope it helps

As for finding people, I don't know... so I guess I wasn't much help there. Sorry!

 

[Shadowbox]

Thanks, I was hoping that offering free prints would inspire people but no luck so far.. I must be doing something wrong or perhaps I do not have people skills ha. Hopefully that is not the case.

 

[Peanuts]

Try searching 'portfolio building' perhaps?

It really only takes one connected friend to get you started. Offer to do them for free - no need to do anything out of pocket beyond a disc of the edited files for them.

 

[Shadowbox]

Thanks for the suggestion peanuts. Honestly I do not have any friends, but I have been taking a lot of portrait style photo's of my husband. He's been patient, I'd just like to work with someone who is truly interested in receiving photo's, because I feel they would have more motivation to work with me than someone who doesn't care. I have seen others offering on craigslist, mine may have been a turn off because I made it clear I was an aspiring photographer and that I would only work with someone in need, and that if they could afford a professional they should go that route. I was just trying to be honest about my skill level!

 

[Shadowbox]

5 Tips for Building Your Photography Portfolio this is a good link about portfolio building. Side note: I like her thoughts that "100,000% of the time it doesn't matter what other photographers think. It's your art. It's your passion." .. while I think CC is important, I think in some cases it can hinder people who try too hard to fit the mold instead of following their own path.

 

[Kbarredo]

Currently I can only take photos of flowers, scenery, my pets and candid shots of the nieces and nephews. I'd really like to try formal photo's, as in a 'session' type where I can control the settings, the lighting, and see how it works out. It's for my own practice and experience. I can only take so many photos of kids playing, my pink tree's and my cats sleeping. While I actually love taking all types of photos I want to practice portrait photography.

Where can I find more subjects? I have looked via craigslist, no response. I have looked on model mayhem, but most of those women are a different style than I am going for. I don't have any family or friends who would do a real session. Every time I try they just want to get normal snapshots and candid shots.

Please advise, I have searched the forums but being so many words it brings up 100's of unrelated threads. I typed in "finding subjects" and "where to find more people to photograph" .. lol .. doesn't really work out well!

Cant help on the portrait photography models but if you would like models for grittier genres try hiring homeless people. One shot i was thinking was have a homeless guy sit on a busy sidewalk, set camera to long exposure. You know where im going with this.

 

[Peanuts]

Cant help on the portrait photography models but if you would like models for grittier genres try hiring homeless people. One shot i was thinking was have a homeless guy sit on a busy sidewalk, set camera to long exposure. You know where im going with this.

I'm going to disagree with this (respectfully). I am actually starting a social documentary regarding some of these issues through well established means (ie. shelters and a fellow I know who lives on the streets) and paying someone who is marginalized to take their portrait is not going to help them. Most people experiencing homelessness don't want to have their portrait taken first of all and secondly I don't see it necessarily being in good taste. There are always exceptions though so I don't want people to get all erked by this statement but please realize this probably isn't the best place to start. (For myself I have already been on two 'shoots' - really just walks around the downtown, probably 20 images were taken in total - with two different guys who live on the streets mostly just to learn more about the difficulties people who live on the street experience and it has been mentioned how disrespectful it is when people 'steal' their pictures. I know this isn't what you are suggesting but it is quite a sensitive issue).

Honestly. I would want to portfolio build with friends but if you honestly don't have anyone prepare some cards and ask people at your local coffee shop if you could take their picture. Since you don't have images for them to preview beforehand your hit/miss ratio will be pretty crumby but someone is bound to say yes

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I would trade you but you are a bit far. I traded posing session with other photogs when I ran out of friends and strangers

If there is a photo club in your area, join it. You should meet people there with the same problem and then you can trade sessions. If there isn't a club, start one.

 

[Shadowbox]

That's a good tip cloudwalker. I'll look into it. I did see a place around here that has classes and rents a studio out, perhaps they also have a photography club through them.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Most people experiencing homelessness don't want to have their portrait taken first of all and secondly I don't see it necessarily being in good taste. There are always exceptions though so...

 

[Peanuts]

Bitter Jeweler. Funny you post that. I volunteer at a homeless shelter and I volunteered to do just that a couple years ago. Probably only 1/3 of the people staying that night had their portrait taken. I really suck at explaining my thoughts behind this but to me there is a huge difference between allowing a voluntary free headshot to be taken and going up and asking someone on the street if you can essentially practice your photography skills and paying them to do so. I won't go as far as saying it's exploitation because technically it's not but... yup

 

[Shadowbox]

I think some people who do it aren't necessarily looking to exploit the homeless, but see it as a win/win- they get to take photo's, homeless gets some cash type of thing but regardless of intention in my opinion it isn't right. I just think it should be reserved for educational reasons, to help bring the gritty sad truth to focus and expose the lives of homeless people through photojournalism and not for a newbie to hone in their skills.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Go to local churches in the poorer areas, and offer portraiture for free, it will cost you some prints, but give you experience.

From what I saw at the homeless stand down, you would be doing something very special for people who would never be able to pay for a family portrait, and don't look on craiglist to get one.
Giving doesn't have to be money, but sometimes it's something special people will cherish, for a lifetime.

 

[Shadowbox]

Good suggestion. I know a lot of people in Michigan are struggling right now and just can't afford to have family portraits taken. There are so many churches around here too.

I guess I just see as going up to a homeless person and taking their pic without asking as being a violation of privacy, it's like going into someones house and taking their photo's without asking. That's how I see it. But, if the homeless want to then that is their choice and great too.