No Answer is an Answer

So, you’ve sent someone you’re interested in working with a message.  For whatever reason, you’ve monitored whether or not the message has been read, and you see that it has.  Despite this, the model hasn’t replied to you.  Not a peep from her.

First of all, why are you sitting and monitoring whether or not the messages you’ve sent have been read?!  Seems like such a waste of time, and I’ve never understood why people do that.  Send the message, and move on.  Certainly, you have better things to do with your time than wait for “unread” to change “read”, right?  I’d hope so!

Why might a model simply not respond, instead of taking a few seconds to just say “no”?
There are tons of reasons a model might not respond.  Some of the most common ones are…

Pre-Shoot Meetings.

Quite often you hear photographers encouraging other photographers to require a model to attend a pre-shoot meeting in order to tell whether or not she’ll flake, to make sure she looks like her photos, to make sure you’re on the same page with shoot concepts, or to see whether your personalities will “mesh” well enough so that the shoot will be a success.  Or you hear models (or the occasional white-knight photographer) telling others to go to a pre-shoot meeting to ensure the photographer isn’t a creep.  I have even heard pre-shoot meetings likened to casting calls!  There’s a lot wrong with all of that, so let’s start at the beginning…

Why Public Blacklists Are Bad

Public blacklists–lists of people an individual doesn’t recommend working with–can be found on many profiles on Internet modeling sites.  They are often fueled by anger and judgement, and are usually created and added to during the heat of the moment, while one is angry due to the actions of the very person they’re blacklisting.  The list-maker usually just wants to “get back” at the person whom they feel wronged them, and quite often, the list maker doesn’t pause to think of the consequences to themselves that these lists often have.

Booking A Model

For whatever reason, some photographers are non-committal when it comes to booking, or think a minimal amount of info sent to a model suddenly means they’ve booked said model.  For models, this is frustrating (especially when the same photographers are seen in the forums complaining about no-show models or not being able to find any models in their area).  Here are some tips and things to avoid doing when booking a model.

Do’s & Don’ts of Group Shoots

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts of planning group shoots.  All of this comes from either my experience as an attendee or a planner myself.  I suppose I’ll state right off that bat that some of these might work for others, whereas some might not… it all depends largely on your audience, your event, and who’s planning the event.

Group Events & A Model’s Dilemma

I have a dilemma, and frankly, it’s easier for me to hash it out here in my blog than in my head. Perhaps readers can offer me insight, or maybe just seeing it all down “on paper” will help me make a decision.  So… here goes.

I am supposed to attend an event soon.  It’s a group shoot type event which I’ve attended a few times before.  It is definitely a chance to work with some folks I wouldn’t normally get a chance to work with, and the past events have definitely been a lot of fun.  Both rather positive things, though many of the folks are repeat attendees… though in some cases that’s ok, as many of them aren’t nearby enough for me to work with regularly.

Owing Past Photographers

The question was raised in the forums as to whether-or-not folks you owe anything to the folks you worked with when you started modeling.  It was phrased in a way that suggested that since these people may have taken a chance on me, I should return the favor down the road and  “pay it back” by working with them again, even if it might be a step backwards.  Here are my thoughts on the subject:

Starting Out & Patience

Having been modeling now for almost 3 years, I see a lot of new photographers, models and MUAs join a site like MM and get discouraged right away.  Some of them even want to leave after a few days, not even giving it a week.

Now, sure, it’s pretty easy to get discouraged. Joining a site like MM, OMP, or any of the various other modeling comunities online doesn’t mean the work will suddenly start rolling in.  And if it does, it likely won’t be paid work.

The work won’t just start rolling in, because networking sites require a lot of work.  I’m on 4 or 5 modeling sites, and the ones I get work from?  The ones I spend more time on.

You have to get your name out there, and show people that you exist.

“How was your weekend?”

When people ask, “how was your weekend?” and all you can do is giggle… you know you’ve had a good weekend.

The weekend started with the premise that Laura Ann (photographer), Caity B (photographer), Elly (model) and myself would head to the Chicago ‘Burbs M&G for about 30 minutes, and would then head up to the first ever Milwaukee M&G.  We booked a hotel room, had everything planned out, well in advance, and headed on our way.  We were a little behind schedule, but I had really good directions, and everything was going fine.

A Model’s Business Cards

What goes on ’em?

At the very least, a model’s business cards should have her name, email address, a photo, and an address to an online portfolio or website. It should also say something like “model” somewhere.  Some models choose to add other info… I’ll list what I have on mine in a sec.

A photo allows photographers to remember your face after you’ve parted ways.  Your email address allows them to contact you easily, and if you want you can add your phone number (or leave space on the back to write it in if you wish).  A link to your website or online portfolio lets them go check out more photos, your stats, resume or list of credits, and whatever else you might put on your website.  And sticking the word “model” on your card?  It might seem like it’s not necessary, but if you’re at a convention or event where many other people might be handing out your cards, it will help the person who ends up with your card remember what it is you do.