INFORMATION FOR NEW MODEL

Based on my experience and opinion, for creating real nice photography, there are several more crucial factors a basic requirement beside the skillset of the photographer.

• Atmosphere: I believe that it is the Photographer responsibility to build an creative and safe working environment

• Discretion and safety: The photographer needs to accept the limitation of the model, but not trying to push these boundaries in a personal and creative way. Discretion and keeping the content of the upfront made arrangement is an absolute basic condition for a creative and safe working environment.

• Personal connection: especially within the genre editorial portraits and portfolio creation, it’s based on my opinion essential for reaching the expected outcome, if the model shares with the photographer their goals, dreams and open themselves in free communication. 100% discretion is crucial condition.

• Clear expectations: In my many years’ experience I have learned, that only if the model, or depending on the shooting nature, the photographer has clear communicated the expected outcome, then the results are satisfying. You can’t expect great shots if you don’t communicate the goal. Here are three different kinds of shooting, depending on who is setting the goal of the shooting.

 

Set by the model:

It happens frequently that a model or private person approach me by telling me clear what kind of shooting she likes to have, what outcome they expect. This differs very much and goes from business related profile generation via amateur model portfolio photography up to private persons, who just like to have a special moment, scenery, caught on camera.

- I have clients who needs for job application, for business related media or for presenting their current professional life in a pictorial. I have done on the past pictures of Hotel, its surrounding or photographs of dishes for a restaurant menu.

- I also have amateur models in need of a specific genre picture to complete or extend their portfolio.  Others are looking for an entire type definition and portfolio creation.

- Many people are having special events or like to capture special times in a picture, some others want to create a memory for themselves or gifts for their loved once.

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Set by the Photographer:  

Also, here are different possibilities how a photographer sets his goals, his expectation on out outcome of a photo shooting. It can be from capturing new faces in a studio or outdoor atmosphere via genre specific pictures for the own portfolio and smaller projects with capturing situations and stories with the camera.  Finally are complex projects, which are growing out of an idea and are consisting out of the entire surrounding, lightning , scenario, model etc., usually is an entire photo series telling a story. 

- I do every quarter per year one “open studio weekend”, where I like to capture new faces. The pictures of those shootings are for my portfolio but also for the model. During this events its essential for me to understand what my models, non-experienced and non-model persons, want, how they want to present themselves and how we can together reach this. During these sessions, we reached together from wonderful portraits up to breathtaking and sexy pictorials.

- From time to time, I like to renew or extend my portfolio and ask models or private persons for a shooting in very specific genres.

- I do approach models if I have a clear picture series in my mind. If this happens, I do have a clear picture of pictorial in my mind, which includes the scenery, the outfit and the look/posed of the model.

- The “open collaboration” is also one option, where for model and photographer just work together on reaching great outcomes based on the current location, the time of the year, or the existing surrounding.
 

Defined arrangements: 

Its always an ugly and disturbing scenario, if after the shooting is over, either model or photographer are coming around the corner with sharing concerns, with payment demands, publishing issues or not communicated ownership claims. In addition, here I have personal experience, where I rented spaces, organized transportation; accessories for the shooting, etc. and after reaching the beautiful and defined result, the model do not want me to publish anything of the pictorial. On the other hand, I experienced photographer who defined a collaboration setup for the shooting, but didn’t share the originals with me or even worst, sell pictures out of the shooting without permission, communication and partnership. Because of that it is fundamental, that photographer and model are working in a clear defined surrounding, even those “business talk” is not boosting the creativity, but should be done and will be overcome very fast after this topic is settled. There are different main kinds of arrangements, which can differ between model and photographer.

 

Here are my common used arrangements.

- Job, paid by photographer: This is very clear and straight forward, The Photographer hires a model for a job with clear defined outcome and content and deliverables from the model. After the job is done, we might look together at the pictures, the model get paid and the pictures are in the ownership of the photographer. 

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This applies mainly by pictorial projects from the photographer and pictures with the goal of commercial use.

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- Paid assignment, paid by model: This kind of agreement is similar easy and clear. After the shooting is completed and the defined pictures as well as all related content of the agreement has been delivered, the job will be paid and all pictures will be in the ownership and free usage of the model.

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This applies mainly by editorial portraits, shootings with commercial usage as well as private pictorial.

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- TF (comes from TFP, time for print or TFCD, time for CD): The premise behind a TF photo session is quite simple— neither the photographer nor the model charges for his or her time. Instead, in exchange for the model's time, the photographer compensates the model with photographs, where the amount of pictures should be defined upfront. If out of the shooting will pictures used for commercial reasons, model and photographer should align upfront and agree on the terms. Both, model and photographer, can freely use the photos for their own portfolio, but should credit the other out of respect when publishing.

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Because this is the most frequent used agreement besides the commercial photography, I have a written agreement, which defines the TF agreement. It can, but don’t has to be necessarily used for the safe environment of the photo shooting.   

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- Other collaboration: In the end, every kind of agreement is possible, but should have been clear communicated upfront.

 

I did for example nude-art shoots on TF collaboration base, where I picked a defined amount of pictures which I did not share the original with the model and kept all rights with me, but compensate this amount of pictures with an onetime payment.

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I did frequently in the past shooting with a mixed agreement. For example we did editorial pictures or portfolio pictures for the model and in the same set but separated we have done a pictorial for one of my projects. After taken, we simply separated the pictures for the model from the one for the photographer. This way everybody gets what was wanted and no hear feelings.

 

Again, many individual types of collaboration agreements can be worked out and should be defined BEFORE the first camera click

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The conditions of the project: 

- I have been hired as a model for a beachwear photo shooting with a clear defined result, beach shoots in various beachwear and several different activities like sport, drinks, sun beating, etc.) The photographer and I agreed on a time and a compensation for this shooting.

After I traveled to the specific beach, we found out that we had entirely different details in mind, which end up with ugly discussions. I had expected that for traveling  additional to the shooting, I would be compensated additional, I expected that there is an MUA and I was expecting that the photographer has various beachwear in my size available. The photographer expected that the agreed compensation for the shooting includes the travel costs and that I will bring various beachwear and di my makeup by myself.

In the end, we both don’t get what we expected, we both don’t get anything.

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So please, let us talk about our collaboration to avoid misunderstandings and unhappiness from the beginning.  If you have something in your mind, say it. Especially if it comes to special genres, location or projects, lets be clear about the “who makes what”, where are the limitation.

 

I compiled the some important points as reference.

o   Where is the shooting (location)?

Important, because if you shoot at the beach, the photographer needs lightning with battery as energy source, might need support with light assistant)

o   What content you want to show in what atmosphere on the pictures?

For example dishes for a menu, can be presented as pure picture of the dish itself, or in restaurant atmosphere. Those makes large differences in equipment and effort. 

o   What will be the delivering time and method of the agreed pictures?

Via data medium right after the shooting, via download from an online platform, upload in individual cloud, as printed picture, etc.

o   Who will pay for transportation, accommodation if necessary?

 

For shootings with people

o   Who will provide clothes and accessories

o   Who will provide makeup

o   Limitation and boundaries

Where are the personal limitation of the model during nude art, where are limitation of the photographer related to equipment, etc.

 

Fun

based on experience a crucial factor for success is FUN! … and come on, that why we all love what we do!