I'll be back at the end of August, and will be in a full studio co-op in the arts district on Grand Ave after a LONG hiatus of around 18 months. The time off has given me a lot of time to think about what I want to do with photography and how I want to do business and art. Namely, trying to make it at least somewhat profitable, while keeping my artistic control.
I'm not sure that's possible, but I want to give it my best shot.
The other part of that is trying to avoid all kinds of drama and misunderstandings, so please read below before even contacting me about shooting.
NOTE: My first priority when I start shooting again will be developing a high fashion portfolio. This is the one area where I will be actively seeking trades. By high fashion, that means I will only consider models 5'9" and up and weight appropriate (that includes plus size, but INDUSTRY standards for plus sized.)
Outside of high fashion, I do not need to shoot for portfolio sake alone -- all other shooting must have some possible commercial value to me. The most obvious way is hiring me for a shoot for money. But there are some other ways:
1. First and foremost, ALL trade MUST include full model release, no exceptions or there can't be any commercial value.
2. There must also be some potential commercial value in the end product itself, whether it be use in something like calendars for sale or an image for some kind of product I want to sell.
3. Shooting stock commercial images.
4. Note there are NO requests at this time for nude or fetish modeling. I am not interested in hiring models for nudes or fetish right now, so please don't solicit me to pay for this kind of work at this time. If it changes, I will be contacting people and will post a casting call.
5. If you are interested in adding images to your portfolio via a trade but it's not something I think can be of commercial value for me, we can maybe try to work out a two shoot deal, where I do a shoot for you, in exchange for you doing a shoot for me. This does NOT include giving you rights to sell your images -- that will be paid shoots only due to the high value of that kind of licensing. But if you just want some portfolio work, we can try to work something out.
In a nutshell, trade for portfolio only doesn't benefit me any more, but I'm open to trying to find a win-win for both parties.
I should also note my days of working as a travel nurse with loads of disposable income are over, so most of my personal work will be with lesser known models willing to do some kind of trade.
Life sometimes happens and shoots need to be cancelled, but PLEASE do not set something up with me lightly. I put so much energy, time and money into a shoot, and when people cancel last minute, it completely demoralizes me and sucks out my creative energy. I try to be understanding, but if you have to cancel, it's going to be hard to convince me to schedule again.
Not only am I trying to find a way to be profitable and keep my artistic integrity, but to ENJOY it again.
I'm happy to pay when I can for talented makeup, hair etc, but if it's trade, it's TRADE -- we all have expenses, so I will not pay makeup kit fees. If you want to be paid, shoot me a rate and I'll see if I can budget it.
Having said that, for models, MUA, hair etc who I do hire for pay, that does not include images for you. You must buy them if you want copies, or negotiate a reduced rate in advance. Cash or trade, not both. When you ask for expect both, you're asking me to pay you twice, or saying my work has no value. Neither of which goes over too well.
Those are the basic rules. If you object to anything in there, there are loads of other people to work with. I want to keep things simple and fun.
Mona de Lux
The Devil Wears Prada
Angela Ryan
Calabrese
Lenna Amor
Miss Pussykat Doll
The Dollyrots
And, of course, The Koffin Kats
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