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Is he scamming me or being honest?!
A photographer messaged me today saying he believes I have potential to be signed with a major agency. I'm only 5'4 but he swears with the right pictures a major agency would sign me. To me, that's unheard of. He's basically wanting me to pay him to shoot me when we comes from Miami to Atlanta. My question is do major agencies really sign people as short as me? I asked him what agencies he would submit my pictures to but he wouldn't tell me because he said I wouldn't need him then. Please help Jan 16 15 07:03 pm Link He is absolutely 100% just trying to get money out of you. Jan 16 15 07:05 pm Link Thank you so much for being honest with me. Jan 16 15 07:08 pm Link yesimanangel wrote: Yes, basically. Jan 16 15 07:28 pm Link Leonard Gee Photography wrote: Jan 16 15 07:59 pm Link He didn't promise. He just said he thinks i could do it. His pictures are amazing though Jan 16 15 08:00 pm Link Jan 16 15 08:30 pm Link yesimanangel wrote: There is nothing wrong with paying a good photographer to shoot your pictures. BUT there is something fishy about his telling you what doesn't appear to be supported by the industry. If he really wanted to help he would tell you the agency(s) and help you in what ever way he could. You can google the names for all the agencies in any area who he really has no secrets. I'd find another good photographer and move on. Jan 16 15 08:46 pm Link Its smart for new models to go to open castings for agencies in their area and to expand their network with key people who may be able to boost their career. Its smart for new models to invest in good photos to show their potential to agencies and clients. Its not smart to believe that there is some magic pill in a camera that will get you signed to an agency and get paid work. Great photos may boost an agency's interest in meeting you, but your current look, height, and marketability will be far more important to the agency when you meet in person. I do agree that you need to get much better photos than your current portfolio. Jan 17 15 06:22 am Link Finding a good friend who does photography on the side (and does it well) and buying them a cup of coffee or something will be much easier, cheaper, and a lot less hassle when you're trying to get started. (I started in 2009 by doing that, it's 2015 and I'm still going.) Even reach out to local universities/community colleges that have photography programs and say, "Hey, if you ever need a model, here's my contact info," because a lot of photography students need projects done ASAP. You just have to brush up on your knowledge of the industry. Plenty of shorter models here can be successful and get paid work without being signed to an agency, but your portfolio HAS TO back it up. Take out the selfies and promotional "stand in front of this backdrop to look like you're at an event" pics, and your portfolio's quality will automatically start looking better. But I agree with everyone else, he's just trying to get money out of you. It's okay to pay a photographer if you would like to go that route, but know the difference between someone who just wants money and someone who will make it worth your while. Jan 17 15 06:50 am Link Your age and height both are not ideal to be signed for an agency. BTW, I would fix your height in your profile. It's going to be very obvious you are not 5' 6" as stated. Jan 17 15 07:23 am Link Depending on how he actually worded it , it could just be his standard sales pitch or it could come off as questionable Check his references Use the search function on here , there seems to be 3 photographers in your city compare their work and ask their rate .. maybe they will do a TFP since you are local ??? at least you won't have to travel 100 miles to pay someone then Jan 17 15 07:35 am Link tell him that you'll do the shoot but will pay him from your modeling income once he gets you signed to that agency. Jan 17 15 07:57 am Link I would advise you to try and follow the path of bypassing agencies and working directly with photographers and casting directors. Agencies have a profit motive. they have a small portion of their talent that get a lot of gigs. If they really want you, they will pay for your photos to be taken. They are in business because in the past, it was difficult to find a model. With the internet, it is easy to find a model, and the necessity of the agency is going to disappear. The big ones will stay around but it will become harder and harder. Don't worry about your height. What matters is if you can look good in the finished product. Make a lot of connections with photographers, be easy to work with and available. Jan 17 15 10:41 am Link yesimanangel wrote: Read this several times: Jan 17 15 10:59 am Link ontherocks wrote: Good one! Jan 17 15 11:10 am Link You have a gorgeous figure and a killer smile!! With the right self promotion and pro-active searching for gigs, you might do very well as a freelance model and get to do a lot of traveling as well. One thing that might be of help would be to seek the aid of one of the model mentors here on MM for some guidance. IMHO, you'd benefit greatly from having some professional quality photos done by a skilled photographer to fill out your portfolio. Choose a photographer whose work you admire and are really impressed with to get yourself some really good images in your portfolio. Then, as you get assignments, either TF or Paid, you will accumulate more images over time. Jan 17 15 11:20 am Link yesimanangel wrote: If you're not sure about his genuitity, you can also run a backgroundcheck on his photos to see if they're really his... Jan 17 15 02:35 pm Link The short answer.......no, real agencies do not usually sign a model of your height. Certainly not fashion agencies. Your only possibility, is commercial or theatrical agencies. Jan 19 15 06:16 am Link Ms. Yes I'm An Angel: Welcome to model mayhem. You are new here, so please be advised, you will get many questionable offers. PLEASE read the new model info (which has been linked above) and the info on avoiding scams. Whenever you have a question about something, you can search the forums for the topic, or start a new thread and ask for advice. If you have to send someone money, even if they already sent you a check. It is a scam! If they press for an answer to do something immediately, say no. You will read many threads here (and you should start reading through them now) where photographers and models will blame the victim for getting scammed because the victim didn't do due diligence in advance. It is a harsh reaction. Avoid it by doing due diligence. I am also going to suggest that you ask for a critique in the critique section. You will get valuable and helpful advice. You will also get some useless comments. Take them for what they are. The comments that people put on your pics in your port (I didn't read any of them) tend to be fluff and butter. In critique, you will get useful information about your poses and, to some extent, comments about the photography. This will help you to pick better photographers for TF or better photographers to pay for better portfolio work. Good luck! Jan 19 15 09:12 am Link |
