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Anyone else seeing this -- Just curious
Been here since 2009 and have met some of the best people I know through Mayhem BUT my trajectory is not good. In 2012 I had about 65 shoots with roughly 20 first timers (both my reaching out and them contacting me) In 2013 I had trouble keeping up with all the TF shoots (both my requests and those contacting me). Out of 70 or so shoots, 32 were 1st timers. In 2014, with the same basic approach and the same number of contacts (both me and them) I did about 60 shoots BUT only 15 1st timers. Possibly just a slow year. This year it's WAYY early but, starting in November, based upon the same approach from me I have only 2 shoots scheduled and zero requests. Not ranting, and I have enough repeater/regulars to keep active but I'm wondering if anyone else is seeing a downward trajectory in Mayhem arranged shoots? The variables (my approach and messages, relative portfolio level, number of contacts sent, etc) are the same. Funny in a way because I now have more references than I ever had in terms of repeaters but my shoot percentage seems to be a downhill slide. Others??? Jan 20 15 05:17 pm Link I get more shoots from instagram than anything else. The next is from Facebook groups. The least contacts from models is mm. I haven't counted my shoots but off hand that is the way things seem to be. I have been here a few months only. And really only have been shooting a little over a year Jan 20 15 05:22 pm Link I noticed this a year or two ago. That is why I started setting up all my shoots via Facebook like most people are doing. Jan 20 15 05:27 pm Link I try to keep up with new members every week, but notice that as time has passed ~ more new MM members open accounts as a "social status" rather than being truly active in their chosen career slot. So they open ports merely as a status symbol and never actually do any shoots ~ its just a: "hey, look at me" link to their Facebook or other social accounts, etc. with no serious intention of actually ever doing a photo shoot whatsoever. Every 4 out of 5 = flake and never take the effort to follow up on their contacts after the first reply. It's one of the reasons us long time members would rather have MM Admin make changes for deleting stale ports: unless it is a 'memorial', then send out a 30 day notice to those ports that have no activity past 1 yr. Jan 20 15 05:54 pm Link MM has become practically useless to me for models, it's just social media to me now. Jan 20 15 05:58 pm Link The Grey Forest wrote: Amen Jan 20 15 06:27 pm Link Yes, amen, but it's not going to happen. Members = $$$ in advertising revenue. Jan 20 15 06:34 pm Link Interesting. So I'm seeing a generalized trend? Kind of sad. I've met so many great women on here. Jan 20 15 06:43 pm Link JAE wrote: I can't figure out how in the world I'd even be able to use Facebook for modeling, since they are so restrictive against nudity. I have very few current, portfolio-worthy shots that are clothed, and putting black bars over the nipples and pubic area just makes the pictures look ugly. I HATE that. Jan 20 15 07:39 pm Link Koryn, I agree. I have never figured out how to use FB for model recruitment, nude or not. Admire your work AND your forum contributions, BTW. Jan 20 15 07:53 pm Link GER Photography wrote: +1 Jan 20 15 07:55 pm Link definitely something changed with the MM world...seen it also....oh well...use to be something called myspace I think...not sure....Mo Jan 20 15 08:04 pm Link This will sound horribly familiar to many. Model on MM contacts me. "Love your work. Outstanding. We must work together." Cool. I am doing a fresh face shoot this weekend, and have a couple of spots open. We could try something then. However for someone totally new, that I have had no previous contact with, I do like a face to face (BTW, this stuff is in my profile) to see if we would work together. Crickets. In the meantime 6 agency models grabbed the available spots within the 3 days of the casting being posted. ??? And still cannot get FB to be any good for a blind search. Yes, if I know the model already has a page, that works. Also on a local models group. but it is difficult to track down individual models. And no way am I doing a casting on there, as there would be too many responses from models that are known to have hissy-fits if not selected or if the shoot does not go exactly their way. And there are a number of very nice people that I do not want to photograph. Jan 20 15 08:30 pm Link Bilsen Galleries wrote: Thanks! I have a more conventional job now, so I haven't been on the forums much lately. Jan 20 15 08:37 pm Link Koryn wrote: Facebook sucks to book modeling work. Most I get out of Facebook is friend request from photographers who have no real interest in working with me, and creepy comments from guys in India -_- Jan 20 15 09:18 pm Link GER Photography wrote: When I last asked about this idea in SR the reply was no way because photos in lists would be lost. Yet, if it is a member that joined 6 years ago with a bunch of selfie shots who never returned, and no shots are listed then why not? Jan 21 15 03:04 am Link mophotoart wrote: Maybe MM admin who are more in touch with what's happening may have an realistic explanation as opposed to we have around 1 million members ect ect. Jan 21 15 05:11 am Link Just a by-the-by from 2010 "Interwebs models tend, more than actual living, breathing, walking and talking genuine models in the real world, to be self-delusional hubristic narcissist wannabes with grandiose egos and sense of self-worth, who somehow divine that if they label themselves as a "model" they are, as if by magic, transformed into one." It has always been the case that some join MM and never do a single thing after that. Studio36 Jan 21 15 05:33 am Link On this side of the Pacific, MM is definitely losing ground to facebook. I am finding fewer and fewer models from inside MM and thought seriously about not renewing my subscription last month. The next renewal is a less than even money bet. It would be interesting to hear how things look from other parts of MM outside north america. Jan 21 15 06:14 am Link studio36uk wrote: There is no questioning the veracity of that observation, but I think that the OP is wondering whether those "models" have become an increasing proportion of a constant pool or whether they are a constant population in a shrinking pool. Jan 21 15 06:19 am Link Rob Photosby wrote: This was indeed my question. There have always been "idle" profiles but the percentage seems so much higher over the past year or so. Jan 21 15 08:11 am Link I've noticed that the percent of models who fill out profiles and seem to really want to model has been steadily decreasing, meaning more and more photographers are competing over the few models who really want to model. Consider however that MM has been purchased by IB and how they make their money. If anything models and photographers actually shooting is a disadvantage to them. They make money by having a high membership and online participation rate, not by shoots occurring. Jan 21 15 08:13 am Link studio36uk wrote: hhahahahah No kidding. Jan 21 15 08:24 am Link I hear that all the time from other models and photographers, how they now network more through IG and FB. Personally, I've had very little luck with that. But then again, I don't really play the "Look at me! Follow me!" game which is so much a part of social media. Jan 21 15 08:27 am Link I have also found a decrease in model activity. This morning I did a search for nude models by recent activity within a 100 miles of my zip code, it returned 2 and a half pages of models logged in on 1/21. According to the search there are 903,313 active accounts to search, this figure continually increases. Although the number of active accounts has increased the number of active models has substantially decreased, compared to past searches I would get returns in excess of 10 pages logged in on the day of the search. Hopefully the site will turn around. Jan 21 15 10:00 am Link Abbitt Photography wrote: A case of quantity, high volume v quality, low volume .... you can't have both. Ford v Ferrari. Jan 21 15 02:57 pm Link MM has become close to useless. Most of my activity is on Facebook, either through regional groups or via friends. I know a LOT of people in the model/photo community here though, so friend-of-a-friend is pretty easy. I've tried castings and PMs on here and gotten pretty close to zero response in the last couple of years. I suspect that MM is still useful for the traveling model/GWC circuit but I don't hire models so I pretty much ignore that whole scene. Jan 21 15 06:14 pm Link I'm using Modelmayhem in combination with Facebook and Craigslist and nothing has changed for me. The vast majority of models I find on here also have a Facebook and Twitter account, We might connect here to look at each others portfolio, but we communicate by messaging on FB, email, and phone. There are some very well known models from on Facebook, who are SAG members, agency signed models and Youtube actresses who also have profiles on here, but log on infrequently here. You can't depend on one website for everything! Jan 21 15 06:19 pm Link Bilsen Galleries wrote: Yes, most of my shoots are with repeaters. Shoots with new models are very rare. Jan 21 15 07:35 pm Link Rob Photosby wrote: I'll second this, Jan 21 15 08:43 pm Link While I don't contact models, because I only do TF shoots, I have had zero contacts for TF shoots, from MM, after 5 mos. I think that tells me a lot. Jan 22 15 07:26 am Link Lallure Photographic wrote: Interesting. Would be curious to see your results if YOU initiated contact. I've done both. Jan 25 15 12:39 pm Link WIP wrote: I agree, and the incentive for IB/MM is to have quantity. The incentive for a modeling agency is quite different. Jan 25 15 12:43 pm Link Lumigraphics wrote: The problem is that so many people are no longer logging into their accounts on a regular basis, yet they practically live on Facebook thanks to the Apps. No app for Modelmayhem? Jan 25 15 12:53 pm Link I'm still active on MM in the hope to might find a pearl between all the weirdos. But almost all my shoots are through Facebook. Only had two MM shoots. Also because; with Facebook you can actually see with whom you are dealing with. It's harder here=more chances of flaking. Jan 26 15 01:31 am Link I have seen the trend of gradually declining new models, especially now in the last two years. There and four years ago I booked a lot of shoots thru MM, 5 or 6 a month, and half or more of these were new models. In the last year I have had three shoots with new models. There isn''t a good model site to replace MM yet, but I''m watching for one cause MM is definitely on the decline. In general it is also quite obvious that the quality of models available thru MM is declining. I still enjoy keeping up my MM portfolio, but I am sure the viability of MM is declining rapidly now. I wonder why the administration doesn''t see this and work to revitalize MM. Jan 26 15 05:28 pm Link Koryn wrote: I don''t have a Facebook but there are creative ways of doing censorship. Jan 26 15 06:00 pm Link Regarding flakes, I throw money at the problem. It is a much better deal than TF, for everyone. Jan 26 15 06:02 pm Link I've been noticing the trend for a few years now. When I signed up on this site way back in 2007 there was a ton of activity, both in forums and actual shoots getting done, and new content on member profiles. Seems pretty stagnant now. Personally I think a lot of it has to do with people treating modeling and photography as their "business" and "gotta get paid", but who's universe for their "business" starts and ends on MM. Problem with that is that there aren't any clients here. So you get photographers and models arguing over who should be paying who instead of producing work. Also, the whole culture of "escorts" and "contracts" and "managers". Models with barely a portfolio making demands on their page of how they work and who they'll bring to the shoot and what paperwork they expect to have ready when they arrive. Back in the day it seems like it was more like, "let's make some pictures happen people." I used this site a ton in the past to test with models and build my portfolio. I still do on occasion. But it really feels like sifting through all the noise on here to the quality and reliable talent that come to the shoot with a minimum of baggage is fewer and farther between. I'm sure the good models feel the same way about the photographers. Jan 27 15 04:27 pm Link I still connect and get shoots through MM, especially when I'm travelling to other cities. I find more local models through Facebook and other social media venues like many others here.... Jan 27 15 04:44 pm Link |
