F-1 Photo wrote:
Before calling off a shoot or cutting it short?

I'm not referring to inappropriate behavior on the part of any party. That is another story. I'm speaking primarily about a look or theme that isn't what you had envisioned. I'm also referring to TFP shoots for fun; not paid jobs involving clients and a specific goal in mind. I'll give a couple of examples:

Photographers, say you are expecting a model to show up with a specific look based on the images in her port. For example, long flowing hair, then you meet the model and to your shock and surprise she is now sporting bangs and you hear "I just got bangs! Do you like them?!" (You don't!)

Models, you are expecting to shoot with a photographer that usually works in a specific style, say, natural light in the golden hour. You get there and you hear "I thought we could try something different, a tattered dress in a dark basement!"

What would you do? Would you continue the shoot? Alter your plans to best accomodate the changed circumstances?  Go with it as if nothing was different? Politely try and cut the shoot short? Try and convince the other party to stay with the original program? (Not easy if hair was drastically altered!)

Over the years I've experienced this. I've never cancelled or cut a shoot short, but, there have been times I haven't gotten what I had wanted out if a shoot either. And, although I have sprung a few surprises in my day, I have never done it to the exclusion of what was originally planned and tried to accomodate those plans.

What about you? What are some experiences you may care to share?

As a model I believe in honest disclosure ahead of time, (either "I look like 'this' picture now" or "this picture" if I have that ten pounds up or down since I have both.) I also believe agreeing on concept or idea is imperative. Even if the idea is to free flow and just test then it is mutually agreed upon. No surprises for anyone. As a photographer I do not like to shoot for a one sided tfp either.

Jen

edit: top of the page.

Rob Photosby wrote:

This surprises me.

Given the choice, I will always shoot a dancer in preference to a non-dancer, or perhaps you mean "exotic dancer" who  has big boobs but no dance training?

Dancers is a whole separate thread. Yes, I meant Topless Dancers, thought you'd understand that from the Club Owner part. Real Dancers are a joy to work with, especially Ballet.

Topless Dancers are a mixed bag at best.

Jpod_model wrote:
I haven't surprised any photographers with my appearance as a model, but I was sure surprised once when I was painting a model.
We agreed I'd offer her a choice of some small original paintings of mine in exchange for her posing for a life size canvas, as well as a quality digital print from the painting. What was unique about her look was a cascade of thick wavy hair that fell below her butt. It was an important and a main element of the painting.  She shows up after two long sessions (about 3 hours) for the third with her hair cut in a pixie. She had not cut her hair in over a decade and of all times she does that? That was the most passive aggressive way to say she didn't want to finish the job that she had committed to starting. I cobbled a solution between some photographic records (but I really hate painting from photos, it flattens out and does not compare to the on site viewing) and getting a friend who had long (but not as long) hair to stand in her place in a similar outfit.

Wow! Not even a heads up announcement of her intentions to change her look, or even waiting until the two of you had finished. Yeesh!

Good Egg Productions wrote:
,,,  In those 12 years, I've only cut one shoot short because she couldn't function on her medications.  But even that was after 9 hours of trying. ,,,

I   can't    imagine,,    NINE   HOURS  ! ? ! ? ! ?  plenty of room for speculation about those 9 hours, but I'll just skip to the movie idea, cause that sounds like one.  Maybe a Quentin Tarantino flick.
I do not have the tolerance for 10 minutes of nonsense.  You've got skills.   I truly have a blank spot on how to deal with someone who can't function.

Jpod_model wrote:
Yep. About the "it's not you, it's about them..."

If I answered an ad for longer series of ongoing art work of my being contrasted periodically with a year's worth of seasons outdoors,  that say wanted a redhead with no tattoos,  and I agree to the terms set,

...then dye my hair jet black and get tattoo sleeves and cover my back by mid year --Yes it was a lot to ask for in the first place, and I was free to say no. I suppose I could answer to the photographer "It's not about you. It's about me and what I want." What is s/he really going to do other than stop the job, and/or not hire me again or make a post in a forum?

It's a matter of someone just being decent and keeping their word. If she wanted to cut off all her hair and she had waited a decade, could she have either given me a head's up this coming up so I can plan accordingly, or wait another week. 

This painting wasn't finished, she was told ahead of time that it would take multiple sessions of several hours, and a huge focus of the work was about her hair. She was not a professional model  but someone who works for the government and  who wanted the offbeat experience of posing for a painting (heard about it through a mutual friend who posed for me before), and went out of her way to contact and volunteer for me. I explained what it entails in terms of work, time, and following through, and that abandoning a life sized painting halfway through is less desirable than just not doing it in the first place, because it is a huge waste of time and materials. She was cool with everything including getting an original but smaller  painting (that I normally sell for between $300-500) for her completed posing. And then she randomly made a choice that really screwed with being able to finish it with her. She knew what she was doing. She got bored despite my warning it could happen and didn't care about me having to deal with that. She took the shock of my expression and said "oh I guess I can stop now", and flounced out within moments of arriving. She could have said, "ahh! You know I thought I can do this, but I think we need to wrap it up" I could have focused on certain areas to make the transition to other sources easier. But no.

I had to take time to revise the painting to fit my friend instead, and I lost a lot of lovely passages in the painting, but they weren't resolved enough for me to leave them as is. I coped.

Just a crappy story in my recollections. But there's lots of better ones too....

I'm totally with you on this one, as mentioned in my above post.

In a NY Yankees game a couple if days ago one of their All Star players wore white shoes instead if the normal black style. He received a call from the GM warning him to never do it again!

I guess it isn't "all about him"! Ha!