Amber Rose makeup wrote:
I wasn't sure where to ask this so I figured I'd go straight to the source and ask models themselves.
I'm in the beginning planning stages of a bodypainting photoshoot. Basically I'm gonna need a model to stand still naked for 3-5 hours (depending on the design I end up going for) while I blow cold air and paint on her. Of course I'll do everything in my power to make the model as comfortable as possible, but still..3-5 hours of standing naked isn't the funnest thing for most people.
So anyways, my question is-should I pay the model, and if so, how much? At this point everything I've done has been TFCD/TFP, but this seems to me to be asking a lot of a model, so I feel like I should be paying her, although I know some models are into bodypainting, and maybe be willing to do TFCD...?

I would do it for TFCD... but I think you should think of rates you would be comfortable with paying and use that as a bargaining tool. Asking what models would charge is a good idea, but you have to think about whether they would be within your means.

Amber Rose makeup wrote:
I guess theres more interest in it than I thought! I just kinda figured it'd be a personal project so I'd have to pay everyone. Thanks guys, I guess it depends on the model

Just messaged you about this. 

Christopher Ambler wrote:
You know, depending on what you're going to be painting and what it looks like, you might even find a local photographer willing to shoot it and perhaps help out with the little annoying logistics like securing a model and/or compensation.

I'm pretty sure there's a local photographer around here, somewhere. Let me check... Just saying :-)

Hey! This would be 2 birds with 1 stone! *Hint Hint* Pick me!  Christopher and I want to work together as it is.... and... bodypaint is fun!

skint lizard designs wrote:
Just a photographer's 2 cents since I have a body paint shoot coming up. There is a lot of truth in the saying "suffering for one's art." We all put in a lot of work to create what we hope others will call art in the end. However, it is the end result we're all looking for. I think most models who want body paint in their port will be happy to do it TFP. I have never considered TFP free work, but rather an investment in the future that can pay good dividends. That one shot could land you several paying jobs where as without it, you would have gone unnoticed. I wish I could find more models to do body paint shoots and hope to shoot more in the future.

I TOTALLY agree on love of art but I disagree (my opinion) on investment of future. Most body paint ads pay nothing or very little.
I also suggest you try doing it once before saying we all suffer. I had one girl faint in front of me. And another ALMOST passed out.
I hope Rich will chime in soon.

Naomi wrote:

I TOTALLY agree on love of art but I disagree (my opinion) on investment of future. Most body paint ads pay nothing or very little.
I also suggest you try doing it once before saying we all suffer. I had one girl faint in front of me. And another ALMOST passed out.
I hope Rich will chime in soon.

First, I would like to say I am sorry to hear about the one girl fainting and the other almost passing out and any other misfortune that you've come across. I agree, not much money for body paint in ad work. However, a creative composition involving body paint to be sold as art is another story altogether. As for my statement as TFP being an investment for the future, well I meant that in general terms and not just for body paint alone. The bottom line is what does the model want to persue? I agree, sometimes the model gets the worst end of a shot. They have to endure hot lights and sometime hours for preparation for the shot. In the end, it is the mix of the photographer, model, and mua and their contribution to the project that makes for an effective execution of a great idea.

Naomi wrote:

I TOTALLY agree on love of art but I disagree (my opinion) on investment of future. Most body paint ads pay nothing or very little.
I also suggest you try doing it once before saying we all suffer. I had one girl faint in front of me. And another ALMOST passed out.
I hope Rich will chime in soon.

Naomi and crew.

Here's my $.02 on the subject.

Getting your first bodypaint model can be a challenge, but it's not impossible. What happens after that depends on your results.

If you can work some magic and dleiver some interesting images (helps to work with a really good photographer), you will find model volunteers lining up to work with you for TFP because you will be able to provide them with something that will bring them attention and make people stop and stare. A good bodypaint shot in a portfolio is a GREAT way to slow down a browser and keep the attention focused on you instead of the next models book. Bodypaint is also a great way to show off your body, but maintain some level of modesty over being completely nude. For this reason most painters I know have NO problem getting models to work with even though bodypaint shoots are some of the most demanding work a model can ever do. So it can be an investment in a jaw dropping image for a portfolio, but don't count too much on bodypaint leading to more similar jobs...unless you are working with some of the very few of us who work events with some regularity. (We're working as a group to get more paid jobs, but it ain't easy)

That being said, models who have several good bodypaint images already in their portfolio would be NUTS to do it again for TFP, unless their heart is really in the project, or they really enjoyed the experience.

By the way, would be painters would do REALLY well to try to keep their paint time under 4 hours. I've had one dehydrated girl pass out on me, and 2-3 get woozy from locking their legs. Bodypaint modelling can be VERY demanding on the body in question.                   

My personal policy is that I don't pay for models UNLESS I have a paying client that is hiring me for a project. What I do though, is hire models I've worked with when I paint for live events which is the only way I'm really making money right now.

When/if I get a calendar or book published and actually start selling prints or something, I will probably start paying models to shoot...but the fact is while bodyaint is very popular for people to look at it, there is not a large market for bodypaint prints or image sales...it is a bit too risque for most people to put up in the family room or den.

So to sum it up. Once you get a couple good images, you won't lack for models.

For models....I think anyone willing should try it at least once. Models who have worked with me in general say it was a REALLY fun shoot (we work hard to make it that way) and most volunteer to come back again. That being said...this will only work if the painter is GOOD, is sensitive to the needs of the model, and if the whole team works to make the experience pleasant instead of work.


Hope this helps.
~Rich

BodyPainter Rich wrote:

Naomi and crew.

Here's my $.02 on the subject.

Getting your first bodypaint model can be a challenge, but it's not impossible. What happens after that depends on your results.

If you can work some magic and dleiver some interesting images (helps to work with a really good photographer), you will find model volunteers lining up to work with you for TFP because you will be able to provide them with something that will bring them attention and make people stop and stare. A good bodypaint shot in a portfolio is a GREAT way to slow down a browser and keep the attention focused on you instead of the next models book. Bodypaint is also a great way to show off your body, but maintain some level of modesty over being completely nude. For this reason most painters I know have NO problem getting models to work with even though bodypaint shoots are some of the most demanding work a model can ever do. So it can be an investment in a jaw dropping image for a portfolio, but don't count too much on bodypaint leading to more similar jobs...unless you are working with some of the very few of us who work events with some regularity. (We're working as a group to get more paid jobs, but it ain't easy)

That being said, models who have several good bodypaint images already in their portfolio would be NUTS to do it again for TFP, unless their heart is really in the project, or they really enjoyed the experience.

By the way, would be painters would do REALLY well to try to keep their paint time under 4 hours. I've had one dehydrated girl pass out on me, and 2-3 get woozy from locking their legs. Bodypaint modelling can be VERY demanding on the body in question.                   

My personal policy is that I don't pay for models UNLESS I have a paying client that is hiring me for a project. What I do though, is hire models I've worked with when I paint for live events which is the only way I'm really making money right now.

When/if I get a calendar or book published and actually start selling prints or something, I will probably start paying models to shoot...but the fact is while bodyaint is very popular for people to look at it, there is not a large market for bodypaint prints or image sales...it is a bit too risque for most people to put up in the family room or den.

So to sum it up. Once you get a couple good images, you won't lack for models.

For models....I think anyone willing should try it at least once. Models who have worked with me in general say it was a REALLY fun shoot (we work hard to make it that way) and most volunteer to come back again. That being said...this will only work if the painter is GOOD, is sensitive to the needs of the model, and if the whole team works to make the experience pleasant instead of work.


Hope this helps.
~Rich

With your amazing work... I would do it for TFP with you.... even with my bad back, short leg and various other injuries lol

Susi wrote:
After doing a bodypaint shoot once, I'll no longer do it tfcd...lol...but plenty of other girls would do it.  It took me days of scrubbing to get the paint off me...lol.

Depends on the paint. The kind I use can be washed with a warm towel right after the photoshoot in just 10 minutes.

bijan studio wrote:

Depends on the paint. The kind I use can be washed with a warm towel right after the photoshoot in just 10 minutes.

We were doing an all over paint shoot where I was in water so we had to use an oil based paint that wouldn't wash off.  Every inch of me was silver...it seeps into your skin and you actually sweat silver for a day or two after.  I had a gray pallor for several days...hey, it was worth the headache for the shot.  Just saying, it's not something I would wanna do again for free!

Susi wrote:

We were doing an all over paint shoot where I was in water so we had to use an oil based paint that wouldn't wash off.  Every inch of me was silver...it seeps into your skin and you actually sweat silver for a day or two after.  I had a gray pallor for several days...hey, it was worth the headache for the shot.  Just saying, it's not something I would wanna do again for free!

WOW, I hear you now. I wouldn't do that kind for TFP either.

Susi wrote:
After doing a bodypaint shoot once, I'll no longer do it tfcd...lol...but plenty of other girls would do it.  It took me days of scrubbing to get the paint off me...lol.

Sounds like they used the wrong paint.  Body paint does not come from Home D.

MsHeidi wrote:
But since it's nude I would charge for the shooting time, but that's just me

It's fake nude.

Tandango wrote:

Sounds like they used the wrong paint.  Body paint does not come from Home D.

Where did I mention home depot?  It was mixed from a makeup powder and a couple of other ingredients...from the costume shop, not the hardware store!?!