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Reasons for Not Responding- A Model's Perspective
Miser Photography wrote: That's what photographers who don't get responded to like to think. Unfortunately, that is not reality. Miser Photography wrote: Or *they* should take the time to swallow the reality that not everyone is going to respond to them. Miser Photography wrote: I couldn't care less. There are hundreds of thousands of other good photographers for me to contact. I realize it's not personal, and move on. Miser Photography wrote: I do, thank you. You may want to remember that not everyone likes being treated the same way. Jan 09 13 07:59 am Link Having seen some of the awesome messages that some photographers send in response to polite rejections, I don't blame llamas who choose to let no response be their response. My favorite recent one that I heard about was, "Close your profile, whore!"  Obviously, we all have different approaches to this, but I think that my stance of not minding no response is the best one, simply because, if this thread is anything to go by, I'm a lot happier and less upset as a result. Is something like this really worth being angry about? Here's what I do: Step 1: Send message inquiring about shoot. Step 2: Promptly forget about it. That way, if I get a response accepting, great! If I don't, I don't remember it anyway, so I'm not losing any sleep over it. If I get a response declining, great! Thanks for taking the time to reply. It's all good. Jan 09 13 08:10 am Link Just give them some cheese to go with that whine! hahahahahaha Jan 09 13 08:20 am Link The problem with whether not answering is rude or not is that it depends greatly of how the original message is written and how it commands that potential response. Certain cultural differences about manners are also a factor. Who acts rudely first? Sometimes it the one who starts communication and sometimes it is the one who stops it without a proper resolution. When one of the parties is not interested in shooting, a conflict is born and it needs to be resolved somehow whether we like it or not. My impression is that female models tend to be avoidant while male photographers tend to be confrontative. I think both attitudes towards the issue only escalate the conflict. If more models responded with a "Thank you, but I am not interested in this project" and more photographers responded to that with a "Thanks for your response, good luck", we would have less threads like this one and we would have more shoots actually happening. Too bad that for some people this is a way to arm-wrestle the ego. Jan 09 13 08:39 am Link To the OP, thank you for listing the reasons that you will not respond to requests to shoot from a photographer. It was very informative and enlightening. Also thank you to the other models that have chimed in. To everyone else thank you because this has been a very interesting thread to read through; what can I say I was bored. Now for my .03 cents... I personally feel that it is rude not to reply even with a simple "Thank you but no". But that's my opinion. Do I get "Butt Hurt" (really like that term) when I don't get a reply? No, I don't. Why because I'm "Male"...I've been getting rejected and ignored for a long time. I have been married and I have children. Those with both know that we males, especially those with daughters, will be ignored no matter how much we rant, stomp and cry  . Seriously though, I refuse to allow a no response to upset me or ruin my day. I have even gone as far as to go with the two strike rule. I post my initial interest in working with said model. I try to keep it brief and simple. I end that initial post with "Please take a moment to view my portfolio and let me know if you are interested in working with me." With that being my last line of text (besides saying thank you and have a good day), if I don't get a response then I presume that said model does not want to work with me. I then go back about a week later and if the model has read my request (MM lets you know when a message has been read) and I have not received a response, I sent a brief, thank you for viewing my port and good luck in your endeavors. I have never thought about blocking said models as other photographers have stated that they do, I always kept the mindset that maybe at this time I'm not up to what the model is looking for but mayhaps in the future. But then that's just me being optomistic. Well thank you for reading . Have a good day. Jan 09 13 08:46 am Link MelissaAnn wrote: In reply to your comments, Jan 09 13 08:53 am Link MelissaAnn wrote: Once more, I stand behind what I have said. You can continue doing things how you do because that is what the world is all about, just know that because you are seemingly showing irritation at my viewpoint, I don't share in that irritation. THAT is professional behavior and business like attitude. :-) Jan 09 13 08:57 am Link I can understand a model not replying to an initial contact but breaking off in the middle of a conversation is rude. A simlpe mail saying something like 'I'm no longer available' or 'I've changed my mind about that particular shoot' is all that's needed. If your reference check sets off alarm bells, of course you don't want to shoot with that photographer. It may be difficult to say 'I don't want to work with you because .....' but you could say something else. If a photographer gets abusive, report and bar him. Jan 09 13 09:13 am Link Miser Photography wrote: "hire somebody to do your little work"? I don't think you understand that some folks on here (including myself) have more going on that just modeling. 1, 2, maybe 3 jobs, school, family life. When you take all those things into account sometimes there just isn't time. If we could hire someone to do our "little work" I'm sure we would. I could definitely use someone to clean my house, do my dishes and have my meals prepped for me and when they're done with that, check and reply to my MM messages while I sit and get a pedicure from my personal cosmetologist. JS Jan 09 13 10:25 am Link Miser Photography wrote: That is professional behavior and business like attitude? Jan 09 13 10:37 am Link DougBPhoto wrote: I sent my resume and portfolio out to 200 businesses. I didn't even get rejection letters. Jan 09 13 12:18 pm Link Miser Photography wrote: I don't see what I'm doing as "rude", so there's no need for me to try and justify my behavior. This thread is about real reasons why models don't respond, not about whether or not photographers think it's rude not to respond. Read the OP over again, and try adding something useful that's actually on topic.....or don't. I'm not really all that concerned with what you think, or what you do, or the off-topic tantrums you choose to throw. Jan 09 13 01:15 pm Link Miser Photography wrote: I'm not irritated at all, I find you extremely amusing. I'm sorry my sarcasm came off as irritation. You should know I've gotten a good laugh out of every single one of your posts, so thank you, and feel free to continue with your plight to make other people see things your way, or whatever the hell you're trying to accomplish here. I'm very comfortable with the fact that you think I'm "rude," because I tend not to let the opinions of people I don't know or care about bother me. Jan 09 13 01:22 pm Link Miser Photography wrote: Im not rationalizing rudeness, for that id have to actually believe its rude, which I dont. Jan 09 13 03:15 pm Link Miser Photography wrote: I thought that was true too, until I put out a casting call once and had so many responses that I just couldn't get back to all of them and deal with all the q & a from the ones I was trying to field. Jan 09 13 03:21 pm Link sdgillis wrote: Damn, I've never had a model show me her inbox Jan 09 13 03:24 pm Link Miser Photography wrote: get over yourself. Jan 09 13 04:26 pm Link 291 wrote: How long do you wait before you consider no reply as a sign of no interest? Jan 09 13 05:06 pm Link 291 wrote: Lightfire Creative wrote: depends on whether the project is time sensitive. if applicable that 411 is also included in the message. Jan 09 13 05:21 pm Link My original reaction to this thread was that nonresponse is rude, period. However upon further reflection I realized that I respond to every inquiry because i don't get that many. If I were a gorgeous model I can imagine that responding to tons of inquiries would get tedious very quickly. I don't really mind getting a nonresponse after an initial inquiry, though. What bothers me is when a model falls off the face of the earth right in the middle of a discussion about a shoot. Jan 09 13 05:32 pm Link I find it funny that people on this post have time to post several comments , but say they don't have time to write a simple reply to a shoot request. While I will sometimes reach out to models on mm for personal shoots I more often send request to models my clients would like to use for paid shoots. I am surprised by the people saying no reply is a reply "saying no"". It is unprofessional, at the least. I have had models reply a week after the shoot date asking if it's too late. So I don't think their initial no reply meant no. While I can and do move on to the next model it is nice to be able to tell a client the model(s) were not available or interested in the shoot. Professional shoots have dead lines, makeup artist, wardrobe....to coordinate, letting the photographer know if your available or not is just being professional.It's not about giving a reason why your not interested, it's just about being professional. The no-reply attitude is hurting the people who are on this site to actually get work, it takes a lot less time to reply with one word "no" than it does to read these post. Jan 09 13 07:54 pm Link I just realized how much so many of the comments here are similar to Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. I submit for your comparison: Aren't you going to check your messages? (Leonard: No) You have to check your messages, Leonard. The leaving of a message is one-half of a social contract, which is completed by the checking of the message. If that contract breaks down, then all social contracts break down, and we descend into anarchy. Leonard: It must be hell inside your head. It appears we have WAY TOO MANY SHELDONS around here. Jan 09 13 10:17 pm Link Thanks for posting Melissa. My take-away from this is that I should list the models I've worked with (I keep the credit section blank) and I should post photos of more models I've worked with (even upgrade to a paid account). I'm a very private person...I don't blog, tumbler or fb. I rarely respond to threads. I don't like broadcasting who my friends and acquaintances are but I guess this isn't the 80's anymore. In regards to no responses, I don't take it personally. No response does not mean 'No forever', just a 'No at this point in time'. I've had travelling models respond months afterward (one model responded a couple of years afterward), when they were back in the area. Jan 10 13 03:53 am Link I never over-analyze. They don't respond because: * they are humans * I'm (too and/or non-) human whatever the case, there are still 2 billion others, plus 2 billion reasons to respond or not respond. plus, I love enigmatic women. when somebody does not respond it opens a lot of possibilities and inspires your creativity boost. there is nothing more boring than very organized and predictable (business) life. Jan 10 13 04:05 am Link Jan 12 13 09:22 pm Link This has been a hot topic for some time. Personally, I don’t get “butt hurt” when I don’t get a reply. I appreciate the input from the models that responded and am somewhat embarrassed by the photographer’s responses. Listen well, drop the defensive posture and take the opportunity to learn something. Jan 13 13 02:58 pm Link Well personally these days I seldom do photo shoots. They are personal ones anyhow. Around a year ago a model asked me for images an I felt they were simply way too amateur after I responded. There are some exceptional people on MM however to find I both asked details and complimented a particular (so called) model to find no reply I was surprised. I looked again to find I'd been 'blocked'(!) - amazing I thought and I did or said nothing AFAIK wrong. I do tend to choose models carefully as not to make someone feel uneasy or unhappy at the type of images I want. Luckily over the years I've photographed some amazing people, some of which I owe a lot of gratitude to as they were so helpful (yes a lot of models are better photographers! LOL). I feel that everyone starts somewhere and okay if you are a model with all the looks and benefits then you can be ultra 'choosy', I understand that. However many models (and photographers) on here are simply starting out in one way or another. I would add that I've been surprised on the odd occasion with a model. No shows when you've booked a studio is unacceptable however I simply 'let those go'. IMHO timewasters and 'creepy' people exist on both sides of the fence. Michael Jan 15 13 11:33 am Link What usually annoys me is when I get contacted for a shoot...I respond and then hear nothing back from the photographer. Jan 15 13 11:46 am Link I'll be honest and confess that I'm just plain intimidated by the overwhelming amount of offers that I get. Before this summer all I wanted to do was makeup. But now after a couple of shoots and a few posted images my inbox gets flooded. I don't even consider myself a model like that. I guess maybe I'm scared I won't live up to expectations. Jan 15 13 12:11 pm Link Paige Morgan wrote: I'm like Paige here...even if I am not interested I give a reply of decline. It is both an OCD and "doing as you would want done to you" thing for me. I love it when someone responds to me (even if they already booked another model, or I just don't fit their look), so I do the same thing. I have had many paid shoots just by responding and declining an offer because of the way I carry myself. It does give a pleasant impression. Apr 27 13 11:33 am Link I don't respond to people who write me sometimes, because in the past I've had models start to argue with me when I politely turned them down for a casting I put up. They came at me with the "well, why not??" questions first, and became snide or rude after I tried to graciously give them an explanation. If they became hostile, then I'd just get blunt with them. So, in order to avoid any drama, I simply don't respond if the model's look doesn't fit what I want for my project. I make it clear in my castings that I want models whose look will compliment the work I already have, but inevitably I get responses from some who clearly fall short of that. I simply don't have the time to explain it if they can't see the obvious. Basically, no response is a response. Apr 27 13 11:40 am Link I don't mind nonresponse. I don't mind if I start a thread with you and then you stop responding. Two things that do drive me crazy: - When you come to me seeking to shoot and disappear mid conversation. - When you just pop back up 3 weeks later like "when are we shooting" as if nothing ever happened. Also I don't think i should get a response from everyone I ping. That would be like getting a no thank you from every employer you've ever tried to get on with. But a conversation has started I think its professional consideration that if you lose interest to say "this just ins't a good fit right now." If someone asks you for more than that then you can ignore them but its a simple kindness to say you aren't interested if you aren't interested anymore. Apr 27 13 11:45 am Link I generally won't respond if it's a photographer with really poor-quality work, or if it's obvious they're shooting smutty photos that won't have any payoff whatsoever for me. We've all been approached by them. You click through their whole album of only maybe 6 photos of completely un-edited work of girls in bikinis that were obviously taken with a low-quality point-and-shoot camera. I have no problem shooting in a bikini, don't get me wrong, but there's something overly obvious about a terrible photographer with no talent or experience that only wants to shoot half-naked women in cheesy, slutty poses. You can tell what he's really about. I just don't see those people being worth my response. They always seem to be the ones that get offended when you politely turn them down too... or they take "No" as "Convince me". It's better to avoid it altogether. Otherwise, I at least try to give some kind of response or polite no. Apr 28 13 02:23 am Link Everything is relative... Apr 28 13 03:18 am Link The fact that credits are missing from some photographs means nothing. Especially in the case of nudes, many women have personal and business reasons for asking for the photos to be used without their credits. Apr 28 13 04:48 am Link DougBPhoto wrote: What was rude then is still rude today. Apr 28 13 06:41 am Link
Post hidden on Apr 28, 2013 07:49 am
Reason: other Apr 28 13 07:21 am Link What Fun Productions wrote: While you may think it is rude, and while I may even think it is rude, it is still what happens on this site often enough to be a normal thing, and I don't think either of us are going to be able to change it. Apr 28 13 07:55 am Link If I begged and had chocolate....would that help?  Apr 28 13 11:18 am Link If a model isn't interested in working with me, I'd prefer that she just not reply at all. Whatever her reasons are for not being interested, it's most likely something that I either can't or don't want to change. So I really don't care. I don't see any point in taking it personally nor do I think they mean it personally. And even if a few of them do, who gives a shit. No matter what your experience level is, how much or how little you pay, where you do your shoots, whether you like doing a lot of nudes, or whatever, you can find a model somewhere willing to pose for you. And this site isn't the end-all-be-all in the world of modeling and photography. It's a blip on the radar at best. So why get all bent out of shape about it. Apr 28 13 02:00 pm Link |
