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Models' cancellation policies for "Acts of God"
Question for the travelers and pros: What are your cancellation policies for outdoor shoots, often planned weeks in advance, that are adversely affected by weather or some other natural event that impacts a location? What if weather only seems to be a concern for one party but not the other? Feb 18 13 08:03 am Link I was in Dallas last weekend and spent one morning out naked in the cold for a few hours. Shit happens. It wasn't cold enough for me to say, "no, we need to find another location," but I try to be pretty resilient. If it's cold and a photographer's trying to get a model to get out there naked for a few hours because it's not cold to him/her bundled up in their coat. Well... I'd say the photographer needs to try and make other accommodations. Shoot in a studio or a hotel room or your house. For the first shoot of the day in Dallas I shot naked, in the cold, outside from 8-2. For the shoot after that (it was a meetup), we were scheduled to shoot outside, but the photographers decided they didn't want to be cold and someone volunteered use of his home studio. I'm assuming you're talking cold OP, and not hot, since it's getting a little brisk in our respective areas right now. Feb 18 13 08:15 am Link rp_photo wrote: If EITHER of us isn't comfortable with an idea, for any reason, I don't do it. Feb 18 13 08:19 am Link rp_photo wrote: That's usually an indication that they have different tolerances for weather. Since those of us who've studied the MM forums long enough know it would be absurd to think a photographer would ever be unreasonable, the obvious conclusion is that any model who has different tolerances for weather than the photographer is being TOTALLY unreasonable. Right? Feb 18 13 08:21 am Link 
Photographer Posts: 302 MacMurdo - permanent station of the US, Sector claimed by New Zealand, Antarctica I did have a shoot planned and the weather turned to hail at the last minute. We were too far out in the woods to get to a hotel room or house so I cancelled. Since I offered her the job, I feel it is my responsibility to pay her in full if I cancel. I am consultant, and if a client cancels on me at the last minute, I bill them no matter what the reason. Same should work for a model that I book. Feb 18 13 08:24 am Link for outdoor shoots i always suggest having a plan B. around here it rains a lot and then we can also have extremely variable weather where one day it's warm and sunny and the next it's cold and gray. and some days we get hail, rain, sun, all in the same day. at weddings we're often dashing out with the couple during the sun breaks. Feb 18 13 08:36 am Link 
Model Posts: 6639 MacMurdo - permanent station of the US, Sector claimed by New Zealand, Antarctica A few years ago, when I lived in south Florida, I had a morning beach shoot scheduled. A few days before, I checked the weather and it was predicted to be unseasonably cold mid-40's and high winds. I wrote to the photographer to let him know that if that was actually the weather that morning, I would not be willing to shoot. I could have provided an indoor location and was willing to shoot on a different day, but that isn't what the photographer wanted to do. In cases like these, I don't think it is anyone's fault. I would never charge a cancellation fee for something like that, unless I had been flown in for the shoot specifically...then I would expect the agreed upon payment. (Of course, I would think the photographer would have had a Plan B anyway.) Feb 18 13 08:50 am Link BTHPhoto wrote: More often than not, it's a model looking for an easy out and making the most of a few drops of rain or a dark cloud. Feb 18 13 01:42 pm Link I've run into that a couple times with traveling models who make it clear they reserve the right cancel due to unforeseen circumstances, yet expect the photographer to pay a cancelation fee if canceling, no matter what the reasons are. Given I've only worked with such models a few times and feel confident I'm very unlikely to cancel, the one-sided nature of such an agreement isn't something I've worried about, but it might be if I was doing such shoots more often. Having experienced many cancelations, I'm also careful about not putting into a shoot I'm not willing to loose if a model cancels. If a model cancels, she cancels. I stopped caring about excuses long ago. Feb 18 13 01:50 pm Link We shoot in the snow...implieds...Canadian girls are hearty.....lol Feb 18 13 01:54 pm Link MoRina wrote: I've lived in a lot of areas including Alaska and the Pacific Northwest and no place drives me as crazy as Florida for predicting weather patterns. Feb 18 13 01:55 pm Link I have shot outdoors in the midst of a hurricane, on Clearwater Beach... but both the photographer and I were prepared for 75mph winds and the driving rain. 18+ https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/8113007 The shoot was wonderful even though the winds kept blowing me off of my feet. The photographer was prepared, he brought an all-weather camera. If either of us had any doubts of our safety or the safety of the camera we would never have attempted the shoot. Life goes around only once... enjoy it while you can... but be safe. Feb 18 13 02:01 pm Link rp_photo wrote: I've only ever canceled a shoot when the temperature was 44ºC (111.20ºF). We planned this shoots 2 months in advance, and it was a beach shoot. I'd be a walking sweat pool and very very red and burnt if I went. While I can tolerate the sweat pool - my main concern was burning, not just for my health, but I had multiple shoots over the next week at the time. Nobody likes strong red burnt in bikini lines, and no amount of sunscreen would prevent that, so we rescheduled. He was a busy guy traveling, but luckily the only other shoot he had planned while traveling was also cancelled so I took that spot Feb 19 13 06:24 am Link Because of my unwillingness to trespass and shoot nude in public (both due to my preferring to stay within legal boundaries) as well as not being able to travel, I do not get to shoot outdoors nearly as much as I would like to. However, when I do shoot outdoors or in non-climate controlled conditions, I am fairly easy-going with one exception: cold. Once my body gets to a certain point I am shivering uncontrollably and I start to develop deep lines in my face and lose the ability to express. I have shot in mud and ash (that was indoors though), shot with bugs, shot in heat and cold, climbed into barn lofts via rickety ladders, sat on hay and straw nude, etc. I have wanted to shoot in the rain, but each time the opportunity came up, the photographer was unwilling for one reason or another, in some cases it just did not work for their concept and in others they were not prepared to shoot in the rain. Feb 19 13 08:39 am Link Ive shot in freezing temperatures as well as extreme heat. That wont stop me unless the photographer doesnt want to deal with it. If its snowing, raining, hailing heavily, high winds to where everythings blowing away.. yeah, Im not risking it and would ask we try an indoor location instead. If thats not an option, we cancel. I wont charge a cancellation fee for incidents like this unless they brought me in to work with them exclusively. Feb 19 13 11:59 am Link [ Feb 19 13 05:13 pm Link Figuremodel001 wrote: My intention was to indicate agreement. Models are pretty tough and pretty much understand when a couple people are out in the cold, the naked one will be chilly. Really not a problem, chilly at 0 -10 degrees F vs chilly at 40 degrees F is a question of time more than temperature. Feb 19 13 05:16 pm Link I guess it depends on the "Act Of God". If it's thundering and lightning, a tornado, hurricane, or blizzard, it's time for plan b. Feb 19 13 05:51 pm Link Snow is about the only thing I don't f*** w/. Course then again, I live & work in the Northeast & don't have to really worry about sandstorm, brutal heat & humidity, hurricanes (for the most part), & tornadoes. Feb 19 13 05:59 pm Link Art of the nude wrote: I ran into this last summer. I had planned to do a nude yoga shoot, with a traveling model, on my area's clothing optional beach. When thunderstorms threatened we moved the session to a studio I had reserved just in case. When on this particular beach you are on soft sand and a half-mile from any shelter. The risk was too great so we agreed to the change of venue. The shoot was still a success :-) Feb 20 13 03:46 pm Link Generally, it's a good idea to have a plan B, but if there is something extreme (tornado, hail, etc), we just keep an eye on weather and there is no fee in the case of a cancellation. I don't want to be in that no matter how the pay is. Generally, though, I just suffer.  People just love to put me in mountain rivers with glacier runoff. I've just started wearing warm boots and sweater dresses a lot.Feb 20 13 04:11 pm Link Eowyn-Rose wrote: That's because you're a rockstar. You were out in the cold at our shoot and seemed to love it Feb 20 13 04:17 pm Link |
