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Models: Pics you would **NEVER** put in port ?????
Yo, Do you guys put at least one shot from each shoot you do in your port? Even just parking it your port for a little while, out of a sense of obligation? Lol. Or do you just not put unflattering *ish in your port? Models: how do you deal with the good, bad & the ugly images from shoots? I'm inclined to never let some stuff see the light of day. Not every session produces a gem  .Mar 19 14 10:43 pm Link Bahhh, double post FAIL. Hopefully mods will fix! Mar 19 14 10:44 pm Link Nico G wrote: Only include your best! Mar 20 14 12:04 am Link No way. A lousy shoot is a lousy shoot and there is no virtue in compounding the error by adding the evidence to my portfolio. Mar 20 14 05:56 am Link Nico in our industry your perceived worth is only as good as the worst image in your book... enough said... Mar 20 14 06:02 am Link If I really didn't like any of the images from a shoot, then I wouldn't add them to my MM portfolio. If that were to displease the photographer, I would feel bad about it but chalk it up to experience. I tend to put images in my portfolio that I feel need to be shown to give people an idea of my look, personality, skill, vibe, etc. There are also other sites that I'm on where images that don't fit with MM are more appropriate, and vice-versa. I might show an image from a shoot on Model Society, for example, that is not in my MM portfolio. Mar 20 14 06:06 am Link Nico G wrote: Definitely go with you're best representations of you. Mar 20 14 06:07 am Link Oh, hell no! Mar 20 14 06:14 am Link Nico G wrote: I try to keep my portfolio relatively small so I do not put photos from all shoots in there but, as I thin down I may park several from a shoot in there, (however not if they are pictures that I'm not personally happy with.) I've also not posted pictures that I am happy with too. Mar 20 14 06:17 am Link Obligated? No. If something is crap then it's crap and it doesn't get posted anywhere. It's really that simple. It's your port and a representation of you and your work. Put your best face forward. Mar 20 14 06:23 am Link Absolutely not. I only have 20 slots on MM! ....although I have had a photographer ask me why I didn't put up *more than one* photo from our shoot. I was nicely surprised to have gotten anything out of it since I had been paid. If it means that much to you, you could rent space in my portfolio, $0.25/day per photo!  Mar 20 14 06:34 am Link I use what I like, and that's all I use. As an example I model for life drawing sessions, and during those the artists (who are rarely skilled photographers) usually take quite a few reference shots so they can use them later, to finish their work or start new work. They might give me copies of those shots, which are not something I would use. Mar 20 14 06:59 am Link There is absolutely no point in putting up unflattering shots of yourself. I feel no sense of obligation to post anything. And sometimes I don't post pictures that are flattering simply because they're not necessarily a genre of work that I'm trying to solicit. There are really a wide variety of reasons why I might or might not post something. It usually though just has to be in keeping with how I am trying to market myself as a fashion model. Mar 20 14 11:26 am Link as others have said, if the shots don't enhance your portfolio, there's no point posting them... but another point, if you have a basic profile and you wanted to post at least one photo from every shoot, you'd max out your space and have to get choosy anyway. Mar 20 14 11:54 am Link Thomas Van Dyke wrote: ^^Well, yes obviously.^^ Mar 20 14 07:41 pm Link Nico G wrote: If you are getting back photos from trade shoots that you don't love and automatically want to put in your port then you are not trading with people whom you can benefit from. Going forward I would be a bit more choosy about who you work with and/or be more specific about what you want and need for your port upfront. Maybe go as far as asking to choose which shot you want edited if you're on the fence about working with someone. A trade is supposed to benefit both parties involved. Mar 20 14 09:50 pm Link I give every shoot my all but sometimes it just doesn't work out for me. Not every photo shoot is going to be perfect. Most of the time my shoots are pretty good, if I have 10 good photos I'll put 1-3 in my portfolio. Sometimes I'll have a shoot where there's only 1 or 2 decent photos & i'll retouch them so they turn out better. Then there's the times where just none of the photos suit my interest and I won't upload any of them. Being a model, your portfolio should only always have the best of you.  Mar 21 14 12:02 am Link Mar 21 14 12:19 am Link Nico G wrote: Yep. Mar 21 14 12:39 am Link Kristen Love xo wrote: Same for photographers. Mar 21 14 12:45 am Link I will only post pictures that are beneficial to my portfolio and of a genre I am looking to solicit work in. Mar 21 14 12:46 am Link Ida Saint-Luc wrote: Lol, too good! Mar 21 14 01:16 am Link Nico G wrote: I can usually find photographs from each shoot to put in my port. As each new session is posted I get rid of older images. I used to have an awful time eliminating certain favorites, but realize now that I have to cycle in new work rather then keep those. Mar 21 14 05:38 am Link CHAD ALAN wrote: Here here...I agree. Mar 21 14 06:48 pm Link Since I do this as a hobbyist, FREE, is an important word to me that only allows for 15 edited spots. Just because an image is beautiful doesn't mean it's a good image of you or shows what you have to offer as a model. I noticed this recently on a critique section where a swimsuit model was asking opinions. All the "photogs" convinced her to post pics where her arms were hiding her perfect midsection. Sadly she bought into it. Because even though the images were technically better, they hid one of her best features. As a model, you're port should sell you. A flattering Polaroid is better then a perfect image that hides what you have to offer. And you have no reason to apologize for not posting a bad image that is unflattering. Mar 23 14 05:49 am Link I don't update my MM portfolio very often, but then I don't book a lot of shoots any more either. I'm just too busy and have some health issues. However, I update my Tumblr and share most stuff to FB as well. That being said, I do try to keep a variety of my best images in my portfolio. Not every shoot is great for my portfolio, even if the images are wonderful. There are just some things that I love artistically or that I don't shoot with just anyone that are not as good as other images for my portfolio. Mar 24 14 11:09 am Link I've had one.. really.. lousy shoot. I did post one picture out of a sense of obligation, but I took it down soon after because.. it was really just technically bad. I have over 500 images just chilling on my cpu and on discs.. but I don't feel the need to post them up. I only post what I feel represents me accurately. Mar 24 14 02:41 pm Link If I shoot with someone, and I don't like any of the pictures, I'm not putting anything up. If the photographer finds something he or she likes in those pictures, and puts that up, then I'm ok with it, since it's subjective. That being said, I have a file of shots from a shoot from several years ago that I hated...HATED...everything from. There was absolutely nothing good about any of the shots. Two years later, I went through them again, and decided I liked one shot. I put it up. Mar 24 14 03:42 pm Link Well, in my experience, I have seen loads of awful shots of myself and it's always a bit unsettling; however I have also seen them of other models and I realize WE ALL have them sometimes! I have told a photographer recently, very nicely, I felt uncomfortable with him displaying a *incredibly* bad edit of my face on a site that showed up in a Google images search. He did not have me sign a contract that day so luckily I was able to ask!  Apr 02 14 12:06 am Link Nico G wrote: Well I think most photographers would like the model to be happy with the shoot experience but the reality is that it is not always the case. Apr 02 14 02:40 am Link DivaEroticus wrote: I find that I do something similar. In a lot of ways, I am too biased to choose a "good" image of myself, other times I'm so excited about a shoot that I love everything that comes out and then later realize... meh maybe that wasn't the best shot. Apr 02 14 07:54 am Link My port is a perfect example of the good, the bad, and the ugly portfolio! lol Why do I show different sides of me like this? Several reasons. First, I am my own worst critic, though sometimes what I think are my best shots are not the most popular so I would not be serving anyone as a model to display only what I like. In fact, I go a step further and withhold my very best work for intimate friends and professionals who want to work with me in spite of imperfections and limitations. They are always delighted to see my private collections. Second, its absolutely therapeutic to be a model and mostly for the attention I admit so when I post what I think is god-awful hideous reflection of me, I am facing the mirror by confronting my fear of rejection. Its awfully gratifying when I get sincere compliments, which I never solicit or pander for, and it helps me grow more confident, and strive to work harder as a model to reach outside of my comfort zone for more work. It also, helps photographers know if they want to work with me, what range I have, how comfortable I am experimenting, and most of all what not to shoot if they don't like it because I might post it. Thirdly, as a model I find it refreshing to see other models posting natural poses and expressions, unretouched images, as well as their finest polished professional work. To me it shows that they are human and professional. Sort of like actors show bloopers and behind the scenes stuff for fans to break the ice. I love modeling and have fun hamming it up for the lens. If the photographer isn't enjoying the show I'm wasting my time. So I always try to get to know what they want, its like an acting audition. The photographer is the director, but ultimately I'm the one who has to know my cues. If he is more focused on time, money, or technology than me, then I'm not doing my job. Lastly, I will not post an image that's flawed technically in my opinion, ie. cropped out limbs or digits, out of focus, bad lighting, or poor background and composition generally, especially without photographers permission. Sometimes I love a capture of me but either I was moving too fast or something on their end glitched, usually its an unposed capture that the photographer right snapped spontaneously without thinking about it. Those I save to reshoot another time with corrections. I respect the photographers work and professional opinion but just as I won't publish any work without their permission, before I shoot with anyone, I agree in writing with them that my preference is unretouched images that photographer agrees I am allowed to post any technically good image, and we agree if any retouching by either of us is done, we must both agree it is an accurate representation of our work before either of us can publish it. Great post btw, I enjoyed reading all of the responses, which are opposite of mine. In fact, I would not have posted at all had there been a few who felt like me about this issue speaking out. I should add that I never have a shortage of photographers and industry pros who want to work with me TF and paid work, but I don't do this full-time anymore. I come out of hiding every now and then and spread my wings. What's in my port now is the best from the first series of nude photography modeling I tried. Before that I have only done nude figure modeling live for art students. All other modeling experience has been fully clothed. I almost forgot, the most important point to my post after all that elaboration. The primary reason I post the good, the bad, and the ugly in my portfolio is because I consider this site to be an industry site for professionals in the business to network. Though you can socialize and share, and it's a form of publication, I think of it differently than other websites which are for the general public access. Obviously, for a general public modeling portfolio, I agree with everyone else 100% that only your best work should be shown, to represent who you are and what you've done and for whom! Showing up in spades! Apr 13 14 10:08 am Link Nico G wrote: You just creatively frame your response so they don't get butthurt. Apr 13 14 10:43 am Link I will only put things that truly represent me. Sometimes I get shots that are less than flattering, but they are "real" and I will put those up. However, if something is not great and I don't feel like it represents an aspect of who I am I won't put it up, even if that offends the photographer. Apr 13 14 04:04 pm Link I'm at the point where I need as much help as I can get, posting unbeneficial pictures isn't going to appreciated. I don't think I would have insulted the photographer or anything, and if I were then I'll just say I'm using them for something else. Apr 14 14 01:26 pm Link |
