Isis22 wrote:
Migraine. Lucky for me my boyfriend at the time was my driver and he had migraine medicine he had just bought for himself in the car. I was at the shoot 4 hours because the photographer was not ready at the agreed upon time.

Don't you know how to kill chiggers? Clear nail polish.

Ugh, migraines can really put a damper on things. My eyes are photosensitive, which sometimes results in horrible migraines (which ends in vomiting). Good thing your boyfriend was there to save the day

Also, I wish I had known that sooner!

Thank you for sharing!

J Jessica wrote:
Other than the touchy and flirty photographers over 2 years ago...

This year, I woke up early for a shoot and planned to get there early, as usual...
I missed a bus, then after a while caught the bus going in the wrong direction from the studio. I waited like an hour, caught the correct bus. Then, I had to walk a few miles (no biggie) to the location and got lost again, and walked back&fourth many times in the Florida sun (thanks to Google maps).

I... Er... eventually... got there. ;-; I am so thankful that this has only happened once.

Oh no! That must have been reeeallly frustrating. I hope the photographer was understanding!

Thank you for sharing!

Erin Holmes wrote:
For me it's always inappropriate things that happen after shooting, like incredibly creepy and perverted messages, bounced checks resulting in $500+ overdraft...yeah. There's a reason I don't shoot nudes, bondage, or any type of paid work anymore.

WOW. I notice a lot of models have a cash only policy (probably for the same reason).  Were you able to resolve the issue with the bank and actually collect what was owed?

Thank you for sharing!

Dekilah wrote:
In the probably hundreds of shoots I've done I've not really had too many bad experiences. Certainly nothing like being groped or anything, though I've gotten plenty of inappropriate messages (at which point I never, ever shoot with that person). But...

I have gotten poison ivy twice all over my body Well, not on every inch of my body, but in places all over my body. And it might not have been poison ivy specifically, but that sort of rash and such.

One time it was for a two day shoot. I got the poison ivy the first day posing for nudes in a field, despite the photographer looking out to try and avoid it, let the photographer know right away, and he still wanted to shoot the second day. Oddly enough, the way he was shooting black and white did not even show the poison ivy even though it was already pretty bad in a few spots. It ended up turning into some pretty nasty patches of blisters, the most annoying of which were on my butt, my knees and hips where my clothes would rub. And unfortunately, I was working at a summer camp during the week so I had to wear jeans and then have my body bandaged underneath to prevent the rub.

The other time was not as bad, thankfully, but was still all over.

That's horrible! It's a good thing it didn't show up in the images, that really would have been a bummer
You're definitely a trooper; was it really uncomfortable to continue shooting with a rash of that severity?
Thank you for sharing, poison ivy never even crossed my mind in wilderness shoots. >_

Koryn wrote:
I have had shoots in hoarders' homes, and private residences that had no indoor plumbing, and were generally unsanitary. Dirt, animals, and natural stuff doesn't bother me, but you haven't ever experienced filth until you've done a four hour shoot in the home of someone with 8 malnourished cats, no running water and a kitchen full of dishes that have maggots in them.

Woah! I have seen a series done in the homes of models who are hoarders... which was actually pretty good.. but I'm guessing it wasn't part of the overall theme. I'm not sure I would be fully comfortable modeling places like that! How did you get through it?

Also, thank you for sharing!

Victoria Elle wrote:
An 8 hour catalog shoot where we were not allowed any refreshment except diet coke.

A 4 hour catalog shoot that turned into an 8 hour catalog shoot because a computer crashed and lost all of the images.

A 12 hr swimwear catalog shoot in New Jersey where it was 90 degrees, there was no shade, we weren't allowed to sit down, my call time was 6am and I didn't even start hair/MU until 2pm, and there was nothing to eat except lettuce and shrimp salad the client had made but not refrigerated.

That time a photographer painted me with acrylic paint, was surprised that I wanted to wash it off before leaving the shoot, would only give me paper towels (wouldn't even let me use their soap) and forbid me from using the bathtub so as a result I had to hunch over their sink and scrape paint off of my entire body with my fingernails and catch it before it went down the drain, and later broke out in hives.

That time a hairstylist glued extensions into my head, but didn't bring any glue solvent with her, so I had to drench my head in olive oil and painfully yank them out myself at home at 1am.

And that time the photographer accidentally lit another model on fire during an FX shot gone wrong.  She lost a few inches of hair, he lost his eyebrows, it was one of the day's first shots, and it really put a damper on the mood the rest of the day.

^Closest thing to my reaction I could find! I honestly have no words.
The model who got set on fire must not have been amused.

Thank you for sharing & so sorry that you went through all of that!

Isis22 wrote:
Don't you know how to kill chiggers? Clear nail polish.

Actually, that's not true. Years ago it was thought chiggers burrowed into the skin, and that nail polish would seal them in and suffocate them.

As it turns out, they don't burrow into the skin at all. Because they are so small they have really, really strong anticoagulant that they inject to break down the blood cells so they can suck the serum up their really, really tiny proboscises. It's like what a mosquito does, but it's much more powerful because they have to break the blood into much smaller particles.

Keeping the bites cold helps. Once when I was a kid I spent several days in a bathtub with Mom putting ice cubes in as fast as the old refrigerator would make them. I had gone into the high grass to pee and got a healthy dose of the little bastards on the boys.

Modern remedies like Benadryl help some, but mostly it's a matter of suffering a couple of days of discomfort.

Koryn wrote:
you haven't ever experienced filth until you've done a four hour shoot in the home of someone with 8 malnourished cats, no running water and a kitchen full of dishes that have maggots in them.

Gag! I wouldn't have lasted for ten minutes in there! Yech!

Amelia Fae wrote:
I'm not sure I would be fully comfortable modeling places like that! How did you get through it?

Also, thank you for sharing!

Because it's my job, and paying my bills depends on it.

Koryn wrote:

Because it's my job, and paying my bills depends on it.

True story.

I've been arrested (and convicted) while shooting.
Had a photographer get naked.
Gotten a concussion from an errant, falling light stand.
Perioded all over another model's leg in a studio on white sheets.
I could go on ad nauseam....

B R E N N A N wrote:
True story.

I've been arrested (and convicted) while shooting.
Had a photographer get naked.
Gotten a concussion from an errant, falling light stand.
Perioded all over another model's leg in a studio on white sheets.
I could go on ad nauseam....

I think you nailed the nauseam right at the end there.


and I'm sorry, I didn't know you were joking when you told me the naked in freezing water rule.

Koryn wrote:
I have had shoots in hoarders' homes, and private residences that had no indoor plumbing, and were generally unsanitary. Dirt, animals, and natural stuff doesn't bother me, but you haven't ever experienced filth until you've done a four hour shoot in the home of someone with 8 malnourished cats, no running water and a kitchen full of dishes that have maggots in them.

Those are shoots that you shouldn't do!

B R E N N A N wrote:

True story.

I've been arrested (and convicted) while shooting.
Had a photographer get naked.
Gotten a concussion from an errant, falling light stand.
Perioded all over another model's leg in a studio on white sheets.
I could go on ad nauseam....

Wow!

Jerry Nemeth wrote:
Those are shoots that you shouldn't do!

You cannot know until you get there. People don't exactly tell you that they have filthy homes, without plumbing, and rotting food in their kitchens.

You just have to decide what, at that point, is the most socially appropriate thing to do, without being rude.

If you do not feel that you are in immediate danger (grossness is ...well...gross, and mentally somewhat disturbing, but it won't kill you) of serious physical harm, the appropriate thing is to stick out the shoot, and perform to the best of your abilities.

Danielle Reid wrote:
I told him hell no and kindly reminded him that my fiancé is in the army (he wasn't deployed at the time) and knows how to shoot from 500 ft (yards?) away.

500 feet is ok but 500 yards is impressive!

Danielle, you are always entertaining!!!

Erin Holmes wrote:
For me it's always inappropriate things that happen after shooting, like incredibly creepy and perverted messages...

+1

I appreciate nothing more than all you photographers who JUST want to shoot and work and not do things like this, lol.

Amelia Fae wrote:

WOW. I notice a lot of models have a cash only policy (probably for the same reason).  Were you able to resolve the issue with the bank and actually collect what was owed?

Thank you for sharing!

My bank was SUPER cool about it and forgave all the overdraw charges, and explained to me that I could attempt to cash the check again as long as he hadn't cancelled it...he didn't He was a double whammy...sent me incredibly perverted messages after the shoot. It was a really awful experience and I cancelled all travel after that.

Mark Salo wrote:

500 feet is ok but 500 yards is impressive!

Danielle, you are always entertaining!!!

Just found out it's meters...but still

Koryn wrote:
I have had shoots in hoarders' homes, and private residences that had no indoor plumbing, and were generally unsanitary. Dirt, animals, and natural stuff doesn't bother me, but you haven't ever experienced filth until you've done a four hour shoot in the home of someone with 8 malnourished cats, no running water and a kitchen full of dishes that have maggots in them.

Then I don't feel so bad about my landscaping looking like an invalid lives at my house.

At least the inside is clean (very) and models have their own bathroom with running hot AND cold water and a shower if they need one.

Actually, I rarely clean my house unless a model is coming to shoot.  Luckily, that's weekly.

If I didn't shoot models, it might get ugly up in here.

Danielle Reid wrote:
I went to meet with a local photographer who wanted to submit photos (and myself of course) to an overseas lingerie company. His "studio" was in the back room of his automotive garage and I had to meet him after closing.

Not too weird since I've been in worse places. Well everything was going great until he pulled out his dick and sat over me telling me to suck it (I was laying on my back on the couch with my eyes close trying to look sexy for the photos lol). He said the company (which I think was based in the UK) loved shots like that. WTF does that have to do with lingerie!?

I told him hell no and kindly reminded him that my fiancé is in the army (he wasn't deployed at the time) and knows how to shoot from 500 ft (yards?) away.
He quickly put it away and I got ready to leave. As I was walking out of the door he said he'll submit the photos he has to the company to see what they say LOL

Conduct such as this should immediately be reported to the police!! An arrest might not be made, but it's important that a report be made so that there is info available for future acts against models by schmucks like this. Ignoring it just lets it continue.

Eliza C  new portfolio wrote:
I guess the most embarrassing was when I was at the Royal Academy. They wanted me to sit up on a high stool on a podium. As I sat and tried to adjust my pose, the back legs if the chair went off the edge and I went flying, legs wide open apart in the air and the whole group got an eyefull.

The worst was also at an art class which took place in a walled garden on a hot day. I was very sun burnt on one side. Face and body. So I couldn't model for photographers for a couple of months.

So you did a spread shot at the Royal Academy.   

Jerry Nemeth wrote:

So you did a spread shot at the Royal Academy.   

Yes. Could only happen to me

calliecalypso wrote:
GHB poisoned.

....

Okay, more full story -

Paid job with a couple photogs I know well and worked with before. Had a new guy with them who also shot me. He didn't have cash on hand, only cards. One of the other photogs gave me a ride there because it's out of my personal travel range, so new guy offered to pick me up food on the way back to my place because it was late. (I've done this with a few photogs and it was always fine and safe since 9 times out 10 photos, even ones where it's always paid and not TF, wind up becoming friends.)

Went to a nice place and he got me a booze-y drink which was nice of him. And food. And then I got a non-booze drink to kill any buzz. Some point I must've looked at my phone or something because he somehow snuck GHB into that drink.  I started feeling weird and he assured me it was just the alcohol (even though, hello, I know what alcohol feels like) and said he was taking me home. I knew he wasn't going the right way at all and even attempted to use my phone's GPS.

Little does this guy know, GHB and alcohol don't mix very well. Especially with anything more than wine or beer. My "weird" feeling became a "sick" feeling. And I, very aware of what he was trying to pull, threw all politeness out the window. After several attempts of telling him I was feeling sick and needed home NOW and him insisting he was taking me home just a different way I gave in to the sick feeling and threw up all over the floor of the front seat, his dashboard, and him. (Normally I'm polite and ask for a bag, to pull over, or just roll down a window, etc) Needless to say he turned around and followed my phone's GPS back home.

Went to my doctor later that day and they confirmed there was GHB in my system. I told the photographers I'd worked with, they fired him immediately, and last I heard that ass was run out of town.

Other than that? Aside from some pervs, haven't had much go on. Did work in some unsightly "studios" (ie a cleaned up corner in someone's messy home or one bedroom apartment), but nothing too terrible. That's the worst thing.

This worth a police report.

Cree Synster wrote:
I was on a 4-7 hour shoot and only got back 4 images, and I know the camera was clicking constantly during the entire shoot (no breaks). I was a bit pissed with the lack of pictures for such a long shoot.

that's the worst to happen to you? long shoots don't mean good shoots, maybe 4 was all that was usable..