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How far out do you like to schedule your sessions?
With my paying clients, I schedule weeks and sometimes months in advance. With models, I find that if I schedule too far out, it seems to increase the chance of the session being canceled for whatever reason. Not sure why. Maybe the excitement faded away? Maybe she had to work? What do you find? Aug 27 14 06:10 am Link I'm all TF and I find if we go more than 2-3 weeks out the probability drops by a bunch. Aug 27 14 06:42 am Link Are you asking models what they prefer? Or photographers what has worked best for them booking models? As a model: For life modeling most of the time schools book you in August for the fall season, and dec/jan for spring season, so that can be a few months in advance. Drawing groups can be a few weeks or months in advance, but I always make myself available as a last-minute fill in model. For shoots, depends; local stuff that doesn't need much planning can be sorted out a few days before, shoots involving travel or lots of planning a few weeks or months in advance is preferred. Fwiw I already know what bigger jobs I'm generally booked for next year this time, and fill in with other work a month or two in advance. As a hobbyist photographer: I notice that non-life models or those who have agencies or otherwise aren't 100% in charge of their schedules are comfortable scheduling a week or two in advance. Anything more than that is a bit too far out. I have had my best luck with keeping in contact with a few models I work well with, ask if they're available any time the next week (or they ask me), and if we're both available work something out. I can't speak to any experience booking models for bigger paying jobs or for a commercial project or via an agency, but in general one would think that bigger jobs take precedence and can be scheduled in advance without much issue. Aug 27 14 06:53 am Link Since I have a full time job and family obligations as well, it'd difficult fitting everything in on the few days I have off each month. I usually know in advance what my days off will be, but scheduling more than a few days out can be hard. However, I like to know a few weeks ahead of time if someone is interested so I can try to make something work with my schedule. It's often a bit easier when travelling, since I know a month or so ahead of time what days I will be in a specific area. Over the years I have been called many times by artists or life drawing classes at the last minute when there was a cancellation and if I have worked with them before and I am available I will go. Aug 27 14 07:06 am Link a raw muse wrote: Both. Either. Aug 27 14 07:13 am Link For traveling I always tried to schedule a month or so in advance so that I both gave them fair warning I was showing up and I could make sure my schedule was arranged and I had everything mapped out. For local stuff I've scheduled shoots only a few hours in advance, though more common was a week or two. If I don't have anything else booked I don't need tons of time to plan. Aug 27 14 09:30 am Link For local stuff, a couple of weeks out. For travel, one to three months out. Aug 27 14 09:50 am Link No longer than a month and a half I am more certain of my schedule closer to the day of the shoot.  Aug 27 14 10:36 am Link I have just scheduled 2 shoots for November. Aug 27 14 10:53 am Link You need to specify if it's TF or paid because that makes a world of difference. I can't imagine you will keep a model's interest for months if she isn't being paid. Ken Marcus is the exception;) I have my schedule mapped out for most of the year due to custody sharing with my ex-husband and his crazy work schedule changing. I have scheduled anywhere from a few days to a few months out. A few months out was due to me traveling(paid). Aug 27 14 02:04 pm Link A week or two for regular shoots. Otherwise it's too far out in time and things can change. Aug 27 14 02:19 pm Link As far in advance as possible, especially in the summer. Often 2-3 months in advance. If it's any less then 2-3wks notice I usually can't fit it in. Aug 27 14 02:24 pm Link i like to get them in the next day! beyond that who knows what could happen. Aug 27 14 03:05 pm Link six months in advance. Aug 28 14 01:41 am Link 1-3 weeks, depending upon how specific a time slot the client needs (weekend afternoons are more likely to be booked a few more weeks out, for example). Paying clients only, so I don't put it in the schedule till payment is completed, for first-time clients. Higher rates if they don't pay/confirm at least 48 hours in advance. As long as they're making payment, and understanding of the fact that it's solely at my discretion whether to allow a rescheduling or not once confirmed for a date, I'll accept a booking as far in advance as someone wants to confirm it. But usually it's 1-2 weeks out. Aug 28 14 01:50 am Link Beyond two weeks, the cancellation/no-show rate becomes unacceptable (and payment seems to make no difference). Aug 28 14 02:00 am Link Muskopf Photography wrote: Due to travelling I ask pretty far in advance if there is an interest and then as the travel becomes a reality try to check in more often. Allthough there have been times when I failed to check back in with a photographer because other ones checked in with me to lock in a shoot day/time and I knew the time available was becoming full. I avoid double booking. If a problem comes up for them, or me, then its no shoot. Ihad the most issues on a recent travel due to some delays and I really do not like to cancel but had to rearrange and cancel. Aug 29 14 05:01 am Link My experience has been that the longer out I schedule a model the higher the chances that she will cancel or be a no-show. As the time between booking the the date of the shoot increases to 4 weeks the chance of a cancellation approaches 100%. At least that's been my experience so far. Aug 29 14 08:29 am Link Oh, something better came along for sure:) I schedule as far as several months in advance but I'd say a week or two would be the norm. Aug 29 14 09:05 am Link Muskopf Photography wrote: I usually don't schedule anything more than a month out, however, I am currently looking to schedule TFArtNudes for 9/15/2015, which I think qualified for many months in advance. Aug 29 14 10:27 am Link I am usually most successful at scheduling when I aim for 2-4 weeks out. I will go longer if it's a traveling model, and I'll go shorter if I have last minute availability, but the usual time frame in which I can make my time available is 2-4 weeks. Aug 29 14 10:28 am Link I normally schedule only a week or two out, maybe a few days if it's an outside shoot and I'm depending on good weather. I have a lot of health issues though so I try not to book too far ahead so I can avoid any cancellations with me suddenly feeling under the weather. Aug 29 14 10:29 am Link I schedule up to a month in advance. I am constantly traveling, so to plan anything past that wouldn't be realistic or ideal. Aug 31 14 03:23 pm Link I start booking one to two months out. I don't limit myself to that, though. I find that it's good to be constantly booking and filling in my schedule, so I've been known to book the week of or even the day before. Sep 04 14 12:25 pm Link 1-3 weeks is ideal for me. So many people I've talked about shooting with in this area seem to get really skittish if I say I need at least a week. Like, are people really that disorganized? There's no way I can shoot with a day or two's notice, not with my workload. Sep 04 14 07:00 pm Link I think a lot of this comes down to work schedule. Some people have their work schedule nailed down, so they can schedule in advance. Some people only get their schedule every two weeks. My experience is that most people who try modeling are young and don't know what their career path should be, so they're doing several things at once--school, modeling, working, and often raising a 2 year old. My son works at Taco Bell and they post the schedule on Wednesday. As of Tuesday, he'd have no idea if he was working on Thursday or Friday. In that situation the chaos we call flaking could just be a flakey boss. Sep 05 14 05:20 am Link When I schedule too far in advance something always happens too. Whether it is weather, personal, or work. I can't predict what will happen in regards to this. There could be a snow storm, I could get sick, or my job has to switch my schedule or contract. This is why I don't get upset anymore when photographers have to cancel or reschedule life happens! The best thing I like doing is to book a week to a month in advance. This happens to me with dance too. The dancers I perform with we make a date to do a show and we end up pushing it foward or, you are left out because something came up an you can't make it. Sep 07 14 10:41 am Link I *hold* dates for agency clients as much as two months out, but that's really a seasonal thing. I book with MM photographers within a month and a half ratio, depending on the photographer. Sep 10 14 05:51 pm Link I like to plan. You cannot create really exciting imagery without planning. You can't bring all the element together, without planning. Look at the PP Cover on my page. That was done by first discussing the need for a swimsuit shot, for the model. I looked at the suit the wanted to use, which was not new, and had a few detail issues. It was a suit she regularly used. My concept was to conceal those flaws in the suit, by making the concept so unusual, they wouldn't be noticed. I spent two weeks designing the image. It took 2 weeks more to locate the water lily prop, in the desired color, to match the sheer fabric covering the face. Then it took about 500 lbs. of sand, and several containers of tempura powder to be located and acquired. Then I had to schedule an assistant to help me imbed the model in the sand, which required an under tarp, and foam surrounds, on which to pour the sand, and add the tempura. You don't do this stuff off the cuff. It has to be planned, coordinated, and executed, to achieve the desired results. If the model isn't willing to work with that, then they only care about money now.......and not about contributing to the overall team effort to get the image. You don't need that kind of model. Sep 11 14 05:27 pm Link |
