dcsmooth wrote:
Sometimes even very experienced professionals with brick and mortar studios make mistakes. Several years ago when the pros were still all using film, one local photographer shot an entire wedding ceremony with no film in the camera and never realized the error until it was too late. He had decades of experience, PPA member, and was the major studio that did weddings and senior photos in the area.

Earlier this year a relative hired a photographer that had many years experience and had done hundreds of weddings to do their wedding and reception. For whatever reason, the photos somehow all got lost when the computer crashed after they had been downloaded (and apparently erased) from the camera cards. Luckily in this case many of the people attending had also taken plenty of photos, so the couple was at least able to have some halfway decent snapshots of their special day.

Even the pros are not always 100% perfect.

I have a very hard time understanding how a Professional photographer could shoot a entire event and not know he has film in his camera. I remember film days very well and it was not uncommon for the photographer to say one second I need to load more film.
On the note of losing images on a computer. I am a new Pro photographer and one of the 1st things I do before erasing a card is a back up copy of my RAW photos to a second external drive (3 copies 2 separate externals and the main computer). It is the job of a pro to protect those images.
The excuse of losing images? I am sorry but a pro isn't mindless of these things. There is no good excuse. It is part of their job and why they are a pro.

Caitin Bre  wrote:
I have run into this situation over the last few years and would like to share it.
You have to be careful of the pretend photographers out there. They are growing in numbers and it is a complete scam.

I figured it out when I investigated a photographer that I did a trade with and never got photos. This investigation led me to check on a few other situations I have had. And sure enough I came up with the same thing.

They had such beautiful portfolios and so creative. Very nice equipment and seemed to really know what they were doing and talking about.
But, The rest of the story.
The port pictures were not theirs. In one case the equipment wasn't even his.
They shoot along acting like they know what they are doing, but have nothing to deliver. If they did deliver to you the best they got You would say what the fock. So they will just avoid you. Ignore your request for photos. Or even just get nasty.

When I see the excuse that nothing turned out so they have nothing. Basically it means they are not a pro as they claimed or even know what they are doing. They are faking it.
True Pro will get the shots and ALWAYS have plenty to deliver. That is what they do. You will NEVER hear nothing turned out from a pro. They will always honor their deadlines because they are professional business people as well.

Experienced model will not shoot with less talented photographers or photographers with no talent on a TF basis. These fakes know this and some still want free shoots, so they scam to get it. They especially prey on new models that have yet to learn the difference.
But even as experienced as I am with photographers, I still get scammed myself at least a couple times a year. Scammers are good at camouflaging and deception, That is their true talent. 

Be careful out there Models do your homework before wasting your time to these fakes.
Because I see this is becoming more and more, I thought I would see if others have come across people like this and did anything about it.
So I was looking to see if there are any news articles that bring up an example and came across this fella.
http://www.popphoto.com/news/2013/09/fa … les-140000

Why would you care.

You get paid to model for these people, right.

Good Egg Productions wrote:
Why would you care.

You get paid to model for these people, right.

There has been and still are times that I consider TF based on the skill and creativity of a photographer. And only based on their skill and creativity will I TF with them. When they fake their abilities to get that time from me it is bogus.
I would have still worked with them but on a paid basis only.
So in my opinion it is a form of theft. Theft of services. In the least it is deceptive practices.

Lallure Photographic wrote:
Unfortunately, you are correct. Since joining here, this is the first time I have put images on line, in some time, simply because of the frauds who steal them.

I have had images misappropriated by people, on line, who set up fake portfolios. Nothing new in photography. I used to cringe at a pro lab who sent sample albums complete with other photogs images, for wedding photography, and then the beginner would represent them as his own work, with the client totally unaware of the deception.

I even helped expose a totally fraudulent agency scam in Australia, where the guy went to jail.

I also know there are fake models here, as well as on other modeling sites.

The world is pretty full of wacky people, these days. It would be nice, if that were not the case, but we simply have to deal with it, as best we can.

Things happen, and you might not get all of the images from a true photog, from any given shoot, but you should never fail to get some, especially in digital, where you can see what you got, immediately, as opposed to the previous film and Polaroid combo.

While image cards do fail (thankfully, not frequently), and computer hard drives do crash (hopefully not without a back up drive), you should usually get at least part of a shoot, if the photog is a true professional, who knows what he is doing.

I actually wonder if some of the reports I read, about no images, even had film or an image card inserted in the first place. Film does have another shortcoming, in that there are times when the leader slips off the take up spool, but a pro will be watching for that.

Murphy's law was written for photography, I always say. LOL.

Oh yes I agree about the Murphy's law written for photographers.
That is why True pros do take every precaution. Example: I have yet to meet a pro that didn't show up without a back up body, cards and lenses even lighting.
They usually have every tool that they will need for anything that could happen. They are prepared for changes (broad).

Mark Ruddick wrote:
Ask to see a print portfolio.

A print port can be easily faked. A fake print port can go undetected for a much longer time as well. Giving the scam artist even more time to rip people off before he is found out.

Michael Zahra wrote:
Because all models' shots in their portfolios are 100% real - no skin retouching, no fat removal, no fixing crooked eyes/mouth/ears.

Because a photographer is NEVER surprised when the model shows up and omg she looks nothing like her portfolio pics.

And ALL the poses in her port were directed by past photographers.  And the first one she pulls at the shoot is the lovely - here's-my-armpit - shot...

Uh hu...

This is a easy one. If a photographer wants a view of untouched recent photo just ask. If a model shows up misrepresented then send her/him away.
I would be more afraid of showing up and being turned away than to send a true photo and being not excepted from the start.

A photographer can fake his way through a entire shoot. Stating his policy is that he doesn't ever show any work until it is done and edited.

Mark Ruddick wrote:
Ask to see a print portfolio.

+1 If they can't show you some real work they are not professionals no matter what they may claim.  This just goes along with checking references, basic stuff every new model needs to do.

There are time when a photographer wants to try new ideas or expierment, but those are not times for a trade shoot.  The model should be paid one way or another, if you can't offer images of value then cash always works.

Caitin Bre  wrote:
I have run into this situation over the last few years and would like to share it.
You have to be careful of the pretend photographers out there. They are growing in numbers and it is a complete scam.

I figured it out when I investigated a photographer that I did a trade with and never got photos. This investigation led me to check on a few other situations I have had. And sure enough I came up with the same thing.

They had such beautiful portfolios and so creative. Very nice equipment and seemed to really know what they were doing and talking about.
But, The rest of the story.
The port pictures were not theirs. In one case the equipment wasn't even his.
They shoot along acting like they know what they are doing, but have nothing to deliver. If they did deliver to you the best they got You would say what the fock. So they will just avoid you. Ignore your request for photos. Or even just get nasty.

When I see the excuse that nothing turned out so they have nothing. Basically it means they are not a pro as they claimed or even know what they are doing. They are faking it.
True Pro will get the shots and ALWAYS have plenty to deliver. That is what they do. You will NEVER hear nothing turned out from a pro. They will always honor their deadlines because they are professional business people as well.

Experienced model will not shoot with less talented photographers or photographers with no talent on a TF basis. These fakes know this and some still want free shoots, so they scam to get it. They especially prey on new models that have yet to learn the difference.
But even as experienced as I am with photographers, I still get scammed myself at least a couple times a year. Scammers are good at camouflaging and deception, That is their true talent. 

Be careful out there Models do your homework before wasting your time to these fakes.
Because I see this is becoming more and more, I thought I would see if others have come across people like this and did anything about it.
So I was looking to see if there are any news articles that bring up an example and came across this fella.
http://www.popphoto.com/news/2013/09/fa … les-140000

While that is certainly one reason why it happens, I suspect it happens far more often as a result of demanding models who simply exhaust a photographer's patience.

Quite simply, sometimes people encounter problems because they bring those problems upon themselves, by how they act or what they expect from others.

Even the nicest, most professional person out there can get exhausted putting up with a model's behavior and/or a model's demands, especially if she has visions of grandeur, and/or an entitlement complex.

Are there fakes? Sure.  Are fakes as frequently the cause of problems as are models who expect too much and/or make pests of themselves... no, I do not think so.

Good advice to watch out for fakes? Absolutely.

Great advice to check yourself before you wreck yourself, oh hell yeah!!

DougBPhoto wrote:
While that is certainly one reason why it happens, I suspect it happens far more often as a result of demanding models who simply exhaust a photographer's patience.

Quite simply, sometimes people encounter problems because they bring those problems upon themselves, by how they act or what they expect from others.

Even the nicest, most professional person out there can get exhausted putting up with a model's behavior and/or a model's demands, especially if she has visions of grandeur, and/or an entitlement complex.

Are there fakes? Sure.  Are fakes as frequently the cause of problems as are models who expect too much and/or make pests of themselves... no, I do not think so.

Good advice to watch out for flakes? Absolutely.

Great advice to check yourself before you wreck yourself, oh hell yeah!!

I can certainly understand and respect your point of view from your side of the camera.
From the other side the point of view can be very different.

1st if a model demands too much from you to begin with and exhausts you in negotiations then you can just say I don't think it will work out. That way no promises or disappointments.

As far as during a shoot if you find that you cant work with a person and produce anything then why continue. End the shoot with a respectful apology. It is not the Models fault. People are not always a good match for creating images. Some people just can't get a grove together. No fault.

Caitin Bre  wrote:
I can certainly understand and respect your point of view from your side of the camera.
From the other side the point of view can be very different.

1st if a model demands too much from you to begin with and exhausts you in negotiations then you can just say I don't think it will work out. That way no promises or disappointments.

As far as during a shoot if you find that you cant work with a person and produce anything then why continue. End the shoot with a respectful apology. It is not the Models fault. People are not always a good match for creating images. Some people just can't get a grove together. No need to place blame.

It may be hard to believe, but many of us try to consider things from both sides of the camera, not just "my" side of the camera.

In the end, some people are just so high maintenance, that they are physically and mentally exhausting.  Luckily, sometimes things like their forum posts can give an indication that they may be someone to watch out for.

While you mention things up to the shoot, I was actually referring to what happens AFTER the shoot.   Everything can go perfectly, all the way through the end of a shoot, but impatience, demands, uppity attitude, there is a huge list of post-shoot turnoffs that can cause a photographer to decide that the photos magically did not turn out.

No need to place blame?  Could have fooled me, the whole premise of the thread seems to be placing blame.   I'm just trying to be honest and fair by relating what I hear about as the cause of problems FAR more often than fakes.

Of course, it isn't unusual either that someone believes or assumes their demands are normal or reasonable, and as a result, they are completely clueless about how their behavior can result in not getting shots.

DougBPhoto wrote:
It may be hard to believe, but many of us try to consider things from both sides of the camera, not just "my" side of the camera.

In the end, some people are just so high maintenance, that they are physically and mentally exhausting.  Luckily, sometimes things like their forum posts can give an indication that they may be someone to watch out for.

While you mention things up to the shoot, I was actually referring to what happens AFTER the shoot.   Everything can go perfectly, all the way through the end of a shoot, but impatience, demands, uppity attitude, there is a huge list of post-shoot turnoffs that can cause a photographer to decide that the photos magically did not turn out.

No need to place blame?  Could have fooled me, the whole premise of the thread seems to be placing blame.   I'm just trying to be honest and fair by relating what I hear about as the cause of problems FAR more often than fakes.

Of course, it isn't unusual either that someone believes or assumes their demands are normal or reasonable, and as a result, they are completely clueless about how their behavior can result in not getting shots.

So if I understand what you are saying right. The attitude and demands of the model determines if You will continue to act professional or not and follow through with your agreement...
That sucks.
I would like to point out a situation of a wedding I shot not too long ago. OMG the most horrible people to deal with post (great during pre). In the end they were very happy. But it never even crossed my mind to lower the quality of my service or make images magically disappear and it would never cross my mind. Or would not delivering what I promised.
A lot of people I work with as a photographer are less than great to work with. That doesn't have anything at all to do with how I handle my end of the agreement nor the quality I will deliver to them. Or does it have anything at all to do with my professional service. I see it as I am the only one that determines how professional I and my work are. Regardless of who I work with or their attitude.

Caitin Bre  wrote:
So if I understand what you are saying right. The attitude and demands of the model determines if You will continue to act professional or not and follow through with your agreement...
That sucks.
I would like to point out a situation of a wedding I shot not too long ago. OMG the most horrible people to deal with post (great during pre). In the end they were very happy. But it never even crossed my mind to lower the quality of my service or make images magically disappear and it would never cross my mind. Or would not delivering what I promised.
A lot of people I work with as a photographer are less than great to work with. That doesn't have anything at all to do with how I handle my end of the agreement nor the quality I will deliver to them. Or does it have anything at all to do with my professional service. I see it as I am the only one that determines how professional I and my work are. Regardless of who I work with or their attitude.

Of course you don't understand right (and you don't understand correctly either.)

I am curious, do you make stuff up just for fun, or do you just have an incredible aptitude for not understanding things?  You mentioned one reason (fakes), I mentioned another (PITA models), does that mean you must be a fake since you brought that up?

Nowhere did I say that is what I do or what I would do.  I'm not sure why you would want to make up such a thing, but that is completely untrue.  I've never done anything like that, but someone like you might cause me to make an exception.

Every day there are models who piss off photographers, and the photographers get sufficiently fed up they just want to be done. They (THEY, I repeat THEY) feel it is just not worth the hassle.

I have a feeling that if you ever found yourself dealing with a model like yourself, that is when you'd find a greater understanding of the truth that I am speaking of.

You continue to come across as one of those models who would easily inspire a photographer to say "Oh, for fuck sake, this just isn't worth it, I am SO done", because it just is not worth it, but trying to get you to understand how or why, that just seems like it would be an exercise in futility.


Yes, fake photographers are a concern, fake models are a concern, people who rip off other people are also a concern, but there are usually things that can be done to decrease the odds of those things happening.

Sure, models can be warned of fakes, but many more models will miss out on photos because they don't know not to annoy photographers, or worse, they are totally oblivious that they are nagging, annoying or frustrating.

Unfortunately, as you've so aptly illustrated, some people are just more trouble than they are worth.  It just isn't worth the frustration and exercise in futility.

Therefore, I am done with this discussion, just as so many photographers would be done with a model who presents herself like you do...  it is exhausting.  Just because you don't see it or don't understand it, does not mean it isn't true.

Caitin Bre  wrote:

There has been and still are times that I consider TF based on the skill and creativity of a photographer. And only based on their skill and creativity will I TF with them. When they fake their abilities to get that time from me it is bogus.
I would have still worked with them but on a paid basis only.
So in my opinion it is a form of theft. Theft of services. In the least it is deceptive practices.

Have you tried something called ' references ' .

Caitin Bre  wrote:

I have a very hard time understanding how a Professional photographer could shoot a entire event and not know he has film in his camera. I remember film days very well and it was not uncommon for the photographer to say one second I need to load more film.
On the note of losing images on a computer. I am a new Pro photographer and one of the 1st things I do before erasing a card is a back up copy of my RAW photos to a second external drive (3 copies 2 separate externals and the main computer). It is the job of a pro to protect those images.
The excuse of losing images? I am sorry but a pro isn't mindless of these things. There is no good excuse. It is part of their job and why they are a pro.

And with years of experience as a pro, you will run into things where Hardrives fail, SD cards fail, cameras fail.   Another thing that has happened to some pros, being robbed before getting back to studio. 

Not saying all these things happen constantly, but they do happen.   No matter how "pro" it is impossible to be perfect all the time.

Good Egg Productions wrote:
I have an actual question regarding your OP.

How many times have you personally experienced this situation that you say you've experienced?  I mean, how many times in the last five years have you worked with a photographer that you're not familiar with, for trade, and who has turned out to be a fraud?

Because I've worked with a LOT of models and they have told me about a full range of negative experiences, but not one single time has anyone mentioned shooting with someone who turned out to have a fake portfolio and no skills and not delivered their images.

Just wondering how many times it's happened to you, since you say it's a trend you're noticing.

Good point.
I myself have experienced it 4 times in the last 5 years. I have seen it from others more so.
None the less it is something to be aware of. I have been approached many times by fake photographers wanting to TF that show other peoples work and claim it is theirs. I am usually very good at catching on fairly quickly and not falling into the trap.
Some of them are extremely good at their con game. hard to detect.
I bring it up as another thing to look at when doing homework on a photographer before shooting TF.
Maybe check his/her images in his/her port against a Google image search to make sure they aren't someone else s or bought off a stock site.
I know I am not the only model to get burned by this. I hear it all the time. I would think that professional photographers would also be concerned because these con artist are impersonating them and making models even more weary.
Like many models I put 100% into my shoots no matter paid or TF. It is so very disappointing to get conned. Not to mention the expenses and time lost involved with the shoot.
Could you understand how violating it can feel to be conned into nude shooting with these cons at your expense? Never to receive anything and how used it makes you feel? Who knows if they are honoring any other parts of the agreement? I seriously doubt it.
yes it is a big thing. And people should care about it that are professionals in our freelance world.

Caitin Bre  wrote:
On the note of losing images on a computer. I am a new Pro photographer and one of the 1st things I do before erasing a card is a back up copy of my RAW photos to a second external drive (3 copies 2 separate externals and the main computer). It is the job of a pro to protect those images.
The excuse of losing images? I am sorry but a pro isn't mindless of these things. There is no good excuse. It is part of their job and why they are a pro.

I once deleted a good 20 or 30 pics off the camera on a pure goof. Damn delete key on that body was right next to the scroll button. Whoops!

After the shoot while proofing, my customer asked where the missing set was (it was the whole set!)... I made up some kind of excuse about equipment failure

WIP wrote:
Have you tried something called ' references ' .

Yes and references can be fake as well. The only way to be real sure is to know the references.
As a freelance model I have worked with mostly strangers. Most of the time it works out just fine. But once in a while and usually when you slightly let your guard down BOOM.
Although it doesn't happen that often because I do my homework, it still happens.
And it is good reason enough to post it for others to see and be careful of. And because I have seen from others as well that the frequency of fake photographers are on the rise that people be aware of it. Maybe check their port against Google picture search make sure its really their work. Ad that to homework.

MM does not check the photos for legit as far as I know. They will act if someone reports the person though. And that is the same just about everywhere else on the net.
It would not be hard to make a fake account with others work in many places on the net. Making homework more detailed now.

IrisSwope wrote:
If you're a fraud it would make much more sense to never show anything, rather than everyone's "the model was annoying so I didn't send them" or the "they didn't come out good" so I'm just not speaking to the model anymore, stupid excuse.

So, all of the threads, day after day, week after week, year after year, of models talking about how they only contacted the photographer a few times, yadda yadda, and they end up getting screwed in their photos, that is all because the photographers are fakes, and has nothing to do with the models annoying behaviors screwing themselves out of the photos by being too demanding and annoying?

I'm NOT advocating that is a good thing for photographers to do (and I apologize if anyone is dumb enough to think that is/was the point), but one of the most frequent elements in a model not getting photos is that they made too much of a pest of themselves, so *somehow* it is happening.

NOWHERE did I say that was a good way of handling it, I only said that it seems to happen far more often than fake photographers with fake profiles and fake references (who would likely have other motivations.)

Regardless, step 1, check references and make sure you're working with a real photographer (duh), step 2 show up, step 3, don't piss off the photographer before you get copies of the retouched photos.

It is not like this is rocket science people.

DougBPhoto wrote:

So, all of the threads, day after day, week after week, year after year, of models talking about how they only contacted the photographer a few times, yadda yadda, and they end up getting screwed in their photos, that is all because the photographers are fakes, and has nothing to do with the models annoying behaviors screwing themselves out of the photos by being too demanding and annoying?

I'm NOT advocating that is a good thing (and I apologize if anyone is dumb enough to think that is/was the point), but one of the most frequent elements in a model not getting photos is that they made too much of a pest of themselves, so *somehow* it is happening.

NOWHERE did I say that was a good way of handling it, I only said that it seems to happen far more often than fake photographers with fake profiles and fake references (who would likely have other motivations.)

I doubt that either of them are the main reason models don't get their photos.

I'd guess that they just didn't like the photos, they came out crappy, and they don't care to hand them over, and there are no consequences.   Not because they're complete frauds, not because the model was annoying, just because they're crappy photographers and shady people.

But in my opinion, either reason is a valid reason to assume is correct.

FredSugar wrote:

And with years of experience as a pro, you will run into things where Hardrives fail, SD cards fail, cameras fail.   Another thing that has happened to some pros, being robbed before getting back to studio. 

Not saying all these things happen constantly, but they do happen.   No matter how "pro" it is impossible to be perfect all the time.

I really didn't mean to be absolute even though I came off that way. Sorry.
I know shit does happen. But I do know it is much less likely to happen to a pro than others due to they know there equipment and are prepared. Like that probably happened to you once right? Somethings like the recent stories of smoking CF cards can be crippling to anyone.
I know what you mean about delete button by the scroll wheel. My 6d is like that. That is the 1st thing about it that I said uh oh better watch that. LOL
Because I have a T3i that puts the play button next to the delete button just under the scroll (button, even worse) and I have used it a lot I am used to being very careful of it. I still don't understand why they (canon) did that. LOL
But ya I can see that as a accident waiting to happen. I don't do any in camera delete. But I think mine al are at least a 2 step process, like delet then it asks, then hit ok. My 6d is a pain because its 3 step. Delete,select yes delete and then ok. Maybe that a good thing.
My 5dmkIII and 7d is positioned out much better. I don't know about other cameras so much. Kinda makes me scratch my head and wonder why do they put that there. LOL
One of the big reasons I got the 5d mkIII is for the dual card slots. And for the reasons of doing weddings and the fear of a card failure. Even though I have never had one. (knock on wood)
I can see how sometimes using one body then a quick switch to another a person can be disoriented with the layout for a few minutes as well.

IrisSwope wrote:
I doubt that either of them are the main reason models don't get their photos.

I'd guess that they just didn't like the photos, they came out crappy, and they don't care to hand them over, and there are no consequences.   Not because they're complete frauds, not because the model was annoying, just because they're crappy photographers and shady people.

But in my opinion, either reason is a valid reason to assume is correct.

If I had to rank them, I would venture to guess that the frequency of those reasons for not getting photos would be 1) photographer too busy/too lazy,  2) not happy with quality, 3) pushy/annoying models pestering the photog and pissing them off.

I'm not even sure where to rank fake photographers, because I'm not even sure what the objective is, but that does not mean I don't think it happens or does not exist.  However, I think the first 3 reasons for not getting photos are FAR more common.

dcsmooth wrote:
Sometimes even very experienced professionals with brick and mortar studios make mistakes. Several years ago when the pros were still all using film, one local photographer shot an entire wedding ceremony with no film in the camera and never realized the error until it was too late. He had decades of experience, PPA member, and was the major studio that did weddings and senior photos in the area.

Earlier this year a relative hired a photographer that had many years experience and had done hundreds of weddings to do their wedding and reception. For whatever reason, the photos somehow all got lost when the computer crashed after they had been downloaded (and apparently erased) from the camera cards. Luckily in this case many of the people attending had also taken plenty of photos, so the couple was at least able to have some halfway decent snapshots of their special day.

Even the pros are not always 100% perfect.

I agree that models must always carefully check references on people they choose to work with, find out what others are saying about the photographers and whether they got pictures or excuses.  I have had similar discussions with a number of models who are finding the hard way that many profiles on MM are fake, and there are also plenty of fake photographers (and models I might add) on other sites like Craigslist and Facebook.

I agree with you that no one is perfect, but how the hell does one not realize that they are not loading film (thus shooting empty) I mean come on!!!  I've always shot many more than a couple rolls of 36 when I shot weddings with film.  At some point, one has to think to oneself "Gee ... it's interesting how many frames I'm getting on this roll?"  I've miss loaded film by not getting the leader tucked in the spool properly.  I come to realize it often because I get to 36, 37 and E with it still continuing to advance.  I avoid that mistake by being more careful in loading my film, advancing it with the wind up lever out to see if it's indeed advancing. 

Yes, there are FAKES!  If anyone is suspicious that a "photographers" images may not be his/her own, that makes it important to check references and do your research.  If you should find that a photographer profile on Modelmayhem who is using images that are not his/her own, then CAM it!  It's ok to ask questions, be a skeptic, and do your homework.

DougBPhoto wrote:

If I had to rank them, I would venture to guess that the frequency of those reasons for not getting photos would be 1) photographer too busy/too lazy,  2) not happy with quality, 3) pushy/annoying models

I'm not even sure where to rank fake photographers, because I'm not even sure what the objective is, but that does not mean I don't think it happens or does not exist.  However, I think other reasons for not getting photos are FAR more common.

Tons of people sign up here with stolen photos, I'm not sure what the objective is either, but it happens.

Personally, I've never worked with a model who was so annoying that I didn't want to give them photos. Not even close, so I'm not sure how that would rank #3. I guess it could happen more to other people, but I think it's odd.

    There's someone who messages me on here, demanding answers as to why I haven't replied to them, but I've never worked with that person, and anytime I even consider it, I realize that the demanding would only get worse.

Caitin Bre  wrote:
I have run into this situation over the last few years and would like to share it.
You have to be careful of the pretend photographers out there. They are growing in numbers and it is a complete scam.

I figured it out when I investigated a photographer that I did a trade with and never got photos. This investigation led me to check on a few other situations I have had. And sure enough I came up with the same thing. Never say "never" or "always!" 

They had such beautiful portfolios and so creative. Very nice equipment and seemed to really know what they were doing and talking about.
But, The rest of the story.
The port pictures were not theirs. In one case the equipment wasn't even his.
They shoot along acting like they know what they are doing, but have nothing to deliver. If they did deliver to you the best they got You would say what the fock. So they will just avoid you. Ignore your request for photos. Or even just get nasty.

When I see the excuse that nothing turned out so they have nothing. Basically it means they are not a pro as they claimed or even know what they are doing. They are faking it.
True Pro will get the shots and ALWAYS have plenty to deliver. That is what they do. You will NEVER hear nothing turned out from a pro. They will always honor their deadlines because they are professional business people as well.

Experienced model will not shoot with less talented photographers or photographers with no talent on a TF basis. These fakes know this and some still want free shoots, so they scam to get it. They especially prey on new models that have yet to learn the difference.
But even as experienced as I am with photographers, I still get scammed myself at least a couple times a year. Scammers are good at camouflaging and deception, That is their true talent. 

Be careful out there Models do your homework before wasting your time to these fakes.
Because I see this is becoming more and more, I thought I would see if others have come across people like this and did anything about it.
So I was looking to see if there are any news articles that bring up an example and came across this fella.
http://www.popphoto.com/news/2013/09/fa … les-140000

I'm pretty darn old school.  The photographer example you presented is of a scam artist ripping off wedding clients ... although the same could happen to models.  Most photographers on here are not charging models money ... at least that is my opinion because I mostly shoot TFP.  While it is certainly important to remind models to do their homework, the "fakes" on here most often are not posting stolen images for the purpose of scamming money.  There could be more sinister motives.  Fakes have to be reported by CAM'ing! 

No, we don't "Always Deliver!"  There are other reasons that legit photographers might not be able to deliver the images you ask for.  Hard drives crash, memory cards get wiped ... things happen!  So not every photographer who fails to deliver is a "fake!"   My thing is that honesty is the best policy in circumstances like that.

Caitin Bre  wrote:
I really didn't mean to be absolute even though I came off that way. Sorry.
I know shit does happen. But I do know it is much less likely to happen to a pro than others due to they know there equipment and are prepared. Like that probably happened to you once right? Somethings like the recent stories of smoking CF cards can be crippling to anyone.
I know what you mean about delete button by the scroll wheel. My 6d is like that. That is the 1st thing about it that I said uh oh better watch that. LOL
Because I have a T3i that puts the play button next to the delete button just under the scroll (button, even worse) and I have used it a lot I am used to being very careful of it. I still don't understand why they (canon) did that. LOL
But ya I can see that as a accident waiting to happen. I don't do any in camera delete. But I think mine al are at least a 2 step process, like delet then it asks, then hit ok. My 6d is a pain because its 3 step. Delete,select yes delete and then ok. Maybe that a good thing.
My 5dmkIII and 7d is positioned out much better. I don't know about other cameras so much. Kinda makes me scratch my head and wonder why do they put that there. LOL
One of the big reasons I got the 5d mkIII is for the dual card slots. And for the reasons of doing weddings and the fear of a card failure. Even though I have never had one. (knock on wood)
I can see how sometimes using one body then a quick switch to another a person can be disoriented with the layout for a few minutes as well.

One of my all-time favorite features of my D800e is that I can lock the shutter and/or aperture wheel. It's just too easy to bump it a little in the heat of things. I've been in the position before that I bumped shutter to 320 in the studio accidentally and had shutter in the frame for a few shots before noticing it. And I didn't start shooting yesterday. Little gotchas happen no matter how "professional" you are. I also remember shooting film (like 20 years ago) for a shoot and rewinding but forgot to replace the film and double exposed over the roll without knowing it. Stuff happens.