|
Forums >
General Industry >
Shady photographers...
I don't understand in the past couple of months I have received so many replies (not on MM) from people who claim to be photographers. I need legit work. And most of the replies are for porn/adult work. I clearly state on all sites that I am a member of that I do not do nude/adult/porn. I would love to hear from photographers on what questions I should ask photographers when they contact me for work? Please help. I use to have an agent and have also had managers. But I really want to do with out them for now. May 23 05 10:10 pm Link Unfortunately, the net if full of GWC or even pro's who do adult work and don't really care what you state on your profile. I'm sure they don't even read it. Some GWC's think it's like being in a bar....you ask 100 women if they'll sleep with you, and if one or two agree, you're ahead of the game for asking. It's scummy and unprofessional, but I don't know how you can keep from getting those kinds of offers. May 23 05 10:16 pm Link What questions should I ask photographers before working with them or even setting up a shoot? Something that would seperate photographers from shady so called photographers? May 23 05 10:24 pm Link well what type of work are you looking for? what does "legit work" mean to you? outside of artistic photographers, professional photographers are hired to shoot models, by commercial clients and by the models themselves.. this thought that photographers are the customers of models is really far removed from the real world....so if you realize your dealing with GWCs, you shouldn't expect any real commercial work from them. May 23 05 10:24 pm Link Marguerite; I totally understand your question... I just have this funny bone... that let's me see the irony and reflection to American media. Americans do not want nudity or the graphic display of sex, but have no problems with posing with tools of death and destruction.... Nothing personally... but interesting... nudity is so much more offensive than violent deaths. Just like in your pose, you pose with a machine gun, but get offended when asked to pose nude. BTW, I don't shoot nudes, I leave that to GWC's and horny artists. ;-) May 23 05 10:24 pm Link Posted by Udo R Photography: its OK to chop off a breast with a chainsaw, but not kiss one on TV... May 23 05 10:26 pm Link Posted by Doug Swinskey: Posted by Udo R Photography: its OK to chop off a breast with a chainsaw, but not kiss one on TV... YEPPERS! But we've got to be careful... the Christian Right will come in and turn this thread into a debacle and have all the arguments why they agree with the values of O'Reilly... LOL May 23 05 10:28 pm Link National Security! May 23 05 10:29 pm Link Posted by eric: Errr... that would be National Insecurity... no? LOL May 23 05 10:30 pm Link Good luck Marguerite.... May 23 05 10:32 pm Link Don;t expect people online to actually read. There a lot of people out there just sending boiler-plate messages to as many as they can hoping for a bite. Here's the list on all my on all my portfolio listings of what information I ask for from photographers: *your name and studio name (if applicable) *a link to samples of your work *a brief project description (i.e. style of shoot, intended usage, etc.) *compensation offered (TFP or paid, etc.) *anticipated location and timeframe for shoot *type of release/contract involved *contact information for at least three references May 23 05 10:36 pm Link Marguerite, In your avatar you are holding an assualt rifle and there is a lot of empty space at the top of the photo. This will influence the type of offers you get... May 23 05 11:16 pm Link Posted by theda: Theda makes a great point for she and i have never worked together for I can never take the 2.52 minutes to read her list.(I read slowly) May 23 05 11:23 pm Link Posted by Marguerite: Carry that gun with you and ask "Do you feel lucky?" J/K! May 23 05 11:27 pm Link I have to agree with the assault rifle thing... The stupidity of the American public is overwhelming and the thought processing is ass backwards. Honestly, if it were me and I was walking down a dark alley, I'd rather run into a naked woman instead of a clothed one carrying a gun!!! But, by posting this and similar pictures, you are asking for that kind of work. You can say what you want, but your pictures tell more about you than anything you can possibly write. And right now, your pics are telling me that you are a cheesy internet model who's willing to pose with anything if the price is right or at least free. Sorry to sound harsh, but it's true. Instead of doing shoots for free (TFP) You'll have to pursue photographers who shoot the type of images that you want for your book, and career. You'll probably have to *Gasp* pay for the images, and maybe to more than one photographer. However, in the long run, those images will get you offers from legitimate photographers whom you'll want to work with. Consider it an investment into your career. After all, how much does any one student pay for college tuition??? May 23 05 11:35 pm Link Posted by XtremeArtists ®: Actually the Uzi is a Submachine Gun, Not an Assault rifle.. After Looking at the Picture I'd be willing to Wager it's an Airsoft and not a "Real" Uzi Anyhow... May 23 05 11:39 pm Link Posted by Doug Swinskey: wow took the words right out of my mouth. most photographers that actually do this for a living aren't the customer for the model, we photographers aren't shopping around to pay models. most photographers that are shopping around to pay models (i did say most) are people looking to break into the industry or pro's looking to do a personal project. not that there is anything wrong with that, but it should help you to understand why so many shady emails are received. its a shame that models receive so many of these bogus emails because once some of us really want to collaborate on a shoot its a pain because the model wants to do a check up (cant blame them of course though!). another person had a comment i agree with as well.... May 23 05 11:41 pm Link see next..i screwed this one up May 23 05 11:41 pm Link Posted by RFAphoto: wow..i couldn't do it in two seconds, i guess i gotta pay back all that money from my clients..pull all my images from the magazines and websites..man o man..i knew not being able to do math on the spot was going to hurt me sooner or later... May 23 05 11:44 pm Link nevermind May 23 05 11:46 pm Link Posted by RFAphoto: maybe its just me, but that has to be by far the stupidest thing i have ever read. i apologize for being so harsh, but deciding whether or not a person is a "real photographer" is certainly not decided by whether they can answer what the "proper" aperature is in on a sunny day. May 23 05 11:48 pm Link enough with the macho prove I am worthy crap. It is your portfolio and that is all that counts. If you are not good enough then steal one that is. (ps --look up Raymond Pat..... nevermind...goes back to eating pasta.) May 23 05 11:52 pm Link Stupid to judge ones photographic talents on if they Know the most basic of exposure rules... Very Interesting.. Maybe you should consider taking your camera off of "Professional" mode once in a while and THINK. Oh What am I thinking Theres Aperature Priority and Shutter priority modes as well... Does anyone out there Know how to work a camera anymore or is it all, well that's what the computer told me to do... May 23 05 11:53 pm Link Posted by RFAphoto: you remind me of the guys that pay for a one day seminar and they come out king of all photography..they spout sunny 16 rules and think they undertand the industry...take a look around you..there are folks here that know way more about photography then you will ever have the opportunity to know.. May 23 05 11:59 pm Link Posted by RFAphoto: If Marguerite does not know the answer, does that mean she is not a real model? May 24 05 12:00 am Link Posted by RFAphoto: well i know you must not be referring to me, i mean its obvious because if i truely never took my camera off P mode then the cover image on my profile wouldn't be purposely underexposed for the fashion story i was working on. and by the way, doesnt "P" actually stand for program mode and not professional mode? May 24 05 12:02 am Link As far as the photo is concerned, she might as well be holding a dildo. The photo is no good: it doesn't say anything positive about the model or photographer for that matter...sorry if someone is offended. To answer the rest of your post, a GWC is someone who thinks that question about exposure has any bearing on being a good photographer. Posted by RFAphoto: Posted by XtremeArtists ®: Actually the Uzi is a Submachine Gun, Not an Assault rifle.. After Looking at the Picture I'd be willing to Wager it's an Airsoft and not a "Real" Uzi Anyhow... May 24 05 12:14 am Link Posted by Eric Muss-Barnes: African or European? May 24 05 12:30 am Link I beg to differ, Sunny 16 is not the end all of photographic knowledge, it's a very basic and simple rule of thumb for determining exposure. But If someone isn't even going to bother to learn the basics, I find it hard to call them a Photographer. there are a lot of really good shots taken by GWC's...Luck is as good as skill when you have enough. Are there people who Know more about the "rules" of photography than I do, Oh hell yeah! That's just part of the appeal to me, there is always something new to learn. Is knowing the basics a sure fire way to find a true professional, No it's not. But if someone CARES enough to learn a little about what they're doing, that at least shows some promise. There are savants that consistantly take great pictures without Knowing the How and Why of it all. The Funny thing is the ones that truly make it to the top typically do finally learn the things they didn't bother with in the beginning and it takes them to a new level. They are Frequently Quoted as saying, "Yeah it's worked for me, but I'd reccommend against trying to do it the way I did" May 24 05 12:30 am Link Ok, Ok, Obviously you're referring to the "Sunny day 16 rule", the ISO of the film is used as the shutter speed and f/16 as the f/stop on a bright sunny day with sharp clear shadows. This is based on the sun being behind the photographer. But a normal scene for who? That's basic 101 knowledge that we may all have used in the beginning but do not anymore. I honestly don't know any professional that would be shooting outdoors in bright sunlight with out some kind of fill light. Unless you like your model with black holes where her eyes should be. Some use fill flash, reflectors or whatever possible to fill the shadows. Any of these methods is not even going to be close to the f16 rule, unless maybe you're shooting landscape. So if our methods vary, which they will. The numbers in relation to the method that a photog may always use are the ones he/she will know and not the basic f16 rule which most have probably forgotten as it means nothing. I owned a second hand camera store for ten years, did most of the incoming repairs myself. I'm pretty sure I know how professionals shoot an outdoor scene when a model is involved. You've also factored out the location of all other photogs. We are not all in Arizona with bright sunlight most of time. On the East Coast much of the work is done indoors, we have 4 seasons here and a very changing climate. I don't like shooting in the snow or 10 degree weather very much. I don't know, call me silly. Maybe I just keep getting lucky with my shots but really haven't got a clue, NOT. May 24 05 12:44 am Link Posted by RFAphoto: off the top of my head -- about f/8 to f/16, check with light meter, and bracket because if you're using digital, some highlight is gonna get blown because you didn't underexpose slightly. If its film, the lab is gonna get dust on one of the negatives. Hopefully you didn't develop it at Wal-Mart or there will be dust on all the pictures. May 24 05 12:44 am Link I know the rules and could guess the exposure of a 4 x 5 shot based on light and just guessing. So what to impress the teachers, in the end it is always the image and how you convince people that you have the confidence to complete that image. I have assisted for photographers who hired me ot judge the f 16 rule. They got the job and in the end no one cares what leonardo's or Michaelangelo or Klimnt's assistants knew it is the end result. I have worked for a few famous photographer who were clueless. So what it it the eye and the ability to get the job. Bloody hell my life would be different if I knew this a long time ago. F16 , f 2010 space odyssey, ...... May 24 05 12:50 am Link Posted by Glamour Studio /Gary: WOW! Tell me about it! May 24 05 12:58 am Link Ding Ding ding we have several winners! Yes it is all Basic 101 knowledge. Yes It gets broken a lot! probably the best piece of advice on rules is "In order to break the rules, one must first know them". I was referring to those that never bothered to learn what they are dong in the first place. she was asking on how to weed out a Photographer from a GWC. Basic Knowledge is a good way to accomplish this, the average GWC would be lost without his camera telling him what to do. A photographer on the other hand has a camera as a tool, and as a tool it is used to produce a photograph, not as a status symbol or as a computer to replace actual knowledge of how to expose film or an Image sensor. Photography is both a science and an art, Knowing how to properly expose your chosen medium does not guarantee you can produce a picture that is what someone will want. Knowing what to put in a picture and not knowing how to get that result is called being Underqualified for your chosen profession. May 24 05 01:00 am Link So what do we win? I could use a new A/C compressor in my car about now.  May 24 05 01:13 am Link Funny Me too, mine went out 2 days ago! What a fantastic time of year for this to occur! May 24 05 01:15 am Link ooooh, i knoW! i know! f/16!!!! yaaay! i win an uzi... Posted by RFAphoto: Posted by XtremeArtists ®: May 24 05 01:18 am Link Posted by RFAphoto: f/1.4 - for my new book called Snowstorm! May 24 05 01:23 am Link Trust me any UZI(tm) I could afford to give away, You wouldn't want....It would bring a whole new meaning to the Phraise "Do you feel lucky?" May 24 05 01:23 am Link Posted by theda: Posted by Eric Muss-Barnes: African or European? *smooch* :-) May 24 05 01:26 am Link |
