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Photographer

Thomas Van Dyke

Posts: 3233

Washington, District of Columbia, US

The eight hundred pound gorilla in the room is the sad reality that far too many male photographers are under the delusion that they are "Professionals" and "Hot Chicks" should be flocking to them to model.  This myth has been created and perpetuated by the vendors of photographic equipment that market to males who actually believe in this myth's promise...

"There's a sucker born every minute"  P. T. Barnum, an American showman...

As in nearly every market supply and demand drive the rate dynamic...

btw, I assist many commercial shooters in my market and asked early on about their thoughts on booking talent and without exception they all book through agencies... Why? The agency fee is a pass through expense and such a small fraction of their total cost to do a typical assignment...  They also add that they would never book an independent for a paid assignment since the risk involved doesn't warrant the taking a chance.

My thoughts? Other than creative tests I also book much of my talent through local agencies who's fees are actually less than what many Mayhem Models solicit... But then again I don't work in either the nude or glamour genres which are not typically germane to agency work.

Best advice? Shoot commercial assignments and pass agency fees on to your client(s)

Sep 14 17 06:07 am Link

Model

Model MoRina

Posts: 6639

MacMurdo - permanent station of the US, Sector claimed by New Zealand, Antarctica

Nevermind.

Sep 14 17 06:14 am Link

Photographer

Ken Marcus Studios

Posts: 9421

Las Vegas, Nevada, US

Thomas Van Dyke wrote:
"There's a sucker born every minute"  P. T. Barnum, an American showman...

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum

"Misattributed - "There's a sucker born every minute."     

Commonly attributed to Barnum, there is much testimony of contemporaries that he never actually said this, and in "P. T. Barnum Never Did Say "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute" R. J. Brown asserts that it actually originated with a banker named David Hannum, in regard to one of Barnum's hoaxes: a replica of the Cardiff Giant."

Sep 15 17 07:02 pm Link

Photographer

Leonard Gee Photography

Posts: 18096

Sacramento, California, US

Marcio Faustino wrote:
I am a free lance worker and I charge €20/h. With that I pay my healthcare, transport, my time looking for customers and so on. I only need work 25h week to have a living with this wage. Since it is fiscal job I avoid work too many hours.

I think a model can charge €30/h and work less than 20h week to have a living. If very experienced and really good €50/h is way a lot of money if we are realistic about it.

first, unfortunately, that is not what some accountants call "realistic". what you term "living wage" may not be what you think it is. if you really know about business economics, you might understand. a "living wage" does not mean you are making a profit.

second, what you call a "living wage" may be another person's excessively rich or their poverty level and that depends on where you live and how you live. it doesn't apply to everyone.

Sep 16 17 12:02 pm Link

Photographer

Marcio Faustino

Posts: 2811

Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Leonard Gee Photography wrote:
first, unfortunately, that is not what some accountants call "realistic". what you term "living wage" may not be what you think it is. if you really know about business economics, you might understand. a "living wage" does not mean you are making a profit.

second, what you call a "living wage" may be another person's excessively rich or their poverty level and that depends on where you live and how you live. it doesn't apply to everyone.

That's trues. I am talking about where I live, which is also where expect to find models.

Sep 18 17 03:13 am Link

Model

Liv Sage

Posts: 431

Seattle, Washington, US

Sep 25 17 08:52 pm Link

Model

Liv Sage

Posts: 431

Seattle, Washington, US

I charge $125 per hour (2 hour minimum), $325 for 3, $400 for 4. I would not model for $50 per hour at this point. There is absolutely no way. Of course, I guess I have the portfolio to back up what I'm asking for, because people regularly hire me at me asking rates. If they didn't pay me regularly, I guess I'd need to find a different job or charge less. But, that is not the case, and I'd honestly be some kind of idiot not to charge what I do if I can get paid that amount. Also, I do find it necessary to say, this is not a 40-hour paid work week. So, it isn't like models who charge that are rolling in cash. I'm still lower middle/middle class after all of my travel costs.

For girls who are not skilled enough to command the $100-$300 hourly rate, then usually they do not get hired. Or they do not get hired often. They are plenty of skilled models to hire, so they won't win out over their competition unless they're in really strange areas the pro traveling models don't go.

Sep 25 17 08:52 pm Link

Model

Liv Sage

Posts: 431

Seattle, Washington, US

Marcio Faustino wrote:
The market is full of GWC willing to spend a lot of money on models. And models take advantage from the lack of experience from GWC. I don't complain about that because it is just the market...

I am happy not shooting models and photograph other stuffs. But it does not mean I can't talk about it.

Ah, the old, "only GWCs pay models" line.

Wrong. Plenty of very good artists pay models when their photos are model-dependent. But, for some reason this idea keeps getting tossed around. And it's so, very wrong.

Sep 25 17 08:56 pm Link

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