My fear and loathing Viva Las Vegas experience: Planes,Trains, and A**hole Photog

I have long been out of touch with blogging so to get back into things I thought I would start by sharing a recent terrible experience that happened to me last Friday.


My fear and loathing Viva Las Vegas experience: Planes, Trains, and an A**hole Photographer.


Well my Viva Las Vegas weekend was practically a nightmare. Fear and Loathing would be one way to describe it. Another way would be to say it was like something from the movie "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles." Let me explain.

My initial reason for heading to Viva was to do photoshoots and work at a magazine booth for a photographer: lets call him Frank De Bitch.

I have NEVER encountered an experience with such an unprofessional photographer as I did with him. This guy had me fly out to another state on my own dime, to do a photoshoot and basically screwed me over.

About 4 weeks before Viva this photographer Frank De Bitch persisted my inbox with emails on how he wanted me to go to come to the event so we could shoot. I explained that my travel expenses had to be paid in addition to compensation. He agreed to it both in an email and verbally over the phone. This agreement consisted of 1. Compensation for working at the magazine booth, 2. All travel expenses covered including meals, drinks, cab fares.

There was a red flag a week before I flew to Vegas when I spoke with him over the phone as he drastically changed the compensation amount, saying it was a result of his "editors budget". He also laid out our schedule of shoots and included a dinner meeting as soon as I checked into my hotel.

Since I had already paid and booked my flight I continued with everything as planned.. He even called again Thursday night before my flight to make sure that I would call him as soon as I checked into my hotel so we could have the dinner meeting.

Its Friday 4:00pm . My flight lands and I hopped in a cab. The cab driver was nosey and unwantedly flirtatious. When we got to the hotel as I was about to pay him I pulled out my debit card and he shouted "We don't take cards, go into the hotel and get the cash or your not gonna get your luggage !". I got off the cab a bit frightened and I went inside to find that the ATM machines in the hotel were out of service because their phone lines were down .So the manager helped me out and said it would take a few minutes to get money from the gambling cash cage.

We then explained this to the cab driver and he completely flipped out and said that I now owed him "an additional $20 for the extra wait" or he was "leaving with my luggage." The cab driver was a complete psychotic criminal and tried to pull a scam on me to extort more money while waiting for me to get cash. He almost drove off with my luggage but the hotel security surrounded his car and stopped him. After I paid him he had to be restrained as he started screaming making a huge scene and tried to assault me for not paying him the "extra money" that I supposably owed him for waiting an extra 3 little mintues.

Thirty minutes and several security and police officers later I was finally checked into my room. What a nice way to start my welcome to Las Vegas. Within an hour the authorities called and advised me to stay at another hotel since it would be in my safest interest as I was alone and they weren't sure if the cab driver would come back to start more trouble . The hotel was nice enough to give me a refund so thats what I decided to do.

Its now after 5pm and I checked out of the hotel and called the photographer Frank , as he was only 1/2 a mile down the street at The Orleans Hotel. I told him about my dillema and kindly asked him to come pick me up until I was able to find another hotel to stay at. He agreed and said he would be there in 10 minutes. I went outside in the cold weather with all my luggage and waited for him. Ten minutes later he sends me a text saying "Sorry I cant pick you up I'm busy shooting another model and I won't be there till 11pm". Confused I then called him and when he answered the phone I could hear the loud background party noises of cackling and beers clinking, and again he told me he was "busy shooting another model".


I was SHOCKED! I couldn't believe that he was only 1/2 a mile down the road and expected me to wait 6 hours in the cold with all my luggage, alone.


Never in the 5 years of modeling have I encountered such an unprofessional move from a photographer. This guy had me fly out of state on my own dime, to do a photoshoot and basically blew me off. Sorry but "shooting another model" is not an excuse as that model is safe and sound in shelter meanwhile I am stuck outside with all my luggage in bad weather, getting harrassed by drunk guys, worried about my safety and finding a place to stay.

I don't care if he was shooting Dita Von Teese, no models safety should ever be jeopardized. I was his responsibility. A photographer shouldn't make an agreement and break it especially when the model flys out of state, re-arranges her schedule weeks in advance, spends money on wardrobe etc, all to do the photoshoot. Lastly if the model does encounter a predicament like I did, the photographer should be there ASAP to help her.

I went down there to do a job just like he did. I flew to another state on my own dime and he left me stranded.

I was outside for several hours on the phone with relatives back in California, who were scrabmling on the internet to find me a reasonably priced hotel to stay in but all the hotels in Vegas were way overpriced because it was Friday and Easter weekend.

Its now 10:30pm and whaddaya know I get a text from Frank De Bitch the "photographer" asking me to come over to his hotel as he was available now. I texted him back basically telling him that he is "unprofessional and coldhearted" to leave me stranded. And his only reply was "What do you want me to do honey?" Not a even a phone call, a fucking text message.

I didn't even bother responding. At this point after all I had went though he doesn't even deserve the time of day. From then on I just made plans with my producer to do filming for my tv show for the rest of the Viva Las Vegas weekend.

This "photographer" Frank De Bitch is not even a well known photographer. He just recently started working for a magazine called Tattoo Savage and for the past 40 years of his pathetic life he has been your typical "guy with a camera".

I should have paid attention to the other red flags like his constant spamming of "busty hot chic casting calls" on his ModelMayhem photography portfloio: ModelMayhem member #3281 .

The reason I didn't see through his BS initially was due to his persistance on shooting with me and his overuse and abuse of his job title "I work for Tattoo Savage, Urban Ink, and Rebel Rods, and I am going to have you published in all these magazines blah blah blah". Though lately I have been working with very professional photographers, I rarely agree to shoot with amateurs unless I am benefitting from the shoot. But I decided to give him a chance, and I regret every second of it.

So the rest of the weekend I just did filming for my tv show. Now I know he saw me as I was all over the place. Do you think he came up to me to apologize ?! HELL NO, he hid from me like a little bitch the entire time. Hence the nickname Frank De Bitch.

As I said before I have NEVER encountered such an unprofessional experience with a photographer. But another day and a lesson learned in the modeling/photography world.


[B]-Dahlia


References:
Model: Dahlia Dark, "photographer": Frank De Blase

Confused... thepinupgirl, are you reposting this from Dahlia Dark, or did you lose your login?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ForrestBlack

Confused... thepinupgirl, are you reposting this from Dahlia Dark, or did you lose your login?

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Hi. Yes this is Dahlia.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thepinupgirl

Hi. Yes this is Dahlia.

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Well that all certainly sounds like a fiasco.

BTW, do you want us to merge this new account with your other two accounts here?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ForrestBlack

Well that all certainly sounds like a fiasco.

BTW, do you want us to merge this new account with your other two accounts here?

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Yes please, thank you! :thumb: