Questions to all the models and photographers

[Raza]

I will add my experiences here...

First of all, I tend to come to the bargaining table with photographers with the following deal...

I bring a ton of costumes, props, concepts, makeup, fx, location, etc, and they get to have a really cool photo shoot, that they would be hard-pressed to come up with on their own. And in exchange, I get a copy of the raw images. But that's mainly for my own use. The way it usually works, is that they get to claim the photograph as their own, and they get to use them on their website, and get any money they can make from it. That's fine with me. I don't need or want to earn anything off the images. I just want a copy for my own use. Generally, what the photographer does for their editing, and color corrections, is better than what I can do on my own. So I tend to use their image, and give them full credit. So that if people like the image that was created, they can seek that photographer out for their own work. I simply get credit for being the model and for providing the costumes.

Sounds reasonable. Looks like the same things aren't necessarily a big deal to all photographers.

And as far as hints for how to do your own shoots indoors, one really cheap and basic setup I use, is to get a bunch of clip lights at the hardware store.



And then get a bunch of dimmers for them...



And a bunch of colored light bulbs...



Digital cameras are so sensitive nowadays, that you don't need high-powered flash units to capture a decent image. And the advantage to using actual lights, is that you can see what the scene is looking like. You can just slide the dimmers up and down, and get a nice balance.

This is useful, thanks.

[ForrestBlack]

So again it's about the distinction between what I ask of them as a person in time and effort as we can measure it by a universal standard, and what I'm asking them in their role as 'a photographer', in professional faux pas and the relinquishing of traditionally expected privileges.

I don't think in these terms, and honestly have no desire to start. Role divisions, 'inappropriate uses', 'theft' of information - these things are meaningless to how I view the world. That doesn't mean I'll hold it against people quoting them as a reason not to work with me, but chances are I'm just gonna say "Ok, no deal then."

So, I think I'm just going to accept that I probably won't be working with any professional photographer third parties and focus on learning the trade myself. I'd rather do things my way on my own than adapt to rationales I don't believe in.

Well, we are just trying to help. I'm certainly not saying you couldn't find someone, but perhaps if you could understand another person's perspective it might make things go easier. I'm not telling you to change your world view.

That said, I think your solution makes sense. I didn't want to be a photographer, but I knew what I wanted on the page and ultimately felt that I had to pick up the camera myself to reliably be able to create it. It'd LOVE to be able to wear less hats in what I do, but the reality is, I have to fill a lot of roles to achieve my goals.

[Vexbeast]

I'd do it.

You bring hair and makeup. This is a good thing, but unless you are also doing hair and makeup for the photographer's other projects, it is still them working for your project and getting nothing in return.

That's a point. You can do it, might as well bargain with it...

[Raza]

Well, we are just trying to help. I'm certainly not saying you couldn't find someone, but perhaps if you could understand another person's perspective it might make things go easier. I'm not telling you to change your world view.

Of course; I started this thread to ask those very questions; you guys are hardly accountable for how well (or little) I like the answers.

That said, I think your solution makes sense. I didn't want to be a photographer, but I knew what I wanted on the page and ultimately felt that I had to pick up the camera myself to reliably be able to create it. It'd LOVE to be able to wear less hats in what I do, but the reality is, I have to fill a lot of roles to achieve my goals.

I actually find it fulfilling to do a lot of different things and generally be as self sufficient as manageable; doing it myself was my first choice. Still, when your result relies on you doing a whole sequence of different things, it doesn't pay to be very good at one or two only to afflict it all with the flimsy execution of another.

[Raza]

I'd do it.

Awesome!

That's a point. You can do it, might as well bargain with it...

I'm not sure our makeup skills are very sellable. We excel at cheap improvisations and outlandish ideas, but the execution is only basic sensibility. Academy trained 'grimagists' - those people that carry around huge makeup cases with fourty different shades of brown, know exactly which nr foundation will fail to make you any paler and always make the same huge multi miscolored panda marks of metalic eyeshadow with actually somewhat impressive gradual edges around your eyes - are everywhere in our local altmodel crowd, probably creating an expectation of what the ability to 'do makeup' means that wouldn't overlap much with ours.