Links

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PERSONAL LINKS

Here's a link to my photographic Web site:

http:\\roneggersphotography.zenfolio.com

It details the various photographic specialties that I get involved in, including

Travel & Transportation
Sports & Recreation
Fashion & Lifestyles
News/Features


I also have specialty Web page set up for specific purposes. Since I do quite a bit of work with models, here's a separate link to some of that work.

www.modelmayhem.com/12170

I'm doing very little general test shooting now a days, but I do still do trade offs with models for personal projects and to add to my stock image library.

I've also set up a special Model Mayhem for working with younger models. (It includes some of the same information that I have in the blog post here about working with younger models.)

www.modelmayhem.com/1189662


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USEFUL INFORMATION FOR MODELS 

There's a considerable amount of information available for models on the Internet, anything from Youtube instructional videos to blog posts (such as this one) to professional development courses. While a lot of it is very good, unfortunately, a lot is incomplete, even incorrect. And a lot of it is designed to sell models something, be it portfolios, job listings, classes and memberships to job listing web sites.

While there's nothing wrong for models to be spending money on career development, models who don't know what they need are vulnerable to being taken advantage of. All the different offerings and activities can get expensive for models that don't know what to watch out for.

As I come across them, I'll add individual links that might be beneficial, with a brief note as to why it might be and the pros and cons of the information. (I have not checked the accuracy of specific information the sites.)

The list is just starting out. It's going to take me a while to get it populated to the point that it will actually be of some use to modes. If you come across links that might be beneficial to aspiring or working models, let me know and I'll take a look at them.

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Modeling 101 - A Model's Diary with Dania Denise

http://amodelsdiary.blogspot.com/

Lots and lots of good information about all aspects of modeling... it's been going for years and it's frequently updated (some 36 posts in the first half of 2013 alone).


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Modeling Jobs HQ

http://www.modelingjobshq.com/

Not particularly well written, but has some interesting information for models, including a list of agencies. The job postings are minimal.

http://www.modelingjobshq.com/tag/tween-models/

Targeted at Tweens interested in getting into modeling.. has some good points, but poorly organized.





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Being Prepared

BEFORE THE SHOOT

Both models and photographers have to spend time before a shoot to get ready. For most photographers, it probably takes an hour or two to get all the gear together and make sure it's working properly.

While they do have to do some things to get ready for the shoot, photographers spend much more time after the shoot organizing and optimizing images than they do on the shoot itself. For me, it usually takes about twice as long to work on a selected set of images as it does to take them.

In spite of what some photographers claim, that they can shoot so well that their images don't need optimization, every image that comes out of a digital camera can benefit from optimization. Sometimes it's just something minor. It could be something as simple as running a slight sharpening filter or adjusting contrast. On the other hand, an image might take major work, with skin tone correction, burning and dodging, correcting white balance for multiple light sources, cropping, and numerous other adjustments. And to do it right takes time, sometimes lots of time after a shoot.

An hour is also about the amount of time that most models take to get their things together and put on their make up. In many situations, it should take considerably longer than that for a model. Interestingly enough, for models, getting ready for a shoot is more involved, and more important, for general trade shoots than for commercial shoots or agency test shoots.

For professional shoots, there's generally a team hired by the client, responsible for wardrobe, hair styling, make up and anything else that might have to be taken care of. With agency test shoots, many of those things are also taken care of, either by the photographer or arranged through the agency. In those cases, a model doesn't have to bring much more to a shoot than herself and a good attitude.

That's frequently not the case with trade shoots. With most trade shoots, particularly trade shoots involving models just starting out (which means they're generally working with less experienced photographers, who generally don't know how to put creative teams together and might have more limited resources to do so), models have to select their own outfits, do their own make up, style their own hair, and make sure that all other details are taken care of, exactly at a point in their careers when they have the least amount of experience and are least capable to handle it.

Unfortunately, most models come unprepared for trade shoots. Even after telling them what to bring, I've had models tell me they forgot it; thought they had it, but didn't; didn't have time to find what they needed; or decided at the last minute that they wanted to change the concept of the shoot.

Often times, they'll grab a suitcase or roller bag and pull things indiscriminately out of the closet. I've actually had models open up a trunk full of clothing and tell me to pick out what I want her to wear. There's no way of knowing how any of those items might look if they were pressed, let alone, actually on the model. When I mentioned that that wasn't a good approach, she became quite indignant, saying "All the other photographers I've worked with have done it this way." I guess three or four months of experience had taught her everything she needed to know.


WARDROBE PREP

When doing a trade shoot where they're going to be using their own wardrobe and are responsible for their own makeup, what a models should do is style two or three outfits per hour of intended shooting. For a two hour shoot, five or six outfits would be good. Consistent with the concept, if it's a fashion shoot, the outfits should be stylish, they should fit properly, they should be color coordinated and they should have accessories such as jewelry, scarves, shoes and other accent items.

Putting a selection of outfits together takes a lot longer than just an hour or so before the shoot. In fact, an hour might not be enough time to do a good job on the makeup. For a shoot to go real well, a model probably has to invest a good part of an afternoon a day or t of the shootwo before the shoot to get everything together, and then spend the hour or so before the shoot to do the makeup and pack everything up.

I've actually had a model tell me that the terms of our trade shoot were unfair. She had to use her own clothes. She had to put all this time and effort out to put her wardrobe together. She had to do her own make up.. and all I had to do was bring a camera and take some pictures.

She obviously had no clue in what was involved in test shooting for the photographer. First is the financial outlay. Models do have outlays too. Clothing and make up are expensive. But, in most cases, these are items that the model uses every day anyway, not just for modeling. Professional photographers spend thousands of dollars on equipment specifically for shoots.


PRESHOOT MEETING

A preshoot meeting significantly reduces cancellation, sometimes makes it clear that a shoot wouldn't result in any major mutual benefit and, when the shoot goes ahead, it frequently makes a model feel more comfortable already knowing the photographer.

Working with Younger Models

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT


I used to work quite a bit with younger models, all the way from 5 and 6 year olds, to preteens and tweens, to junior/teen models. I frequently shot them for the photo magazine pieces I was doing. I don't work with them all that much any more, but still do at times, when there's a need for a commerical or personal project that I'm working on or I'm interested in adding certain types of shots to my stock library.

Working with younger models, by this I mean any model under the age of 18, presents it's own set of challenges and difficulties. To be successful, there not only has to be a creative connection to the model, but also a good working relationship with the parents. It's their interest and their schedule that will determine when and where shoots will be, or if there are any shoots at all.

Parental involvement is crucial. It takes a considerable amount of time, effort, and gas for models to get where they need to be to audition and shoot. It's an extremely completitve industry and success can be very elusive even for the most talented model. But if parents of younger models aren't 100 percent behind the effort, there's no chance of success at all.

At one point, younger models would see a photographer's work on line, like on MySpace (when that was going strong) or FaceBook, and get ahold of him directly. Any serious photographer would turn them down, but there was still the possibility that these young girls could meet up with a total stranger. That happened at times, particularly when the photographer represented himself as young and successful.

With all the publicity about online preditors, most teens, even younger teens, know that that can be dangerous, so that's not happening as much anymore. But every once in while, I still get messages from 15, 16 and 17 year olds who want to get into modeling and like my work. I always appreciate feedback, but, if they're interested in working together, I always refer them and their parents to my policy about working with younger models.



SHOOTING POLICY


And here's my policy for working with models under the age of 18.. (It's a good policy to follow for photographers and models.)

All younger models must have parental approval to shoot, and a parent or legal guardian (not just a boyfriend, girlfriend, older sibling, other relative or family friend) has to be present at the first shoot. (I've had numerous 15, 16 and 17 year olds come to a shoot with their boyfriends, an older brother, a friend of the family, a neighbor or a couple of girl friends to make a day of it at the beach of it.)

While parents are welcome, friends aren't. They are very distracting, particulary to models just starting out. No boyfriends, girlfriends or groups of friends can accompany models under 18 to shoots. And I have a policy of no texting during the shoot.

Once I've worked with a younger model and know the parents, I'll shoot additional sessions if an older sibling or other adult relative is along, but still no boyfriends or girlfriends, even if they are over 18.

I have no problem communicating directly with a teen model, as long as the parents are aware of the communications.  Here's what I tell younger models and their parents. Anything that I tell the model or ask her to do, regardless of what it is, she can tell them. I never want her to have the feeling that she has to keep some sort of secret. On the other hand, anything that she tells me, I won't tell the parents. I want the model to feel that we can talk about anything that she wants, without it getting back to her parents. At first, most parents aren't sure if they like the idea of their daughter telling me things that they don't know about, but once they think about it, they tend to like that appraoch.


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Types of Models I Work With

Beauty and Brains


I'm fortunate to be able to work with some very beautiful, very talented, very bright, models. It's their talent, beauty and positive attitude that make my model shots work.

Coming up with models to shoot isn't particularly an issue for me. However, coming up with the right model for specific projects and different situations can be a real challenge. It can be a time-consumer, sometimes frustrating, process, especially when shoots fall through at the last minute. But I'm always interested in working with models that have strong potential.


Model Types

The type of models I work with varies considerably, from agency represented fashion, runway and editorial models; to petite models; to models of different ethnic or cultural backgrounds; to models with interesting or unusual athletic, gymnastic or dance abilities. I'm open to a whole range of looks and styles, it just depends upon what I'm working on at any given time.

Dedication, dependability and attitude are more important than experience. I want to work with models who are really motivated to shoot, and are willing to put the time and effort into it that's required to come up with quality images. I have considerable experience coaching models. I can teach a model with the right look how to pose or walk a runway, but I can't teach dependebility or a good attitude. The only type of models I don't like working with are the ones that tend to flake.

 

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Types of Trade Shoots

There are different types of trade shoots.

Different photographers use different terms for the non-paying shoots that they do. You'll hear trade, test, tfp, tfcd, and portfolio shoots. They're used interchangeably, but they aren't all the same.


Trade Shoot

The broad category is trade shoots. (The term is sometimes confused with shooting for trade publications that cover fashion, which is a type of editorial work, or shooting for the trade, which is a type of commercial work, shooting for designers and manufacturers.)

Trade shoots are basically just that. A model and a photography trade their time for the other's. There are various types.


TFP

The most common term used is "tfp", which used to stand for "time for prints", but now, with most images being delivered digitally, it generally means "time for photos". Another term that's increasingly being used is "tfcd" for "time for CD".

While many photographers use the terms "test shooting" and "tfp" interchangeably, they have somewhat different connotations.  Many photographers use the term "test shoot" because it does have a better connotation than a "tfp" shoot, even though what they're suggesting is just getting out to shoot. They're not really testing for anything. They're simply taking pictures. The results have little bearing on anything else.


Test Shoots

One reason that test shoots do have a better connotation is that that's a term used by agencies for the shoots they line up for models. (That, in itself, presents problems that unscrupulous operators use to fleece models... but more on that later.)

Test shoots generally do have consequences. There are general test shoots, which basically just mean that a photographer wants to shoot with a model to see if he wants to use them for an upcoming project or assignment. Or he may want to show a potential client a series of photographs similar to the type of assignment he’s going after. In that case, he’s “testing” to see if he can actually do that type of work, rather than testing the model.

Agency tests are even more important. They're used to determine what models they want to sign, and they're used by clients to determine which models they might want to hire. They're much more elaborate than simply taking a model to a local park and putting her against a tree to get a few shots. Real test shoots are generally "team" concepts. In other words, they almost always have a make-up artist and frequently a hair style and wardrobe coordinator on set.

While I do occasionally hire models that I've shot on a trade basis before, one reason that I generally don't usually use the term "test shoot" is because I don't want to give the impression that the main reason we're going to be working together is to see if I'll hire her. The main reason I do test shoots is to see if the model is somebody that I want to work with on projects or for generating images for my stock library, which might involve additional trade shoots to both work on my concept and help a model develop her portfolio, or it might involve hiring the model for a specific concept that I'm working on.


Project Shoots

Another type of trade shoot is the project shoot. These could be short term or long term projects, but they generally involve working on a specific concept with one or more models over multiple shooting sessions. It might be something as simple as shooting a poster series or a calendar, or it might be something as involved as producing a complete gallery show or coffee table book.

For project shoots, there generally has to be a real creative, collaborative, connection between the model and photographer, more so than with any other type of trade shoot. If a model is interested in really building her portfolio, these types of shoots work very well. Another advantage is that there’s a greater possibility of actually getting prints from them, particularly if these are art projects.


Stock

Increasingly, photographers are doing trade shoots to add to their stock image collections. Almost everybody with a cell phone camera is trying to sell, or at least distribute, their pictures online, which has driven stock prices down to bare bones. That has fostered the development of a category called microstock. Unfortunately, rather than paying the traditional 50 percent on payments of $125 to $250 per image, on line sites that market microstock provide around 20 to 25 percent of a few dollars per image to the photographers who take the pictures. That means budgets for microstock are very low. So increasingly, photographers are turning to trade shoots to generate stock.



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Why Test Shoot

I've put this Blog together because questions about testing and trade shooting come up all the time from models just getting into the business. It should help answer many of those questions. It actually serves two purposes. It explains why and how I approach testing and trade shoots, and it covers some of the general accepted practices for testing and doing trade shoots. Hopefully, it will provide a little more insight into how to use them to your advantage.

It can also serve as a guide to models in their professional development. It's a work in progress, and I don't have too much time to work on it. But as it grows, I'll include tips on preparing for shoots, working with photographers, being safe in different types of shooting environments, creating and building a portfolio, developing promotional and marketing material, looking for agencies, and working at the professional level.


Test shooting has a long tradition in photography.

In fact, it's been around almost as long as photography itself. Some of the earliest nudes shot by photographers in the 1830's and 40's were trade shoots. (Even then, photographers asked models to take their clothes off so that they could experiment with photography. More seriously, many of those early model photographs were actually taken by artists who wanted to paint models without having them pose for extended periods of time. Initially, photography wasn't so much looked at as a medium it its own right, but rather as a way to facilitate painting. They could generally get models to pose for them for free for photographic sittings, which were very unique at the time, and might only take two or three hours to get that one shot, but not as easily to pose for an actual artist sitting, which might take days and days.)

Working with models got a boost in the 1890s with the development of roll film. All of a sudden, with the advent of the Kodak box camera, everybody could take pictures, and seemingly everybody did. Photography just exploded around the turn of the century. That's when a lot of those warm-toned art model shots were taken.

It really came into its own in the 1930s and 1940's, with the development of "miniuature" cameras (basically 35 mm cameras).  It became possible to generate extremely high quality images at very affordable prices. Many of those photographers did their own processing and printing. It was real easy with 35 mm, so there was another expansion of photography, and much of that involved models posing for photographers simply for the fun of being photographed.

That's also when the concept of test shooting really came into its own. Photographers started taking pictures of models for different commercial clients and agencies they were working with.

Digital technology changed the whole process of trade shooting. Doing trade shoots in the days of film was expensive. Buying and processing a roll of 36 exposure E-6 transparency (slide) film cost me about $15. Each time I worked with a model I would shoot six or eight rolls of film, which cost me anywhere from $90 to $120.

Until about eight or ten years ago, high quality digital equipment was too expensive for most people to afford. That too has changed. Now, virtually everybody can afford a good digital camera, and virtually everybody who has one considers themselves a professional photographer. And, since there are no film or processing fees involved, they can shoot as much as they want.

But quantity generally doesn't equal quality. I know some hobbyist photographers who'll shoot models and give them 1000, 1500, even 2000 unedited digital images from a shoot. There may be some nice shots in there, but, in most cases, they'll never be seen. Most models have no idea what to do with that many images. They generally don't know how to select, crop an optimize images, so the images languish on the DVD without ever being used for anything.

Unfortunately, digital technology has, to a certain degree, diluted the quality of the trade shoots. Some photographers are still coming up with excellent work. It doesn't matter in their case if they're shooting film or digital. But the results from way too many trade shoots that photographers do now-a-days are marginal.

(Just as an aside, a lot of professional photographers will provide models with a selection of edited and unedited shots, but they're careful to only provide quality work. Generally, if a photographer provides a massive number of images without any editing or optimization, that's a good sign that he or she is a hobbyist. By doing that, they're saying  I like taking pictures, but I'm not all that concerned about the results.)


For Photographers

Still, test and trade shoots remain important. They're used by serious photographers to work on personal projects, experiments with new techniques, try out new equipment, scout interesting locations and, of course, work with new models. They provide the time to work out specific technical, creative and lighting challenges that they might encounter on a commercial or professional assignment, but wouldn't have the time to work out then. They make it possible to take the time to work with and develop models that wouldn't be practical when clients are paying hourly or day rates.

Photographers also us trade shoots to work on personal projects. Many photographers have favorite models that they will work with on an ongoing basis, maybe for a gallery print exhibition or an art book. And some photographers use trade shoots to build their stock image library.

I've been doing trade shoots for more than 40 years now... (yes I'm that old). As mentioned, trade shoots were expensive in the days of film, so I was very selective about who I did trade shoots with, early on.

The introduction and growth of digital photography in the mid 1990's (It actually goes way back before that, to the 1960's in fact, but that's when it started becoming feasible and affordable enough for photographers to actually get into it). Digital cameras, memory cards. computers, scanners and all the other equipment required for serious digital imaging were still very expensive (for example, in the early 1990's, my first 500 MB hard drive cost me $2400, 32 MB of memory on the 386 computer I was using at the time set me back $3200, and my first digital camera, which captured images in black and white at 640 x 480, cost me $1200 in the early 1990's, and I got a good deal on it.

But once those investments had been made, it was possible to shoot as much as I wanted to. So my test shooting increased significatnly. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work with an extremely wide range of models.

Because of time constraints, I don't do anywhere near as many trade as I used to, but I will do them with I want to work with new equipment, have some ideas for personal projects or need to add to my stock image library.


For Models

Doing test and trade shoots is also important for models very effective way to build their portfolio, or "book". They make it possible to develop their modeling technique; try new hair, make-up and wardrobe styles, work in different environments than what they’re used to; expand their comfort zones; and work with photographers that they probably couldn't afford to hire.

The more of an opportunity a model has to work in front of a camera, the better she will get. While trade shooting can be time consuming, and, with today's gas prices, expensive, its still a very effective way to not only get the pictures needed for a portfolio, but also develop professionally as a model.

It's also an initial guage as to how successful a model will be. There are just an endlress number of photographers out there who want to take pictures of pretty girls, so just about any model should be able to find someone to do trade shoots. If a model is having difficulty finding photographers to work with her, she's probably going to have even more diffuculty finding clients to hire her on a professional basis.

That's not always the case,  since models do develop, become better at their craft and change their appearance. I've see models who had a very difficult time getting started do very well eventually. But in most cases, if you can't get a good photographer to shoot with you, you're going to have problems landing gigs unless there are some significant changes. Some models will hire photographers to shoot (and coach) them. That's a possibility. Remember though, a photographer that's trying to make a sale isn't going to be quite up front about a model's potential.

The question a model needs to ask herself when considering doing a trade shoot is "What's the quality of the images that will result from a trade shoot."  It's important to concentrate on shooting with photographers who's work will really benefit you. What a model doesn't want to do is to work with photographers who's work is not up to par, is tacky or classless. Some models who are thinking of working with less than competent photographers rationalize it by saying, "At least I'll get some experience working in front of a camera."

But, working with a photographer who's images aren't going to turn out is not only a waste of time, it can actual hurt a modeling career. It's not like in the days of film, when the photographs taken by a marginal photographer wouldn't be seen by anybody, or, at most, only by people looking at his portfolio.  In the digital world, those poor quality images might be placed all over the Web, and they could be floating around for a long time to come, for everyone, including potential clients, to see.

Ideally, if you really want to develop a strong portfolio while at the same time grow as a model, find a photographer that you're really comfortable working together, someone who's not only good at taking pictures but also at bringing the best out of a model, and then do a series of trade shoots. You'll see that each time you work together, the images will be better and better.


Shooting Policy

Almost all photographers and all models do some trade shooting. Even most photographers and most models who have a "No Trade" policy will generally still shoot trades if they really like the work, have a specific concept they want to work on or have a certain look that they want to develop. They just don't want to be flooded with offers for shoots that really aren't going to be beneficial to them.


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