EDIT
Gosh, you guys are amazing.  This thread has been around for over 3 years!

Please post a link to this thread in your profile, if you appreciate my thoughts.  I know many of you have already.  Thank you!

With so many people up in arms about the economy and its relation to art/hobbies, I thought now would be a great time to share ideas about budgeting, planning...etc.

I will share ideas about the most frequent thing most people complain about on this site.  Feel free to  add clever solutions to other problems.  I have five solutions to one problem.  What problems can you help clear up for people, regarding budgets?:

P: Oh my gosh, your rates are too high.  I can't afford them.  We'll never work together!!!  *cry*  *pout* *bitch*

S:

1- Send an offer anyway. 

If all you have to offer is a sandwich and $50, tell the model/photographer/whatever that exact thing.  You never know!  I am more insulted when someone throws a pity party, and says "You'll never work with little old me.", than I am if someone says "Hey, listen, money is really tight, but I really respect your work and was wondering if you'd accept such and such."  Note that "such and such" DOES need to be money, if the model accepts paid work only.  If you approach a "paid work only" model with just a sandwich...unless that sandwich is physically in the hands of a celebrity photographer,  you're out of luck.

2- Get someone to split the cost.

Just because a model doesn't say "I'll work with more than one person at once" on his or her profile, does not mean that person isn't willing to make exceptions.  I'd be more than happy to shoot with one or two extra photographers, for my same rate.  Split it and save yourself money.  Some models may not be cool with that, but you'll never know if you don't ask.

a- I don't have any friends!  How can I get someone to split the cost, omgz!   
           

*Get on model mayhem and start networking!  It's what you're here to do! "Hey, Jerry, I've admired your work for a while.  I see that Susie Nudie Pants is  visiting soon, and was wondering if you'd want to shoot her with me.  Awesomesauce studios is only $30 an hour, and we could go out for drinks after to talk about the shoot.

*Put up an event thread.  Have a get together at a studio or restaurant, and get to know your fellow photographers.  Talk, shoot landscapes, hang out.  Start a club...whatever you need to do.  Then when Susie Nudie Pants is coming your way, you have a pool of people to choose from.  If Susie already lives near you, or has no plans for travel- ask!!  "Hi, blah blah day of shooting, blah blah, split cost...blah blah what is your rate.  Sincerely, Jerry"

*Join meet-up.com

3- Host a workshop

Whatever this means for you, do it.  If you don't know how, ask the model; you'd be surprised how many of us know how to pull an event together. 

Don't have anything to teach?  GET CREATIVE!  Take photographers on a hiking trip, with model en-tow.  Take them boating, take them around your land, have a crazy shooting party at your studio.  Get people together to give you money and shoot the model, and pay the model his or her day rate from those earnings.  Negotiate how much time said model will shoot with you exclusively.

4- Barter

What do you have that this model may want? 

Examples:

clothes
food
transit passes
room and board (have hotel points?  send a model instead of yourself)
books
gift cards
furniture
electronics
web site
concert/movie/theatre tickets

...etc

Own a bowling alley?  A hair salon?  Pastry shop?  Have your own nightclub or restaurant?

Do you teach skydiving lessons?  Guitar?  Salsa dancing?

Use what you've got.

5- Plan ahead

I never contact a photographer spur of the moment, if I know that they are paid only.  I've always asked WAY before I ever expected to be in their area, or even if I had NO PLANS of being in their area ever.  That way I know how much I'd need to save, should the opportunity present itself, or should I decide to take charge and go now.

Start a shooting fund, for any necessary photography-related stuff. 

Start saving the way that works best  for you, even if you have NO model/mua/project in mind. 


Maybe for you this means $10 week.  Maybe it means never spending your five dollar bills.  Maybe it means saving all your tips from your restaurant gig.

Make it happen.  Some of you are getting in your own way.

D M M  wrote:
I. Love. You.


Shandra, you are as intelligent as you are beautiful.

Aw, thank you!

I love you, too!

Demonika Devour wrote:
You have given me hope

Link everyone you know.  I bet I could pull ten more solutions out of my ass.

It's really not complicated to get what you want out of life, if you want it badly enough to take action.

Lumigraphics wrote:
OP, you should write a book. You and TX. And maybe PYPI.

I've been meaning to for years.

I have a hard time with transitions.  Staying on topic.  General flow.

Shandra Stark wrote:

I've been meaning to for years.

I have a hard time with transitions.  Staying on topic.  General flow.

TFE...Time for Editing

Raelyn Monstrosity wrote:
I remember reading about a guy who picked up every penny he saw on the street, and save it. Made quite a fair bit that way.

I do this! Anytime I find a coin in the parking lot, or in my house or car, I put it in a jar. I don't ever buy anything with cash; I buy 99% of my stuff with debit cards, so very little of my coins were change from actual purchases.

I started this 4 years ago when I started college. I recently cashed them into a coinstar machine and it was $54! Not a ton of money, but pretty cool still. At least that would cover gas to a shoot =p

I generally accept paid work only, but if we would make a good team, let's not make money a barrier to working together. I'm open to all kinds of trade/alternative methods of pay. If you can't afford to pay in cash, what goods, services, skill can you offer in trade?

ALSO:

Here's a link to my old thread on bartering, which may be of interest too.

https://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thre … 2834&page=

SLE Photography wrote:
I found a great strategy where I advertise for models on CL & offer to pay rates I can't afford, then when they show up at the abandoned building I gave ad my address I steal them & lock them in my closet, shooting every few days until I use them up.

Kidding. 

Great advice Shandra.

Do you feed them? That costs money you know.

Andrew Thomas Designs wrote:
6 - Get a Day job or look for a day job.

Sometimes we have to provide an income to support our hobby, or add income to supplement our hobby, or find a second job to support ourselves.

Just because someone wants to model dosen't mean they can drop everything else and feel they have a right to get paid for it. Same goes if someone wants to take pictures it doesn't mean we have to give them business. If someone tries to do either of those things and can't make it then it dosen't mean we have to feel sorry for them.

I deserve to get paid for my experience as a model.

I have a 40-hour a week job.

My other job does mean I just start shooting for free.  People that work with me don't feel sorry for me, that is not why they hire me.

Know what my day job was before I started working for Nordstrom?

Modeling.

Fotographia Fantastique wrote:
Great post.
I know some of this may seem obvious to some of us, but others need things spelled out to them.

I put right on my portfolio -
ALSO:

Here's a link to my old thread on bartering, which may be of interest too.

https://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thre … 2834&page=

Awesome thread!!

YAY for bartering! 

Patience20027 wrote:
Now if only I could learn how to negotiate with photographers........

It takes a lot of time, and a lot of experience.

Shit, I STILL have conversations with HIGHLY experienced models (Model Sarah, Iona Lynn...) about the best way to handle certain situations.

Mythical Ink wrote:
I'm not a model, but I have plans to travel at some stage and my plan was to whore out my skills to models and photographers for spare rooms, sight seeing tours, sandwiches and or couch space;)

It's seriously the way to go.  You'll have great success.

Lumigraphics wrote:
7. Have a business plan that generates income from the images you produce. That is THE most effective way for everyone to get paid. If it’s a hobby, fine. But Business 101 says that you never part with cash unless you have a reasonable expectation of it making you money.

8. Seek models who will be business partners. That can mean splitting profits, it can mean implementing their ideas for making money, or it can mean having them generate other paying work. A model who is invested and interested in YOU making money is herself more likely to be worth working with.

I know very VERY few pro models that will take you up on profit-splitting or other sort of "you'll get paid when WE get paid" sort of ventures, unless they are very very close to the photographer and believe in it.  Those sorts of offers tend to find the response to be a "thank you, but no thank you".

I am invested in every shoot to produce quality, money generating work on my end for the person paying me. How they market it and make money is up to them.