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Why do photographers need to meet with you before?
Before I didn't require the initial meeting. However, after so many no shows, I would rather they be flacking on a meeting so I know I can throw away their file in private instead of in front of my entire crew who would have been on the set. Sad this happens so often, even on paid shoots... Mar 09 06 02:04 am Link Well it depends. I use a local agency a lot so I get to see the model beforehand so the goods are as claimed. I've also done it all online without meeting beforehand with good results. I do let it be known to the model if you don't look like the photos I've seen your going home. This has only happend twice in 30 plus years: one arrived at the airport a good 10yrs older and 30 lbs heavier, the other drove to me and the pictures were taken before she obviously started smoking crack or snorting meth; both were invited not to participate. Yes I did pay for the airfare, but that's what taking it off at tax time is all about; far better than blowing $300 in flim and procesing. Paul Mar 09 06 07:55 am Link WHOOP wrote: One reason is to see what a model REALLY looks like. Nowadays, a model's portfolio pictures are often so doctored up that they are practically useless. If a photographer wants to know if a model has zits, wrinkles around her eyes, skin discoloration issues, facial hair, scars, sun damaged skin, bad teeth, moles, etc, the model's portfolio is not going to be helpful. You just can't trust so-called professional pictures to show the model as she is. Not only that, but the prevalence of such editing has moved the threshold down so far that modeling is now open to anyone regardless of their appearance, which makes the likelihood of running into models with those conditions much more common. Mar 09 06 08:10 am Link I dont meet with them but I do email and talk on the phone with most of them..I guess I am lucky I have only a had maybe 2-3 no shows in a year and a half...When I first started I did meet with the models but since I aint making money from it yet I aint gonna put THAT much time into it. Seeing that I already invest an entire day to my shoots with setting up, doing the makeup and the hair along with everything else except posing...but is it was a paid job I would def wanna meet ahead of time... Mar 09 06 08:22 am Link WHOOP wrote: I never meet with models before hand. I write out the game plan, require a phone number, chat on the phone about the shoot, set the time, place and date, and that's it. Mar 09 06 08:27 am Link Its absurd not to meet before a shoot, often times a photographer can tell if the chemistry is right between the model and him to have a beneficial shoot. Mar 09 06 08:28 am Link FabioTovar wrote: That just happened to me yesterday. She is a new model on here, 102779, and lives in basically the same city as me. We actually talked on the phone (I had to call because she was iffy about calling people she doesn't know - ???) and we set up a meeting for Tuesday. Tuesday about half an hour she TEXTS me saying something has come up and if we could meet later that day or tomorrow. I tell her to let me know when she wants to meet, SHE chooses Wednesday, 3:30. Same spot we were supposed to meet Tuesday. I was okay with that and told her I'd see her then. Wednesday, 3:30 arrives she isn't there. I call and leave a message and then I even text her asking where she is. A little before 4, she TEXTS me saying she didn't get off at 2 like she thought she would. I text her back saying thats fine, I'll just wait for her. 4:25 rolls around.. I call her. No answer. So I text her "are you still coming" she texts me back saying "where? and i just got home" As soon as I got that text I call her.. no answer. So I text her saying the place we had planned to meet and thought she was on her way. She texts back saying "sorry, I misunderstood. I didn't get off at 2 like I thought." As soon as I got that, I call her. No answer. So I text her do you not answer your phone? im going home" and i leave. When I get in my car she TEXTS me saying she is sorry, she was on the other line, and she hopes that we can do this when she doesn't have so much going on if i do. No response from me. My way of saying No Thanks, Next. Mar 09 06 08:37 am Link Sometimes we just want to make sure we will not be working with heavily retouched bitches with false motives and creepy boyfriends... and sometimes we just look like serial killers! I insist on meeting models in person first rather than saying blindly 'sure, I'll waste time and money on you tomorrow'. If a girl is genuinely amazing and shows up early with at least a comp card, I begin to feel they can be taken seriously. Show some damn motivation. WHOOP wrote: Mar 09 06 08:43 am Link LouisGuidone wrote: Yeah! I have no problem with bitches, as long as they are not heavily retouched. Mar 09 06 08:55 am Link I rarely meet a photographer before shooting. But if they ask me to do that I have no problem with that. In fact I meet a photographer that I plan to shoot with this Sunday, but I suspect she just wants to meet before so I show her all my mags on Vintage-Hairstylings ;-) Mar 09 06 09:26 am Link It's the same thing as a "go-see" if you were a signed model. If it's an unpaid gig, and you're not signed, you treat the meeting and the gig as if it were paid. I like to meet with agency models, and I have to meet with non-agency models, unless one of us is traveling and there's no time, then it's a gamble. It may take a half an hour of your time, but if you're meeting a photographer you've never worked with, it can't hurt you to meet beforehand. You can usually tell in person whether it's meant to be. Mar 09 06 12:29 pm Link i like to meet or talk to the model b4 the shoot so we see eye to eye on the concept and we build a good workin relationship and plus some people like me cant express my vision over msn or email cant type the passion of my visions in words that express the idea Mar 09 06 12:31 pm Link Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: WHOOP wrote: To figure out if we just want to shoot photos, or if we want to sleep with you. Because you are the only guy in here that is dumb enough to admit it! Mar 09 06 05:49 pm Link Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: Hell Eric, haven't even had coffee with you yet, just IMs, and I ALREADY know you want to sleep with me. Mar 09 06 06:01 pm Link Hamza wrote: Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: WHOOP wrote: To figure out if we just want to shoot photos, or if we want to sleep with you. Because you are the only guy in here that is dumb enough to admit it! More like dumb enough to THINK that even before admitting it. Mar 09 06 06:04 pm Link All of the reasons above, well most of the reasons above. I agree with the whole thing about "our" safety lol. Having a home studio, I am not likely to invite someone to my house that I haven't had some conversation with. I don't always have to meet the model in advance and a lot of time, I will plan to meet them and shoot a few location test shots before the actual shoot. This gives me a good idea of what it will be like to work with the person AND if I want them coming to my home. Mar 09 06 06:24 pm Link Hamza wrote: Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: WHOOP wrote: To figure out if we just want to shoot photos, or if we want to sleep with you. Because you are the only guy in here that is dumb enough to admit it! D'oh! S wrote: Cattle prod!? Wow. I was thinking handcuffs or a vibrator. But you start with some hardcore stuff! Mar 09 06 06:58 pm Link CK Photography wrote: Everything he said plus it all but completely elminates no show and late arrivals. Mar 09 06 07:04 pm Link WHen I first started shooting, I always met with models first. For me it's all about chemistry. If things don't click with a model, then I know it's someone I won't want to work with. Now I'm too busy to do meet and greets, but I always talk w/model on the phone before setting up anything definite. If models feel they have discuss things first in person, I just have them come to the shoot a few minutes early. Mar 09 06 07:34 pm Link Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: No no no, the cattle prod is to use on YOU, not me! Mar 09 06 07:46 pm Link S wrote: Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: No no no, the cattle prod is to use on YOU, not me! (slaps forehead) Mar 09 06 07:49 pm Link My friend had two girls on myspace ask him if he could shoot them for his book he's making, and he really needed models so he said yes.They show up and one of them's face was shaped like Jim Carey's off the mask,and the other had really bad "cankles". It took them two hours before they would get in front of the camera. Then they couldnt get the idea what he was asking for.To top it off, one was cross eyed in most pics, and the other had this dead pan face in all the others. It wasted his whole day. So dont see it as a bad thing  Mar 09 06 07:50 pm Link Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: S wrote: Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: No no no, the cattle prod is to use on YOU, not me! (slaps forehead) LMAO. Hell no. Its hilarious when I make you hurt yourself by correcting your terrible humor. Though its much more funny when your forhead hits the desk or something instead of just your hand. Mar 09 06 07:51 pm Link S wrote: Oh, yeah. She wants me. Mar 09 06 07:55 pm Link This is a great post! With many great responses from Photogs and models. I've found that many models here locally seem to not respond once I've tried to set up an initial meeting with them (for those same meeting purposes stated before me). It is quite frustrating because I'd like to have any project/shoot be a collaboration between all parties involved, not just input from one side. Call me crazy! Mar 09 06 08:01 pm Link Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: Has anyone ever seen Eric and GWC in the same place at the same time? Mar 09 06 08:05 pm Link David Scott wrote: LOL...'nuff said. Mar 09 06 08:06 pm Link CK Photography wrote: Totally agree, model does not show, we do not shoot. By meeting them, we ( as a team) have come up with some great ideas that benifit both of us! First meeting is so important! Mar 09 06 08:07 pm Link Olaf S wrote: Eric Muss-Barnes wrote: Has anyone ever seen Eric and GWC in the same place at the same time? We are legion. We are many. Mar 09 06 08:10 pm Link simple reason (and i'm sure its already been stated): start getting the shoot organized More organized shoot = better images Mar 09 06 08:10 pm Link wells is right, what are you afraid of Mar 09 06 08:13 pm Link I can see setting up a meeting before hand to discuss the shoot and get ideas and such, but if it's for the model to try and size up the photographer, and see if he's a creep or not, then it's really pointless. Any photographer who does creepy shit is probably a good talker and will fool any model into thinking he's a really nice guy. Mar 09 06 08:14 pm Link I think its beneficial, you get a better feel for what the photographer wants. After meeting some photographers and getting a better grasp on their ideas I chose not to work with some of them. I just met with a really nice photographer who is just starting out, we had coffee and then he took me shopping for clothing for the shoot. I thought it was kind of strange but he wanted a certain look and he thought it was a nice trade for my time, so i get a cd and free clothes  Mar 09 06 08:21 pm Link im fine with meeting before a shoot. virtualmike is right you build rapport so that the first few test shots look good not only the last. but in all honest reality, being a college student and living 2-3 hrs away from the bay area where i normally do shoot..its a bit hard too. im only in the bay on the weekends so thats the only time i do have time to shoot, and if a photog wants to still meet, then they have to be considerate of the other photographers and shotos i already have on the weekends. if you believe someone is a flake or a noshow...why dont u just ask the previous photogs they have worked with? you might be suprised how on top of their game the model really is, instead of you know..canceling on her cuz she was unable to meet beforehand. and hey, you and the model could still have made great images together. not everyone has loads of free time to meet up. but that doesnt mean that they are flakes or will be a no show. Mar 09 06 08:24 pm Link Bill Tracy wrote: Yes but if your intuition says "No", this is your best out for the model and the photographer. I have said no to models I have met in a meeting before. Mar 09 06 08:24 pm Link jasmine o wrote: I think your situation is different. Mar 09 06 09:15 pm Link Dang, did you all run the OP away? LOL Mar 09 06 09:17 pm Link Steven Bigler wrote: It really isn't stupid. Mar 10 06 11:45 am Link Why do photographers need to meet with you before? to try to bypass the photoshoot and go right to the point .. Mar 10 06 08:32 pm Link Because so many models don't show up after scheduling a shoot. it's one way to find out if you're serious or if you're just wasting time. Mar 10 06 08:36 pm Link |
