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Unprofessional Behaviour By Wannabe Models...
This topic has been tackled a million times. Here is my horror story... I contacted a model a few days ago regarding a project I am working on...In my initial message I titled it "Can you shoot this Sunday?" For three days we have messaged back and forth, I set an agenda, coordinated with other models, etc. Now I get a message back four hours before the shoot, "Sorry I can't shoot today, because it's my brother's birthday..." WHAT??? What a bunch of B.S., I am not going to throw the model under the bus and give her name or MM#, but When I am working with models, I expect a little better behaviour. Maybe there is a direct correlation with poor model behaviour and GWC's... May 07 06 10:43 am Link I'd bust her just for her lame ass excuse. Like she didn't know all week it was her brothers birthday (which I doubt it is) She could have atleast stuck with the common excuses like family member died or car wont start lmao Sorry to hear you got stood up. May 07 06 10:49 am Link Thanks for the words...I know it happens to photogs quite a bit, but the Lame excuse is what got to me... May 07 06 10:53 am Link yeah that was a pretty lame excuse..at least she could have made it interesting lol good luck..there are fine aspiring models out there..just weed out the wannabe nothings:) edit: actually it was good that she even called four hours before the shoot to cancel..others don' t even give you the courtesy call to cancel.. they just let you wait and wait and then later on you get this sorry pathetic email.... May 07 06 10:53 am Link I guess the "worst" part of the story is she had me listed as a "friend" and I had shot her in the past... bad spelling on last message...ooops May 07 06 11:00 am Link Payback is a bitch ... Just to make her pay for it, let her know that you have a paying shoot, and the customer need a model JUST LIKE HER in a promo that would excite her. Then cancel her because you decided to go to a baseball game or some lame excuse. May 07 06 11:05 am Link While it's not a model that stood me up. It falls under the "Lame Ass Excuse Awards" I once booked off a long weekend to attend an airshow 4 months in advance. The week before the show, I was bumped by a co-worker with more tenure because "he forgot his son was graduating from University the same weekend. People will always have lame excuses. May 07 06 11:10 am Link UnSeenYou wrote: I like it. May 07 06 11:11 am Link The dog ate my make-up; My bus got hijacked and I was taken against my will to Chicago; I got hit by a car and lost my memory; My grandma died... but she'll be better next week; I fell asleep and didn't wake up... LOL Studio36 May 07 06 11:16 am Link This kind of stuff occurs a lot in the internet world of modeling and photography. That's why I rarely (the only exception is if I know the model very well and have worked with her on many occasions) use a non agency model for any commercial job. The appearance of the model then becomes the agency's problem, and one that better not happen often or they (the agency) will be out of business. It's not personal just business. May 07 06 11:48 am Link studio36uk wrote: lol May 07 06 12:24 pm Link You don't need to stand her up to get the point home. There have been many times where I've had a model no-show no-call or come up with a clearly fake excuse. The next time she submitted herself for a paying gig, I very politely told her that I could not rely on her. When it was a trade shoot, it was annoying. But when it's a paying gig, it's my reputation on the line. Every single time, without fail, I've gotten an apology from the model and the next time we scheduled something she was on time. You don't need to be an ass about it, rub it in, out her in public, or anything. Just be honest that you cannot afford to rely on someone who cancels at the last minute without a bona fide reason. Your integrity and reputation will benefit, as it's the professional way to handle it. May 07 06 12:24 pm Link No-call, No-show strikes again. two from MM ask me to shoot TFCD for them today, and not one of them has showed up yet (the shoot was suppose to start at noon). So please models, whenever a photographer decides to do TFP/TFCD and you can't make it... at least call because word does get out and it also makes it harder on the next model looking for TFP/TFCD work. Anyway the two young ladies know who they are, so there is no need to shout them out for the lack of respect when it come to time. May 07 06 12:44 pm Link Chris - I agree with you completely. Although in all honesty, it would give some satisfaction to just bust her publicly. That is why I didn't list her name or MM#. As much as I would like to make her feel like the complete jerk that she is, I believe in Karma and eventually, it will come back to bite her in the butt. I will remember her unprofessionalism when it comes to a paying gig, and if someone ever "asks" for a recommendation, she won't get one. Thanks for the words... May 07 06 12:44 pm Link All this time and she cancelled on you, ha yeah throw her out in traffic ... Flakes make me mad they give good models like us bad names ... not to say ive never cancelled but ONLY one time out my whole career have I ever cancelled on a photog and I feel really bad for it, It was trully a legitimate reason though. I reschedule and stay in touch with the photographer. This last one was from out of town and i couldnt make it up to him , I still feel horrible... May 07 06 12:49 pm Link I think that this is another situation that lends itself to using a legitimate agency, if you get models that have no representation, then it's a crap shoot, sometimes you win, sometimes you loose. Models that have legitimate management or an agency are professional, they show up on time and on purpose ( or the agencies drop them ), they have more at stake than Susie who's website is a Muse Cube profile. I think a lot of the complaints could be alleviated if the models would pay the photographers when needing pics and the photographers pay the models when they have a project or an assignment. Everyone gets into a fervor when it comes to spending money, there's truth to the age old saying; "you get what you pay for". May 07 06 12:54 pm Link Nick Ryder wrote: Good luck getting a girl who models online to pay for an MUA, much less a photogs rates. May 07 06 01:02 pm Link BCI Photo wrote: I have no problem with trade models paying a kit fee. And if it's a paid shoot, I just build the artist's cost into the fee, and avoid the "add on" agony. May 07 06 01:04 pm Link Lewis Media Group wrote: Can you atleast let us local photogs who this is so we can avoid the same burn?? May 07 06 01:05 pm Link Chris Ambler wrote: Me either, when I work offline. May 07 06 01:05 pm Link BCI Photo wrote: I'd say it's 100% when I work offline (with an agency), and about 80% online. Surprising? Yeah, somewhat. May 07 06 01:06 pm Link Eesh, I hate when people pull that crap, makes us look bad! The only time I've ever flat-out cancelled I was busy worshiping the porcelain god, and even then I was willing to come in later! That was one of my very few paying jobs too, and I tried my hardest to get it together long enough to go, but my body wasn't co-operating...fortunately the photographer knew me, and said he had a back-up model (it was a shoot with three other girls, a wise precaution), so hopefully he won't think I was lying. I've heard so many horror stories that when I do have a legitimate problem I still don't want to cancel b/c I KNOW they'll write me off as a flake. Even rescheduling makes me feel bad. Although models get similar problems - I've had a few photographers shoot with me, promise me pictures in some format, and never get ahold of me again. I don't have an agency, I almost NEVER get paid, those pictures are all I get for my effort and it pisses me off when I don't get them, even if the photographer thinks they were terrible! >_< Sorry to 'jack the thread a bit, it just happened again and it's been on my mind. May 07 06 01:06 pm Link StudioMona wrote: or you don't get anything!!! you try and call to see if they are running late, and no answer!!! been there,.. had it done to me sooooooo many times!!! May 07 06 01:08 pm Link Nick - you are way off base...what is the point of this site if models list themselves as Professional and want paying gigs. For you to make those comments based on a simple rant and not knowing the background of the situation, like three days of communications, compensation involved, etc. To say "you get what you pay for..." makes no sense. There have been many models and photogs that have done professional work from this site. As a matter of fact I am out the door to photograph the other two models from this site that had the professionalism to follow up on their word. Sweeping generalizations are very dangerous. May 07 06 01:08 pm Link The final chapter of the saga - one of the other two models that were to be photographed "no-showed" so here it is an actual quote that I have cut and pasted for your entertainment value... "That actually sounds interesting. Yes I would like to participate. I love your style of shooting. I have no idea what you would use from my wardrobe for this project though. Tell me when this is, and what it is exactly I need for it. Thanks, Kelly" That was from Model # 118436 And Here is the quote for the LAME excuse... "Hey edward, I won't be able to shoot today since my brother's birthday is today. sorry such short notice but i don't have access to my computer always. But i hope the shoot goes well anyways! Sorry again for the inconvenience. -April" That was from model #76886 So for Photographers in the Tampa Bay area...be careful... Also have to give a shout out for Nicolea #121979. Not only was she on time but very easy to work with and EXTREMELY professional...Too bad more models in this area aren't like her. But I guess that is what seperates the ladies from the girls. May 07 06 09:17 pm Link UnSeenYou wrote: better still: it's Saturday you always wash your hair on Saturday May 07 06 09:20 pm Link studio36uk wrote: LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was kidnapped by lil green men from Uranus! May 07 06 09:27 pm Link I wish there was a forum just for things like this, when a model acts up. My horror story is from when I lived in Chicago. A friend who owned a lingerie shop asked me to bring a model to his shop to photograph and he would supply her with the lingerie to keep, pay her $125.00 and me $300.00 for a few pictures to put up in his shop. I chose a girl I knew from work, told her what would be expected and she said she was fine with that. On the day of the shoot I could not contact her at all. I saw her two weeks later and she told me she had a spat with her boyfriend and had to work it out. My friend would not even talk of another shoot and went to another photographer. My bad for thinking a young girl (20) had a brain. May 07 06 10:56 pm Link One cause that has not yet been considered is the Gypsy curse. It's true. I know now that I should have crossed the old womans palm with silver (she didnt take credit cards), but now it's too late. As I left her tent last year, she told me that evil would befall those around me. Since then, I've been the cause of a grandmother's hospitalization, stolen car, relationship breakups, telephone and email system failures.... the list could go on. I'm currently searching for a local warlock to reverse the curse (must be local, the last guy I talked to said he would come for a 3 hour anti-curse session but called at the last minute to cancel as his flying broom was in the shop). Hopefully this will fix all of my problems. If it does, I will recommend him to you and anyone else that suffers from this problem. May 08 06 03:57 am Link If anyone asks for a reference "If I can say nothing good about someone I prefer to say nothing, in this case I will say nothing" May 08 06 04:47 am Link These are the excuses I have received lately. I was sick I have no money for gas I dont have internet access right now My cell phone was shut off I had a miscarriage Husband lost his job THIS WAS ALL FROM THE SAME MODEL IN THE SAME EMAIL. Come to find out that she has pulled this many times with other shooters. She even went as far as to try to make me feel guilty if I blamed her for having a miscarriage. Would have bought it if she only used that for the excuse, but with 5 or 6 other excuses thrown in....I dont think so May 08 06 07:05 am Link Sorry you got stung there hun but remember for one flakey one there are at least 10 others who are ready willing and able to work with you. take it with a pinch of salt add her to your "not to ask again" list and be done with it nothing you can do about it now anywayz lol.. take care and hope the other models showed up and you had a good shoot xx shelly xx May 08 06 07:09 am Link Once again a model makes the rest of us look bad. Hate that!!!!!!! At least get creative and make the photog laugh so they won't be so ticked off. I couldn't make it because I didn't realize the Moon was in Venus rising on the third Thursday of the seventh month and had to fullfill my obligation to the aliens of planet Gonk to fly home with them to be thier sex slave for a 24 hour period or they would turn my dog into a pet rock and curse me with adult acne for the rest of my life. Now THAT's an excuse................LMAO May 08 06 07:13 am Link Lewis Media Group wrote: Hey, seems like a legit excuse to me. How did she know her baby brother was going to be born on that day? May 08 06 07:23 am Link I recall from my days as a movie theatre manager (college days - a looooong time ago!) one of my "kids" looked at the work schedule for the upcoming week. She then strolled up to me and said "I can't work this Saturday night." "Why?" I asked. Looking me dead in the eye, she said. "I'm gonna have an opertaion. On my kidneys. But I can work Sunday." Bill Ballard Blue Water Photography Savannah, GA May 08 06 07:28 am Link Blue Water Photography wrote: Hahaha! May 08 06 09:08 am Link Cary K wrote: to some people thats really legit May 08 06 09:16 am Link UnSeenYou wrote: baaad karma! I wouldnt do this, but just count it as a loss. flaky models SUCK! May 08 06 01:39 pm Link BCI Photo wrote: AMEN! May 08 06 02:06 pm Link May 08 06 03:06 pm Link |