I treat models very well.  And I have never had a no-show.

I treat my butcher really well, too.  (How many of you know your butcher's name?)  I get great meats & fish, trimmed just the way I like it.

I treat the woman who helps me clean my house really well.  After working for me for a couple of years, I gave her a raise (without her asking), and I've helped her create a brochure for her fledgling business.  She has stopped cleaning for all her other customers, but she still looks forward to cleaning over here.

My philosophy is that I treat people better than they expect.  (And, sadly, it's not all that difficult to do that.)  In return, people tend to treat me really well, too. 

Like I said, I've never had a no-show.  What is your solution to the no-show problem?  Do you think bitching about it here on this board is a constructive way to improve your results?

Do you honestly believe that every photographer who has no shows somehow mistreats the model??

My TFP/TFCD's are not 100% pure TFP/TFCD's.  The models will get the benefit of TFCD's and the following:

1) Refreshments on site.
2) Full CD of ALL images in FULL resolution AT the end of the shoot.  No waiting for a couple days.
3) I do partial TFP/TFCD's.  i.e They get PAID a minimum rate of $10/hr up to $20/hr depending on the shoot requirements.
4) I also provide the models with FULL edited versions of the images that I choose to work on.  If a model sees a picture she'd like to have edited/cleaned, I will do that as well.
5) I get very positive feedback from the model's I've worked with and they have been referring models to me now.

WITH all of that... I still get noshows and last minute cancellations.  A flake is a flake.  Might want to tone down the better than tough mentality.  You WILL run into this situation in your career whether you choose to believe so or not.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
I treat models very well.  And I have never had a no-show...

Like I said, I've never had a no-show.  What is your solution to the no-show problem?  Do you think bitching about it here on this board is a constructive way to improve your results?

Good for you. But guess what? You are the minority.

You're not the only one that treats models with respect and professionalism. But it doesn't guarantee that they won't flake out on you. Just count your blessings, but don't go assuming that because a model doesn't show up, that it's the photographers fault.

As far as bitching about it on the boards, maybe that's more constructive than lashing out at the models that no-show. At least here, he can vent.

Rue 99 wrote:
Oh great. So you're saying you would no-show because someone posted that they were getting a lot of no shows and cancellations?

No, actually, it was the attitude I was talking about (not meaning to brag...)  I am serious enough about modeling that I drove over 10,000 miles last year and because of where I live, most shoots are 4-5 hours away.  In two years, I have cancelled twice, once because I was very sick (and I did give a day's notice) and the other was because of heavy ice and snow the night before the shoot.

I would just like to add that I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with the photographers and makeup artists that I have.  They have been very kind and considerate and have contributed not only pictures, but advice, and I am so happy that they are now my friends.  I hope when I go back east and to San Francisco this summer that I can continue to say that.

Kizzy wrote:
No, actually, it was the attitude I was talking about (not meaning to brag...)  I am serious enough about modeling that I drove over 10,000 miles last year and because of where I live, most shoots are 4-5 hours away.  In two years, I have cancelled twice, once because I was very sick (and I did give a day's notice) and the other was because of heavy ice and snow the night before the shoot.

thats very good though, and i praise you for even remotely traveling, there were some models in the new york city area (where i used to reside full-time) who wouldnt even travel from one borough to another (like from the bronx to brooklyn or manhattan), and for crying out loud its just a $2.00 trainride thats no more than an hour. hell, those babes dont complain the same amount of distance to go to the local clubs the same night, lol.

speaking of clubs, the funny thing now in the NYC area is how photographers will tell me models will cancel/no show on them, but the next day you'll see their asses on the club websites that show the pics from the parties the night before (7 days 7 nights, chateau indigo, talk of new york, whats poppin'), hahaaa, meanwhile theyre trying to get those wack excuses ready as if they assume the modeling industry doesnt look at those websites, lol. what a waste!

but once again, glad to see you really put forth that effort, not alot of girls from here even know what effort means. continue to keep doing what you do, MM could use alot more of women like yourself, maybe it will keep some of these old guys from catching a near-stroke over no-shows, lol

Chuck Holliday wrote:

thats very good though, and i praise you for even remotely traveling, there were some models in the new york city area (where i used to reside full-time) who wouldnt even travel from one borough to another (like from the bronx to brooklyn or manhattan), and for crying out loud its just a $2.00 trainride thats no more than an hour. hell, those babes dont complain the same amount of distance to go to the local clubs the same night, lol.

speaking of clubs, the funny thing now in the NYC area is how photographers will tell me models will cancel/no show on them, but the next day you'll see their asses on the club websites that show the pics from the parties the night before (7 days 7 nights, chateau indigo, talk of new york, whats poppin'), hahaaa, meanwhile theyre trying to get those wack excuses ready as if they assume the modeling industry doesnt look at those websites, lol. what a waste!

but once again, glad to see you really put forth that effort, not alot of girls from here even know what effort means.

Darn it, I was in Florida in May, should've looked you up...then you would've been really impressed that I came all the way from Oklahoma!  ;-)

Anthony Wallace wrote:
i couldnt tell you how many in a row.. but i had one today (said she was getting ready, would call me at 5 to tell me to come over, called at 5:30 and said she couldnt), and it seems like theres at least 2 or 3 a week putting me off. and then the hundreds that dont bother emailing back. it makes me not want to be a photographer. or anything at all. you cant depend on anybody

I'm sorry you feel that way, but everyone is not so irresponsible. Wish I had known about you when I was in Cali...  I'm just wondering if all of these girls that cancel live in big cities?  It seems that around where I live, a handshake or a promise is as good as a contract, too bad you don't see more of that...

ADG Photography wrote:
Alas, it is really difficult (if not impossible) to work at and improve your craft if essential elements are always missing. No subject=no photos. I swear all this used to be MUCH easier. Of course, that was when I was on the "other" site. Maybe I should try to rebuild that bridge. LOL

Guys, finding a model, negotiating an agreement, and getting the model in front of the camera are all parts of the artistic process.  Your abilities aren't in play just when the camera's shutter is clicking -- your job starts when you approach the model and when you nurture the relationship with the model.  Remember -- you are photographing a person, not a bowl of fruit, and when dealing with a person, you've got to manage the interpersonal relationship.

Like I said, if you are suffering from frequent or significant no-shows & other flaking, look to yourself first -- what are you going to do to improve your success ratio?  Perhaps you need to sweeten the deal for models, so that they are more motivated to show up.  Perhaps you need to communicate more enthusiasm, so that the models are excited to work with you.  Etc.

I don't know what you are doing wrong, but if you are having a significant number of no-shows, well, perhaps you need to do something differently.

PK Digital Imaging wrote:
Do you honestly believe that every photographer who has no shows somehow mistreats the model??

My TFP/TFCD's are not 100% pure TFP/TFCD's.  The models will get the benefit of TFCD's and the following:

1) Refreshments on site.
2) Full CD of ALL images in FULL resolution AT the end of the shoot.  No waiting for a couple days.
3) I do partial TFP/TFCD's.  i.e They get PAID a minimum rate of $10/hr up to $20/hr depending on the shoot requirements.
4) I also provide the models with FULL edited versions of the images that I choose to work on.  If a model sees a picture she'd like to have edited/cleaned, I will do that as well.
5) I get very positive feedback from the model's I've worked with and they have been referring models to me now.

WITH all of that... I still get noshows and last minute cancellations.  A flake is a flake.  Might want to tone down the better than tough mentality.  You WILL run into this situation in your career whether you choose to believe so or not.

What I said in my original posting is that more than 2 no-shows in a row is a trend, and perhaps you need to look to yourself a bit to counteract that trend.

Look at the previous poster here who made a $$$ bet with a buddy about how many no-shows they'd get in a week, and so far he's 0 for 4 while his buddy is 0 for 3:  now let's ask ourselves -- why is this particular fellow getting such a large number of no-shows?

I also said that treating people better than they expected often yields benefits.  And I've never had a problem with no-shows.  I ain't a super-photographer -- why do models show up for me consistently?  My guess is that they show up because they like how I treat them.

Congratulations on creating a positive work environment for your models and for offering models more than a minimum TFCD -- that will serve you well.

aguynamededdy wrote:
Good for you. But guess what? You are the minority.

You're not the only one that treats models with respect and professionalism. But it doesn't guarantee that they won't flake out on you. Just count your blessings, but don't go assuming that because a model doesn't show up, that it's the photographers fault.

Like I said earlier -- I'm sure the occasional flaking happens.  But the point you might have overlooked (and was not included when you quoted me) was this:  more than 2 flakes in a row is a trend, and in that case, the constructive thing for a photographer to do is to consider what steps the photographer can take to improve their non-flake ratio.