Daniela V wrote:
OMP 55962

(p.s. I don't know if this is the right place to post this)

photographers? models? stylists? anyone know him? work with him?

Thanks

Normally, I'd say ask the models who have worked with him, but interestingly enough, his OMP profile doesn't provide links to his models' profiles.

Looknsee Photography wrote:

Normally, I'd say ask the models who have worked with him, but interestingly enough, his OMP profile doesn't provide links to his models' profiles.

If he's someone you're deciding whether or not to work with, ask him for references...  E-mail addresses or phone numbers of models he has worked with in the past.

TXPhotog wrote:
I guess I have to ask why the question?

There is nothing in his portfolio indicating that he does anything other than runway photography.  Yes, he claims that he does "portfolios" but there are no examples of anything where he controls the shoot.  Unless you are putting on a fashion show and want a photographer, why would you be interested in him?

Actually he has many areas listed as photographic interests. Not just portfolios or runway. What would be the harm in trying (via this forum) to attain some information about someone? And furthermore, what would be the worst he could say if contacted to do, say a nude shoot? (which he lists). I'm guessing the answer would be a simple no. I'm also guessing that since the OP is asking that we contact her privately with any info (which at this point is simply "has anyone ever worked with him") that she doesn't wish to make her reasons known in this thread but simply using it to reach more people on the matter. It could just be that she wishes to do a shoot that she doesn't want to make others aware of (for whatever reason).

Michael Kirst wrote:

Actually he has many areas listed as photographic interests. Not just portfolios or runway. What would be the harm in trying (via this forum) to attain some information about someone? And furthermore, what would be the worst he could say if contacted to do, say a nude shoot? (which he lists). I'm guessing the answer would be a simple no. I'm also guessing that since the OP is asking that we contact her privately with any info (which at this point is simply "has anyone ever worked with him") that she doesn't wish to make her reasons known in this thread but simply using it to reach more people on the matter. It could just be that she wishes to do a shoot that she doesn't want to make others aware of (for whatever reason).

The point that TXPhotog is trying to make is that people get booked on jobs (paid or not) based upon what's in their portfolios.  Why waste time trying to assess the suitability of someone for your project if he/she doesn't show the kind of work and/or quality of work that you are trying to commission?

JAY carreon
PHOTOGRAPHER

Michael Kirst wrote:
Actually he has many areas listed as photographic interests.

Listing an interest is not the same as showing examples to demonstrate competence.

I'm very interested in landscape photography.  Love to look at good landscape pictures.  But I absolutely suck at it, and anyone would be a damned fool to hire me to do it.

TXPhotog wrote:

Listing an interest is not the same as showing examples to demonstrate competence.

I'm very interested in landscape photography.  Love to look at good landscape pictures.  But I absolutely suck at it, and anyone would be a damned fool to hire me to do it.

I'm sorry, having gone back and looked at his profile on OMP it states that he in fact "Specializes" in many different areas of photography. My mistake as listing it as having an "interest" in them.

The listed 'specialties' are:
Lingerie
Nude
swimwear
Portfolio developement
runway
art
art/nude
erotic/adult

The fact that his port on OMP doesn't show these other types of 'specialties' might explain why she may be curious as to what he may be able to do with say, art/nudes. See my above response yet again. And for the record I too suck at landscape photography so albiet hard to imagine, we actually have one thing in common.

Michael Kirst wrote:
it states that he in fact "Specializes" in many different areas of photography.

And that means nothing at all, except that he wants to claim it.  Take a look at the photographer profiles on OMP.  The great majority of them say they specialize in fashion photography.  The great majority of those don't have a single credible fashion shot in their portfolios.  It's just something to say, because people want to hear it.

Same for "specializes in portfolio development".  The vast majority of OMP photographers say that too - and most of them have never even seen a portfolio of a real working model, let alone know how to shoot them.

What people say they "specialize" in is completely meaningless.  The only thing that counts is what they actually can produce.  And the way to show that is to put it in the portfolio.  If they don't do that, it's a fair bet that they don't really "specialize" in it, regardless of what they say.

Which leads me back to my original question.  There isn't a single shot in this guy's portfolio that he was responsible for anything at all about except pushing the shutter.  He didn't select or pose the models.  He had nothing to do with hair or makeup or clothes.  He had nothing to do with lighting or backdrop.  Zero.  NONE of the skills that any kind of assignment photographer (other than shooting fashion shows) need to display are on his site.

So why be interested in him if not to shoot a fashion show?

TXPhotog wrote:
What people say they "specialize" in is completely meaningless.  The only thing that counts is what they actually can produce.  And the way to show that is to put it in the portfolio.  If they don't do that, it's a fair bet that they don't really "specialize" in it, regardless of what they say.

Which leads me back to my original question.  There isn't a single shot in this guy's portfolio that he was responsible for anything at all about except pushing the shutter.  He didn't select or pose the models.  He had nothing to do with hair or makeup or clothes.  He had nothing to do with lighting or backdrop.  Zero.  NONE of the skills that any kind of assignment photographer (other than shooting fashion shows) need to display are on his site.

So why be interested in him if not to shoot a fashion show?

Well I guess he should remove the listed specialties from his profile then. For that matter models shouldn't inquire about other types of photography from a photographer that doesn't have it in his/her portfolio even when listed as a specialty. Only stick to what you see.

For example, I shoot sports photography (surfing, volleyball etc.) but you don't see any of it on my site or here on MM. I don't advertise it because it's not the main focus of my photography even though, unlike landscapes I do take great sports photos. However there's generally not much money in it so I do it more for my own uses. If however I listed it as one type of photography that I 'specialized' in yet you didn't see it exampled in my port and because of that, thought I really didn't do it and therefore didn't contact me to take some sports photos, they might actually just be cutting off their nose despite their face. At least with me. But hey like you say it's probably "...completely meaningless..." just because it's not "..produced" in an online port.

Michael Kirst wrote:
But hey like you say it's probably "...completely meaningless..." just because it's not "..produced" in an online port.

Yes, it is until proven otherwise.

I have about 75 published newspaper and magazine articles as a sports photographer.  None of it is in my portfolios either.  If I claim to do it, I'm obliged to show it to prospective clients, or the claim is entirely meaningless.

It's not there because I'm no longer soliciting that kind of work.  But if I were, I damned sure would put in some examples.