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do you tell people that you are a model/photog?
Well...Alot of people posted good replies. Maybe someone can help me, here... The fact that I model is known only to the photographers I work with, other models who have seen me in certain places, and to myself. I keep it a closely guarded "secret", because I don't want anyone else to know that about me. Just why that is, I cannot say, because I honestly don't know the answer to that, myself. Call it intuition, or "gut-feeling", call it what you will. That inner voice is saying "keep your mouth shut about it.", and I am listening to that voice. Not even close friends know. Any thoughts out there? Aug 14 06 11:13 am Link While I have no problem discussing my art with people, the general populace of Pittsburgh dosen't have much interest in photography/modelling/art/etc, so it rarely comes up. Now if you happen to be one of the Steelers... Aug 14 06 11:23 am Link I actually tell people I am a model photographer. Seriously.. Because primarily, I shoot "models", for a living... So its nothing wrong with stating "what you do" Aug 14 06 11:31 am Link I'm an artist. Aug 14 06 12:47 pm Link Nemi Bea wrote: Same here, sister! Aug 14 06 12:48 pm Link Of course I tell people I'm a photographer. It's how I make a living. It's on my business cards, on my ball cap, I even have signs on the windows of my SUV. I want people to think of my name when they think of a photographer. If it was cost effective, I'd rent billboards. In order to survive in this business you need to promote yourself. Aug 14 06 01:04 pm Link Wellll....I don't tell anyone I'm a model....they would laugh at me...LOL But yes, I tell people I'm a photographer. It's how I make a living. Hiding the fact would only hurt me. You would be surprised how many time I've gotten assignments simply by talking to people. Aug 14 06 01:13 pm Link Antonina wrote: dude, i just tell 'em "uhhh... yeah, i work with a photographer sometimes" and walk away all embarressed like Aug 14 06 01:15 pm Link i dont like to tell people directly but my friends insist on telling anyone they see. Aug 14 06 01:19 pm Link my wife tells more folks than I do I do when asked or when it's work related I guess we all need "Hello, I am a model/photog" name badges, huh? Aug 14 06 01:19 pm Link Phoenix E wrote: Hence this website exists! I can view other peoples art/photos. There is so much to choose from and view. Always new stuff. I like it. Aug 14 06 08:34 pm Link I always tell people I'm a photographer. It's what I am! I love what I do, I'm proud of my work - of course I tell them. Aug 14 06 08:39 pm Link Phoenix E wrote: I'm not one to shout things to the world (you know like the people that broadcast to the world that it's their birthday when you've just met them 2 minutes earlier). If the subject comes up I'll say I'm pursuing modeling. When I have like 10/20 tearsheets in my book I'll start saying i'm a model. Everybody knows you're not a model unless you're working model making lots of money. Besides, I live in nyc where technically everybody is a model, actor, fashion designer,etc......and the list goes on Aug 14 06 08:48 pm Link Yes, I do. Since my office has about ten large pictures of different people, most of whom are young and beautiful women and none of whom are my wife (although one is my daugher and one is my sister and my niece, who are often mistaken for my wife and daughter) it is actually pretty much socially required that I explain why this is the case.  Besides, I'm proud of my work and I like showing it off. M Aug 14 06 09:39 pm Link It's kind of funny because most friends and family refer to me as a photographer. but if people ask me, for instance, if they see me out with my camera, i just tell them that i like to shoot around. Come to think of it, I think i've told every model that I've met that I wasn't a photographer. Aug 14 06 09:45 pm Link I don't feel the need to limit myself, by choosing to narrowly define myself as a "photographer" I am an artist & one of my tools that I use to create is a camera. However I also use clay, paint, papers, ink, pens, etc. Aug 14 06 11:10 pm Link Funny, I tell people I'm a photographer and they look at me with a look like ... How cute. It's nice to see your wife support you! The worst is when you're at a bar or "dance club" and your friends introduce you as a photographer. Cause you either get drunk guys wanting to sit in the corner and watch (I don't get it - do they know how uncomfortable they would feel) or you get some non-experienced girl who wants you to photograph her for free. I then tell them, I do aerial photography only. Most times. Aug 14 06 11:13 pm Link Not usually, but the people in my life that DO know have a tendency to tell it to anyone they're talking to when they introduce me. Aug 14 06 11:19 pm Link Today I did. I am also an mua, wardrobe stylist, photoshop editor, jewelry designer, collage artist, watercolor painter and all around psychotic artist. Aug 14 06 11:21 pm Link I like to tell people who ask if i model that i am into posing as an art form. that way you don't have to deal with people talking about you. it is always awkward to walk into a conversation that goes something like, "who does she think she is?" or, "i am 5'1 and slightly overweight, but i wanna be strictly a runway model. do you think i can do it?" of course, sometimes it's fun to get attention. if we models hated it so much, we would avoid the camera! Aug 14 06 11:27 pm Link i tell any one that i can i need people to let me take photos so i can make $$$ i am the luckiest man a live because of photography i do try to keep it from my family throw not because of shame BUT at thews family gatherings the people that i am related to keep pushing their cameras on me AAAAAAAAAAAAA i think this happens to most photographers that if people know your a photography it is ezer to get model like the other week end i walked in to the coffee shop that i get a lot of the people i photo and i had 3 women come up to me to ask if i can photo them nude i had my wife take down there phone #s and emails Aug 14 06 11:41 pm Link For the longest time, I didn't want anyone to know...at my school, it was like a person was a freak or something for trying something different. But I missed so much school, that it was apparent I was doing something, so I had to fess up. Also, I had to quit track and basketball because I missed too many practices. I got a lot of the "Oh, so you think you're so great?" or that I was stupid for thinking I could ever model, or kidding me calling me Supermodel. It was mostly the girls...all of my guy friends think it's cool and wanted autographed pics and bought the Popular Photography magazine I was in. So, now IF someone asks, I yawn and say, "Yeah, it's not who I am, it's just something I do that beats flipping burgers for a living until I get out of college." It's no big deal and now even most of the girls that gave me a hard time think it's cool that I was in a magazine. Aug 14 06 11:50 pm Link I tell people the truth... full time actor and part time model. If I didn't promote myself to ALL my family/friends/aquaintances... I wouldn't get half the work/projects I end up getting/booking. Actors/Models are a product... we make a living by selling our image.... products need to be advertised. Therefore I think that advertising yourself as an actor or model is a good thing Aug 14 06 11:52 pm Link If I told anyone what I do then it might actually equate to getting some work via word of mouth. There's no way I can let this happen. If asked directly, I always say that i'm an underwater basket weaver. And sometimes, on rare occasions, when the mood strikes me just right, I will say that i'm a bean sorter. Because that just makes perfect sense. Aug 14 06 11:58 pm Link i'm really glad that this subject came up- i was always shy to tell people what i do outside of school. it's great to see everyone here from what they've experienced so far by telling people. thanks. Aug 15 06 12:11 am Link Well it depends on your perosnality. At first I wasnt sayin I was a model cause I was starter or begginer and I didnt consider myself "a model". Now I live from it and...its not jsut the modeling issue, I dont like to talk that much about anything in my life when I jsut ahve met someone. And most people if they ask you about what you do..if you say your a model then 30 questions will come after that. Some people asume that you're stupid,that you only like tall girls,that you're rich that you think you are the most beutiful man in the world,that you eat and sleep in a gym,you jsut care about your body... They may want to be your friend cause of that not cause of who you are,they may want to introduce you to a lot of people you really don t need to know just to show that he has a friend that is a model...so he's cool. And it can be even worst,you can find yourself having to prove someone that in fact you're a model asking you wich magazines you did,when, how much they paid you... SO....most times I say I do work sometimes in Commercial add but I try to avoid the word model. Most times they understand it like I work as extra on TV and its ok. I prefer that than go thru everything I've explained above. Anyway if they ask me directly are you a model? I say YES and the storie begins... Aug 15 06 02:35 am Link I very rarely tell people what it is I do. I figure unless I'm in a situation where I can show my work right away, it's just going to make me look like a creep by only talking about it. Plus, it's really not anybody's business anyway. Aug 15 06 02:38 am Link I wouldn't tell anyone because I want to have something to show for... Until I have a great portfolio going, I'm going to just keep it low... Aug 15 06 02:56 am Link No, I don't unless ask. I love to shoot, but don't throw it in other's face. We do advertise though. Cheers and hope to work with the OP in the future. Ciao, Tim Aug 15 06 03:20 am Link Catriona wrote: I love your work, btw. Always have admired it. Keep up the great work and perhaps we can do a photograpic shoot together with the same model. It would be interesting to see how our styles differ. All my best, Tim Aug 15 06 03:23 am Link So sad but it really depends on who it is...if it is someone I think might be a moocher--probably not....if it is a hobby photographer--probably not....if it is someone I think might be a potential client--heck yes! Aug 15 06 03:25 am Link It's not something i flaunt or advertise, if someone asks me what i do for a living i tell them "I work in a clothing department store and i model part time", but that's about as far as the description goes. If someone wants to know more i'll tell them a few basic details, but it annoys me when people instantly define me as "the model chick" because when they tell others about it, they expect me to be 5'10", blonde, and straight off a catwalk. It's mostly because of stereotyping that i don't advertise, but personally, i don't take praise well, and people always want to make a big deal about it. Although when i got onto a commercial simply for looking fantastic during a shoot i did kinda fluff my feathers to my friends Aug 15 06 03:29 am Link I only told my friends, the other people in my school preobebly wouldnt believe me cuz I normallt go to school comfortly (t-shirt and baggy pants lol) and im always hanging out in the libary with my friends so i can understand why the wouldnt. lol But i dont parade it around or try to makemyself cool by doing it. My boyfriend doesnt go around telling all his friends he actualy doesnt like it so much because he doesnt see me as much and doesnt want my to get thin (he likes my chubbyness lol) : 0 ) Aug 15 06 03:29 am Link I tell people I'm a Goodwill Amassador and I make a killer guacomole, that's all anyone needs to know Aug 15 06 03:31 am Link D. Brian Nelson wrote: I've not yet seen a need to seperate the two. Sure, when I'm at a conference for my "real" job, I don't mention that I'm a photog when asked what I do, I explain the branch and division of engineering I work in. Just like when asked at photo cons, I mention the types of photographic work I do - models, art, and weddings - and don't mention the engineering. But that's tayloring the response to the audience. What do I think I do? I'm a photographer/engineer or engineer/photographer; doesn't matter. The skills I develop in one carrer apply to both equally; the sales and presentation skills I have from owning a studio are applicable to my engineering job, just as the ability to tell when a camera salesman is trying to BS me comes from my experience reading specs as en engineer. Aug 15 06 04:31 pm Link |
