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MM models and stock photography--any luck?
Hey everyone! I'm fairly new to MM, although I've been checking out the site for a while. Anyway, one of the main things that brought me here was other photographers on the stock sites I belong to talking about how they find a lot of their models in their stock portfolios from MM. Several of them have had really good success with doing TFCD or TFP shoots with models they met here. Now, I've only reached out to a couple models here so far, and have not received any responses yet. So before I pursue MM further for this, I wanted to see if anyone who shoots stock photography could chime in here and let me know how MM has worked out for you. BTW, if this has been brought up before, I apologize. Am I blind, or is there no search function for the forums? Thanks in advance! -Don Aug 17 06 04:31 am Link There is a search function on the bottom of the "Forums" page - in a moment someone will likely post a lovely graphic illustrating this in great detail. But to answer your question, yes - it's been a pretty good source of interesting talent. The only tedious thing with stock (i'm sure you already know) is the sheer volume that you have to turn over. You might exhaust the supply of models in your vicinity before you have everything you want.  Aug 17 06 04:37 am Link Oops! I found the search--thanks. But my question still stands, as it seems like most of the threads are a little old. And I'm not looking to debate why I shoot stock, the merits v.s. evils of stock, or anything like that. I'm looking to hear from the photographers that are using MM for their stock portfolios. What is your approach for finding models here (meaning, what do you say when you contact them)? I'm sure a lot of models are not familiar with stock, so how do you explain it? How do you assure them that their pictures CANNOT be used to advertise products that will imply they have STDs, bad breath, warts, etc (partially joking here  ))? Thanks again.Aug 17 06 05:08 am Link Any other thoughts? I'd love to hear them. Aug 18 06 06:45 am Link The only way to really steer clear of possible "misuse" is to shoot Rights Managed stock as opposed to Royalty Free stock. Most RF stock sites do not permit use of their images for socially sensitive purposes, but policing misuses can be a nightmare and almost impossible to do. When I approach a model about shooting for stock, I always show him/her the model release as well as the download agreement. I explain how the images may be used and how they may not be used. I also show examples of my work in action to give them an idea of standard use. A lot of models are uncomfortable with the idea of Royalty Free, and I don't push the issue if they are. I know several other photographers who have also had great experiences with MM models shooting for stock, so they're out there. You just have to be upfront about everything. Aug 18 06 07:03 am Link I just wrote you a long letter letter all about my experiences and how to find people and it vanished...said I had to be logged in to send messages ( I WAS logged in!). Very frustrating...anyway if you want to contact me, I have done a lot of stock to the point that people recognize me and either send me or the photographer the link to where they are being used. Her address is www.photoeuphoria.com and my OMP # is 198943...you can see a lot of my stock work on there if you have time to look. The coolest thing lately was that in the August edition of Popular Photography, there is an article about stock photography and Jaimie is featured in it, and my pic is on the cover and also a half page inside in the article. You might want to get it and read it. But, I would say the answer is yes, you can find people on MM or OMP to do stock work with you, that's how Jaimie found me and she calls me her "golden girl". I wish I had known sooner, because I was just in NYC a couple of weeks ago and would have been happy to work with you. Write me if you want to know more details and I will be more than happy to talk to you about it. :-) Kizzy Aug 18 06 07:40 am Link Kizzy--YOU are the gorgeous model on the cover of Popular Photography with the paint all over you??? I've loved that picture for ages--long before the cover of PP! I've admired Jaimie's portfolio for a long time too (how long does it take to clean up all that paint? ). That article was so inspiring, because my pictures on istock and shutterstock are starting to take off pretty well, and I'm growing my portfolio regularly. Unfortunately, I'm in WESTERN New York, and NYC would be quite a drive LOL! If you are ever in the Buffalo area, get in touch! I would be honored to do a shoot with you. For anyone who isn't aware of the article, the August issue of Popular Photography did a cover story on microstock, and it is an excellent read. If you are thinking of getting into it, I highly recommend you check out that issue. Aug 18 06 09:09 pm Link I agree that this place is a great source of interesting talent, I still find that I get most of my models from that other model resource site, the one that starts with O and them M, , , That isn't to say the models here aren't wonderful, I just seem to have better luck at the other sites on the net. Aug 18 06 09:14 pm Link I've done stock shoots through MM as a model before. Generally it involved a small amount paid to me and I let the photographer sell the images to a stock company. I've had success with this, even been printed in a magazine article. Aug 18 06 09:16 pm Link Pixelmaker wrote: Thank you very much, it's one of my favs too. It was kind of a spur of the moment idea...usually Jaimie and I plan for weeks about what props I will bring and what she will find. My mom is a lab supervisor, so we have been doing quite a bit of medical shots lately and they are doing well. Anyway, Jaimie said she had been thinking about doing a shoot with paint and asked me if I wanted to. I started out slow, just sorta finger painting on the wall, and by the time I was through, I was rolling in it throwing it everywhere and then laying with my legs up on the wall, smearing it on the wall. LOL I ended up with it all over my face and so much in my hair that we had to twist it up and secure it with a paintbrush. In the big picture, there was a canvas on an easel over to the side, and everything in the room was painted...except for the canvas! Then...after we were done, I said, "Does this paint come off???" LOL It did, and that has been one of the best selling pics she has. It's on several web sites, and is a store front in L.A. and life size in the UPS store in Russellville. The funny thing is that a photographer left me a comment on that pic when I had it up wanting to know if I knew that it was on a storefront in downtown L.A. by the studio he worked at. Then he took a picture of it and e-mailed it to me. What were the odds...that out of all of the people in L.A. with all of the businesses in L.A. and all of the pics on MM that that particular photographer A) saw the storefront B) saw my pic on here and C) recognized me? I'd say a million to one! Aug 18 06 09:53 pm Link ...thanks, ladies, for the insight. i am also interested in shooting stock. not sure how to break into it, however, but now you have given something to think about. anyone else? Z Aug 18 06 09:54 pm Link Find a stock photographer you really trust...Jaimie is awesome! We have so much fun that it's not even like work... she and I get to laughing so hard that we have tears in our eyes and have to take a break. I have quite a few tear sheets and they are all from shoots with her. My elderly grandmother always said she wanted to see my pic in a magazine before she died, even if it was Progressive Farmer! LOL I am proud to say that she got her wish, and is running all over town, showing the magazine to anyone who will look! So, stock is great in that you can get a lot of experience so you feel more comfortable in front of the camera, get tear sheets, and make a little bit of money. Aug 18 06 10:02 pm Link log out. Aug 19 06 11:45 am Link I have to thank Kizzy for pointing me toward Jaimie - her work (Kizzy's AND Jaimie's) is excellent - so that I could find out more about stock. I haven't worked with Kizzy yet (and when we do Kizzy I've got to get some fresh ideas so it won't look like I'm copying Jaimie's work) but I think she's one of a relatively few models here who understand professionalism. I think the problem for those of us who shoot TFP/CD in trade for stock is that we mostly are confined to working with models who are new to modeling and don't have clue what it takes to be successful as a model, beginning with being reliable and professional. I have had a number of models reply to my messages that seem interested and speak of wanting to set up a time to shoot, but then they flake out and don't commit to a time - or just don't show up. Quite a bit of wasted time. The message that sends me is that I get what I pay for. As my business grows I'll begin paying experienced, professional models for their time with some TFP/CD just so I don't have to waste time and energy. Fortunately the ones I have worked with have been wonderful and very professional - just good people. I would advise models who are serious about this to become good communicators and follow through with your plans. I do think MM is a good place for connecting stock photographers with models, it's just that there are so many people here that it's a good chance you'll run into some that just aren't that serious about modeling as a business and profession. Of course they usually admit that - but they should still try to be professional. And for that, I try to do my best to give them something worthwhile in return - good images and a better chance of seeing their images in use than they might get doing a TFP/CD shoot for some photographer's portfolio. My advice to stock photographers would be to avoid depending on any one source for all your talent and eventually move into paid shoots, especially if the model has already proven the marketability of their photos. Hey Kizzy - good to see you chiming in here on the forums - and speaking on behalf of us stock photographers! Congrats again on the Pop Photo cover and article! Aug 25 06 02:42 am Link |
