|
Why do they keep sending private messages to photographers instead of just posting it on the travel notice forum. It’s annoying. Who agrees with me. Dec 21 18 03:17 pm Link Voy wrote: 1. Not everyone reads the casting calls or travel notices.
Dec 21 18 04:22 pm Link I look forward to receiving messages from models coming to my area. I can't always check travel notices every day. I have met and shot with some amazing models over the years who have contacted me this way.
If I can hire or collaborate with them , I do. If I am unable due to time or money I always reply in a friendly manner. Who knows if I will be in different circumstances the next time they come to town. This is a networking site, they are using it the way networking works  Dec 21 18 04:47 pm Link Voy wrote: They do it for the same reason lots of people with goods or services to sell use more than one form of advertising. It's a bit like fishing. They don't always get a catch every time, but as long as they continue to do so often enough for it to be worth their while, they will.
Dec 21 18 04:55 pm Link Voy wrote: Nope, not annoying to me at all. I get PMs from traveling models all the time... I just wish I had the availability to work with all of 'em. In most cases I'll acknowledge their message with a reply to thank them, and to let them know why I was unable to schedule with them this time around, and to invite them to keep me on their list for next time. Dec 21 18 04:58 pm Link I get probably 50 spam emails per day, and maybe 2 messages from traveling models per month, and the odds are far greater that I may be interested in one of those models. It takes very little time to delete traveling model messages that don't interest me. I suppose if I got 50 messages or more from traveling models every month I might feel differently, but I get far more unwanted messages from retouchers and far, far more from other areas. Heck, I get far more spam from my employer than I get from models. Dec 21 18 05:09 pm Link Voy wrote: It gives them a chance to make some sort of complimentary comment on the photographer's work which gives the photographer a chance to believe the compliment which produces a warm fuzzy feeling for the photographer which may lead him to offer paid work rather than tf (which was his first response) which gives the model a warm fuzzy feeling that may lead her to shoot with this specific photographer rather than with her boyfriend who gives her a warm fuzzy feeling.
Dec 22 18 09:25 am Link I have enjoyed working with traveling models! Dec 22 18 09:27 am Link I glad to hear from them. We have not had a new model on Mayhem in at least 6 months so its nice to see a new face. For some reason it seems no one is interested in modeling here. And we have three colleges in town. I wonder if its no longer seen as a fun thing to do. It would also help if Mayhem would try to recruit models. Seems with three colleges it would be worth spending a bit of money running ads here. Dec 22 18 03:16 pm Link Why be upset? Once you understand that there's very little any of us can do to influence another person's actions, the way in which we deal with them changes. We're no longer bothered by unsolicited contacts because there's nothing we can do about someone reaching out to us or even giving half-hearted compliments on our work.
Let's remember that traveling models reach out to photographers as a means of marketing themselves. It's a more personalized form of a casting, nothing more, nothing less. They live through paying gigs as self-employed business owners just as we photographers do. More power to anyone who can make a living doing what they enjoy. Take the high road. Thank the model for the contact and wish them well. Wish them safe travels and an abundance of customers. Why? Why not. It takes just as long to do that as it does to create a thread about it. Dec 22 18 04:11 pm Link It’s annoying because they just copy and paste the same message to every photographer they can find. Plus they want to get paid. If they really liked my work they would pay me. Bottom line is there is a specific section in the forums for travel notices. Why not just use it and stop spamming MM. I get a lot of spam from models and retouchers. Dec 22 18 05:14 pm Link SayCheeZ! wrote: Bingo.
Dec 22 18 05:25 pm Link Voy wrote: Would you be less annoyed if they sent you a clearly individualized message?
Plus they want to get paid. ::insert horrified screech here:: How DARE they?!?
If they really liked my work they would pay me. Bottom line: Get over yourself. Dec 22 18 05:31 pm Link Here we go with the personal attacks. Dec 22 18 06:15 pm Link Voy wrote: What happens is called marketing and is one way they land gigs. As was noted most of us don't read the availability notices and they know that, so they use a direct marketing approach. Yes, the do want to get paid - it's how they make their living and how they finance their travels. It's really no different than people who backpack through countries and do odd jobs to offset those expenses. They're not trying to annoy you, just to make a connection, do a shoot for some cash and move on down the line. Unfortunately, MM is not set up so that photographers make money. I enjoy getting paid, too, but the truth of the matter is this entire site is geared towards the models. We're a necessary afterthought to the whole process. Sad but true.
Dec 22 18 07:07 pm Link Having put down the camera for the last 6 years or so and coming back, I'd say I'm a bit grateful that they even bother reaching out to me. I know that when I start shooting again, I'll have to relearn a few things and prove my worth if I want TF again. I also understand that when a traveling model presents themselves, it's an opportunity that can always come and go. Sure I've had my shares of reaching out to models only for them to ignore me as well as having many flake on me too as many others have.
With the revamping of PMing someone now that you want to shoot with, I welcome traveling models who do reach out as they paid for their membership here. As I stay a free member here, I'd have to first friend someone and hope they approve before I can even message them for a collaboration or a paid shoot. Give and take. My recommendation to the OP; take what you want from this site be it paid membership or free, but remember that in the end, we are our own individuals, and we are free to decide for ourselves how we go about our business. Dec 22 18 08:16 pm Link I do this "cold calling," and it tends to be reasonably successful for me in terms of getting paying jobs. People used to look at the casting calls and travel notices, but traffic to those pages have died to the point that posting there doesn't guarantee anyone with ever even see your travel dates. I used to get lots of contacts from travel, availability and casting notices pre-2012, but to get that same number of contacts these days on MM requires sending individual messages in an almost "bulk" fashion. Traffic here has simply decreased, but it can still be a great self marketing tool, as long as folks using the site can adapt their strategies to the changes. That being said, I only reach out to people who have images of well known traveling models in their portfolios, mention that they have paid work available for models, or have somehow credited known traveling models on their pages.
I do not send emails completely randomly, and while I tend to have a more formal writing style that could come across to some as a "form letter," it's not. Each message is individually written, and I refer to whatever clues I find in the profile that led me to contact the person. That way each person can know I read the written text of their profile and looked at their images. And you know what? It works. I don't expect a response either. Most people will never respond at all (totally fine), but out of those who do, I get quite a high number of positive responses. Some book shoots immediately, while others become potential valuable contacts for the future Traveling models often spend hours and hours of our lives doing this, day in and day out - just like any other person who needs to do sales, marketing and outreach to find clients/customers. When I worked in mainstream fitness industry, five years ago, I spent a large portion of my work week with phone call lists provided by the gym office, cold calling potential customers via telephone. Day in and day out. Years before that I worked in the office of a small theater company that contracted traveling actors. Beginning of every week, I got a new phone call list of cold calls I needed to make that week. Cold calling and outreach is simply a part of many businesses and occupations. Dec 23 18 07:32 am Link I just hope they don't stop. :-) Early spring is the best time for me. Dec 23 18 07:41 am Link Alexandra Vincent wrote: +1
Dec 23 18 08:05 am Link I like the messages from traveling models. Usually they have qualified themselves to be business people too. Every rate that has been quoted has been reasonable, not like some nubies in the city that say their rate is $300/hour. These models know when to get to work, hit their poses and be open to suggestions. I even host traveling models at my home. Dec 23 18 08:18 am Link I'm usually flattered by the solicitation for work, even if I can't take advantage of the opportunity. The initiative itself is impressive, even more so when delivered in a smart and professional manner.
And even the unprofessional and/or delusional solicitations can be fun and amusing, especially when it's clear the sender never bothered to look at my profile. Solicitations on the level of "$300/hour, no nudes, I get complete rights to all images and I'll even let you use them" can turn a gloomy day into one full of laughter. As for the unwanted solicitations from retouching wizards, it's easy enough to just dump the messages into the bit-bucket. No fuss, no stress. Dec 23 18 11:18 am Link A message from a traveling model, to me, means someone has read my profile, looked over my portfolio and feels I might be interesting to work with. I'm always flattered by the prospect that someone likes my work enough to message me about working together. Dec 23 18 12:16 pm Link You mean there's models on this site?? I haven't had a reply from one in months. I'd be happy to get a email from a traveling model at this point. Jan 05 19 03:57 pm Link Gamecock Photography wrote: The way the system works now is that people who are not paying members, have to friend the other in order to send out any messages. Therefore if no one is reaching out to you, it's because A: they aren't a paid member and you won't friend them unless you add them (You worked with them or have interest), or B: the traveling paid membership models aren't traveling near you or have taken interest.
Jan 05 19 05:37 pm Link Rays Fine Art wrote: hahahahahahhaaha
Jan 07 19 07:27 am Link YOUR words from YOUR profile: "I am interested in using this website only for the purpose of networking within the fashion industry."
MM is a networking site. You want to network. When models try to network with you, you are shocked, even angry? Jan 07 19 10:43 am Link Gryph wrote: The exception being if you have posted a casting call.
Jan 07 19 03:36 pm Link Philip Brown wrote: Except this thread isn't about casting calls... Jan 07 19 11:21 pm Link Voy wrote: Why are you even here?
Jan 07 19 11:28 pm Link Ok, I'm not anti traveling model, I understand you like to travel and want to make money at modeling while doing so. I don't work with traveling models not because of any bias or anything personal, I just don't have the budget to do so. But what I do find annoying is the lack of professionalism with at least some of them that send out mass messages. I have a note on my profile for traveling models to not contact me unless they are up for a trade shoot. Why? I don't want to waste time reading a message and find out, oh, they are only t taking paid assignments. That's fine I don't have a problem with it, but I just found it annoying after awhile. Just a nuisance for me that's all. And this is not a knock of all traveling models mind you.
What's funny is that while I live in Salisbury, NC which is about an hour north of Charlotte on I-85, and I normally list myself as in Charlotte, I got too many messages from traveling models and retouchers (too many in my opinion at least) so I changed it to my hometown in California. Funny thing is I haven't gotten a single message from a retoucher or traveling model since. Jan 08 19 12:22 pm Link I try to remember to be nice to them
Thank Them for notifying me and Wish them a great visit to my city Jan 08 19 12:56 pm Link I'm not annoyed at all.
It is target marketing aimed at people in the area they are going to shooting the style they do. I get tons of emails a day that have no relationship to anything I am interested in. Takes a few minutes a day to ignore them so I can take a few seconds to look at something I might be interested in. Jan 08 19 04:51 pm Link Double post Jan 08 19 04:51 pm Link Q. Why don’t all photographers just post a casting call when they want to do a shoot?
A. Because most people don’t see them. Receiving PMs from traveling models (or local models) doesn’t bother me in the least. If none of us did a shoot, unless it was from a travel notice or a casting call, none of us would be shooting much. Jan 09 19 04:43 pm Link Voy wrote: I do not agree. I like getting private messages because it makes me feel important. Jan 15 19 11:06 am Link veypurr wrote: Check your inbox. Jan 15 19 03:45 pm Link Voy wrote: Interesting.
Jan 24 19 05:10 pm Link Jen B wrote: Likewise. Jan 24 19 05:22 pm Link Jen B wrote: I also don't agree! Jan 24 19 05:58 pm Link |
