TFCD

Okay, I need help. I'm an amateur, hobby photographer and plan to stay that way. But I'm past the age where I have lots of young, photogenic friends to photograph for experience/portfolio.

I've tried the 'approach people and tell them they would look great in photos'. I've handed out bucket-fulls of business cards. I've got the 'oh, yeah, I'd love to," and spent more weekends than I care to admit waiting for no-shows.

I've scoured Model Meyhem, fubar, MySpace, etc. and sent countless introduction notes, but no joy.

What's left, paying local modeling school students? Nobody seems to want to do TFP unless you have a portfolio full of outstanding images, but those images aren't going to be there unless somebody (other than the borrowed mannequin) poses.

Anybody have any ideas?

A quick and easy way to get a portfolio full of images is to attend a few photo workshops. My favorite are (and yes I am biast) by Rolando Gomez. Check it out at http://rolandogomez.net

Besides an opportunity to work with some top notch models, you will get to learn quite a bit about photography and working with models.

Besides that, this site is a resource to meet people, so is http://modeloverdrive.com, along with Mayhem, Myspace, Facebook, etc. Network, send out messages, post casting calls, and yes you will get no-show, no call backs, etc. It's part of this business. Even if you hire (pay) a model, you run a risk of a no show. Do your homework. Check out references, and DON'T GIVE UP. It will get better, I promise.

TFCD Shoots:

something else you didnt mention, well i didnt see it, you could post on www.craigslist.com for free, even add a few of your own images right there on your post for models to see, every 2-3 days go back and repost the same post and i am sure you will get a few answers. dont know what city ya near, but the are all over the world. good luck
[oh ya, if go to the city of your choice, and type in the search for TFCD or TFDVD you should get some results and then youll know where to post.. GL ;)

howard[/b] :) :arrow: :arrow: :D ;)

I fully understand what you are going thru because I feel like I had the same issues when I got started yrs ago. Models wanted references but I had not photographed any models to get references from. I finally found a model, don't remember if she was traveling thru for some other reason or not, that just wanted to shoot. She worked with me all of one day,I learned quite a bit from her and her one reference led to other models coming here till finally I had some images to show. I told all models that I contacted I was just starting out and didn't have much experience but wanted to learn. With the offer of $$ I got some models to work with that could pose themselves and made the learning process easier for me.

I learned that paying models can get expensive. You may not end up with the same type of image you saw of the model that intrigued you to want to photograph her to start with. Many times those images have been thru the photoshop mill !!

Workshops can also be costly and sometimes you leave feeling that I wished I could have worked with a particuliar model longer but then ...........so does everyone else. You have the opportunity to work with many models within the same period of time and get numerous images and usually if you have a problem with anything a more experienced photographer is there to lend a helping hand. This is a very good way to get started though.

I feel that once you get a decent number of sample images to show clients that you should not have any problem getting models for TFCD. Yes we judge their work as much as they judge ours and if a model sees potential in getting quality images from you, no matter how long you have been doing this, they will want to work with you. One thing you can also do is to post anywhere that you have an idea for a shoot, try to duplicate an image you saw somewhere, try to match the outfits, location, feel of the image make it into a project that both photographer and model can get involved in and you'll see that some models will want to do that.

Hope some of this rambling on helps!!

Good luck with the models and don't worry.....you'll do fine.

Well, let's see, in the year since I started this thread:

My account was changed.

I researched workshops, and have an observation: Photography is my hobby. I don't have $500 in to spare for entry fees, plus transportation, hotel, meals to go to Phoenix, Miami, the Virgin Islands, etc. for a weekend. Because it's not a business, I can't write the expenses off. I'm sure the logistics of these things leads one to metropolitan areas, but come on! Nobody has done a reasonably-priced workshop in Birmingham or Nashville (about 1 1/2 hours away) in the past 5 years.

Several photogs on various boards recommended Craigslist. I took the advice, and having posted ads for models and rental studio space, I have been spammed on my email account and my cell phone to the point I had to get a new phone number. I strongly recommend against Craigs - or anybody else's - list.

I've slowly been putting together a portfolio, and hopefully the one local modeling school needs camera time...

Jim

I helped put on and do a workshop in Nashville maybe 3 yrs ago that went very well. Model and photographers from Alabama and Georgia as well as TN attended. Sorry I didn't get you on the list back then...

I feel the same way you do about Craigslist.