Modeling Photography - facts and fiction

Modeling photography is helpful to both models and photographers. Models need photos to show their various looks. Photographers need sample photos to show their work and style.

I've worked with models when I owned an advertising agency. They would usually hold the product in their hands and smile brightly at the camera. You've seen the magazine ads with an attractive person holding a mobile phone or a

One pitfall of modeling photography that models should look out for is the sale of over priced photo packages. Some slick promotion companies will advertise a model search, then make promises of fame and fortune in order to sell a high priced photo shoot to a hopeful model.

The good news is that most photographers are very fair in their pricing and some will even do a photo shoot for free in exchange for shared use of the images. This is called time for prints or TFP for short. The model and the photographer each freely give some of their time and talent to a joint effort to produce some quality photo images together.

The rule of thumb is, whoever has the most experience is the person who gets paid. If the model has plenty of experience and the photographer does not, then the photographer should pay the model. If the photographer has years of experience and the model is just getting started, the model should pay the photographer. If both are of equal experience and each is impressed with the other's work, then they may decide to trade time for prints (TFP).

Modeling Advice

Models should always check every photographer's references and bring a friend along to every photo shoot. Keep in mind that anyone can buy a camera and pretend to be a photographer in hopes of meeting attractive people to go on dates with. The best photographers to work with on modeling photography are the ones with a lot of experience and who list many other models as references. Check the references. What do the other models say? Look at their portfolio and see if their style reflects the way you want your image to be portrayed. Do you like the "look" they captured for their other models? If not, find another photographer.

Some models and celebrities have a favorite photographer they trust and use again and again. Jennifer Lopez for example, has relied upon Tony Duran for many years. Cindy Crawford's favorite photographer was the late Herb Ritts. Paul Gerben has photographed numerous models and celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and Cindy Crawford, Claudia Shiffer, Christy Turlington, Naomi Cambell, Robert Downy Jr., Bono, P.Diddy, etc.

Some tips for beginning models and photographers.

• Use a written modeling photography agreement
• Talk about the type of photos desired and look at examples
• Create photos that will look good to advertisers and agencies

When done with professionalism, modeling photography can be a fun and rewarding experience for models and photographers.

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