PHOTOGRAPHY FORUM
 Each month UPC Entertainment will present a new article pertaining to the profession of photography. Since the modeling world is driven by photographs, these articles are to help the new and experienced photographers, as well as, all potential and experienced models. As part of our continuing focus on education, we feel the more a model knows about photography and the process, the easier the process will become. These articles will be presented by David Newingham, the founder of UPC Entertainment, and Tammy Lier of the Tammy Lier Entertainment Group, as well as, monthly featured photographers. |
January:
"WHO NEEDS PHOTOS?"
Whether you are working with a modeling agency or working freelance you will need photos - photos for your composite, portfolio, and web presence. With a modeling agency, they may try to help you find test shoots. Working independently, you will have to track down your own test shoots.
Test shoots or testing has become a generic term for photographic shoots where a model acquires photographs to use for the model's promotional materials. I will elaborate on this further on.
You have two basic goals when doing test shoots. One is to get good quality photos as fast as you can to start getting work. The better quality (more professional and creative) photos you have in your portfolio the better paying jobs you will get. The second is to get experience in front of the camera and learning how to find your way around a studio or location shoot.
Whether you are able to track down free test shoots or have to pay for photo shoots as a wannabe model you will have to have photos. You also have to have experience working in front of the camera. The photos are needed for your marketing materials - portfolio, comp card, and web site. The experience in front of the camera is how you truly learn to be a model. During your first few photo shoots you may be just trying to get comfortable in front of the camera.
As you do more shoots you will pickup how to move, how to work in the light, how to hit your mark, and the routine of a studio. After you have 30 to 50 shoots you will have a handle on working in front of a camera. At this point you become a valuable asset to a shoot and no longer a wannabe. It always amazes me how modeling schools offer to train you to be a model but either never or maybe one time put you in front of a camera.
New York modeling agencies send models out on test shoots to gain experience and build a portfolio. That is how they start and train the top professional models. Tracking down test shoots is essential for a beginning model
February:
"TEST SHOOTS"
The definition of a Test Shoot (also refereed to as a photographer's test shoot and Time For Prints [TFP] shoot) is when a photographer wants to try out a new creative idea, test some new equipment or film, wants to build the photographer's portfolio, or just wants to practice and figure out how to take pictures, he sets up a photo session. In the case of a fashion or people photographer he needs a warm body to put in front of the lens. This is where the volunteer model comes in. This can work out well for both parties. The photographer does not want to pay for a model and the model does not want to pay for a photographer, so by trading services both get images for their portfolio and gain experience. In some cases the photographer might give you a couple of prints for your services, in other cases you may have to pay for prints. In all cases you will not get the original and don't even ask to borrow them.
There are several problems you will find with this arrangement.
A beginning photographer may be eager to do test shoots, but he or she is still learning, so the quality of work may not be that good. You may end up with just so-so prints in your portfolio. In some cases they may forget to take the lens cap off or some other technical problem so you may end up with nothing (of course that can happen to a pro pushing the limits also).
In the case of seasoned professional photographers, they are often too busy with paying jobs or burned-out on doing new-model tests to do any test shoots. Thus it might be hard to find someone who is capable of producing good work and wants to do a test shoot with a new model. On the occasion when a seasoned photographer has a burning desire to do something new and creative, he usually turns to a model he already knows and with whom he enjoys working. So for your first goal of getting quality photos fast, free test shoots may not be the best route.
Is it bad or a total waste to do a test shoot with a beginning photographer? No. When you are starting out any chance you have to get in front of the camera and see some results is valuable. It is a chance to gain some experience, try new make-up, poses, expression, wardrobe, and see how the photographer sees you. And once in while you and the beginning photographer may even hit upon something that will produce an outstanding photograph. It seems to happen more by accident then design, but sometimes good things can happen. For a model this 'learning by doing' is the best teacher. So you can build a portfolio by this approach but it can take a long time. But it does help to accomplish your second goal of gaining experience.
March:
"COMMISIONED TEST SHOOTS"
You may find that you are unable to track down any free test shoots; or, after you have done a number of test shoots with beginning photographers and have your act together, you now need some outstanding professional photos for your portfolio; or, perhaps you don't have time to track down a photographer for a free test shoot and you need a professional portfolio now. In these cases you are in the market for what some call a Model Test Shoot or what photographers call real work with a paying customer. You are going to hire a photographer to take pictures of you for your portfolio and comp card.
Unlike a photographer's test shoot you are now the boss. You will need to shop around and check photographers' portfolios to find the one that is doing the type and quality of work you would like in your portfolio. Again checking photographers' web sites can help with this. You also may need to find a make-up artist and hair stylist, if you are not fully experienced at doing your make-up and hair. You will want to plan out with the photographer what type of looks you want, what your wardrobe will be, and the costs. In this case, since you are the paying client, you should expect to receive all original film or transparencies. Be sure to work this out before the shoot and be sure what rights will transfer.
April:
"PHOTOSHOOT COST"
Photographers are free to charge whatever they want for their services. However, competitive market forces tend to keep their prices down, just as the cost of doing business tends to force their fees up. The more senior and talented a shooter is the more he or she tends to charge. A good, well-run business tends to be busier and able to charge more then a poorly run business. Photography charges will vary in different parts of the nation. Generally, photographers in the largest cities are able to command the highest fees.
With that said, what do the numbers look like? Many commercial photographers charge for time plus materials and expenses. The guide for comparison is usually the day rate. This is what a photographer will charge for a full day of shooting. To give an example, an average low to high end day rate is from $500 to $1500. Some use an hourly fee that ranges from $50 to $175.00 per hour. Some inexperienced photographers charge as little as $25/hr and some top shooters who will get $250/hour or more. On top of these time charges will be the expense for film and processing. A role of 36-exposure slide film and processing can run anywhere from $12.50 up to $35.00, depending on brand and markup. In addition some photographers may have a usage fee that will either restrict how you can use the photos or make additional charges for other types of use.
This is the commercial photographers' pricing scenario. The portrait photographer uses a little different scenario. They usually charge a sitting fee, which is just enough to cover the cost of film and little overhead. This could be from $25 to $125 depending on how complex the shoot. The difference is that they retain all ownership of the negatives. You must order all your prints through them and they usually charge a higher mark up on them than commercial photographers. It is usually not a good idea for a portrait photographer to shoot your portfolio.
Another scenario I have seen is the package deal. This is from a photographer that specializes in shooting models' portfolios. The shoot is usually based on a given number of rolls of film, how many outfit changes, how many light or location changes, promising a head shot and given number of other shots. They usually deliver 5 - 10 prints to you and costs run from $300 to $1000. The biggest problem with this is that most of these photographers are pretty mediocre - so you end up with a mediocre portfolio.
Another variation on this is by-the-roll pricing - the photographer charges so much for each roll of film shot. This seems to run between $100 to $125 per roll of film. If the photographer is using a motor drive on the camera and has you be-bop to music you can burn up a lot of film fast.
The best advice is to do your homework or use a reputable resource agency for the right photographer and pricing. Make sure that the resource company is not receiving a commission from the photographer.
May:
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December:
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