Petite Model Info System
General Rules for Photographers
Be on time and be reliable. Do not cancel without sufficient notice and for no good reason. The model may well have turned down other assignments to keep yours.
Have things ready. Load the cameras, make sure everything is working. Have the lighting set up roughly. Have props available. the model has better things to do with their time than watch you trying to building a studio.
Idiots checklist
- Is everything working
- Is all equipment here and available
- Are all the props / costume here and handy
- Spare Batteries for everything (cameras meters etc.)
- Sufficient film of the right kind
- For digital, Are all the memory cards cleared and ready
- Spare leads (flash sync. power leads etc.)
- Spare fuses for everything
Just remember if something is going to break now is the time it will choose.
If you are supplying Stylists , confirm well before hand that they have remembered.
If you are supplying costume, now is not the time to have to iron it.
Give the model ample time to prepare, if she has arrived clean-clean then do not get impatient.
You should always make some sort of private space available where the model can change and relax (and make sure it is well lit and there is a mirror).
Private means private, even in a nude shoot you do not walk in and out.
Make sure the surroundings are clean and tidy.
Make sure there is sufficient heating.
Make sure there are refreshments of some kind at hand.
Make sure you are not interrupted, turn off phones and make lots of KEEP OUT signs.
Treat the model with respect and not a piece of furniture, most of the time it is better to ask than to direct.
Do not touch, if you need to position the model in a particular way ask first and if that does not work ask permission to pose her. A normal "Do you mind if ... ?" should be sufficient .
Models are not machines, they need a break.
Make sure that both, you and the model are absolutely clear about what type of work you will do. Do not use abstract words like 'glamour' be specific.
Agree beforehand what you intend. On the day of the shoot, don't try to change your script, do not suggest "could we try it topless", it can upset a model who does not do topless, it can put a bad atmosphere over the whole shoot. It is unprofessional. No one likes to say "no", they should not be put in a position to have to do so. If you would like to "stretch the limits imposed" wait until you have finished your current shoot and then enquire and if agreed arrange another shoot.
If you are supplying costume, get the required sizes now. Shoot day is too late.
Click for a Sample Model release
You will obviously be using a model release form, should you be doing TFP or TFCD and sell something at a later date, it never hurts to recompense the model in some way even if she wasn't expecting it.
It is not only clients you have to impress, Models talk to one another, a bad rep soon gets around. Models can also be great ambassadors for you. They can also be good recruiting agents for new talent. It never hurts to ask if they have friends who would like to try.
To be continued .....
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