Monday, June 21, 2010

Wonderful Words from Model Mayhem

Model Mayhem (MM) www.modelmayhem.com is a wonderful site and has helped me develop my craft and meeting wonderful people committed to the art. However, dealing with some models on MM has really tried my patience and even made me use some curse words every now and then (ok..I curse all the time). I have had models cancel on me just before the shoot, models not show up, models committed to do a TF (trade for) and then have the nerve to require me to pay (I didn't obviously. The nerve). The list is long, but Maverick Photo from Miami Beach, Florida (a very talented photographer Mayhem #134276), put it best on his profile page on MM:


MODEL MAYHEM QUOTES THAT CRACK ME UP AND THE SMELL OF COFFEE...:

*I DON'T TF.....ps TF anything is not a term used in the real modeling world....it's called testing and even $5,000 a day models test to keep updating there books and they pay premium test rates.

*I DON'T DO NUDES......i understand if you only do nude based work with high caliber photographers but you look silly saying that as a "PRO" model, when even the top supermodels have shot nudes...keep it real people.

*I BRING AN ESCORT TO ALL SHOOTS.......first of all no one takes other people to work or to their employement...cos they would get fired. If you are unsure of a photographer either check out his reputation or don't risk it... simple as that.

*I AM AGENCY REPRESENTED.......good for you...but over 80% of agency models never clear $30,000 a year...not even considered a working model by industry standards...but why would you be on this site and risk having potential clients undercut your day rate by offering you peanuts on this site when your agency would have got you full rate.

PS...all reputable agencies that i know of have pretty much banned any of their models from this site.

*YOUR 5'5" AND YOU WANT TO SHOOT FASHION OR EDITORIAL......enough said......come on girls ...do you REALLY think that you get to tell the industry what you want to shoot....instead of what your height, weight and looks have already determined?

*I HAVE MANY IDEAS.....lol...call me old fashioned but since when in the history of this business did a 18-23 year old model get paid or put infront of a camera to THINK.....

*I WANT TO BE A REAL WORKING MODEL.....but you live in a town in the middle of nowhere, have a half ass internet book....not even a real folio....never been on real castings.....never shot with an agency approved test photographer and want to stay in your hometown with your high school BF and friends.........as of this new year there are only two real markets left....NYC and MIAMI....LA is no longer a market but a secondary market.....just ask fashion week that permanently left the LA market ....for all you west coast girls that are serious about working it should ring a get the F**K outta dodge bell.

you have to follow the seasons in the different markets

*RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL QUOTES.......all nice but have no place in this industry......infact this industry is the last place you will find religion, morality, respect or any other feel good social ideas.....its a machine that only cares about one colour....GREEN!!"....and not the type you smoke...lol

and the only rule is the Machiavelli rule "The means to the ends justify the action"....not for you weak hearted out there.

*WORKING FOR FREE IS AN OXYMORON.....shooting for free or even shooting for free and paying your own travel costs is not an oxymoron if the person you are shooting with is either gonna get you a MONEY SHOT....a picture that leads others to hiring you and ends up making you X amount of dollars over the time period it is in your book or they have a name that leads to others working with you that normally wouldn't but since you are riding the coat tails of that photographer they will want to work with you too.

*THIS IS NOT A DATING SITE.......usually the girls......but its funny how they cross that line when they see something they like and then they private message or tag the guy with..." Hot body...let me know if you want to do a couples shoot"......PS.....i wonder where the term" CAREER DATING" came from...hhhmmmm???

*I AM A PRO PHOTOGRAPHER.....though you have only held a camera in your hand twice a week for the last 3 years ....and then you want to charge models ,agency test rates. And because you have found a couple of girls off this site that are with agencies you know claim them as clients too.....keep it real shooters.....it take 20 years just to get into the game.....just ask the 60 year old master photographers.

*PHOTOGRAPHER AND MODEL CREDITS......but for some reason they never match up with the pictures in their ports....if you claim it SHOW it.

*FOR GEORGE FAVIOS..."WE NEED TO SHOOT,I CAN ADD TO YOUR BOOK".....when the model has sublevel images and experience, her/his boyfriend has taken snap shots of them and she/he wants to sell an experienced photographer with a solid body of work and working models in his book to shoot her/him for free .....

*MORE TO COME ....I'M SURE....lol


If these apply to you ....i wish you all the luck in the world and success but feel free to SKIP my page.

For those that are awake and smell the coffee and wanna be realistic welcome......2010 is the BULLSHIT FREE year!




Enjoy,

Robin



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