Every shoot that I do, I learn more and more. I am constantly improving, and I think that I am improving extremely quickly. I am at the point in my photographic journey where I have the advantage of becoming more selective with whom I shoot. I am able to work with agency signed models as well as amateur models of my choosing, that are usually terrific. I can honestly say that I have never had an unsuccessful shoot. I am always upbeat and positive about the results that I get. I am very consistent in my output and level of quality in my work so I know that I will shoot the best possible images given the situation.
Sometimes this situation is not ideal. Sometimes the talent is not as talented as you would have hoped, or they just don't have the right look that you need. When this happens, I try to counteract it as much as possible. There is never a perfect situation so knowing how to adapt puts you at an advantage. There was a shoot recently where I did not receive even one useable image for my portfolio. This shoot was a trade shoot, meaning that I am trading my time for the images that we receive and the model and other talent are trading their time for the images that we create. This shoot is the only shoot that I have done, for trade, where I felt the images did not benefit me and were not up to par with others in my portfolio. This situation is not ideal and it bothered me a lot. If I am trading my time shooting, hours retouching, and general skill and knowledge for nothing then that is really disheartening. You are always risking this when doing trade shoots, which is why I am usually very selective with who I work with. I tried to love the images, I tried to adapt them in photoshop to render them useful, but nothing worked.
I really felt badly that there weren't any useable images, so I contacted the individual about a reshoot. I thought that I had some great ideas and gave her some tips on what we might be able to do to get some really nice shots that benefited both of us, tips that involved no escorts and other distractions. I don't know if I offended her by saying that I thought it would be best that there was no escort. At the first shoot, she did bring her boyfriend, and anyone that knows me knows that I do NOT like boyfriends/husbands/girlfriends etc. to be at shoots, period. I did make an exception because she was traveling such a long way to shoot with me. Her boyfriend was not overly distracting at all, but I thought that at a reshoot we should eliminate any possible distraction.
To me, that is only a minor detail to a successful shoot.
The response that I got back, is what floored me. I basically received a Thanks, but no thanks kind of response and that was it! I was so taken aback that I didn't even know how to respond. In those situations, I usually get at least a reason or a more lengthy response. This individual is just starting out, and has a lot to learn modeling wise. I thought that I could help her along by providing insight and tips, but I guess she does not feel that my work benefits her, which is a bit offensive. I know that not everyone will always like my work but we can always hope.
I am not heartbroken because I am afforded the opportunities to work with actual industry professionals where I will be guaranteed great images for my portfolio, but this story will always be in the back of my mind. I work with amateur models because I think that everyone deserves to have high quality images. If I have the time, I will shoot with anyone that I think has a great look. I see now that I definitely need to be more selective with people that I choose to work with.
Even with shoots like this where I received nothing, physically, for my efforts, I did learn something about myself, about working with models, and about photography in general...so nothing is a lost cause!
Off to bigger and better things...
