Some information to help models minimise risks

see also:

• general information for models

Introduction:

• in general, modelling is a safe and interesting lifestyle as long as models take steps to minimise risks for their own safety and enjoyment.

• having a pretty young lady who may be naive with respect to the real world, who advertises on the internet for jobs which involves meeting a strange person they have never met, in a strange place sets the scene for the minority of persons who may find this scenario easy pickings for them to prey on.

• it is imperative for your safety and sense of security that you take steps to ensure you are not walking into a trap or heading for a less than enjoyable session.

• some of the following comments have been gleaned from internet forums, and special thanks to Brisbane model Amberlea for her contributions to these forums and as she says "If you follow the simple guidelines you will get less 'scum' or bogus requests, you'll avoid a lot of the modelling scams, and time wasters, you'll avoid a lot of heartache and you'll be a whole lot safer."

• when you advertise your services whether on the internet or elsewhere, you will inevitably receive bogus job offers from people who just want to meet you in the hope of dating you or worse, and from people who just want to harass you for the fun of it, and some of these will have psychiatric problems and given the opportunity may be motivated to stalk you, so be fore-warned and be prepared and you should avoid most of these problems.

Advertising or marketing yourself:

• Do not use your real name or full name on the Internet. Use only an alias or 'Stage' name in your online profiles or portfolios.

• Have a Hotmail or Gmail email address for people to contact you and do not disclose any personal contact details in any email until you are certain the enquiry is legitimate.

  • do not store personal information on this Hotmail account in case it gets hacked into.

  • this email account should be reserved ONLY for modeling - have a second email account for personal emails and keep the two accounts separate.

• You may consider avoiding advertising your MSN or other messaging details, or at the very least BLOCK all who want to contact you unless they have contacted you in some other forum.

• Before committing to any agency, research the companies the agency claims to do a lot of work for. Generally the companies marketing and promotions departments will be able to assist you with this information.

• Beware of agencies that pressure you into parting with a lot of money. A successful agency earns its income from booking models into legitimate modeling jobs. Agencies that depend on income from listing fees and modeling courses will spend more time seeking and signing up new talent than they will finding modeling jobs for you.

Before the shoot:

• ascertain as well as possible the photographer is genuine.
  • get as much information about the photographer as possible.
  • REQUEST A FULL PHYSICAL ADDRESS AND REFERENCES
    • If the photographer seems reluctant to give you references, a physical permanent address or other relevant information - WATCH OUT
    • beginner photographers may not be able to offer many references, if any - in this case, ensure you bring a chaperone.
    • beware that a photographer could set himself up as a model and use this as his reference - try to get references from models who are well known to the internet community.
    • network within the internet model community. The more experienced models are generally happy to give advice and encouragement (when it is taken on board) to the less experienced.
  • ensure that the photographer has established 'roots' in the community - Not someone that can just pull up and disappear overnight. This may be harder to find out in larger cities but it can be done. Above all, if you are uncertain of the photographer or the photographers associates do not accept the assignment/shoot.
  • have the photographer show you samples of his work. Ensure you like and are comfortable with the photographers style or technique of photography.
• communicate:
  • Make sure you respond to all genuine enquiries in a timely manner. If you are not interested in an offer, that's fine. Explain politely why and move on. Serious photographers will respect your reasons and may even come back with a more acceptable offer.
  • Part of a model's role is to communicate a photographer's ideas and their own personality through the use of their face and body. Its no surprise then that many photographers place a great deal of emphasis on the model's ability to communicate, be it in forum posts, emails, or on the phone. Their argument is that a model who is careless about creating a professional image in those important initial contacts may be equally cavalier about other aspects of modeling, such as clothing, make up, posing and even bothering to turn up. Of course these photographers may be wrong but you will never get the chance to prove it.
• get as much information about the shoot as possible:
  • have the photographer give you a full description of what the shoot will involve.
  • KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU IN FULL DETAIL !
  • Make sure that the photographer understands clearly what you mean when agreeing to work, in terms of personal limits and what you will or will not be supplying in the form of clothes, makeup etc.
  • Avoid ambiguous terms like 'implied nude' if you can, or at least clarify, eg. 'happy to go topless provided nipples are not on show' or 'I am prepared to work up to nude provided no pubes are visible in the final image'.
  • if you are doing a nude shoot ensure that both parties understand on where you stand with open leg shots - these are often used in art nude shots - you may be comfortable with these only in anonymous body part shoots or if the genitals are in deep shadow, or you may be comfortable doing fully lit more erotic work for a higher fee.
  • determine what the end usage of the photos will be - if magazine work then ensure you are paid an appropriate fee - usually this is directly from the magazine concerned.
  • work out, understand and feel comfortable with the ground rules of the shoot with the photographer prior to accepting the assignment.
  • TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. If something doesn't feel right to you, don't do the shoot.
• consider a chaperone
  • a chaperone is good if it's the right person.
  • it's important that they have to know to stay out of the way and not to be a distraction to either you or the photographer. Many photographers are uncomfortable with someone looking over their shoulder.
  • consider one at least on the 1st shoot, although most shoots will be better if the chaperone remains in another room to minimise effecting your ability to express yourself artistically.
• plan the shoot:
  • plan NEVER TO STAY OVERNIGHT AT A PRIVATE RESIDENCE.
  • if you have to travel ensure APPROPRIATE accommodations are provided (Like YOUR OWN hotel room).
• ensure someone knows details of the shoot
  • make sure someone knows when you are going, where you'll be, when you will be back, how to contact you, and what to do if they can't.
  • have a friend or family member check in on you (eg. mobile phone call). Have a 'Silent Alarm' code word. This is a word that if you use it when you check in - your friend knows to call for help.
  • if plans change and the location changes or the shoot takes longer - let people know, and that you are alright.
• if the shoot is on location in an old factory or warehouse, ensure it is safe:
  • ensure that the photographer has ascertained it is a safe location and that you will not be exposed to asbestos, etc.

During the shoot:

• keep the shoot professional to avoid awkward situations that are open to misinterpretation and resultant adverse impact on the shoot
• during the shoot, most models expect that the photographer:
  • won't touch them at all other than:
    • in the general interaction of strangers such as to assist them and protect them from falling;
    • to assist in adjusting clothing / pose / hair / etc  BUT ONLY AFTER YOU CONSENT to do so and usually when it is impractical for you to do it yourself, and even then only to do the job needed doing and no more.
    • obviously, this does not apply when make-up or body paint is being applied - but again it must be appropriate & with your consent.
  • will not watch you get changed even if you have already been nude or going to be nude - just like when you go to a doctor, the doctor usually leaves the room or provides you with privacy to get changed. Obviously for quick clothing changes like slipping off a bra etc, this may be reasonable on the set as long as you are comfortable with it.
  • BUT you must expect that the photographer will LOOK at you, often in a different way to normal interactions and for longer, as he/she has to develop a mental image of what the final photo will be. This involves assessing your good points and your not so good points, the lighting and carefully ensuring there are no stray hairs, clothing issues, distracting backgrounds or shadows etc that will impact the image. A photographer taking an artistic photo of a vase of flowers will often spend 20-30 minutes analysing the different possibilities so to not expect him to do the same to a model is not giving the best opportunity for a good result.
  • most photographers are aware of these unwritten rules but many new amateurs may not be, nor will some from other cultures, so if during the shoot, you start to feel the photographer is over-stepping your comfort zone then be assertive but diplomatic and tell him EARLY to avoid problems as he may not even be aware of his actions, but if the problems persist then terminate the session. If the photographer is wise he will tell you during the shoot to let him know if anything he does is making you uncomfortable - not that you need this permission but it makes it easier for you as it is easy for a photographer to be concentrating on the technical aspects that he gets caught up in the shoot - so be assertive as you may be the only one there that will be aware of the problem and most photographers would rather be told early if their actions were being perceived as inappropriate as no one in this area wants to go looking for trouble.

   

After the shoot:

• Be very careful about getting into public brawls with photographers over shoots that go wrong. Even if you are in the right, other photographers may prefer not to book you rather than risk the same happening to them. All too often something that seems so clear in the heat of anger can become far less so when opened up to public debate. Remember most disputes that spill over into the forums result from lack of clarity in communication.
•