How would you feel about being asked to model?

Dragan

Right, i need some opinions. I plan on building up my portfolio of Profile shots and i need some interesting models. I will be asking plenty of friends etc but there are times when you are out and about and you see someone with a real photogenic quality, someone that you just KNOW will end up yielding some fantastic images if you can only get them to sit in front of a camera.

The thing is, obviously there is something odd about simply approaching people on the street ( well, not for me, but normally for whoever i am approaching ). Obviously the best thing to do would have a card with contact details, a website address where they can see your work and simple explain that if they ever want some portrait work done for free, you would love to be able to include there image in your portfolio. Then stroll away and leave it all up to them.

How would this make you feel? Weirded out at all?

Shelga

Nope, I'd be flattered! Unless you're a 60 year old man in camouflage with binoculars of course!

Aisling(",)

Id be fricking delighted!

go for it dragan

watna

Hmm - I hate to be the negative nellie here but I'd be weirded out and think you wanted to shoot mens mag pictures or porn or something! That may be my suspicious nature or maybe because I dont look like a model so would think it was strange. Maybe girls who look like models wouldn't find it as weird?!

Anyhoo - you should give it a go. What have you got to lose? but maybe be prepared that it will make people uncomfortable.

rainbow kirby

I'd feel very uncomfortable about it, but that's just me.

Piste

I'd be incredibly flattered because I'm a compliment junkie I like the idea about the card with a link to your work, it means the girls wont have to give out contact details and the ball's entirely in their court. I say go for it!

Xiney

I think definitely leaving the ball in the lady's court is the way to go. And the website with examples of the type of work you do (ie, not trashy "glamour" crap) would also probably help.

I'd also encourage women who contact you to bring someone so they can feel at ease, a mother, sibling, boyfriend. If they're less nervous you'll get better pictures as well.

experiMental

I'd feel a bit weird... especially if I was a bald patch model Everyone would then be staring at men with a bald patch, to see who is the mystery guy.

MizzLolly

Dragan wrote: »

The thing is, obviously there is something odd about simply approaching people on the street ( well, not for me, but normally for whoever i am approaching ).

How would this make you feel? Weirded out at all?

Heya,

Nah it's not a weird thing at all. It's happened to me before and happened to one of the girls from college three or four times on the street. I also used to be friends with a lady who was covered in piercings/tattoos who was approached very regularly by photographers.

I suppose it depends on the type of 'models' you look for. I mean, if you're asking a tall, leggy, gorgeous blonde girl, chances are that she'll have been asked before and won't find it strange at all. I know, because I'm quite a tiny person, when I was asked I thought it was a joke and didn't really take it seriously at all. I assumed all photographers were interested in 'models' in the typical sense. So maybe a website is a good idea in this regard. It gives people the chance to see some of your work and shows that you're interested in something other than high glamour/catwalk type poses.

Hope that's coherent enough, I'm typing in an awful hurry. Good luck with it anyways

G86

My best mate gets asked all the time, just last week there come to think of it, but it makes her pretty uncomfortable and she never agrees. I think it depends on the person but there's no harm in just handing them your card and saying to think about it.

Ginny

Probably flattered and slightly weirded out, but that would probably be down to my own photo phobia.
Best off having a card with your contact details and website so the people can go away and look at your work and reflect then contact you themselves if they want to go ahead with it.

pikachucheeks

I'd be flattered, definitely!
It's nice to think someone finds you striking looking and thinks you'd be fun to shoot!

As there are so many scams out there, I'd say giving them a card and explaining your concept would definitely be the right way to go about it!
I doubt many ladies would be gagging to end up in some low-budget porn film, recession or not! :pac:

Lia_lia

Hahaha. Funny story. For a video project in college myself and two other girls in my class decided to pose as model scouts. We made proper application forms that looked real and had a video camera we borrowed from the college. I brought my big camera to take shots of people.

Anyway, practically everyone we went up to fell for it. We got people to do catwalk poses up and down Patrick Street in Cork and fill out these application forms. So, from our point of view, the majority of people we approached were very flattered wanted to go for it. The three of us felt horribly guilty afterwards because we thought everyone would just think we were not the real deal. But we were also shocked at how people believed us and how easy it is to get people to give out personal information to strangers on the street.

Anyway, I'd probably be a bit weirded out but I'd also probably think it's all a joke because of what we did..eek.

Madame Razz

I've been approached a couple of times, both to model and to pose for photos, once was actually to be the subject for somebody's portfolio.

I was very flattered on all occasions, if a little shocked to be asked. I did agree to all though.

I think it's pretty easy to tell wheher somebody is genuine or not, regardless of having a card with details on or not.

Anyway, go for it I say, I'm sure most people would only be too delighted!!

MJOR

I'd say gofor it. As long as you're not pushy about it I'd imagine you'll be quite successful..... most people would be happy to help someone out

Pythia

I'd either think you were trying to come onto me, like some kind of pick up line (or worse!) or you were trying to sell me something in disguise, e.g. major pressure to buy pictures after modelling.

*Page*

Dragan wrote: »

Right, i need some opinions. I plan on building up my portfolio of Profile shots and i need some interesting models. I will be asking plenty of friends etc but there are times when you are out and about and you see someone with a real photogenic quality, someone that you just KNOW will end up yielding some fantastic images if you can only get them to sit in front of a camera.

The thing is, obviously there is something odd about simply approaching people on the street ( well, not for me, but normally for whoever i am approaching ). Obviously the best thing to do would have a card with contact details, a website address where they can see your work and simple explain that if they ever want some portrait work done for free, you would love to be able to include there image in your portfolio. Then stroll away and leave it all up to them.

How would this make you feel? Weirded out at all?

I did some art of body art photos for some girl.... she put an ad in jobs.ie and nixer.ie as volintary work....

metaoblivia

There's a website called www.modelmayhem.com that acts as a networking site for models, photographers, make up artists, etc, and it's international. I think that may work better than asking a girl on the street, because you can look through profiles of girls in your area who already are interested in modeling and won't be freaked out if you approach them. And they can check out your portfolio or a website you have, which makes you look more legitmate than some guy on the street or in the store asking for your contact details.

Snowie

Only thing il say is model release forms!!!
get them to sign it my old man always offer's them a framed print buy the sounds of things if your out an about taking pictures which photography is about If you get a good shot, there always money to be made granted money in stock photography has gone from ridiculously good to brutal due to the internet and substandard pictures... But thats another kettle of fish!

being asked to model out of the blue can cause people to go a bit rigid..

Dragan

metaoblivia wrote: »

There's a website called www.modelmayhem.com that acts as a networking site for models, photographers, make up artists, etc, and it's international. I think that may work better than asking a girl on the street, because you can look through profiles of girls in your area who already are interested in modeling and won't be freaked out if you approach them. And they can check out your portfolio or a website you have, which makes you look more legitmate than some guy on the street or in the store asking for your contact details.

For now i will steer clear of Model Mayhem to be honest, while it is a great site the vast majority of people who have stuff up there have shots that are heavily made up, heavily photoshopped etc, which i don't want.

All in all the general train of thought here seems to be to do the site thing, and just leave it up to them, which seems like the best idea to me.

I can't worry too much about people thinking i am coming on to them I guess, in my experience people will misinterpret even the smallest interaction as someone coming on to them if they want to.

Thanks for the feedback folks!

dontcallmecrazy

maybe you could approach modelling agencies, there are always girls on their books who are new and need photos for their portfolio and will pose for free. especially if its some thing different as apposed to the usual heavy make-up shoot etc.

RacoonQueen

I'd be flattered, maybe carry some of your current portfolio with you aswell as a card with your website just so they can see your work and it might encourage them to look at the site.

jdivision

Dragan, model scouts regularly walk Grafton Street on a Saturday and hand out cards to girls they think might work. Some girls appear to feel a bit weird, others seem to be delighted. Expect the same I suppose. They'll probably think you're a chugger if you try to stop them though!

Raze_them_all

Your an intimidating looking dude in real life alot bigger than most the photographers I know! Might scare them just a lil bit!
Cracking photo's though.
Worst case scenario she says no to ya man.

Gyalist

Three summers ago I was stopped in Dublin city centre by a guy who introduced himself as a photographer doing a commission for The Financial Regulator. He asked me if I'd consider doing a photoshoot to be used for their forthcoming ad campaign. He told me that the shoot would be a maximum of 4 hours but when he told me the amount that they were offering I turned his offer down as I didn't think it worth it for having my mug on buses, billboards, bus shelters, etc. Since then I have slightly regretted not doing it.

Last Friday on Rathmines Road I heard a guy shouting "excuse me, excuse me" but I generally tend to ignore people shouting at me on the street so I continued walking. He caught up with me eventually and it turned out that he is a photographer and wants me to do a photoshoot with him. I'll call him in the next few days to finalise the arrangements. He actually told me that he first saw me last year but was too afraid to approach me because his English wasn't very good.