So here I was doing my usual rounds… FetLife, SG, PurplePort, Model Mayhem… I keep reading the SAME shit from guys… “photographers.”
They say, “it’s hard to find GOOD quality models. Or at least modes who respond!” And while I admit it IS a regular difficulty or… it was… I recognized a similar pattern in all these writings… other than the original poster having a penis.
These posts were pointing fingers. Attacking women who they MAY have reached out to once… and not even tried to have an actual conversation with. I’ll be the first to admit this was NOT my initial forte. I stumble pretty regularly in fact.
It was in answering a blind inquiry on ModelMayhem from an inexperienced model who was trying to charge WAY too much and I could read the frustration in her message. I immediately recognized the same exasperated tone. The giving up and lashing out before she even began! And I recognized, in myself, the eye roll and queezy feeling of trying to get OUT of the conversation… it WASN’T a conversation.
We are creatives and creators… we LIVE to create. And at the back of our minds there is this struggle to believe that we can support ourselves WHILE creating.
Add in the junior high frustration of getting rejected time after time after time… hell I just re-entered the dating pool… I’m FUCKED after 12 years off!! What is TINDER???
Anywho.
We all keep trying to size up models and photographers alike… see who can drop the biggest check for the easiest project. But what we’re missing is the passion of creating!! Why WOULD she want to shoot with you? Her belief is that you are going to nickel and dime her shoot just to send her MAYBE 2 photos. You’ll continuously neg her or over simp her during the shoot until she feels uncomfortable. And then after, you’ll ask her out for a drink or dinner. WTF guys!?! (Photographers)… DO better.
No, I don’t always get the model. I’m still at about 5-10% response rating! But if you treat them like meat or cattle… you’ll end up like that model who reached out to me today. Politely brushed off.
Models? Anything to add?
