Tips For New Models From A Photographer's Viewpoint

1. Check The Location And Work Out Travel Plans In Advance

Planning for the shoot is important and we're not just talking about deciding what make-up you need and what clothes you should take as you also need to plan your journey in advance so you know how long it'll take to get to the shoot so you won't be late. How are you getting there? Will you be travelling at peak times when more traffic will be on the roads? If you're going by car, is there free parking or will you have to find an alternative location to leave your vechicle? Knowing all of this in advance will mean you (should) arrive punctually, something that's important when you're trying to build a career as a respected and professional model.

2. Get Full Details

Get the full address, as well as the best way to contact the photographer whether it's by email or phone. Make sure you have their mobile phone number so you can keep in touch and check times etc. a day or so before the shoot.

3. Talk To Friends Or Family About The Shoot

Speak to them about it, especially if you are relying on other people for transport as they'll need to know what time you need to be there and how long you'll be expected to stay. If it's your first shoot, you may want to arrange for someone to stay with you. Most photographers should be completley fine with this as long as it doesn't interfere with the shoot but it's worth letting them know when you're arranging times and locations.

4. Discuss The Styles And Themes Of The Shoot Before Hand

Discuss what is expected before hand, have a look at the photographer's previous photos, or ask to see some of their work to see if his/her style is something you like. Similarly, if you have any ideas of styles that you want to accomplish or try, then why not send photos or email links and ideas to the photographer to see if it's something they are happy to try. Bring spare clothes and accessories so you can change your outfit if you or the photographer feel something's not working.

5. Keep In Touch

If you're running late, let the photographer know and the same goes if, for whatever reason, you can't make the shoot at all. It's not very professional, or polite, to just not turn up, especially when they've most likely spent a while setting up their studio and equipment.

6. If You Are Unsure About Anything, Just Ask!

Photographers are actually a rather friendly bunch and are happy to help and offer advice. So if you're unsure what to wear, how to do your make-up etc., just ask beforehand. As mentioned above, it's always a good idea to bring a few different outfits, and spare make-up, as studio lighting can get quite hot and you may need to re-apply foundation to remove shine from your face. Try and wear something you feel confident and comfortable in so that you are relaxed and enjoy the shoot.

If you're lookng for inspiration, there are some great examples of portrait / fashion photography in ePHOTOzine's Gallery.

7. Discuss Payment / Expenses Before The Shoot

Make it clear to the photographer what you expect in terms of a fee for the shoot. This might be cash with a minimum booking of a couple of hours or it might be TFCD or TFP, which stands for:

TFP = Time For Print - this means you are expecting printed photos from the shoot, but most of the time it may just be that you get a copy of the photos.

TFCD = Time for CD - this means you are expecting the photos to be put on CD, but it's much more common for people to have memory cards or USB pen drives, so if you want the photos then bring a spare USB Pen drive or memory card and then you can ask for the photos to be put on that.

Another options is using a sharing site like Dropbox, or Facebook so the photographer can easily share a number of photos with you. It also means if they plan on working on the images to create more of a 'finished' photo, they can send them over to you once they've finished editing them.

If you want reimbursement for travel expenses, discuss this in advance, how much per mile, or how much train tickets will cost etc. You can use Google maps to work out how many miles it is from your locatoin to the photographer's studio.

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