Finding Models for a Retail Photoshoot?

[GeorgeDavidHodgson]

Hi,

I have just started a new designer fashion label. Everything is going well at the moment. However, we have come to a bit of a halt at the photoshoot.

We need to recruit some models to wear the garments for the photoshoot, however we are stuck on how to recruit people for the shoot.

Obviously there is social networking & advertising but this poses a problem with safety.

Any suggestions on this?

Thank you in advance

George David Hodgson

 

[ethical PR]

I wouldn't suggest using either of these routes. If you want proper models who can show your clothes off to their best advantage - contact a local model agency or one of the fashion schools.

 

[Nuno]

Whose safety are you worried about? Yours? Or the models? Why? Do you lose control?

The problem with social media is that you will have to weed out the people who think (for instance) being 28 stone with a rampant skin condition on their only leg is appealing.

People will suggest all sorts of things from model agencies to students and local gyms. Are you going to pay them? What is your target demographic? Have you got insurance? Have you got a supply of model release forms for the models to sign?
Are you going to use a photographer?

 

[obscure]

You want models, contact a modelling agency. Social media etc will get you wannabes who have zero experience, will be difficult to manage and probably fail to show up. In fact just talk to your photographer. They will probably have a list of decent models.... unless you recruited them from social media.

 

[Deleted member 237685]

You could try Starnow. You'll get inundated with people with no experience, but in amongst the trash will be some experienced people with a portfolio.

 

[GeorgeDavidHodgson]

Thank you for the replies. I am looking at some Schools of Art (Universities of Art/Fashion) which I am going to contact. It will be a paying job, with a good photographer.

 

[GeorgeDavidHodgson]

You could try Starnow. You'll get inundated with people with no experience, but in amongst the trash will be some experienced people with a portfolio.

I am looking at Starnow. Is this a legitimate enough website?

Thanks

 

[NickGrogan]

Thank you for the replies. I am looking at some Schools of Art (Universities of Art/Fashion) which I am going to contact. It will be a paying job, with a good photographer.

If you have a good photographer, he will be able to recommend and source good studios, models, etc. If he can't, then he is not a good photographer.

Fashion photograph is a skill and you should be looking at this a long term investment, rather than a one off hit. Videos/Photos like this http://mad-fashion.com/what.htm convey a message about a brand, despite being a few years old.

 

[Frimley111R]

Try friends and friends of friends. Many of my friends (damn their good looks!) are often used as models, its hardly hard work if its just a catwalk. If you've just started out it will keep the costs down.

 

[GeorgeDavidHodgson]

Try friends and friends of friends. Many of my friends (damn their good looks!) are often used as models, its hardly hard work if its just a catwalk. If you've just started out it will keep the costs down.

Yep, looking at this option too!

 

[Socio South West]

In my dire

Try friends and friends of friends. Many of my friends (damn their good looks!) are often used as models, its hardly hard work if its just a catwalk. If you've just started out it will keep the costs down.

In fifteen years I was dealing with models this route has consistently proven the old saying 'if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys' - Looks are one thing, but being able to present themselves to the camera and interact with the photographer are quite another.

Either work with an established professional who will know models suitable for your work, or as others suggest go to an agency: Starnow are ok - Storm also have a very good portfolio of models, including some international high flyers.

It is honestly worth paying out to get the best images, especially for designer fashion.

 

[damian1]

I'll do it.

I'm gorgeous.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[The Byre]

I would pack my stuff up and go to a proper agency in Estonia or Lithuania where just about everybody looks like a model. Most people in the UK are just too ugly to be anything, so finding models that are really good is very difficult. In Eastern Europe just about everybody looks like a model (by UK standards) and they have really good photographers and agencies there too.

 

[The_Bag_Supplier_Ltd]

A friend of mine went to the local Spearmint Rhino and spoke to a few of the girls there. Worked well for him. Good looking models who knew how best to show off his products. The models worked on the stand at events after the photo shoot too. He found them very hard working and reliable.

 

[Urban Publications]

Most people in the UK are just too ugly to be anything, so finding models that are really good is very difficult

At the end of the day if you get a good photographer with great photoshop skills then they can make a baboons arse look as good as Kate Moss

 

[Nuno]

At the end of the day if you get a good photographer with great photoshop skills then they can make a baboons arse look as good as Kate Moss

No they can't.

 

[Urban Publications]

Yeah they can

http://funnie.st/389691/photoshop-transformations/

 

[The_Bag_Supplier_Ltd]

Omg....lol...

 

[Nuno]

Yeah that looks just terrific. If you like the overcooked Barbydoll look and hate having anything looking at all natural.

Why not just use a manikin if you want to go down that road? At least you'll appear honest and competent, and honesty does help shift products to the basket.

I don't follow fashion but from what I see in the colour sups neither the editorials nor the ads use really crassly bad models, badly shot and photoshopped to death as images, as above. You might be able to work out why.

You could I suppose go down the 3D route which is very good on Photoshop CC but a good photographer also being a good 3D renderer is vanishingly unlikely and it's probably quicker and cheaper to go the traditional route.

 

[Urban Publications]

Yeah that looks just terrific. If you like the overcooked Barbydoll look and hate having anything looking at all natural.

Next you will be telling me the front cover of "Vogue" has not been touched with any enhancing software and is all natural

 

[Nuno]

Next you will be telling me the front cover of "Vogue" has not been touched with any enhancing software and is all natural

No, that is a stupid argument. If you can't tell the difference why should any of your views hold water?
Both examples have been PS'd, one by a fapmonkey, the other by pros.

 

[GeorgeDavidHodgson]

A friend of mine went to the local Spearmint Rhino and spoke to a few of the girls there. Worked well for him. Good looking models who knew how best to show off his products. The models worked on the stand at events after the photo shoot too. He found them very hard working and reliable.

This is a possible route I am looking at. I am going to email the Fashion Universities around me, luckily I have some very good ones. At this point, I won't be looking at spending thousands on the shoot because it's a startup.

 

[GeorgeDavidHodgson]

In my dire


In fifteen years I was dealing with models this route has consistently proven the old saying 'if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys' - Looks are one thing, but being able to present themselves to the camera and interact with the photographer are quite another.

Either work with an established professional who will know models suitable for your work, or as others suggest go to an agency: Starnow are ok - Storm also have a very good portfolio of models, including some international high flyers.

It is honestly worth paying out to get the best images, especially for designer fashion.

Yes this is also a very good point. I am still deciding on which route to take. My father has very good contacts in this industry, so we are going to look at this an possible option as well! Thank you for such a good reply!

 

[Urban Publications]

No, that is a stupid argument. If you can't tell the difference why should any of your views hold water?
Both examples have been PS'd, one by a fapmonkey, the other by pros.

I didn't say that I couldn't tell the difference, I can tell that both examples have been airbrushed no matter if its been done by a pro or a Photoshop wannabe, I think your missing my point, most people on this thread have mentioned Go to the Pro;s, Get top Models etc etc now its pretty clear the OP is in start up stage of the business, Professional Photographers and experienced models are not going to come in at minimum wage...I would of thought a top photographer would want, make up, hair etc doing, who's footing that bill the models or the client

I am going to play the "More ways to skin a cat" card

Personally I would go on Flikr and join local groups
https://www.flickr.com/groups/uk/

People are always putting fashion pics up, if they have some good photos with nice looking models drop them a line, most people on Flickr are amateurs so the cost would come tumbling down, they would much prefer to grow their portfolio with some beer tokens, this applies to the amateur models too....just because their amateurs doesn't mean they are not good at what they do,, they just haven't been discovered yet

You can also join the groups and ask people to show you their work, ask them for a quote, it certainly wont be "David Bailey taking photos of Moss and Campbell" prices

 

[ethical PR]

A friend of mine went to the local Spearmint Rhino and spoke to a few of the girls there. Worked well for him. Good looking models who knew how best to show off his products. The models worked on the stand at events after the photo shoot too. He found them very hard working and reliable.

Be very surprised if the young women working in a lap dancing club were professional cat walk models.

You mention products and stands at shows so doesn't sound like they were modelling clothes.

 

[Urban Publications]

Be very surprised if the young women working in a lap dancing club were professional cat walk models.

Or be in the latest Littlewoods catalogue

I dont think anyone has asked the OP what type of fashion line they are going down, if its scantily clad then Peppermint Rhino/Fast Car show may be the place to go, but judging by how much money those women must earn would put a premium on a photoshoot

 

[GeorgeDavidHodgson]

Or be in the latest Littlewoods catalogue

I dont think anyone has asked the OP what type of fashion line they are going down, if its scantily clad then Peppermint Rhino/Fast Car show may be the place to go, but judging by how much money those women must earn would put a premium on a photoshoot

You have made a good point here.

I am going into designer fashion, this involves T-Shirts, Formal & Informal shirts, trousers, jackets, knitwear etc.

 

[Urban Publications]

Unless they are wet T-shirts then obviously lap dancers are not the way forward,

Like I mentioned have a quick browse of flickr and send some pm's, join groups etc etc they will be people their who would certainly be able to help at the reduced start up cost you are looking for

https://www.flickr.com/groups/fashionuk/pool/page2

 

[GeorgeDavidHodgson]

I didn't say that I couldn't tell the difference, I can tell that both examples have been airbrushed no matter if its been done by a pro or a Photoshop wannabe, I think your missing my point, most people on this thread have mentioned Go to the Pro;s, Get top Models etc etc now its pretty clear the OP is in start up stage of the business, Professional Photographers and experienced models are not going to come in at minimum wage...I would of thought a top photographer would want, make up, hair etc doing, who's footing that bill the models or the client

I am going to play the "More ways to skin a cat" card

Personally I would go on Flikr and join local groups


People are always putting fashion pics up, if they have some good photos with nice looking models drop them a line, most people on Flickr are amateurs so the cost would come tumbling down, they would much prefer to grow their portfolio with some beer tokens, this applies to the amateur models too....just because their amateurs doesn't mean they are not good at what they do,, they just haven't been discovered yet

You can also join the groups and ask people to show you their work, ask them for a quote, it certainly wont be "David Bailey taking photos of Moss and Campbell" prices

Thank you for this fantastic reply. I am in the startup stages, and choosing Storm models & top photographers may sound perfect, but it is prohibitive. I am going to take your suggestion, join groups on Flickr etc. If you can recommend anymore websites like this, I would be very grateful. I am also going to email some of the Fashion universities, people there are in the know and will also be wanting to get a portfolio. Thank you for this reply.

Regards

 

[Urban Publications]

Im not to sure about Fashion Colleges/Uni's these people are normally fashion designers, they wont have contacts with a vast amount of models, I would be more inclined to exhaust the photographer route first as these will have a more diverse range of models/contacts

 

[Nuno]

If you use amateurs it will look like amateur hour which, especially launching a fashion brand, would be the kiss of death. Fashion is all about image. If your image says 'amateur' it also says 'cheap' which is a place you don't want to go.

I appreciate that a decent fashion photographer and fashion models are expensive, and I doubt they will give you what you want anyway. Go for a good Commercial/advertising photographer and rely on their advice and contacts.

If this is still too expensive for your startup why not have a think about using mannequins? Rent, borrow or hire some mannequins for the shoot, hire a photographer and a stylist for a day to see how it is done, and then buy a bit of kit and do it yourself.
This will give a better result than using a bunch of well meaning, keen amateurs with no camera skills of knowledge of what is needed from a shoot.

 

[Urban Publications]

If you use amateurs it will look like amateur hour which, especially launching a fashion brand, would be the kiss of death. Fashion is all about image. If your image says 'amateur' it also says 'cheap' which is a place you don't want to go.

I think you are totally wrong, like with the link I gave for Flickr a lot of those photo's have been taken by amateurs....do they look like amateurs.

Are they called professional photographers because they have opened a studio and turned their hobby into a business...In a lot of cases yes.
They have overheads so will charge a premium..it doesn't mean they can take better pictures than an amateur

Just because someone wants to do it for beer tokens and to build a portfolio does not make them poor photographers, I would put money on there being amateur photographers that would run circles around the so called "Pro's"

 

[Socio South West]

Be very surprised if the young women working in a lap dancing club were professional cat walk models.

You mention products and stands at shows so doesn't sound like they were modelling clothes.

Actually, there is a lot of crossover with modelling, dancing and exhibition stand work -with many girls eeking out a living from bouncing between the three jobs. OK, these are not the household names, but most will be good enough to have been published to a greater or lesser degree in their modellng work.

 

[Nuno]

I think you are totally wrong, like with the link I gave for Flickr a lot of those photo's have been taken by amateurs....do they look like amateurs.

Are they called professional photographers because they have opened a studio and turned their hobby into a business...In a lot of cases yes.
They have overheads so will charge a premium..it doesn't mean they can take better pictures than an amateur

Just because someone wants to do it for beer tokens and to build a portfolio does not make them poor photographers, I would put money on there being amateur photographers that would run circles around the so called "Pro's"

Yeah, well, as before, your standards don't seem the highest. The pros I know are not hobbyists who opened studios but people who went to college, then got jobs as assistants, (the equivalent of an apprenticeship) and then opened studios, (or hire them as needed).
I have never, ever, in 25 years working in creative media come across a hobbyist who can actually do a really good commercial job, whether or not they have a studio.
Your mileage differs. I'm offering advice to the OP, not arguing with an AmPho lover wanting to take the low road of cheap 'n' nasty. And my advice stands: do it properly or do it again, which is true of many sectors.

 

[Urban Publications]

I have never, ever, in 25 years working in creative media come across a hobbyist who can actually do a really good commercial job, whether or not they have a studio.
Your mileage differs. I'm offering advice to the OP, not arguing with an AmPho lover wanting to take the low road of cheap 'n' nasty. And my advice stands: do it properly or do it again, which is true of many sectors.

You are obviously looking in the wrong places.

Ansel Adams will be turning in his grave

So please do explain to me why the best photographers in the world are self taught...including David Bailey and Ansel Adams, not a qualification or apprenticeship in site,, are we going to start calling their images low standard, may we need to get a Pro in who's got a "qualification" to do it better.

So your wrong, photography is more about the eye not the piece of paper a Uni produces nor the equipment you have

ie
http://www.ippawards.com/2014-winners/

Not bad for one of the worst camera phones on the market..wonder if any of them have a qualification in photography

 

[The_Bag_Supplier_Ltd]

George would perhaps be best putting out a request for models and photographers to submit portfolios of their work to him so that he, himself, can directly compare the costs and benefits of using amateur or professional photographers and models. Beyond that, if it is a question of ethics, then I am pretty sure that there are many who voice the question of using models at all.

 

[Nuno]

David Bailey was an assistant to John French.
Ansel Adams is known for his Zone System of B/W printing. He learnt B/W printing at a commercial print finisher in San Francisco.
Got any more?
Annie Leibovitz? Staffer, Rolling Stone.
Albert Watson? College.
Terence Donovan? College
Rankin? College.

Any more from you? Maybe a bit more modern than a 1960s talented lad and a 1930s American richboy?

And linking to the iPhone photo awards when we are meant to be discussing serious commercial photography is dumb. Oohh Er! I can take photo with my new toy! Aren't I clever! It's a camera-wamera! Ok it doesn't attach to a tripod or have an optical zoom, and it won't synchronize with lighting but it's an iThingy!
(You know Bailey had an exhibition of mobile phone photos some years ago, and went straight back to cameras? Strictly amateur hour on Blackpool pier.)

But I'm bored now, so you can have the thread and your recommendation that the OP bases his public image on amateurs. Fashion is hard enough without crassly bad advice.

 

[The_Bag_Supplier_Ltd]

A few quick questions for personal interest... How did once amateur photographers become Professionals? What are the mechanics of the process? When did the step from Amateur to Professional occur?

I ask because the argument here appears to be one of difference and I assume, like most industries, someone did not just declare themselves a Professional but, rather, had an initial Amateur talent that was developed and then was recognised and sought after.

Who are tomorrow's Professionals if it is not the Amateurs of today? It seems a strange concept to me that Amateurs be denied the chance to become professionals via lack of opportunity if their talent is strong.

I would assume, unless I am reasonably advised differently, that talent is talent, whether Professional or Amateur, and that talent decides the fate of the photographer, that the distinction between who is deemed as Professional and who deemed an Amateur is not a matter for the photographer to decide but one for the end user.

I may be wrong and would be pleased if someone advised me differently, I am neither a photographer nor a purchaser of photography but I do appreciate art in all its forms and have been somewhat perplexed by some of the answers in this thread. Enlighten me please.

 

[Urban Publications]

I would assume, unless I am reasonably advised differently, that talent is talent, whether Professional or Amateur, .

No apparently you need a piece of paper to say your talented

The examples I gave are still "Self Taught"...Ansel Adams is known for his Zone System of B/W printing. He learnt B/W printing at a commercial print finisher in San Francisco,

Sorry me bad, I didnt realise we can call them a professional photographer because they worked at a printers, give us a clue what printers and cameras have in common,,, am I missing the point somewhere.

I gave the example of the iphone shots to prove that amateurs can take decent photos.something that you seem to think is a myth without formal training....I also used it so you dont try and jump on a £30k worth of camera equipment band wagon

So to break you out your boredom please do explain when does an amateur become a professional.

 

[Urban Publications]

Any more from you? Maybe a bit more modern than a 1960s talented lad and a 1930s American richboy?

No I dont need to say many more as I wanted to use examples of professionals that didnt need to send their "professionally" taken photos to the re-touching department for the photoshop guru to take away their so called professional talent