Read about how I started my portfolio and outrageous stories about outlandish, creepy, and weird photographers....
When I moved to LA I didn't have any photos to show brands or casting directors, so it was essential for me to build my portfolio. I asked some of the models I had met in passing how they met some of their photographers and they directed to me to a popular model/photographer website. I spent hours browsing through the countless lists and portfolios. I ended up reaching out to a few who I loved, but many of them were hesitant to work with me because I had nothing to show them. The outcome was a little disheartening, but I knew I had to work with my options.
Photographer 1
The time had come for my first shoot and I was super excited. I had spent the last week corresponding with the photographer about different looks and concepts for the shoot. I made my way to the location of the shoot and it turned out to be at an apartment building. Immediately, I texted my friend to tell him to meet me at the location. I didn't go in the building, I texted the photographer and told him I would be running late. I then, went to the local shops around the apartment until my friend arrived. I know it was unprofessional for me to be "late" however, I was not about to take a chance and end up on an episode of Snapped. My friend finally arrived 45 minutes later and we made our way to the apartment. The photographer greeted us at the door and was surprised/ upset that my friend would be accompanying me. He (the photographer) soon got over it (my friend helped with the production) and we were able to finalize the outfits. He made me try on a lot of swimwear and lingerie. I am no prude, but it was imperative to me that the shoot be tasteful. I am okay with wearing risky pieces if I'm serving fashion. There were a couple pieces that were outrageous in made up of nothing more than air! I told him that I would not be wearing a couple of the pieces he had chosen. He tried to argue with me, but I remained strong in my decision. We started shooting in the living room that had been turned into a studio and later we moved to the bathroom because of the aesthetic. The shoot went well. I didn't feel uncomfortable, everything just flowed. When it was time to change into the next look the photographer would try to add additional outfits for me to shoot in. Most of them were outfits I had already said “no” to. I let him know AGAIN that I would not be shooting in them. There was one garment that was risky but had the opportunity to be high fashion if it was shot right. I told the photographer that I only wanted the outfit shot from the front, because the back was literally butt out and I didn't want people or agencies to associate me as an urban model. He agreed and we shot the look. When we wrapped up shooting the photographer told me it would take him 2 months to edit the photos. I thought 2 months was a lot time to edit the pictures, but I left it alone because I wanted to give him creative control. Two months go by and I did not hear from the photographer. I sent out an email to see if he was almost finished with the photos. He told me he was not done editing but he would let me preview what he had done so far. I looked at the pictures and I was SOOOOOOO mad. They were absolutely horrible.
Now, I know that I will not like every photo that is taken of me, and I am ok with that. However, I am not ok with someone exploiting me. It appeared from the pictures taken that the photographer had the camera centered on my crotch and decided to use that photo as a final image. He also took butt shots and used them as final images, which I had clearly communicated that I did not want. I was so hurt/shocked/ mad I sent an email of my displeasure. Although I was mad, I still kept it professional. It read:
Thank you for the reply. I am looking forward to seeing the other pictures. I must say that I am very disappointed by the selection of pictures. Also, I was very clear about not having my butt showing in any of the pictures and you reassured me that it would not be present. I was also very clear that I am going in a high fashion direction and the pictures and angles presented in these pictures are everything but high fashion. Going forward in the editing and selection process, I ask that you please be mindful of the pictures you select. These pictures will affect my career negatively and this is not the image I would like to portray to future agencies and perspective clients.
Thank you,
Iris
Boy, had I pissed him off. He replied:
now i've got to admit that i'm disappointed in your being disappointed, but even more so i'm disapointed in your email. i've been in this business for over a decade, iris, and i know very well what kind of stuff affects model's careers negatively. believe me, it is not the sort of pictures that we took but how one interacts with people in this business. so, a friendly piece of advice: in the future, never write to photographers in the manner you wrote to me, no matter what.
Well there you have it folks. As a "model" I'm not allowed to speak on the things that will affect my career or my person. I. THINK. NOT. I feel that this notion that you have to be ok with people dishonoring their word and exploiting models is played out and whack. He then told me to look at Naomi's portfolio (which he attached to the email). As I said before, I am no prude but I would like my work to display taste, class, elegance, and style. The pictures he took of me did not exude any of that and in my opinion did not deserve to be compared to Naomi Campbell’s work.
Photo cred: The photographer that I mentioned above sent me this collage to compare his work to.
I have included some of the photos he sent me below. Be mindful that I can't post some of them because they are just so bad.
You be the judge.
Photographer 2
I have had lots of shoots with different photographers at this point and I know how to spot the creepy photographer. This photographer messaged me on Instagram wanting to shoot with me. I looked through his portfolio and he was very talented and he worked for a known fashion show I casted for. We corresponded for a couple of hours on concepts. We talked about doing an implied nude shoot but, I was not 100% on board because I already had a lot of implied nude content. Later, he told me he had access to vintage sheer dresses and I was definitely on board for anything vintage. I had asked him to send me pictures of the dresses and he sent me photos of models he had already shot in the exact same dresses. From my point of view, it was crazy to keep shooting the same thing over and over. I told him that I would like to go in a different direction creatively. He seemed okay with that. He randomly texted me one day and asked if I would be able to shoot later that evening. I was open to having an impromptu shoot, but I did not want to shoot an implied look or lingerie. The conversation went like:
:
I know the texts seem repetitive, but I wanted this guy to not perpetuate the creepy photographer stereotype and he did. I allowed the conversation to continue over the course of a couple of hours because I really wanted to work with him. This particular photographer had shot at some of the runway shows that I was casting for. This experience wasn't entirely negative, it taught me a couple of important lessons.
The Moral of the Story
I learned throughout both mishaps that I needed to create solid boundaries for myself as a model. I hear countless stories of how models were abused and taken advantage of and I will not allow that to be my potion! From those experiences on out, I decided to be an active participator throughout the creative project. For instance, if I'm working on a project that teeters on the riskier side of fashion, I make my expectations and guidelines crystal clear BEFORE shooting. If I’m shooting with a photographer that I’ve worked with in the past (which is usually the case) I can verbally communicate my wishes with the peace of mind that my requests will be honored, however with some of my new photographers, I have implemented a contract where I am protected. Also, I learned to value character over prestige. I had this problem where I would try to make things work no matter how many red flags I saw. That behavior was problematic to my growth as a model and business woman. Now, I don't care how big of a name the photographer has or what show they’ve worked at, if his/her character isn't pure we cannot create together. Lastly, I don't want you to think this post serves as a bashing session, because that is far from my intention. I want to simply bring awareness through my personal experience. I get a lot of direct messages on Instagram asking for advice on this matter, and if I could say one thing it would be: be concrete with your "no's" and firmly stand your ground.