Well It is The Silly Season...
It happens all the time, but this Christmas season has seen almost all the Facebook "Modelling" pages and many of the Model contact websites inundated with "casting calls" for "models" which are no more than thinly veiled recruitment ads for escorts, in Australia certainly, but mostly from Asia and America. As seems a symptom of the times, these great, once in a lifetime opportunities to be a world famous star, ( no doubt to pose for an international award winning photographer! ) offer ridiculously low pay rates ( or nothing at all but "exposure" ) for amounts of work which could not possibly be completed in a week, rather than the time it takes for a "photo session", and "qualifications", audition materials, and dedication beyond that of a trainee nuclear physicist. One ad which particluarly caught my eye, posted in many places, was offering the princely sum of $400. .. you got to work from home (?) provide "evidence" of a certain amount of "work" daily, fit very specific ethnic, physical, body measurement and colouring requirements... oh I better make it clear: $ 400 per MONTH for working for an escort agency based in Chicago, (advertising in Australia remember) which the advertiser/recruiter claimed he did not work for, allthough he was a "former" owner. What is most disturbing however, is the number of either gullible, desperate, blind, or "don't give a shit" models who jump at these opportunities. These casting calls are always met with a constant stream of "models" desperately crying "pick me pick me!" Now I know that each and every one of these model contact sites and every photographer is inundated with desperate unemployables thinking they have what it takes to be a model ( broken chewed nails, tattoos, excess fat, complete ignorance of what modelling is, and an utter aversion to getting a job seem to be prime requisites these days) I myself get several emails each week from totally unsuitable girls , (and quite often men with muscles in all the right places...or so they assure me,) and I don't even advertise on any of these sites. Although I only work within a 100km radius of my home near Sydney, I regularly get emails from as far afield as Perth, Rockhampton in Qld, New Zealand and California, and New York, as well as Russia...all from damsels begging me to photograph them (because it would be great for MY portfolio) in a great location they have not far from their home! Do, or even can , these people read? Do they care what kiind of situation they get themselves into? Does it matter that the photogapher they are applying to is great, good, bad, indifferent, or even knows enough about photography to know which button to push, or that you actually need a data card in your camera...in the old days the number of "photographers" without film in their cameras was legendary...but girls still haven't learned. Well good luck to you girls: I fear that you may indeed become famous, but for very different reasons than you imagine. Experience...the Difference
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Portfolio Evaluation and Comp Card Design Service
Models, Actors, and Photographers all need an effective Portfolio specifcally tailered to the work they wish to pursue, and to appeal to the industry professionals who will base their work decisions on what they see. Why not book a one hour appointment to have your portfolio evaluated based on the long accepted requirements of the industry. We come to your home, office or studio, and help you select your best and most effective work from an objective point of view in line with current industry needs: helping you to select and streamline your portfolio into a lean and meaningful body of work which represents you at your best. More importantly we explain why some of your work, which although may be excellent technically or artistically does not belong in your folio. (We can also evaluate your portfolio pics via email, or your website portfolio) Comp Cards, Personal Promotion, Slide Shows and Video We also offer a service to design and create an effective comp card, ( Z-c ard, Zed- card, sed card, leave behind) to leave as a reminder to every industry professional you interview/audition with...an essential tool for every model and actor who is not agency represented, or chooses to freelance or represent themselves. We can also produce extended versions of your printed portfolio as a DVD quality virtual slide show program for personal promotion, as well as versions produced to the differing requirements of online use on sites such as Facebook, youtube, vimeo etc, or on your own website. NEW! VIDEO SHOWREELS: One of the tools long used by actors, but now becoming common amongst models in the forefront of their industry is the "showreel video", which shows you not only at your best and in action at your chosen vocation, but also as a creative person behind the makeup and the photos. We can create showreels completely from scratch for both models and actors, in the studio or on location with your photographer's cooperation ( great for his/her promotion as well) and also integrate existing or purpose shot photos and video footage into a high qualtiy and effective showreel for either DVD or online use Experience... The Difference Anyone wanting to gain some experience?
Is there, or does anyone know of, a student of photography, video, media or communications or a keen amateur photographer of sound recordist, who would be interested in gaining some experience and training in all aspects of documentary production, including video, photography, sound recording, research and scripting? The person would need to live in the Lake Macquarie area (NSW, Australia) or nearby. Stephen Bennett Photography and Video will be producing a small, independent documentary about the Eleebana/Valentine area during 2015, and would prefer one or two additional crew (Unpaid) from close by, so as to be able to assist with liaison with participating residents, as well as actual production. Please contact me through this website, or through Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thedefinitearticlephotography http://stephenbennettstockphotography.weebly.com/ http://thedefinitearticlephotography.weebly.com/ Happy New Year : 2015
Let's Start the New Year Right. If you are interested in Modelling or Acting, beginner or experienced, I, and most other professional photographers in this field, as well as legitimate modelling and acting agencies would love to hear from you. New and as yet undiscovered talent is always sought after and welcome, but does require serious application and genuine dedication to succeed. Portfolio shoots providing industry standard and useful head, figure and fashion shots, helpful information and credible advice are only an email message away. If portraiture is what you want, portrait sessions are available at reasonable rates. Not the cheapest around by any means, but photography is increasingly an industry where you get the quality you pay for. If however you want cheap or free "pretty pics", or theme shoots, or want to join the "internet modelling" movement, I am probably not the photographer you are looking for: there are, however, thousands of internet "photographers" you can have fun playing at modelling with, and I would be happy to point you in the direction of some of the more responsible ones. If however you are coming from the "internet modelling" world, have been bitten by the "bug", and wish to pursue legitimate modelling, you are very welcome, so by all means message me. But be prepared to forget all that you have "learned" or been "taught" about posing, model requirements, chasing work, what is "great for your portfolio", and "the industry" in general...the difference between modelling in the real world and internet modelling is vast, and increasingly so, and successful transition from one to the other is rare but not yet impossible if you have the dedication and perseverence, are not afraid of hard work, and are willing to take sound advice. Experience...the Difference! |
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January 2022
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