fenrirlives-deactivated20101216 asked: Hey Lou,
2 parter. How do you find models to work with? And then how do you approach them about shooting with you/concepts of the shoot? Your work seems very free flowing and most of the models I seem to find want everything to be written in stone before the shoot.
-Zac
Zac,
Part 1: I find models from all over. Friends, friends of friends, Flickr, Tumblr, Model Mayhem, people I see on the streets. When I was first starting, it was all friends, and then the circle of possibility widened as I began to build up a body of work I could show folks.
Part 2: my approach is varies depending on the situation. I usually describe more the kind of feel I’m going for, rather than any kind of concrete concept. Just tell them what it is you’re after, see if that goes. Maybe they’re not looking for High Concept as much as you being able to convey a concrete vision, gives them a better sense that you know what you’re doing, as opposed to something bush league or shady.
I think it’s all-too-common that aspiring models end up with photographers who don’t know what they’re doing, or are after something less than legitimate, so they becomes reasonably suspicious of anyone asking to take their picture. The more questions a model asks, the better! You don’t have to give them a 10 page outline of what you’re planning, but having a good idea of what you’re after, what you’re trying to accomplish, that reflects well on you, and gives a model a much better impression.
