Care For Your Reputation

As a photographer you meet a lot of people. During photo sessions you meet models, wardrobe stylists, make up artists and assistants.

If you are good, you get a nice amount of emails from models and other people who’d like to meet you… and you can meet them for a coffee. When you go out, you might bump into someone, and even get introduced to someone new. And since everybody knows everyone it can be quite a lot of fun.

But you can imagine that such an environment is also ideal for spreading of rumors. And if you are not careful your reputation can be at risk. A situation you do not want to get stuck in.

Your best bet is to tread carefully. Let me share with you my golden rules which I respect at all my photo sessions:

• – Never, ever touch a model. In any way. Do not even think about it! I have heard some models speak very bad about photographers who had touched them. If you want their hair to be moved or their clothes to be fitted in a special way, do not touch them. Ask them to move it themselves or ask the make up artist or wardrobe stylist to do it for you. This is really important

• – Stick to all your agreements with everybody involved in a photo session. Even if you end up regretting the agreement stick to it anyways and learn from your mistake

• – Manage expectations as best you can by ensuring all aspects of a photo session are discussed properly before a photo session

• – Only the required people should be present at a photo session. You do not want a model to think you are bringing your buddies to the photo session.

• – Never speak bad about anybody. At photo sessions people tend to speak a lot, providing a perfect place for spreading rumors. Keep your mouth shut and share your secrets or information only with your best friends. It’s better to be a quiet photographer and you will be respected

• - A photo session is a working environment and therefore you must treat everybody as work colleagues. Do not get too personal nor too flirtatious and you will avoid uncomfortable situations.

What rules do you follow? How do you manage your photo sessions? Anything I have overseen?

Further reading

- Managing Model Contracts