Where to find models?

ProfJohn

Lifer
Jul 28, 2006
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I would like to do more people photography, but I don?t want to pay for a ?real? model.
So anyone have suggestions on where/how to find people to pose for free?

Has anyone tried craigslist.org and the model for portfolio thing?
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,716
417
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tbqhwy.com
CraigsList
post an add stating what you want, and they you arnt paying, people will respond, just tell them you will give them prints or images,
 

IeraseU

Senior member
Aug 25, 2004
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0
71
I agree with Craiglist being hit or miss. While definitely possible to get lucky (and I have), I've also got some really unprofessional responses there.
 
Dec 10, 2005
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My friend put up an ad on Craigslist got several responses, including getting to shoot a small concert. Though, some responses were kind of sketchy.
 

ProfJohn

Lifer
Jul 28, 2006
18,251
8
0
Originally posted by: virtuamike
Craigslist is more often miss than hit. Try modelmayhem.

Or just shoot friends and family until you feel comfortable shooting people ;)
Great site, thanks for the info.

But it is highly intimidating looking at the quality of some of those shots.
Those are professional quality shots and here I am taking pics of my niece and nephew at the park :D
 

virtuamike

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2000
7,845
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Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Originally posted by: virtuamike
Craigslist is more often miss than hit. Try modelmayhem.

Or just shoot friends and family until you feel comfortable shooting people ;)
Great site, thanks for the info.

But it is highly intimidating looking at the quality of some of those shots.
Those are professional quality shots and here I am taking pics of my niece and nephew at the park :D

Everyone starts somewhere. I had flowers and landscapes in my portfolio for the first month. Give it a try :)
 

Aharami

Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
21,294
148
106
Originally posted by: virtuamike
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Originally posted by: virtuamike
Craigslist is more often miss than hit. Try modelmayhem.

Or just shoot friends and family until you feel comfortable shooting people ;)
Great site, thanks for the info.

But it is highly intimidating looking at the quality of some of those shots.
Those are professional quality shots and here I am taking pics of my niece and nephew at the park :D

Everyone starts somewhere. I had flowers and landscapes in my portfolio for the first month. Give it a try :)

if you dont mind me asking, how much do you usually have to pay your models?
 

virtuamike

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2000
7,845
13
81
Originally posted by: Aharami
Originally posted by: virtuamike
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Originally posted by: virtuamike
Craigslist is more often miss than hit. Try modelmayhem.

Or just shoot friends and family until you feel comfortable shooting people ;)
Great site, thanks for the info.

But it is highly intimidating looking at the quality of some of those shots.
Those are professional quality shots and here I am taking pics of my niece and nephew at the park :D

Everyone starts somewhere. I had flowers and landscapes in my portfolio for the first month. Give it a try :)

if you dont mind me asking, how much do you usually have to pay your models?

I don't pay ;)
 

virtuamike

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2000
7,845
13
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Originally posted by: randomlinh
Originally posted by: virtuamike
I don't pay ;)

gotten to the point where they "pay" you now ;)? Gotta say I'm always rather jealous of your pictures anytime I click on your link, good stuff. I need to motivate myself somehow...

There's a lot of trading involved. I get something for my book, the models get something for their books, the MUAs and whoever else is involved get stuff for their books, and so on. Money enters in the equation if one or more of those conditions isn't being met (ie - I don't really want to shoot this model, this model doesn't really need shots from me, and so on), but it's a lot simpler just finding people that are all on the same page. Money also comes in for commercial work (if someone's going to profit from your work, then get paid for it).

So it's not all fun and games, but I still like it. I meet and work with a lot of cool people, I get to learn about the industry, and gigs pop up time to time to pay for my toys :cool:
 

ProfJohn

Lifer
Jul 28, 2006
18,251
8
0
Originally posted by: virtuamike
Originally posted by: randomlinh
Originally posted by: virtuamike
I don't pay ;)
gotten to the point where they "pay" you now ;)? Gotta say I'm always rather jealous of your pictures anytime I click on your link, good stuff. I need to motivate myself somehow...

There's a lot of trading involved. I get something for my book, the models get something for their books, the MUAs and whoever else is involved get stuff for their books, and so on. Money enters in the equation if one or more of those conditions isn't being met (ie - I don't really want to shoot this model, this model doesn't really need shots from me, and so on), but it's a lot simpler just finding people that are all on the same page. Money also comes in for commercial work (if someone's going to profit from your work, then get paid for it).

So it's not all fun and games, but I still like it. I meet and work with a lot of cool people, I get to learn about the industry, and gigs pop up time to time to pay for my toys :cool:
Some very nice work there.
I have the landscapes and flowers bit down, trying to move into people because let?s be honest that is the only place there is any money to be made.
(Although it seems you can make $50-60 a pop doing real estate photos, but not sure if there is enough of that work to make a living at it.)

Like you I would like to eventually make enough money at it to buy more toys.
 

Rottie

Diamond Member
Feb 10, 2002
4,795
1
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I always ask my friends to do modeling for me or I take model of myself.
 

pradeep1

Golden Member
Jun 4, 2005
1,099
1
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I belong to another photography site and there are some professional photogs on there. Many do nude and erotic work, and all they do is approach attractive women at malls and other public places and hand them a business card and ask them to model for them. Once they get them in the studio, they build up a relationship and create greate images.

Time for Prints (TFP) is a common method to get free models.