The focus of this section is mainly for models who may be considering working with me and would like to get to know what the environment will be like.
Working with me isn’t hard or stressful. In fact it’s pretty laid back. I do have one rule: You have to feel comfortable. Having said that, I see that it’s my job to make you feel comfortable.
Let’s talk about two types of boundaries.
Our personal space is ours and not be encroached upon. I won’t make physical contact with models. All directions will be verbal and hopefully clear enough for you. If I have to, I will mime, but Marcel Marceau I am not!
There is also the boundary between what we are, and are not, comfortable doing. I come from an engineering background. Everything we design for a customer needs to be very specific and well defined. No assumptions. If anything is vague or open to interpretation we ask the customer for clarification. Is this what you want? If not, we discuss it until we’re both on the same page.
The same goes for the models I work with. If there is something you don’t want to do it’s best to know these things up front. Some models might not like to be photographed leaning on their left elbow. This is perfectly fine as long as I know before hand.
At shoot time we may discover something that we hadn’t considered earlier. No problem. We clarify the boundaries and move on. We don’t cross them; we don’t move them. We just light up where they are. Easy.
If I inadvertently ask something of you at shooting time that may go over your boundaries, I apologise in advance for the bad assumption. I’m not trying to push those boundaries, I’m simply trying to find out where they are.
Now, communication. All inquiries by either party will always be followed through until closure. That means nothing is left hanging. Ghosting is not cool. Tentative bookings will be confirmed. “I’ll get back to you” is not closure. If you don’t get back to me by a reasonable date or time, I’ll will contact you to get either a definite yes or no. No is an acceptable answer! I’m fine with that. In the unlikely event of me being unable to meet an appointment or deadline, I will contact you as soon as it becomes known to me.
I hope this makes you comfortable about our shoot together and gives you some confidence that there won’t be any surprises on location. Let’s both look forward to our shoot!