offering photo session at charlotte pro show [Archive]

pict

August 17th, 2005, 07:05 AM

OK, here goes. I'm an amateur photographer with a tiny bit of experience photographing female physique athletes. I will be attending the Charlotte pro show Sept 30th and would love the opportunity to have a photo session with any of the athletes. I certainly do NOT see this as competing with Gene (who is the master). I just think it would be fun to do (hopefully for the athlete as well as for me); and since everybody sees things a little differently, my work would hopefully offer the athletes some slightly different perspectives on their physiques than they might otherwise get.
I'm pretty cluless about what "fair compensation" might be - I'm thinking maybe something like Offering the athlete $50 for say 45 minutes of their time - plus they would get a CD of the photos and "deletion rights" for any photo they don't like.
Is this reasonable?
I don't currently have a website but might if I get enough work done.
I use a Sony 5 megapixel DSC F707 camera (will be updating to an 8 megapixel next year (I hope). I'm away from my home computer right now. But will post some samples later.
By the way, Gene, I'm a huge fan of your work and don't expect to ever achieve your level of expertise - but a guy's gotta start somewhere, right? I only hope you don't think this post is inappropriate.

regards to all

diamondj

August 18th, 2005, 08:48 AM

i maybe wrong but i think your offer of $50 per 45 mins might be a little too far south of what i tend to believe are the normal rates of "compensation" for you to get many takers but you never know.

Amanda Dunbar

August 18th, 2005, 09:44 AM

I don't know many that would be interested in that deal. Sorry....

Amanda

Solo

August 18th, 2005, 03:44 PM

pict

August 18th, 2005, 05:56 PM

I admit to being ignorant of what an appropriate fee would be. I was asking.
So tell me what you think IS apropriate?

And thanks for the little plug, Solo. (Though I'm not exactly a "kid.")

I tried to upload a jpeg photo sample - but apparently I'm limited to files less than 100k - which is WAY SMALL. Obviously others are uploading bigger files than that. What's the secret?

Tre

August 18th, 2005, 06:37 PM

Every deal is different. There are tons of models who'd do it for that price (or less) and there are tons of models who'd ask for more. There are lots of things to consider, including usage rights, etc.

FYI: the definition of a "fair deal" is one where both parties walk away feeling they got a good deal (or that they "won" ;) )

Good luck to you and don't sell yourself short.

jasons805

August 18th, 2005, 07:44 PM

Well it seems like you just want to do more shooting, but I think some of these women feel better with someone they know or have heard of. I have been doing photography for 12 years or so now mostly film/b&w. Takin classes in highschool and college, and have professional experiance. I have never shot in the bbing world, so I would not expect anyone to want to shoot with me unless they really like my samples. For me I think if you do good work that should be more than enough for some of these women to want to shoot with you. I would love to shoot more if I could make a better living at it. Here are a few old crappy examples of what I do. I wish I had not lost so many of my photos over the years. Not sure if I made any sence again.
Jason

gymdiva1222

August 19th, 2005, 12:05 AM

that rugby shot is a really nice action shot...

Tre

August 19th, 2005, 01:08 AM

Cool stuff (and good advice), Jason. I, too, really like the rugby shot.

viclight

August 19th, 2005, 06:50 AM

That rugby shot is good, the Shell station really caught my eye. It is the mark of a good photog. to take something hum drum and make it look good. Nice work jasons805.

Scott

August 19th, 2005, 08:30 AM

cool shots!

Tonia Williams

August 19th, 2005, 09:12 AM

Pict,

I'd love to shoot with you! Everyone needs to catch a break and this might just be yours!!! I'd even do it TFP.

However, I don't PLAN on being in Charlotte. If my plans change, I will let you know.

Best of luck to you!

Tonia Williams
www.toniawilliams.com

Andrea Gahan

August 19th, 2005, 09:59 AM

I disagree with some posters.

I would shoot with this gentlemen, also. Some of my best experiences have been with novices or unknowns; whether they are photographers, graphic artists, suit designers, music mixers, etc....... Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is a good way to get exposure, practice in front of the camera, and to meet new people in the industry- all good things.

Being paid on top of it, just sweetens the deal. Some of "us" aren't prima donna's who need to be paid "up" with a certain dollar amount. And.......I consider myself as good a model as anybody.

Certainly in demand!

Andrea Gahan

JTx

August 19th, 2005, 03:46 PM

My first "real" shoot was done with a local NPC FBB here in Seattle. I happened to also be working with on her web site. She didn't have a lot of pics and she asked me to take some for her. Three years later I'm still learning and hopefully getting better with each shoot.

If it's something you are interested in and have some passion for, stick with it. It sounds like you are open to suggestion and advice and that is always a good attitude to adopt.

Good luck with your new venture.

JT

Scott

August 19th, 2005, 04:54 PM

You tell em Andrea!!! BTW Good luck at the NA's!

pict

August 20th, 2005, 06:42 PM

Thanks to all for the input and special thanks to those who offered encouragement.
I've still been unable to upload any decent sized pix to this forum (maybe my s l o w dial-up is a culprit?). So what I HAVE done is to create a yahoo group where some of my work can be seen. The resolution there is still suboptimal, but it'll give you an idea. Cut and paste (or just click on?) the below link.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pictphotos/files/

You'll have to join the group. I wish I could've made samples of what I've done easier for y'all to see - but it seems this is the best I can do for now. For any that actually get to the group, the physique pix are in the folder "pict'sFBBs". And while you're there, maybe you'd like to check out some of my other photos?

country

August 20th, 2005, 09:37 PM

Pict
First off, hope you get your chance to do a shoot.
You may want to try a place like www.photobucket.com to put some photos in. A free membership will accept images up to 250k and 1024x***, and allows 1500mb traffic a month. It will allow you to link to your images gallery or individual images. There are others, but I tried this one and put a few of mine up to see how it worked.
http://photobucket.com/albums/b133/LSwartz/

country

edoardo

August 21st, 2005, 04:25 PM

Beautiful pics pict, I hope you will get to do shoots very soon. I hope to do some photoshoots sometime too, here are some photos I took at the IFBB Italian Champs the last June:
http://photobucket.com/albums/b225/edoardo70/Campionato%20Italiano%202005/

Tre

August 21st, 2005, 04:42 PM

You'll have to join the group. I wish I could've made samples of what I've done easier for y'all to see - but it seems this is the best I can do for now.

As much as I'd like to see samples of your work, you've made it way too difficult for me or anyone else who might be interested.

Lots of people have regular Yahoo photo albums or briefcases that open with a simple mouse click.

I'm willing to take the time to share this tip with you, but not willing to take the time required go through all the steps of joining a Yahoo group.

Heather Lee

August 21st, 2005, 07:31 PM

You have a great eye for photography....your stills are framed awesome, very crisp, optimal exposure...very nice.

However, if you are looking to shoot FBB'ers, and you haven't got any sample shots to show in that type of subject, I suggest you shoot some portraits, some shots of random people, still, in motion, etc....that would be more along the lines of what you would be asking to shoot.

Your work is great and I am sure people would shoot with you. People don't really like to talk dollars and cents, but the standard minimum rate is about 100$ per hour. That way everyone feels vindicated, whether or not the pics come out good.

Sorry I won't be in Charlotte to shoot with you.
:)
Heather Lee
http://www.heatherleenj.com/
http://www.heatherleenj.com/journal/journal.html

Nida

August 21st, 2005, 09:23 PM

I'm glad to come across this thread. I'm actually thinking about photography myself.

BigD

August 21st, 2005, 10:56 PM

country

August 22nd, 2005, 04:01 AM

After the last post I went in and found all available.
The first time (yesterday) only one folder and later only about half were available due, I think, to bandwidth limitations.

Nice pictures there Pict. You should do well.

country

jimbob

August 22nd, 2005, 11:06 AM

hey pict, although i joined the yahoo group i was still 'unauthorized' to view the pics. not sure if it was something i did wrong or what? jb

BigD

August 22nd, 2005, 12:38 PM

hey pict, although i joined the yahoo group i was still 'unauthorized' to view the pics. not sure if it was something i did wrong or what? jb

I finally got to the folders but am getting HTTP Error 403 when I click on the picture file.

pict

August 23rd, 2005, 06:31 PM

I appreciate the efforts folks have made to see my photos. And I apologize to those who have run into problems trying to do so.
Just in case any who havn't seen them yet would appreciate a more direct link, I followed country's advice and posted them at photobucket. The link worked well when I looked at his pix there, so hopefully it will work well for mine too.
here it is:
http://photobucket.com/albums/b377/apict/?sc=1&multi=3

peace,
jeff

BigD

August 23rd, 2005, 10:09 PM

Cool pics, man!! Can anyone tell me where I can get one of the shirts Annie was wearing, New York Muscle Club?

jasons805

August 25th, 2005, 08:35 PM

ya great pics. for me as long as pics are in focus I am happy, but now who uses manual focus. besides me lol

TomNine

August 27th, 2005, 03:46 AM

First off, you can order NYMC shirts through this page:

http://www.nymuscleclub.com/ticketinfo.htm

Pict, I'm a lot closer to you on the photographer food chain than Gene or Tre are, and still proudly maintain my amateur status. I think you are off to a good start, and I would just suggest that you not set your expectations too high for now, just hope for a few shoots in Charlotte and try to have fun with it. Take some time to build your portfolio and get your name out there, go to a few shows, develop your skills and contacts, and see what happens.

The fees you mentioned might be good in general, but if you are interested in shooting the competing pros you might not get too far. Shows are great for noncompetitors too and I know there will be some nice spectators, including some preparing for the Nationals, maybe some will see this thread and get in touch with you. Even then, you might want to shoot for more than 45 minutes. Unless you just want a fairly small amount of stills in one location and one outfit, you will find that the time goes fast.

It is good that you got some of your portfolio online, at least it gives the ladies an idea of what your skills are. After a few years of puttering around I finally settled on my own domain and a photo samples page I'm pretty happy with. http://www.tomnine.com/photo/index.html

I see from your photos that we already crossed paths at least once, at the last Jan Tana, and I'll be at the Charlotte show too. If you see a fat guy with a beard and an Hawaiian shirt sitting around the lobby looking like he's just been stood up by a model, come by and say hello.

Tom

AndyY

August 27th, 2005, 08:26 AM

Hey Pict,

Nice shots you have there. If you are interested I would be happy to give you a free spot on my site (www.andysmusclegoddesses.us) so you can advertise your photography etc.

Andy

pict

August 27th, 2005, 06:04 PM

tom,
many thanks for the comments/suggestions. I'm familiar with your work and consider you an accomplished photographic role model. (can you handle the pressure?)
I'll look for you in Charlotte. If you see a tallish, reddish haired who also looks stood up - good chance that's me.

Andy,
I LOVE your site. In my mind it is clearly THE preeminent FBB sit on the planet. I've spent WAY to much time on it but have no intentions of cutting back.

TomNine

August 27th, 2005, 08:06 PM

Pict,

You can shoot much higher than me for a role model, though I guess I offer a good "if that guy can do it, so can I" example. I only started getting serious about doing shoots last year.

Going to some shows and taking pictures is an attainable hobby for anybody with some spare time and a few extra bucks. If you want to make it more than a hobby that's a bigger commitment, but it's amazing that so many guys are making a living at it.

Good luck getting started. I'm sure we will cross paths at various shows.

Tom

pict

August 30th, 2005, 02:04 PM

Hey all! Andy was gracious enough to put together a page for me on his website (www.andysmusclegoddesses.us). And it is now up.
THANKS ANDY!!!
A few of the shots he posted have not been seen before.
Check it out.

TomNine

August 30th, 2005, 03:26 PM

The page looks good, it is sure to get a lot of attention.

http://www.amg-lite.com/jeff_maurers_photography/

I see it had almost 3000 visitors by the time I saw it, hard to beat that sort of visibility.

Tom

Tre

August 30th, 2005, 04:25 PM

Thanks so much for publishing your stuff at Photobucket...

AWESOME SHOTS. Seriously. If you can take what you've learned during your years of shooting nature, landmarks, etc. and apply it to shooting physiques, I have every confidence that your portfolio will grow rapidly.

Email me at femflex@aol.com when you get a chance - I have a work offer that might interest you.

Thanks,
Tre'

Amanda Dunbar

August 30th, 2005, 07:57 PM

Wow Tom, interesting page. I checked it out. He got a picture of Troy and Christine Envall from the Jan Tana a few years ago! lol. That was outside the hotel! How weird!

Amanda

TomNine

September 1st, 2005, 03:42 PM

Amanda, yeah, I recognized most of those pics as from the 2003 Jan Tana. Maybe a few from the 2002 Extravaganza and the NYMC show there?

Here's pict's pic of Troy and Christine:

http://www.andysgalleries.net/JeffM/Pics/JM0010.jpg

pict was way ahead of me back in 2003, the best I could do was some candids with no-names like this one:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a215/TomNine/jt000000.jpg

I wonder what became of her...

Tom

Scott

September 1st, 2005, 08:36 PM

lol cool Tom i remember lurking and watching you do that shoot with Amanda. :)

mark000

September 1st, 2005, 09:11 PM

Pict, if you are Jeff Maurer, who is this with the HUMONGOUS legs??
http://www.amg-lite.com/?view=http://www.andysgalleries.net/JeffM/Pics/JM0005.jpg
My guess is Betty Viana, or else a morph.

Tre

September 2nd, 2005, 01:03 AM

Pict, if you are Jeff Maurer, who is this with the HUMONGOUS legs??

Mark, HELLO - that's Helle, you silly - you shot her!!

Tre

September 2nd, 2005, 01:04 AM

lol cool Tom i remember lurking and watching you do that shoot with Amanda. :)

Scott - get on the stick, bro, the league needs an 8th owner. Are you in??

tangelamorgan

September 2nd, 2005, 01:28 PM

Scott

September 2nd, 2005, 07:41 PM

Scott - get on the stick, bro, the league needs an 8th owner. Are you in??

Coount me in if its not too late...

Amanda Dunbar

September 2nd, 2005, 08:44 PM

ehhhhhh, tom. lol. that is an OLD picture. lol.

Hmmmm what's become of me... let's check the progression ;) Thank God for age.

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/7452/amandadunbar074jpg7vc.jpg

Amanda ;)

BTW, I miss Troy! Anyone ever talk to him anymore?? I seldomly see him online. I miss his smart ass Aussie comments! :eek:

Tre

September 3rd, 2005, 12:54 AM

Coount me in if its not too late...

You're in, bro! Write to Boomer at "webmaster@boomerflex.com" and tell him you're the guy we've been waiting for. lol

The draft is Tuesday at 9pm eastern.

Tre

September 3rd, 2005, 12:56 AM

Hmmmm what's become of me... let's check the progression ;) Thank God ...

Thanks, God - you done good work.

Amanda, you look so good that lots of boys all over the world are thinking naughty thoughts right now, I bet.

Amanda Dunbar

September 3rd, 2005, 06:21 AM

Thanks, God - you done good work.

Amanda, you look so good that lots of boys all over the world are thinking naughty thoughts right now, I bet.

LOL. Thanks Tre... :o :D

Amanda

BTW. TRE - u still on good behavior? LOL

BigD

September 3rd, 2005, 08:47 AM

Amanda Dunbar

September 3rd, 2005, 09:00 AM

The website on Troy's shirt is Doherty's Gym in Australia that they used to train at.

www.dohertysgym.com

BigD

September 3rd, 2005, 09:35 AM

The website on Troy's shirt is Doherty's Gym in Australia that they used to train at.

www.dohertysgym.com

Cool, thanks.

pict

September 5th, 2005, 10:58 AM

Mark000, Tre',

Actually, the athlete whose legs are featured in that pic is Colette Guimond - ripped as you can see. I would've loved (and still would love) to do a shoot with Helle, though.

jeff

Tre

September 5th, 2005, 01:35 PM

I stand corrected!

TomNine

September 6th, 2005, 08:42 PM

It's very coincidental that I worked in that building (behind Amanda and those guys in the pics) for two years. I remember seeing some of the female competitors come through and being absolutely amazed. Now here I am a few years laters fancying myself a fbb :)

Tangela Morgan
tangelamorgan.com

Talking about coincidences, I just added to my Andy page a video clip of Tangela doing a pretty convincing FBB impression:

http://www.fbbwomen.net/tom/T98.mpg

Tre, if you are offering pict work, don't scare him off before the next BodyRock!

Tom

LarryN

September 7th, 2005, 05:16 PM

Give the kid a break, ladies. He's workin' on his art, and may possibly provide fbb with a little exposure, should he publish his work down the road. Plus, most of you have your own websites, and more photos to put up for a members' section wouldn't hurt, either.

I remember my first big shoot (which was way back in 1982). I had only a few shoots under my belt (and very little experience) Yet a public relations officer for the BC Lions football team approached me about shooting the cheerleaders and a football game despite my lack of experience at the time. I've always been greatful for that. Let's hear about some early experiences from the other photographers out there.

Larry :)

mark000

September 7th, 2005, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by mark000:
Pict, if you are Jeff Maurer, who is this with the HUMONGOUS legs??

Tre:
Mark, HELLO - that's Helle, you silly - you shot her!!

Helle's legs were spectacular, but they weren't THAT big :p

Or, alternatively, they may have been that diameter, but much longer :D

http://www.hellenielsen.com/gallery/4images/details.php?image_id=62

country

September 8th, 2005, 12:39 AM

On Helle's legs, looks simply to be camera angle and lens focal length. Camera angle slightly down on what appears to be a wide angle lens setting, given the sofa edge distorts slightly left and the dresser distorts considerably right. If you look at the wood trim by her thigh you will see it tapers from larger at top to smaller at bottom. ;)

country

tangelamorgan

September 8th, 2005, 07:05 PM

:D Thanks for posting that Tom. I hadn't seen that! Not too bad for a neophyte. Already got some interesting emails because of that clip. lol :D

Tangela Morgan
tangelamorgan.com

TomNine

September 8th, 2005, 07:54 PM

Helle's legs were spectacular, but they weren't THAT big :p

Or, alternatively, they may have been that diameter, but much longer :D

http://www.hellenielsen.com/gallery/4images/details.php?image_id=62

We already Agreed that it isn't Helle, but Colette G, shorter and thicker than Helle.

:D Thanks for posting that Tom. I hadn't seen that! Not too bad for a neophyte. Already got some interesting emails because of that clip. lol :D

Tangela Morgan
tangelamorgan.com

Tangela, don't accept the first proposal you get! And I think I deserve a percentage of whatever the Sultan of Brunei is promising you.

Tom