Mike, don't sweat the disappearing models. They vanish all the time. I've been shooting since the 1960s, and it's something I've come to expect these days. Years ago, it just didn't happen. But years ago, I wasn't booking strangers over the Internet.

Red Flags in a profile:
No Portfolio (This actually happens)
Poor Grammer ( I understand typo's I myself do this constantly but if their sentence structure is off I know I am not dealing with an intelligent person)
The entire port is erotic

I like longer profiles because you learn about who you are shooting with and their style by how they come across and if they make the profile their own. Not having personality in your profile speaks volumes to me and they are all bad.

In Credits and Referances I hate lists with just names and profile #'s I want to know about the person and their work style from the photographers prospective. If they have more negative comments about the people they are working with it tells me up front they aren't professional.

If they don't have a private website link on their profile it doesn't exclude them but I know they don't do this full time. I will say some of my best photo's came from hobbyists but if you do this full time I want to know what kind of photo's you specialize in.

When I get an email for the first time I want contact info and a shoot theme, concept or idea. I hate being told "I like your look and would love to shoot with you" that doesn't tell me anything. I don't want a novel but I'd like to know you have at least looked at my port, have a sense of what you want to shoot with me and have actually taken the time to read my whole profile before asking me to shoot with you.

If it's not written in a respectful way or if we've never met and it's asking personal questions that is a HUGE red flag.

I have an assistant I bring to every shoot. I also bring an MUA and Hair stylist if you aren't providing them, so knowing on your profile whether or not that is acceptable is a good thing and it's a red flag if you state on your profile you don't accept escorts. With models who act unprofessional you know the escort will be as well and I can understand that. However I do not wish to be generalized in with those models.  It also makes me wonder if you are going to attempt something you want no one to see which is yet again a big red flag.

Not having a model release form if it's TFP/CD is a big red flag.

I'm no where near a pro model, but I have been in the industry since 1992 and am pretty sure that takes me out of the newbie category. You would be surprised what some photographers pull and why models are sometimes overly paranoid when looking for a good one.

Communication suddenly falling off the face of the earth is a red flag.

Having one party be a lot more enthusiastic about the shoot is not quite a red flag but is something you should be weary of.

1.  Photographers who jump right into the "call me" or "meet up with me" thing, before even giving me details on their shoot.  I want the basics (like the style, general concept and location) in an e-mail, so I can go over it the night before.  I also wonder why they can't deal with putting the bare basics in writing.  What don't they want other people to potentially see?

2.  Those who don't read profiles.  I'm really clear in my MM profile about a lot of things.  If you want TF* and I don't know you, impress me with your concept, because that's one of the few ways that you can talk me into a TF*.  Yet, I get plenty of "I want to shoot TF* with you.  Interested?"  Uh... no.  How do I know what I'm even supposed to be interested in?  Or the photographer who e-mailed me for a last minute shoot... when there was a notice in my profile that I don't have internet access at the moment due to the fact that I was moving.  And then had the nerve to get upset with me that I didn't respond in time.  Uh... really? It shows a real lack of consideration and courtesy.  Read the damn profile and know who you're talking to. 

3.  Photographers who try to rush me into booking.  I need time to check references, prepare for the shoot and do a few other things, when working with someone new.  If it's a photographer that I know and trust, a "Hey, I have an hour this afternoon, I'll meet you at your place" is just fine.  New photographer... sorry, I need to check your references, take a good long look at your work to get an idea of the way you shoot and what you'll need from me and other preparations.

4.  Photographers who get an initial agreement to shoot something innocuous and then start pushing the limits.  I understand that ideas come up after the initial agreement, but when the original idea "expands" from art nudes to me giving the photographer a blowjob... that's just not okay.  Know what you want to shoot, find out what my limits are and we can sit around all day and come up with concepts.  But, don't contact me for art nudes and think that I'm dumb enough to believe that photos of someone's dick in my mouth is artistic.  It's not.  It's porn and we both know it.

Jess Robinson wrote:

The secondary point here is that his initial communication was WAY too long.  Anything beyond, "Hi, I like your look, are you interested/available for (brief description of project)" is too much IMO.  More points are lost if its obviously a form email.

Two questions:

First, I always struggle with the "you didn't give me enough information" complaint, vs "the original note is too long to bother with."

Second, how can a short, "hello, I'd like to work with you" note NOT be a "form mail?"  There's only so many ways to say it.

My standard into to a model who interests me is, more or less, "Hello, would you be interested in a (usually) trade shoot?  Here are samples of my work (On MM, I have multiple portfolios, and send the ones that seem relevant to the model in question.

When I was modeling, and I was still under 18, I wouldn't shoot with anyone who had erotic work in their portfolio, even if they were offering to do head shots with me.  My Mum always helped me pick photographers to work with, and she didn't want her (at the time) 15-17 year old daughter associating with even soft-core porn, which I found understandable.  I did shoot with people who had done nudes that we both felt were artistic.

Also, I never cared if someone had a studio or not -- I got some great outdoor shots, like this was one I loved:


I never shot with someone who I felt couldn't benefit my portfolio.  There were times when I did shoot with someone who's portfolio was OK, but the pictures in the end weren't very good

Anyone who suggested I consider nude work "when you turn 18", was someone I stayed away from.  I didn't find it appropriate for anyone to tell that to a 15 year old just getting into modeling, but that's another story.

I generally based my decision on vibe when contacting photographers.  I mean, if I got a bad vibe after a message or two, then I just wouldn't shoot.  I shot with one photographer when I was about 17, and he tried to pressure me into doing nudes and talked about how great my body was.  Definitely creeped me out.  I hadn't shot any nudes at that point, and that wasn't the way to go about it.  (BTW, I have no problem with photographers and models who shoot nudes, it just wasn't something I ever ventured into).

Camera type didn't matter, but image quality always did.  I worked with one photographer in particular many times.  I loved his work -- still do, and he doesn't have a super fancy camera, just a great eye.  He wasn't a "professional" with paying gigs or a studio, but he loved what he did, and his shots came out great.

I don't know if my input helped at all... I hope it did!

Alexandra wrote:

When I was modeling, and I was still under 18, I wouldn't shoot with anyone who had erotic work in their portfolio, even if they were offering to do head shots with me.  My Mum always helped me pick photographers to work with, and she didn't want her (at the time) 15-17 year old daughter associating with even soft-core porn, which I found understandable.  I did shoot with people who had done nudes that we both felt were artistic.

This seems foolish and self-limiting. What if you shot with someone and THEN found out they did erotic work?

Umm...I once turned down a paid shoot because the photographer called me and spent 5 minutes talking about his favorite perfumes and if he bought be one would I be willing to put it on for him and wear it during the shoot. So basically if photographers start going on about things that aren't professionally related (you can't tell what perfume I'm wearing in the pictures!) then that would be a definite red flag. Basically stick to talking about things related to the shoot there is no need to bring up unrelated crap or tell me what you did last weekend and ask what kind of parties I like to go to (which he did as well) and although off handily mentioning that stuff isn't going to make me cancel going on about personal details and being heavily off topic in pre-shoot conversations is generally what does it.

Funny, I posted an ad on Craiglist, offering my services as a fetish model. It made me considerate some things...
[list]If the photog doesn't have a place to shoot at, red flag.
If he asks to touch me while I'm naked, red flag.
If he doesn't seem to know what he's doing, red flag.
If after being told not to touch me, he still does, RED FLAG! (yes unfortunately this has happened.)

The list is getting quite long indeed. lol

A M Johnson wrote:

PixieMini wrote:

Funny, I posted an ad on Craiglist, offering my services as a fetish model. It made me considerate some things...
[list]If the photog doesn't have a place to shoot at, red flag.
If he asks to touch me while I'm naked, red flag.
If he doesn't seem to know what he's doing, red flag.
If after being told not to touch me, he still does, RED FLAG! (yes unfortunately this has happened.)

I keep on hearing stories about photographers touching models. I would think that if he touches you the second time, he won't be capable of taking any pictures until the cast comes off.

My red flag list includes a new Canon Rebel with kit lens and being nervous and evasive when asked about background.

I stopped the shoot altogether and left that one time. I wish I could actually break one of their arms, but at 5'0 and 115 lbs, it's a little difficult.

PixieMini wrote:

I stopped the shoot altogether and left that one time. I wish I could actually break one of their arms, but at 5'0 and 115 lbs, it's a little difficult.

some folks might be intimitated by someone larger and stronger. A good hard kick to the kneecap has disabled many an unwanted advance. If it doesn't bring them down, it will make them think twice about getting within touching distance and allow you to grab your things and leave.