I wanted to write here about two experiences I had regarding the value of photography. I saw a post on a local Facebook group that started with something along the lines of "Company XYZ is a designer who needs a photographer for a runway shoot..." and went on to detail the date and times needed, but then it was started that this would be an unpaid assignment, with the only "value" being granted access to the venue/show where the clothes were being modeled.
I simply had to comment. I pointed out that if the business "needed" a photographer for a shoot, they ought to be paying them. There is a time and a place for TFP (time for prints) or other collaborations, where all parties involved can truly benefit from a photography session, but when a money-making business wants a service provided for free, it's seriously rude. Furthermore, I pointed out that by allowing (indeed, promoting) this kind of post on the group it further devalued the skills, expertise, and expenses that go into professional photography. While it might appeal to a hobbyist or amateur truly looking to add to their portfolio, the chances would be high that the quality of free photography would be worth exactly the amount of money the client was willing to pay.
They kicked me from the group.
Perhaps I shouldn't have posted such a grump without more coffee on board, but I won't back down from the premise (obviously - and this is my blog so no-one is kicking me off here!). Shooting for free when someone needs photos is devaluing photography and photographers, and we have a hard enough time as it is. Rather than post such an ad, the admin/moderator should have replied with a polite but firm refusal to pander to this request.
A short while later I had precisely the opposite experience - a local business owner, who I knew from networking at some local model styled shoots, reached out to me saying that she needed a specific look on analog film for an event, and asked "how much would you charge for this?" She understood that despite our existing relationship it wouldn't be appropriate to request something for free, or even at a discount. Despite this being a little outside of my usual repertoire, I figured I could pull it off, we discussed the scope and concept, and she even paid a little above asking! I calculated that the "cost" to me of the shoot was probably about a third of the price, with the rest covering my time.
I stopped doing free TFP last year - instead opting to ask for money to cover my expenses of shooting film, and the response has been mixed. About half of the people who have reached out to me for concept/collab/TFP shoots have balked at the cost and backed off - to be fair these were often models who were themselves charging for services, and I can obviously respect that. But the rest were happy to pay - and that resulted in 100% show-rates for the models, plus referrals and repeat shoots! What this also meant was that I could cover my costs for the year, meaning I can continue to shoot in the way that I want to, and from time-to-time work on collaborations and group shoots.
I'll continue to work with models in a way that doesn't devalue either side of the creative team. It's not ALL about the money, but please don't ask photographers to shoot for free. If they want to, they will volunteer.