TFP, models, and muses

I am asked regularly by models if I want to do a TFP session with them. While I would have jumped at the chance a few years ago, these days I rarely say yes. In this post I'll explain why, and the differences as I see them between models and muses. 

Wife and Muse in a test shootWe took this photo during a getaway to Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island

My wife and muse's favorite photo - she has it printed and framed at home

Trade For Prints (or Time For Photos) has been one of the mainstays of the photographer-model relationship for decades, and TFP remains a core way for creatives to build their portfolios. The basic premise is simple - the model needs someone to take their photo, and the photographer needs someone in front of the lens. Both parties agree to bring their expertise to the session and both share in the use of the images for promotional use. But it's not as simple as "free photos".

Sometimes these sessions are experimental, sometimes they are planned, sometimes they're for practice and fun. TFP is very different from a prospective client asking for cheap/free photos from "someone looking to build their portfolio". One wouldn't ask a newbie chef to cater for a party to give them a chance to practice, and similarly if you really want good photos from an event you need to hire a professional - otherwise just give someone a smartphone and ask them to do it. If a request starts with "I need a photographer for..." I think it should come with a budget. TFP on the other hand is a creative exercise with no absolute expectation that something will come out of it.

A series of images with Greshawna at a model meetup.Sometimes the content from random meetings is excellent, but you never can know beforehand!

You never know what you'll get from a TFP session. This awesome series with Greshawna was from a group meetup.

Models, even amateurs starting out, are expected to bring something to a session - hair and make-up done ahead of time, clothing on point and with options if needed, and not to be late. Photographers should be expected to be timely, professional, and deliver images as promised. The nuance of these sessions comes in when there is an imbalance in the level of expertise or need for the images. Most TFP sessions are inherently pretty balanced - both sides benefit and work equally together - but there are times when a photographer has a specific need for a model, and times when a model has specific need for a photographer. In those situations, the usual TFP approach doesn't work and one side should pay the other, or contribute more to the session, to make it fair. For example, the model might cover studio costs for the photographer, or the photographer might buy outfits that the model can keep afterwards. In other situations it's simply a matter of expertise - a beginner photographer will benefit hugely from hiring a professional model who can pose well and understand lighting, and who could teach them how to work with other models and clients. Similarly a great photographer will elevate a beginner model's portfolio, likewise teaching pose and movement, and creating images they can use for promotional work, and that's worth paying for too.

Kaleigh test shootKaleigh hired me as a photographer to help kickstart her modeling portfolio with training and images.

Kaleigh hired me for a modeling mentoring and portfolio session.

In my personal case, as my photographic expertise has grown, my need for portfolio work has dropped off considerably. I have literally thousands of images from dozens of models/clients with releases signed for my portfolio use (and you are getting releases, right?). It's not that I don't still do some TFP sessions (the recent Christmas Carol session with model Thirl Hupp being a great example) but I am not actively looking to do them. I have both paid for model work (specifically in group "styled shoot" sessions where props, outfits, and multiple models are brought together for a themed photoshoot) and I have been paid by models for their portfolio work. Especially as a film photographer, I have an overhead for a photoshoot that most digital photographers simply don't have, and some of my sessions easily top $100 in film and developing costs. About half of the models who reach out asking for photoshoots with me balk at the idea of paying for the film, but about half do not - and at the end of the day every model who walks away saves me money!

Thirl Hupp as ScroogeWorking with one of my favorite cosplayers and using a 100-year old camera were great reasons to do this session TFP.

This TFP shoot with Thirl was well worth doing!

On rare occasions though, there are people who you find you can work with reliably and consistently to create solid artistic work. These are the creatives who understand your flow, who have shared boundaries and concepts in mind, but who also bring their own personal vibe and ideas to the sessions. They are the ones who reach out with cool concepts that you are excited to try, and the people you turn to when you have your own dreams to make real. These are the muses.

My wife posing in a beautiful dress to test out a vintage camera.A photo of my wife taken to test out a specific camera and outfit. She selected this image for my website and other promotional materials.

Another glamor pose with my wife while I tested a 1950s camera

As great as it is to work with models, whether TFP or paid, there really is something to be said for having a muse. In some respects the relationship is similar to a beginner TFP, except I think of it that BOTH parties are worthy of charging for their time but the fees cancel each other out. As I'm sure most of my followers already know, one particular person regularly featured is my wife. It was in fact her grandfather's Konica T2 film camera that sparked my interest in analog photography, and it was she who bought the Nikon F4 camera that I use as my main professional body. Early on I was motivated to get good at photographing people so I could get more photos of her, and over time she herself has been motivated to get in front of the camera to capture images of herself that she can feel proud of. If I have a new camera or film stock to test, she is very literally in-house and available and far more interesting as a subject than my dogs (although I do use them as test subjects too...). Having a muse like her has allowed me to push my abilities faster than I would have otherwise been able to, make mistakes without risking client work, and go into paid sessions confident in knowing the capabilities and limitations of my gear. She also personally selected some of our best images for promotional use on my website, and regularly contributes images to my social media feeds. As a result she has herself quite a bit of a following and fanbase, and has turned down several requests to work with other photographers or models, even though she doesn't actively promote herself as a model.

A studio test shoot with a new lensWe were asked to visit a new studio in town and try them out - aside from giving the team some promo material, I also tested out a new close-up portrait lens on my Yashica D.

A previously unpublished image from a studio test shoot together

I also think that Kiana could have been considered a muse - we worked together for over 2 years, had multiple publications, and we had truly collaborative work that was some of my best covering portraiture, fashion, and glamor photography. Just before she moved out of state she asked me to photograph her for her 30th birthday celebration, and of course I said yes immediately without hesitation. In contrast, several models who have reached out since then for TFP have been politely turned down, even though they may have very good personal portfolios and seem legitimate. These days I need a really good reason to pick up a camera for a collaborative session, and somewhat of a guarantee that we'll get some amazing content out of it.

Kiana in a jean jacket by Treaty OakKiana worked with me a test shoot for three different film stocks. I purchased some of the outfit for this session that she wanted to try. Many images from this session were published in an international fashion magazine. Kiana during her birthday sessionOne of the artistic poses we got during a studio session together during her last photoshoot in Florida. Kiana on the beach wearing a gownThis collaboration was between Kiana and myself, and a local boutique who offered up several gowns for this fashion shoot on the beach

Some of the hundreds of images Kiana and I created over the years working together

If I had to have a list of criteria for a photography muse, these are the things I would consider most important.

• They love your style: There's no point in having a muse who is ambivalent to your style or would prefer something else. They have to be inspired to create the same kind of art as you are!
• Aligned in concepts and themes: If they want swimsuit pics but you want high-street fashion then the sessions aren't going to work. You'll work best together if you both want the same kind of content.
• They move with your flow: Whether you're into flow-posing and action, or a slower methodical approach, you have to be on the same page with the speed of the session. My film work is typically slow and models who aren't used to pausing for a pose may be frustrated, for example, or they'll move too quickly through a look for me to capture it properly. Having a muse who works well with my flow is crucial!
• They have similar preferred poses: I have certain looks and poses that I just like using, and a muse who knows them already saves a ton of time during a session. I'm sure that my posing language is different from other photographers, and while I can train someone up it's again a time-saver just to have an understanding from the outset.
• They bring novelty and inspiration: An actively creative mind is a huge asset so that the photographer doesn't have to come up with everything. In fact, many models are the drivers of novelty and invention, whether it's an entirely new concept, or just something spur of the moment mid-session.

While a muse isn't necessary to be a good photographer, I have found that having one is a tremendous advantage, as well as being a ton of fun. It's a truism that one must create art for yourself, so as not to be worn down by work for other people, and a well-aligned muse can be a fantastic creative partner. It's absolutely worth taking the time to find one.

Having fun with a hatIf nothing else, make it fun!

Having fun in another studio test shoot with my wife