Finding a Photographer / Doing picsets

[Jessi]

Hey,

Ive been thinking a lot lately about finding a photographer. Ive tried making picsets with my webcam, but those don't look as nice and you always have my arm in the shot taking the picture (WHERE is there cam software with a timer?! MFC's has a watermark). I plopped my DSLR on the tripod but getting the focus and exposure right without being behind the camera is a pretty rotten experience and the results have always turned out disastrous.

I'd just love to have some good quality, well composed photos for my profiles, and some maybe some more risque stuff that I could sell. My problem is I dont have a partner or any friends who know about my job, so I dont have anyone to help with that. I know that some photographers will work for free if they can use the images in their portfolio, which I'd be totally cool with as I don't have a TON of money to spend.
I tried checking modelmayhem.com, but I couldnt see any phtographers listed in my area that do softcore/hardcore/erotic stuff. Just some artsy nudes. I wouldn't know how to go about inquiring about these things, and I don't exactly have a modelling portfolio to flag them down with.

I know there's some girls on the forums with great photos, so how did you find photographers? The idea of finding some creeper off craigslist is a little intimidating. I'm also a little unsure about how the money works- who pays who? Do you split if you make money off the work? Thanks a lot, this is something Ive been really wondering about!

 

[LadyLuna]

I don't take pictures. I shoot a movie and then get the stills from the movie. ^_^

Good photographers take as many pictures as you'd get from turning all the movie frames into pictures. So I let my webcam record the movie, then put it all in a program called "Avidemux". (it has windows, linux, and I think mac options). This is primarily a video editing tool, but I use it for the "Save selection as JPEG" option. If I don't have any part of the movie selected, it save every frame as a JPEG. BAM! Thousands of photos. Then I go through and move the ones I want to keep into a new folder, and delete all the "bad" pics. I've gotten a 50 picture set done in about an hour using this method, and I don't have to pay anyone.

 

[Jessi]

I don't take pictures. I shoot a movie and then get the stills from the movie. ^_^

Good photographers take as many pictures as you'd get from turning all the movie frames into pictures. So I let my webcam record the movie, then put it all in a program called "Avidemux". (it has windows, linux, and I think mac options). This is primarily a video editing tool, but I use it for the "Save selection as JPEG" option. If I don't have any part of the movie selected, it save every frame as a JPEG. BAM! Thousands of photos. Then I go through and move the ones I want to keep into a new folder, and delete all the "bad" pics. I've gotten a 50 picture set done in about an hour using this method, and I don't have to pay anyone.

This is perfect. So much easier to masturbate without "posing" :lol:

 

[Rose]

I work through modelmayhem and just carefully find photographers to work with. I now make some money from my modelling and have a pretty decent portfolio building too. Modelmayhem strictly frowns on hardcore and porn type shoots though so you can't go around just asking.

 

[LacieLaPlante]

For your DSLR, buy a remote I use mine for my photos. It can be annoying, but my new DSLR has a flip screen that helps me get everything set up and focused. The remote focuses for you if its an AF lens.

 

[Jessi]

I work through modelmayhem and just carefully find photographers to work with. I now make some money from my modelling and have a pretty decent portfolio building too. Modelmayhem strictly frowns on hardcore and porn type shoots though so you can't go around just asking.

Good to know, thank you.
How did you approach photographers before you had a portfolio?

 

[Rose]

I work through modelmayhem and just carefully find photographers to work with. I now make some money from my modelling and have a pretty decent portfolio building too. Modelmayhem strictly frowns on hardcore and porn type shoots though so you can't go around just asking.

Good to know, thank you.
How did you approach photographers before you had a portfolio?

I didn't. They'll approach you. Just make sure you have the right info in your profile, make yourself available and network so people notice you. New models on modelmayhem usually get a lot of traffic.

 

[SophiaLocke]

Here's a thread on Model Mayhem from a little while ago. If that's the direction you'd like to go (which has been awesome for me), i'd recommend reading it

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5010&hilit=model+mayhem

 

[Jessi]

I work through modelmayhem and just carefully find photographers to work with. I now make some money from my modelling and have a pretty decent portfolio building too. Modelmayhem strictly frowns on hardcore and porn type shoots though so you can't go around just asking.

Good to know, thank you.
How did you approach photographers before you had a portfolio?

I didn't. They'll approach you. Just make sure you have the right info in your profile, make yourself available and network so people notice you. New models on modelmayhem usually get a lot of traffic.

Oh that sounds a lot better. Did you have any photos on your profile to begin with? EDIT: I guess what I meant is what kind of photos

 

[JoleneBrody]

Do keep in mind that quite a few members also fancy themselves photographers and have modelmayhem so using your model name is a good idea. I can think of at least 3 off the top of my head. Hell I have even found camgirls on MM while just browsing.

 

[GreatDane]

Don't forget that some of the models are also photographer's in their own rights. can't hurt to check around tho.

 

[Jessi]

Do keep in mind that quite a few members also fancy themselves photographers and have modelmayhem so using your model name is a good idea. I can think of at least 3 off the top of my head. Hell I have even found camgirls on MM while just browsing.

Thats a good point. Im a little hesitant to have my real name and location associated with my camming name though - On MFC I don't say anything more than that I live in Canada. I guess I'm just worried about attracting the wrong kind of people, or having people know too much about me before I have a chance to scope them out

 

[Rose]

Oh that sounds a lot better. Did you have any photos on your profile to begin with? EDIT: I guess what I meant is what kind of photos

I just had a couple bad webcam photos. Now, I have a lot more. Here's a link to my MM so you can see what it looks like. I'm kind of a bitch in my description, but it's necessary for the shoots I do attend and helps weed out the timewasters. http://www.modelmayhem.com/2248042

 

[Jessi]

Oh that sounds a lot better. Did you have any photos on your profile to begin with? EDIT: I guess what I meant is what kind of photos

I just had a couple bad webcam photos. Now, I have a lot more. Here's a link to my MM so you can see what it looks like. I'm kind of a bitch in my description, but it's necessary for the shoots I do attend and helps weed out the timewasters. http://www.modelmayhem.com/2248042

Perfect. So it should be find then just to post some clear webcam shots showing what I look like?

 

[Tristyn]

Self-portraits can be rough, but having a tripod & remote would help. Many DSLRs also come with software that allows you to "live view" your camera if it's plugged into your laptop, so you can have your camera sitting on a tripod with your laptop beside it and see pretty much exactly what your image is going to look like.

I know a handful of local photographers, though the majority of the people I work with do art nudes. I can offer to try to take some images for you if you can't find anyone else, but I'm still very much fumbling my way through learning how to do awesome things with my DSLR. Otherwise, I can at least give you some contact information, the other pretty model you and I had coffee with also does photography.

Oh, and although it's already been mentioned, video captures can work well depending on what you want to do. I shot a video with my point and shoot (so, not HD) recently and it turned out alright.

 

[Jessi]

Self-portraits can be rough, but having a tripod & remote would help. Many DSLRs also come with software that allows you to "live view" your camera if it's plugged into your laptop, so you can have your camera sitting on a tripod with your laptop beside it and see pretty much exactly what your image is going to look like.

I know a handful of local photographers, though the majority of the people I work with do art nudes. I can offer to try to take some images for you if you can't find anyone else, but I'm still very much fumbling my way through learning how to do awesome things with my DSLR. Otherwise, I can at least give you some contact information, the other pretty model you and I had coffee with also does photography.

Oh, and although it's already been mentioned, video captures can work well depending on what you want to do. I shot a video with my point and shoot (so, not HD) recently and it turned out alright.

If you want to PM me some info/names that would be so loverly of you A mutual friend of ours directed me towards a local photographer (pretty sure he's shot you) but I never got to hear back from him. Oh bum.

 

[Felicity]

Do you have a microsoft cam? Those don't have timers.

Logitech's do have timers though. I love mine so much more than my microsoft lifecam.

And when I take fancy photo-sets I use a tripod & a timer that takes 10 pictures consecutively. One out of the ten is bound to be good right? lol I usually have 500+ pictures before I narrow mine down to 40-70 pics.

Sometimes when I have a friend be a photographer we use the "bursts" which captures stills at a very fast rate & that is how I get the most amazing pictures of all. I got a Canon Powershot something (about 300$) and it was well worth the money.

 

[Aikkax]

Actually u can have full control of your DSLR from your phone,tablet, pc through USB, so that makes so easy take selftportraits.
If u need help with post pocessing, ask me, thats my job.

 

[JoleneBrody]

Do keep in mind that quite a few members also fancy themselves photographers and have modelmayhem so using your model name is a good idea. I can think of at least 3 off the top of my head. Hell I have even found camgirls on MM while just browsing.

Thats a good point. Im a little hesitant to have my real name and location associated with my camming name though - On MFC I don't say anything more than that I live in Canada. I guess I'm just worried about attracting the wrong kind of people, or having people know too much about me before I have a chance to scope them out

Oops sorry I missed this. You can't avoid your location but what I meant was to not use your real name. Just use your model name so that if a member finds you on MM they won't get your real name.

 

[spankamber]

You can always use a big city near you and not give away your actual town until you converse with the photog one on one.

 

[JoleneBrody]

You can always use a big city near you and not give away your actual town until you converse with the photog one on one.

I feel stupid for not thinking of this! Great idea!

 

[LadyLuna]

I was asked to post instructions. I misunderstood, and thought it was a model asking, so they got posted in model's only... x.x My bad. Here they are for everyone to enjoy!

ASSUMPTIONS:

I am assuming you do not have avidemux on your desktop as a shortcut. If you do, you may skip the start menu bit and simply double click on the Avidemux icon to start Avidemux

I am also assuming you know where your start menu is and how to get to "all programs" on it.

The last thing I am assuming is that you have already made the video you want to change into pictures.

STEPS

1. Open Avidemux. Under start menu, all programs, is the avidemux folder. Click ONCE to open the folder, then click ONCE to start Avidemux.







2. Retrieve the Video. With Avidmux still open, bring up the folder with the video. You want to be able to see both, but have the folder on top. Drag and drop the video into the giant white space in Avidemux (wjere the picture then appears in the second pic here). Then you can close the FOLDER (not avidemux, or you have to start back from step 1 ).





3. Get the save as window. Click on "file", then mouse-over the save with the little > next to it. Mouse over means you hold your mouse over it like you are going to click it, but you don't click. Another menu appears, click "Save Selection as JPEG images..." Do not worry about the selection bit. Since you have no selection, it will save every frame of the whole video. You can delete the unwanted ones later.





(In the other one I found out there's a limit of 8 pics per post, so the rest of the instructions will follow in a few minutes.)

 

[LadyLuna]

Instructions Continued

4. Save the file as pictures. The save as window will open to the last place you saved them in. MAKE A NEW FOLDER. I usually call mine "sort", since I know I'm not going to be using every picture it makes.





Pick a name, any name. Make it simple, because avidemux is going to throw numbers on at the end. I like to pic one word that describes the set, and use that as the base word for the pictures. In this one I use "boobies", which is also the name of the video and what I intend on naming the set. In the last photo, you will see what I mean by adding numbers at the end.

So, name it, click save, and wait.







It's over 9000!

That's right, for a simple 5 minute video (refer to the pic where I grabbed it from the file, at the bottom of that folder it tells you 5 minutes) I ended up with 9,025 pictures! So many to choose from.

And the numbers thing... since there were over 1000 and under 10000, it named the first picture "boobies0000", followed by "boobies0001" and "boobies0002"



You'll still have your video file, that wasn't touched in this procress. and it's up to you to find the easiest method for you to sort through the thousands of pictures. I always use a "sort" and "keep" folder, moving the keepers to the "keep" folder and deleting the "sort" folder when I'm done.

Have Fun!

 

[Shaun__]

More men would read directions if they all contained boobies or at least spend a lot of time pretending to.

 

[LucyLegz]

Hey there, I saw this and I was in your same shoes a few weeks ago, my husband SUCKS at taking pics, and Model Mayhem was a lil too much for me to figure out, I needed a photographer ASAP to get back on track. and get a better set of pics for my profile.
I live in a big city and I just went to craigslist and found some offering free shoots to build up their books and get practice. Just make sure that you BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU!! There are tons of photographers even videographers offering services for free or next to nothing.
My first "professional" shoot was free and I got a new photographer friend out of it. (he was not creepy at all he had a pretty gnarly studio loft set up very very professional) and I have another one scheduled next week, but this guy is charging $70.00.

I emailed from my "lucy" yahoo email and corresponded that way and the whole time the guy referred to me as lucy, and I signed the release that he wont sell my pics and gave me a thumbdrive with 152 free professionally taken pics. Now I have to edit them but I think I made out pretty good.

I was brave and went out on a limb. I had my doubts but it was a good thing I did. He wants me back to shoot some more too. :dance:

 

[XXX_photos]

And back to the original question. If you are in the UK (Northwest) I can probably help.