models and access to pictures online

jamiebonline

jamiebonline

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Jamie
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Hi all,

I have been doing a lot of photo shoots in the last six months and in the process photographed many models. Mostly amateurs. One recurring issue is that the models in question want to see all the photos from the shoot. Since I shoot in RAW I must convert them all to jpeg and so I choose a very low resolution which also saves time as well as obvious space. I put them in dropbox and give the model a link to them. I tell them they can only look and not use the pictures online. 90 per cent don't. (not to my knowledge at least!) But some do :( it is very upsetting to have a low res unprocessed picture of yours appear on Facebook. I find Facebook the most useful way to being touch with and deal with the models. Twice it has happened that I then pleaded with the model to remove the picture only to be ignored!
I am wondering what professional photographers out there do to overcome this issue. Should I just process my favourites and not show the models the others at all? If I work with the same model a few times and trust them, sometimes I let them decide or we chat about ones we like. This is rare though.
And what about a portrait (non-fashion or glamour) shoot for money. I haven't done much of this but let's say I photograph a mother and her new baby. Should she be given a link to all the pictures?

I'd be interested in hearing you thoughts :)

Thanks

J
 
if they ignore you contact facebook and report it as an IP violation - they are pretty good at removing pictures where copyright is violated.

that aside its a general principal never to provide the 'client' with every shot and certainly with nothing unprocessed - if you are doing TFP agree a number of shots before hand and provide those shots only , if you are paying the model then you shouldn't really need to provide shots at all , although courtesy / relationship establishment might dictate that you supply a few. If its the client paying you again agree what you are providing before hand and stick to it (or if they want to vary the number post shoot make an additional charge and only provide the good ones post processing)
 
I haven't got my own website yet so forgive me if this wouldn't work or isn't pleasible but isn't there a way you can put the models pics on your site but you need a key to view them and you can't upload them? Sure there's some way around it like that
 
its a nice idea , but the screen grab function (alt/print screen in windows , or apps like fireshot) mean that pretty much anything that's on the screen can be grabbed if someone really wants to - the only way around that is a sodding great watermark, and even then people still nick them to put on facebook.

end of the day there are two solutions - a) only work with people you can trust , or b) only let them have resized web ready shots of finished processed prints to put on FB with your blessing - I'd prefer the former personally.
 
Hi to both of you,

working with models you trust is ideal yes. when working with an amateur for the first time though, it's a risk.
watermarking is an idea, that's true, but i could see them posting the pic with the watermark. I guess option b is the way to go.
 
Hardly worth the hassle to fight it. it is not like they have commercial value.
 
Ignoring the sharing issues. Step back and ask yourself what you are providing:

Is it a service where models get some free photos that you're proud to share in return for their time?

Or are you providing a feedback service, so that you are helping them learn how to pose?

If the answer is the first of those (it should be), then your answer is simply 'I've picked the shots as agreed in the contract and I don't ever let people see unprocessed pictures'. Making exceptions to this rule is the top of a slippery slope that'll rarely end well. Just keep it simple and don't do it.

Proofs are no use to a model except as feedback, they'll need retouching, and if you don't do it, they will, or they'll find someone else, so they're either using pictures associated with you unfinished, badly finished or finished and possibly attributed to someone else? None of those are acceptable. Cut through the crap, and you'll see you've been sucked into a decision you should have filtered out before it became a question.

For the sharing: it depends what you've agreed, but usually in TFCD type situations, they're getting images they're free to share, and generally with attribution, make it easy and give websize with a watermark. They're not getting anything you want to keep private, so you don't have to worry about that any more.
 
Option to consider, is to take laptop to shoot, model then gets to choose images - 15-25 images, keeps it simple, failing that, you choose the images.
 
I work in different ways. For models on TFP basis I pick the photos myself and only if they ask about a certain shot I check if it is good enough to be published.
A paying customer is allowed to pick their own photos that I will finish afterwards. For a small shoot I show them the photos on my monitor and they choose the ones they want. For larger shoots I send them small photos that are covered with a watermark telling that these are example photos. It will not stop them from putting them on Facebook, but at least it is clear that it is just an example and not a finished product. See below example.
IMGP7463 voorbeeld.jpg
 
If it's only the odd occasion, and it's purely a matter of pride. i.e you don't like people seeing them unprocessed, a half done job.

You could offer to give them processed versions of the pics they chose to nick.

Personally, if I where in the biz, i'd also be taking the pics off dropbox and blacklisting the model as well.
 
I tell customers how many shots they are likely to get, that sets expectations. I NEVER give every shot from any shoot. I see it as part of a togs required skill set to be able to pick the best images, not the models/customers/whoever.

I have had a couple ask me if I have any more shots after seeing my selection and I reply that I only keep that selection and I delete the rest.
 
I hate watermarking photos, but when I'm proofing images with TFP people, that's what I tend to do. I usually use text that says something like "Proof only - not for publication" and run it across the whole frame.

Zenfolio is my proofing site of choice - right click disabling is easy enough and combined with the watermarking, that seems to give most people the hint that I really don't want proofs published.

Of course, if you've delayed delivery of your finished files for more than a week or two and your model is getting frustrated then it's easier to understand them wanting to share unfinished shots...
 
yes, models have asked me for all the images. I explain that's not how it works. The images are not ready until I've processed them. It's a learning curve for some, but I explain that taking the images is just the start, I explain the process and what I 'll do. I provide the images sized for the popular sites e.g. Modelmayhem. On a TF shoot I'm happy to provide the full sized files if they want - almost nobody has asked.

I think it's about educating the model and explaining the process.
 
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