buckwheat wrote:
I know that most of us here are about all kinds of photography EXCEPT portraiture, except for the practicing pros. However, I wonder if anybody has used any of the sites which match models with photographers, such as model mayhem or one model place. If so, would you either post your opinions, or PM me?
Buckwheat,
I have used MM models for 3 or 4 shoots and can only report good things about each experience. The only thing I regret is that I did this about 4 years ago when I was "just thinking" about becoming a photographer and let each model have the CD's I made after looking at the work with them. BUT, my advice to you is to do this:
1) If you join MM as a photographer, you will have to download a minimum of 4 photos of the kind of photography you are into. At this point, you will become a member and what this will allow you to do is to see EVERY PHOTO that is posted by the models. Non-members more often than not can only see some photos because they are blocked due to the nature of the photos themselves. So...become a member!
2) Whether you become a member or not, the models I recommend you look for would be the ones with a "VIP" designation after their name. This signifies that the model is at least semi-professional, is published, and typically charges a fee, unless you happen to be an experienced, published photographer with a reputation and following, in which case he/she may work for TFP/TFCD.
3) If you think #2 above might get too expensive for you, then the other alternative is to go to the dropdown box on the "Browse" page that lists the experience of the model. My recommendation is to select "Recently Updated" because this indicates they are there to get more work and have been on the site for awhile and have had several shoots under their belt.
4) As an addendum to #3, when you're at the "experience dropdown box," another selection is one called "New to MM."
Sometimes, you can find a diamond in the rough here because these are people who are either just getting into modeling or maybe they have a little bit of experience (sometimes published work) but are simply new to MM's site. Many of these models will work for TFCD/TFP but you probably won't get a model who doesn't need direction. If you're serious about photography, you need someone who knows how to pose, which saves you time and also allows you to take more snaps. You probably won't have that luxury with the "New to MM" bunch!
5) For ANY model you look at, please take a look at how long the list is for photographer credits. THIS is a definite cue that lets you know how experienced they are.
6) Finally, your last tipoff is to look at the stats of each model which is just underneath their picture on their homepage. Look all the way to the bottom of the stats because this will let you know the date of the last time the model visited MM. A more recent date indicates this is someone who takes their job seriously and this is someone you definitely want to work with. Again, look at this stat for ANY model.
Hope this helps. Good luck!