A photographer reached out to me through social media asking me to shoot with him sometime. Although I’d love to have a shoot for myself, does this seem sketchy? He’s taken photos for friends i know and they said he seemed cool and laid back. They also mentioned that he took a while to send them their pictures and wouldn’t respond before sending them. Anyway, just wanted to hear some thoughts on this.
Odd that he would contact you.
No, it’s not odd at all.
Yes, seems sketchy.
🤣
Nope, this is how it is. Source: I am a photographer
Wow. Usually people don’t openly admit to being sketchy themselves.
I have barely murdered any models lately! Absolutely professional here
Trust your instincts. Don’t work with a boudoir photographer you don’t trust 100%.
I’ve had several photographers proposition me and one of them came off as super sketchy & wanted me to sign a release. So not comfortable! A photographer with a solid portfolio renting out a air bnb for a hour or two while the female homeowner was also home 100% comfortable. Listen to your gut!
A release is there to protect both parties.
Model releases are pretty standard. I would be more concerned if there was one in place.
Photographers do reach out quite a lot. So, it’s not outright sketchy.
If it’s TFP then it’s an area where there is so much flakiness; models not turning up and photographers not delivering/taking forever. If you’re happy to wait and your friends spoke well of him apart from the tardiness/responses then go for it. But if you value promptness and don’t want to be jerked around find another photographer - you will find plenty on FB or model mayhem…but they’ll be potentially harder to vet.
Definitely vote for bringing a friend. It’s good practice, and I would almost insist on it as a condition. Having that third party protects both subject and photographer by eliminating “he said, she said” to a certain degree. Besides it’s also that extra pair of hands to assist the subject with makeup, wardrobe changes and other little things we don’t necessarily think of. While shooting I may ask for help holding reflectors or moving a light.
I’d say it’s the photographers’s job to set the relationship up and start from message one to ensure your comfort.
I used to do a lot of TFP type shoots. As a photographer, I always A) Had references B) Offered to shoot in a safe, neutral environment C) Offered opportunity to bring a friend.
Now that I’m a little older, I stopped just because I felt it hard to get past possible “creepy guy” vibes, but it really was always out of love for photography.
My experience with other male photographers is that your kind of 60/40. 60% creepy. Others can weigh in but that first message is important in my view.
Don’t go. If you feel insecure just don’t go. You won’t be relaxed during the shoot so how could the images be as good as they could be.
i don’t do boudoir, but that’s how i look people for shoots.
i mean, what other way is there aside from hiring a model?
It’s how 99.9% of TFP photoshoots happen lol
Apparently they seem to think you do pretty well so I don’t think it’s sketchy.
Well, it seems fishy, maybe he just want pics to fap to
Not a huge red flag upfront, this is how a lot of people connect. However shooting boudoir with someone as a first shoot isn’t something I’m a huge fan of.
Definitely bring someone with you. If he’s against that it would be a giant red flag.
About taking a while to deliver pictures I would discuss beforehand what to expect. Both the number of pictures and the timeframe. Not responding to a request for a status update is a shitty thing to do. Clear communication is key, especially when doing something like boudoir.
Boudior is inherently sketchy. I think most boudior photogs are creeps
It isn’t sketchy as long as:
- He has a public portfolio/website showing his experience doing this work and his professionalism. It proves he’s not just some creep with a camera.
- You said he’s shot with your friends? Ask them. If they recommend him then there’s your answer.
- Make sure to sign a contract (any professional photography shooting even partial nudity does this). It should cover you against any unprofessional or inappropriate behavior as well as your privacy. And it should cover him against any consent issues.
As long as you do those 3 things, you should have a great time.
All the descriptions sounded pretty common especially if the photographer is starting out, building their portfolio. Everyone have to start somewhere and most starting cannot afford to pay models. (including taking a while to send photo back.)
There are things you can do to safe guard yourself: check their portfolio, use image-search on their photos to check if it is really theirs, Google their name, ask for the IG etc of other people they have photographed then contact those people to ask about their experience.
And try to insist on bringing a friend to observe the shoot. If the photographer refused, don’t go.