Easy identifier: I will make you a star!
The modeling industry is tough.
There are a lot of models and not enough assignments for everyone. Then, when you think things will move by itself, it stops. One reason is that customers want new faces together with their products, and different models to different assignment, so you will have to spend time finding new customers.
Or you are signed in a model agency and they are suppose to do it for you.
Model agencies are struggling hard to get their models out, and to get their money back on the invested time, they will only pick top models that are good for a lot of different jobs. The days of the glamourous super models are gone! Today, it is all about hard work, being professional (if you have the genes for it to start with) and trying to work with many photographer so you will get a wide range in your portfolio. The customer needs see = believe that you are suitable for their job.
But this "law of nature" does not apply for Mr Big Promise! Nah! Thing like gravity is not his thing-he is just flying high!
He will contact you and tell you that working with him, and only him (one guy), will launch your career. He is usually a fast talker. He got quick replies on everything. He will pick you up in his car, talk so much and waves his hands all over, that he almost forgets to steer his car. He might take you to shops making you to try a lot a different clothes and all of them "looks fantastic on you!" (especially the ones revealing a lot of skin) because you are such "a super-model!"
The strange thing is that he tells you he can give you a career but his own does not really be that great. He has a rather old car, his clothes (and fashion sense) are not that impressive, he is usually not that fit and he does not seem to know that many in the business. If you bring it up, he will drop some names and then change the subject, painting pictures about where you will go (together), the show in Milano you will open and all the magazines you will be working for. "Front page, baby! FRONT PAGE!!"
But if you do your homework and check his company up, it might not be active any more, may just be an extra name of his plumbing business, may not be registered for tax since five years back or not even his!
If you remove the pink little curtains from your eyes and think when you are with him or talk to him, you will feel something is wrong. It is too much air. Too many words. And over time, too many things that never happen.
Some of these guys are hard-wired. The actually believe what they say. When you are trying to burst their bubble, they just reject you and move away to the next target. Or maybe, I should say, the next partner to play the game with. You see, if there where no ears to listen, his talk would not work. Two believers = the perfect mix!
The more dangerous type of Mr Big Promise is the tactical one. That is the guys who has a plan, a purpose of why he is doing and saying things. He wants something from you. Often to be alone with you. Have you to come with him on that trip. Just you and him. Somewhere away from anyone…
This type is more likely to spend money on you. He might buy you clothes, trips and dinners. He is not as fast talker as the other type. This one sometimes waits a while before replying. If you take a look you can tell that there is something going on. He thinks. Or, if he is really disturbed, he has ideas, fantasies that he really can not tell anyone. You sense it, but you can not be sure. But the nagging feeling is there.
This latter type is very dangerous together with a type of Model I will talk about next week: Miss I Know I Can! To kept it short for now: What happens if the tactical type of Mr Big Promise meets a young girl who everyone said she cannot be a model, but believes the contrary and really, really, really want to prove everyone wrong?
How does Models-n-Shoots try to keep Mr Big Promise out:
*Models-n-Shoot is about the work. You can not contact a Talent unless she/he has said Yes or Maybe on a job offering/Assignment Request. So as a Customer, you can not just promise a job, you have to create an Assignment Request and fill in Payment, Location to shoot, when and a whole lot more.
*All customers in Models-n-Shoots have to have a registered, active company. OK, we can not be totally sure that the person saying he or she is working for that registered company, but we will import the company's official address and contact data, and show the face, name and contact data of the Assignment Request Sender, so you can call the company and ask about the guy/girl before saying Yes or Maybe to an Assignment Request/job offering.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Creep of the Day: The Stalker
Easy identifyer: I want you now, you you you, now now now!
It normally starts with a quite normal email, talking about how he wants to take your pictures. When you look at his pictures you might find them fairly good, so you answer the email.
What surprises you is that his answer is really quick, and has a strange feel to it. The phrases are normal: "When can you shoot?", "Can you get here this weekend?", "What is your MSN and mobile?" but the whole message has a kind of a hectic, stressfulness to it; he feels to eager. But, since you do not trust your gut feelings you send him your contact data.
He is then most likely to call you soon. He will talk a lot about himself and he may talk trash about other photographers. When you talk about the work/pictures he will quickly move into questions like "Shall we meet for a coffee or a bar?", "When can you come here?", "You can stay at my house." or "I can come to you this weekend." Once again, it is mostly normal questions but the main part of the discussion is not about the pictures, but about him, when to see each other and, as before, it has an eagerness to it.
If you say no to him, he will get irritated and argue with you. The bad cases will even be insulting. "Who do you think you are!?", "I can pick any model I want! You are too new to understand what you will miss!". But if you steer the conversation towards when to meet, he will calm down and become nice again. It is all about their egos. The Stalker has a big ego and it is not really in line with the real world.
If you decide to meet or shoot with him, he will give you a lot of personal compliments. If you, as he asked, go out for drink after the shoot, and you politely turn down the upcoming offering of having sex with him, he is most likely to be abusive and insulting again; even violent. For most models, the limit is reached and you tell him to f*ck off and go to hell. If you are smart you do this when there are a lot of people around you and he will most likely leave. If you have had your guard down to long, you might get the offering when it is late, dark and you are all alone with him. Now you have so much less options!
Let us say he left you in a storm of abusive words. But! Even if you basically told him, screaming to his face, that he was a scum, he will not give up! Some days later, or at least the next weekend late at night, you will get MSN messages or an SMS about seeing each other again. At this point he will explain that you are something special; not you as in you singular, but you as in you both. Together. As a couple. Soon. If you turn him down, he will once again become abusive. And ask you to give him a chance. He will tell you how good boyfriend he is.
And this goes on, and on, and on.
What stops him/makes him react: Save all his text messages, MSN logs and emails and go to the Police. Then tell him you did it. In that order. Just threatening of going to the Police does not make him stop, since he knows most of you are too lazy or too much of a chicken to actually do it.
Even if the Police may not be able to do anything at this point, the records will be there when he will do it to someone else. And trust me, he will. Is it not sad, that first after a major crime (rape or murder), big enough to written about in the papers, a lot of models come forward and tell their stories? Isn't that a bit too late?
How does Models-n-Shoots's Creep Defense try to keep The Stalker out:
It normally starts with a quite normal email, talking about how he wants to take your pictures. When you look at his pictures you might find them fairly good, so you answer the email.
What surprises you is that his answer is really quick, and has a strange feel to it. The phrases are normal: "When can you shoot?", "Can you get here this weekend?", "What is your MSN and mobile?" but the whole message has a kind of a hectic, stressfulness to it; he feels to eager. But, since you do not trust your gut feelings you send him your contact data.
He is then most likely to call you soon. He will talk a lot about himself and he may talk trash about other photographers. When you talk about the work/pictures he will quickly move into questions like "Shall we meet for a coffee or a bar?", "When can you come here?", "You can stay at my house." or "I can come to you this weekend." Once again, it is mostly normal questions but the main part of the discussion is not about the pictures, but about him, when to see each other and, as before, it has an eagerness to it.
If you say no to him, he will get irritated and argue with you. The bad cases will even be insulting. "Who do you think you are!?", "I can pick any model I want! You are too new to understand what you will miss!". But if you steer the conversation towards when to meet, he will calm down and become nice again. It is all about their egos. The Stalker has a big ego and it is not really in line with the real world.
If you decide to meet or shoot with him, he will give you a lot of personal compliments. If you, as he asked, go out for drink after the shoot, and you politely turn down the upcoming offering of having sex with him, he is most likely to be abusive and insulting again; even violent. For most models, the limit is reached and you tell him to f*ck off and go to hell. If you are smart you do this when there are a lot of people around you and he will most likely leave. If you have had your guard down to long, you might get the offering when it is late, dark and you are all alone with him. Now you have so much less options!
Let us say he left you in a storm of abusive words. But! Even if you basically told him, screaming to his face, that he was a scum, he will not give up! Some days later, or at least the next weekend late at night, you will get MSN messages or an SMS about seeing each other again. At this point he will explain that you are something special; not you as in you singular, but you as in you both. Together. As a couple. Soon. If you turn him down, he will once again become abusive. And ask you to give him a chance. He will tell you how good boyfriend he is.
And this goes on, and on, and on.
What stops him/makes him react: Save all his text messages, MSN logs and emails and go to the Police. Then tell him you did it. In that order. Just threatening of going to the Police does not make him stop, since he knows most of you are too lazy or too much of a chicken to actually do it.
Even if the Police may not be able to do anything at this point, the records will be there when he will do it to someone else. And trust me, he will. Is it not sad, that first after a major crime (rape or murder), big enough to written about in the papers, a lot of models come forward and tell their stories? Isn't that a bit too late?
How does Models-n-Shoots's Creep Defense try to keep The Stalker out:
- Your name and any contact data is hidden until the last step of a deal, when you Confirm you will take a job.
- Only customers with companies can sign up as customers. The Stalker is seldom interested enough to have a registered company but there are actually a few who have.
- The is always full information to you about the Assignment Request Sender's company, taken from a central database directly linked to the registry in that country.
- The Assignment Request Sender, the person who sent the job offering, has name, contact info and ID picture shown in the job offering. This way you can ask other in the business and you can call the company and verify he works there.
- If other Talents have worked with the ARS and/or the company before, there will be Trust feedback about him/the company.
- Models-n-Shoots will have contact forms for sending in tips and logs, anonymous but traceable. For now, you can send it to me: morre@morre.se
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tour stop: Oslo
I met the morning with Simon the long-haired pianist at Oslo S ("More than a station"). During a most needed breakfast we chatted of what he should add to his portfolio.
We decided to go angry, beggar and musician.
This time I had to go for natural light since I could not carry my light gear.
One shoot was done in the middle of Oslo S in a sunny patch. I was really focused on the shots but I suddenly noticed a large group of tourists taking pictures of us. Hey! I will famous in Japan! :-)
By the end of the shoot, my darling Steven Stieng showed up with my Ghostbuster's Rig, and to be able to carry everything myself I put all lenses but one in his car. In this case, traveling light means carrying 25 kg on my back. And yes, the Rig stop people in their tracks. :-)
This day I had time for lunch sine Valentina also is known as Miss Slow.
After a sweaty walk uphill I ended up in her student apartment where she left me with her Facebook, her nude pictures and her sleeping, naked room mate that I could touch.
So I took a nap.
When Valentina was back, running around with her phone like an ADD kid, Jeanette charmed us with her nice little butt and three-days-in-a-row-party cough. Sometimes she even made other noises, mostly when eating melon. I think I love her. She would make be a perfect gift for any guy with no life. :-)
Anyway, the shoot was tough on my back and I lost like 3 liters of bodily fluids. No, not Bukkake! It was sunny! So we filled us up with burgers and beer at a outdoor restaurant, until Valentina had to go poo-poo. So I paid. Not her. Not yet. Jeanette? She was trying to make her hair curly I guess. :-)
Another hard day at the office.
Now I have to focus on the beer. Yup, I can drink tonight since I decided to fly home early on Monday.
/Morre
-- Post From My iPhone
We decided to go angry, beggar and musician.
This time I had to go for natural light since I could not carry my light gear.
One shoot was done in the middle of Oslo S in a sunny patch. I was really focused on the shots but I suddenly noticed a large group of tourists taking pictures of us. Hey! I will famous in Japan! :-)
By the end of the shoot, my darling Steven Stieng showed up with my Ghostbuster's Rig, and to be able to carry everything myself I put all lenses but one in his car. In this case, traveling light means carrying 25 kg on my back. And yes, the Rig stop people in their tracks. :-)
This day I had time for lunch sine Valentina also is known as Miss Slow.
After a sweaty walk uphill I ended up in her student apartment where she left me with her Facebook, her nude pictures and her sleeping, naked room mate that I could touch.
So I took a nap.
When Valentina was back, running around with her phone like an ADD kid, Jeanette charmed us with her nice little butt and three-days-in-a-row-party cough. Sometimes she even made other noises, mostly when eating melon. I think I love her. She would make be a perfect gift for any guy with no life. :-)
Anyway, the shoot was tough on my back and I lost like 3 liters of bodily fluids. No, not Bukkake! It was sunny! So we filled us up with burgers and beer at a outdoor restaurant, until Valentina had to go poo-poo. So I paid. Not her. Not yet. Jeanette? She was trying to make her hair curly I guess. :-)
Another hard day at the office.
Now I have to focus on the beer. Yup, I can drink tonight since I decided to fly home early on Monday.
/Morre
-- Post From My iPhone
Location:Kjeld Stubs gate,Oslo,Norway
Friday, July 23, 2010
Landed in Oslo
So it was time to leave Kristiansand for Oslo. This time I had a pax: the home-sick Sarah. She will assist me in Oslo and on Sunday I will fly her home to Skövde, SE. Yup, there are actually people living there that look normal.
But she has the common female desease of packing to much! Why, why, why!?
OK, half of the luggage is mine, but hey!, that's my gear! :-)
Norway is beautyful from the air! I'd love to do baby-oil on its fjords!
And my dear co-pilot misunderstood the word "fly" but I think she will recover.
So now we are in Kjeller's club house having a coffee waiting for pick-up by car by a sweet model. Nice service here! :-)
And the weather is superb!
You know what? Tonight is the only night I can have a beer since I do not fly tomorrow! Oslo here we come!! :-)
/Morre
-- Post From My iPhone
But she has the common female desease of packing to much! Why, why, why!?
OK, half of the luggage is mine, but hey!, that's my gear! :-)
Norway is beautyful from the air! I'd love to do baby-oil on its fjords!
And my dear co-pilot misunderstood the word "fly" but I think she will recover.
So now we are in Kjeller's club house having a coffee waiting for pick-up by car by a sweet model. Nice service here! :-)
And the weather is superb!
You know what? Tonight is the only night I can have a beer since I do not fly tomorrow! Oslo here we come!! :-)
/Morre
-- Post From My iPhone
Location:Kjeller,Norway
Bikini shoots on request
So Sarah from Skövde hooked up for a shoot here in Kristiansand. She got a litte homework while I was doing some tour planning, to write down her what type of pictures she needed for her portfolio. This tour is for you, dear Talents!
Her need was portraits and some summerish bikini shots.
So we set off to the airport to get my equipment from the plane, and then went location hunting. First pick was actually on the porch of a small house with to toilets by a beach... That that bad, but odeur does not show up in pictures anyway. :-)
After a regularly (Thanks Norway!) expensive lunch we hit the roads for a bikini location. Amazingly I found a small very private beach. It was a really sexy shoot until I had to undress too... OK, to get the shots I wanted I had to get out in the water with my Hasselblad (Aaaaarghhh!) and the ghostbuster's rig on my back. I did not wanted to wet my shorts and I kinda was wearing really worn undies... Come on! I am travelling! I don't wanna use my best once until I'm with a beauty! ... Oh!
Amazingly, even before we took off for the airport, another model close to Kristiansand wanted pics. "I just have to fix my hair. I'll be there in 1-2 hours." now, 3,5 hours later she arrived. Maria the Brazilian! As the gentleman I am, I kindly asked if she needed one, but I guess I have to work on my approach there... (It's easier when flying.)
Maria too wanted non-sleezy bikini pics, full body style and a good face pic. So we went back to the first beach and got going. Once again I had to get down on my knees and get greasy! Why do they always crave baby oil!?
Maria was very popular among motorists. We went to a bus stop I liked earlier, and a curvy Brazilian in an pink, tiny bikini was making hornes go off.
When I took some head shots of Sarah at the same location, Maria who then switched to be the assistant, was standing with her thong half-way out in the road. Probably a dozen drivers have sideways wiplash injuries now. :-)
And thank you Aurora for letting us borrow your squeeky car. We love Hondas. :-)
Time to sleep! Need to be fresh when flying to Oslo tomorrow.
See ya!
-- Post From My iPhone
Her need was portraits and some summerish bikini shots.
So we set off to the airport to get my equipment from the plane, and then went location hunting. First pick was actually on the porch of a small house with to toilets by a beach... That that bad, but odeur does not show up in pictures anyway. :-)
After a regularly (Thanks Norway!) expensive lunch we hit the roads for a bikini location. Amazingly I found a small very private beach. It was a really sexy shoot until I had to undress too... OK, to get the shots I wanted I had to get out in the water with my Hasselblad (Aaaaarghhh!) and the ghostbuster's rig on my back. I did not wanted to wet my shorts and I kinda was wearing really worn undies... Come on! I am travelling! I don't wanna use my best once until I'm with a beauty! ... Oh!
Amazingly, even before we took off for the airport, another model close to Kristiansand wanted pics. "I just have to fix my hair. I'll be there in 1-2 hours." now, 3,5 hours later she arrived. Maria the Brazilian! As the gentleman I am, I kindly asked if she needed one, but I guess I have to work on my approach there... (It's easier when flying.)
Maria too wanted non-sleezy bikini pics, full body style and a good face pic. So we went back to the first beach and got going. Once again I had to get down on my knees and get greasy! Why do they always crave baby oil!?
Maria was very popular among motorists. We went to a bus stop I liked earlier, and a curvy Brazilian in an pink, tiny bikini was making hornes go off.
When I took some head shots of Sarah at the same location, Maria who then switched to be the assistant, was standing with her thong half-way out in the road. Probably a dozen drivers have sideways wiplash injuries now. :-)
And thank you Aurora for letting us borrow your squeeky car. We love Hondas. :-)
Time to sleep! Need to be fresh when flying to Oslo tomorrow.
See ya!
-- Post From My iPhone
Location:Rådhusgata,Kristiansand,Norway
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tour stop Kristiansand
The sun is shining and I am in a car back to the airport to get my camera gear from the aircraft. I was tired and forgot it last night after a late arrival to Kjier due to fuel problems.
It's kinda funny.
With the aircraft there are credit cards for Shell, BP and Statoil and before departure they informed me they had abandomed the use of a special key for credit cards.
But did it work? Naaah!
After trying at one airport where the fire dept handling the fuel were not to be found, I flew to the nearest one 15 min away. Same thing there. After waiting for the parachute members to come I got the answer. The only take cash cards! But in the club they took Master Card, so I paid up ang got me 150 l of 100LL and I was off.
At dinner i learned what they do to kind ("snill") animals in Norway. :-)
Time to focus on finding location.
Over and out!
-- Post From My iPhone
It's kinda funny.
With the aircraft there are credit cards for Shell, BP and Statoil and before departure they informed me they had abandomed the use of a special key for credit cards.
But did it work? Naaah!
After trying at one airport where the fire dept handling the fuel were not to be found, I flew to the nearest one 15 min away. Same thing there. After waiting for the parachute members to come I got the answer. The only take cash cards! But in the club they took Master Card, so I paid up ang got me 150 l of 100LL and I was off.
At dinner i learned what they do to kind ("snill") animals in Norway. :-)
Time to focus on finding location.
Over and out!
-- Post From My iPhone
Location:Kongshavnveien,Kristiansand,Norway
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Zaida the multi-Talent
I finally had the opportunity to meet Zaida, a Talent that has been on the radar for months. She is a make-up artist and hair stylist that also work as model. I bet she can cook as well. :-) She had the coolest racing dog ever, Alpha who basically ruled her funky old diesel Volvo.
We chatted about what Models-n-Shoots can do for her and I got some good feedback about the market in Finland. More Talents becoming freelance but also creeps killing trust. We all know them: the ones who want more than good pictures and the others stealing money from young girls wanting to become a model. I f*cking loath them!
Models-n-Shoots have two ratings: Quality and Trust. The latter is based on feedback from other interacting users. Since Trust level will always be visable, Creeps will have a hard time using Models-n-Shoots.
Divas and Creeps - bye, bye!
I took a "lazy" day today. No shoots booked, only tour planning, Talent support and flight planning for Norway next week. Yup, I work every day but I have the best job in the world! Meeting talented nice people, creating cool pictures and traveling the world.
Right now I am sitting at a bar on a side street in Helsinki, having a beer, studying for my next pilot license and listening to one of the many street musicians in Helsinki. Did I tell you the air is warm and the beer is cold?
Cheers! :-)
/Morre
-- Post From My iPhone
We chatted about what Models-n-Shoots can do for her and I got some good feedback about the market in Finland. More Talents becoming freelance but also creeps killing trust. We all know them: the ones who want more than good pictures and the others stealing money from young girls wanting to become a model. I f*cking loath them!
Models-n-Shoots have two ratings: Quality and Trust. The latter is based on feedback from other interacting users. Since Trust level will always be visable, Creeps will have a hard time using Models-n-Shoots.
Divas and Creeps - bye, bye!
I took a "lazy" day today. No shoots booked, only tour planning, Talent support and flight planning for Norway next week. Yup, I work every day but I have the best job in the world! Meeting talented nice people, creating cool pictures and traveling the world.
Right now I am sitting at a bar on a side street in Helsinki, having a beer, studying for my next pilot license and listening to one of the many street musicians in Helsinki. Did I tell you the air is warm and the beer is cold?
Cheers! :-)
/Morre
-- Post From My iPhone
Location:Norra esplanaden,Helsinki,Finland
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