Why do photographers do this?

[Vintage Suits by Mary]

I've noticed here on PL that a lot of photographers post in the Casting Call section when they are booking shoots, but they are not casting calls at all but trolling for girls to pay them to shoot. I always thought a casting call was looking for a girl to shoot and either she would be paid or compensated in some other way, not the other way around.
Shouldn't there be another forum for this? That way, when a photographer, or business has a real casting call it won't get lost in the enormous amount of posts from photographers wanting to drum up business. (Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with looking for paid work, it just seems like the wrong forum for it)

[Auburn Hills]

I agree, a seperate thread for this would be helpful. I think of a casting call as something you audition/apply for not pay for.

[El Muerto X]

ive noticed that as well... on my facebook it updates me with "casting calls" but all it ever shows me are all the "special deals" from photographers for $300 shoots. i'm under the impression that, that is not a casting call, that is a promotion to make business. i also agree with you.

[Miss Nikki Sin{★}]

I agree... and not all models have an extra 300 bucks laying around to shoot with.. it would be nice if there was a place for audition/applications.. I know that I'm not going to be able to work with these "big name" photographers because the price is so damn high... I would love to work with some of these people, and it breaks my heart when I see, "SPECIAL DEAL!! $350 SHOOTS! TRUST ME THAT'S A STEAL!"

[Edson Carlos]

Interesting thoughts, thank you very much for the feedback, keep it coming people, we're listening! Looking forward to some photographers to chime in.

[Honey B Hooligan {Madam}]

hmmm, I think I kind of love this idea! Good thoughts!

[Rottencandy Photography]

Ok this is coming from a photographers prospective here. 300-350 is cheap for a shoot if its including hair and make-up. Your not just paying us for shooting you, your also paying for the time we put into your photos afterwards. We may only shoot you for 2-3 hours but we could be working on your photos for the next 2-3 days. After we pay for a location/props/etc, and pay the MUA we've maybe made 100 bucks which isnt allot. Typically if it wasnt a package deal it would be allot higher anywhere from 600-1200 or more depending on what you want done and how long we are shooting you.

As for casting calls if you look at model mayhem its the same as it is here, casting calls are for both people looking to "Cast" someone and also people looking for paid work, or advertising what they are doing.

If its going to be made separate then everyone who has an account on PPL needs to be automatically put into these two forums.

Miss Nikki Sin{★} said:

I agree... and not all models have an extra 300 bucks laying around to shoot with.. it would be nice if there was a place for audition/applications.. I know that I'm not going to be able to work with these "big name" photographers because the price is so damn high... I would love to work with some of these people, and it breaks my heart when I see, "SPECIAL DEAL!! $350 SHOOTS! TRUST ME THAT'S A STEAL!"

[Honey B Hooligan {Madam}]

I see your point, totally. This isn't MM though, and things work a bit differently because it's not just photographers who are looking for models TFP or TFCD (I know not all of MM is like that, but a good portion of it is). It's also vendors, magazines etc. that are looking for models to pay! So that is where the confusion is coming in, I think.

As for sorting through the forum and separating the two? that's where the Madams come in!

Rottencandy Photography said:

Ok this is coming from a photographers prospective here. 300-350 is cheap for a shoot if its including hair and make-up. Your not just paying us for shooting you, your also paying for the time we put into your photos afterwards. We may only shoot you for 2-3 hours but we could be working on your photos for the next 2-3 days. After we pay for a location/props/etc, and pay the MUA we've maybe made 100 bucks which isnt allot. Typically if it wasnt a package deal it would be allot higher anywhere from 600-1200 or more depending on what you want done and how long we are shooting you.

As for casting calls if you look at model mayhem its the same as it is here, casting calls are for both people looking to "Cast" someone and also people looking for paid work, or advertising what they are doing.

If its going to be made separate then everyone who has an account on PPL needs to be automatically put into these two forums.

Miss Nikki Sin{★} said:

I agree... and not all models have an extra 300 bucks laying around to shoot with.. it would be nice if there was a place for audition/applications.. I know that I'm not going to be able to work with these "big name" photographers because the price is so damn high... I would love to work with some of these people, and it breaks my heart when I see, "SPECIAL DEAL!! $350 SHOOTS! TRUST ME THAT'S A STEAL!"

[Auburn Hills]

Ideally there would be a seperate catagory for the shoot specials, as these are not casting calls. I am more interested in the package deal shoots and yes $300 - $400 is a very good deal to work with a professional photographer. I like to know when photographers are going to be in my town and/or offering special locations, sets, makeup, hair stylists, etc. On the other hand, I'm not interested in casting calls.

[Vega {★}]

I'm going to have to agree with most of the girls on here... to me "Casting" happens when someone...be it model, photographer, etc... has a position they need filled. Just like casting in a play, movie, choir group, etc., they open it up to a bunch of people so they can select the person they view fits the job the best, or has the most talent. In theater or movies, the one selected is usually paid for the use of their talent, or sometimes not when it's community theater or such. But never the other other way around.

When a photographer is offering a special deal to anyone who can pay the dollar amount, that is something entirely different. Not that plenty of models and other people aren't grateful for the opportunity to work with a great photographer they otherwise might not be able to (based on their experience level or whatnot), it's just not the same thing as casting.

I, for one, constantly feel let-down because I see a "casting call" in my area, and click on it only to find out it's really just a good deal on a photo shoot. That's more like vendor sales to me. I feel like it would be great to implement a separate area for this type of thing.

And please, let's not run this site based on how Model Mayhem works. This is supposed to be a unique community, and one that is a pleasure for everyone to use. I think that sorting out shoots you have to pay for, and shoots you have to APPLY (or audition) for, would definitely make things easier on those in the market for a shoot, and maybe cause a little less heartache for us 'starving artist' models

[Georgi Girl]

I agree. I understand that photographers want to advertise their services. Which they should be able to do! Everything in the casting call section should be offering a gig. When you see someone is offering a service it sort of feels like a scam.

Sometimes I am looking for a great deal but other times I am looking to see who is hiring either for paid or tfp work.

[El Muerto X]

Raquelle Vega {★} said:

I, for one, constantly feel let-down because I see a "casting call" in my area, and click on it only to find out it's really just a good deal on a photo shoot. That's more like vendor sales to me. I feel like it would be great to implement a separate area for this type of thing.

And please, let's not run this site based on how Model Mayhem works. This is supposed to be a unique community, and one that is a pleasure for everyone to use. I think that sorting out shoots you have to pay for, and shoots you have to APPLY (or audition) for, would definitely make things easier on those in the market for a shoot, and maybe cause a little less heartache for us 'starving artist' models

yes i know exactly how it feels. im always on the look out for casting calls in my area for my girlfriend. and like i mentioned in my previous post "casting call northern Ca" i click it... "300$ photo shoot special" its sort of a let down.

to the person who spoke about $300-350 being cheap. we know it is, and that is an amazing deal! but most the people in here posting agree. its just not a casting call, its an advertisement... that is the debate/topic. we are not complaining about $300 shoots. just the fact that its not a "casting call"

[Vintage Suits by Mary]

I never use model mayhem anymore. The one time I posted a casting call, I got so many totally inappropriate replies that showed the people didn't even read the post! As far as I'm concerned, MM is mostly a place for wannabes to post photos of themselves and call themselves "models", "photographers", or some other "prefessional".