Credibility, References, and trying to establish yourself as a Photographer

[Kustomkarma]

   Hi All,

   This was a post over on the How's TF working out for you thread, but rather than steering that discussion off course, I have moved it over here. The original post is below. I welcome any input as I'm dying to know...

 

   Lots of good responses in these posts, but it leaves me a little intimidated. I enjoy shooting models and enjoy contributuing to the scene more from an Art angle as I have studied drawing, painting, etc. my entire life. I don't expect to ever make any money from this, but it would be nice to be invloved. I have a day job, so I'll never be able to get as much experience as someone that shoots for a living. There's also the issue of finding people that are willing to work with you. Since I'm just getting back into this seriously, I figured I'd try to work with models that are starting out so we could progress at a similar pace as we're both going to make mistakes but hopefully improve over time.

This all leads me to pose a couple of questions to the PL Community.

What is a good way to gain credibility?

Should I somehow be collecting references?

I would love to study with a professional, but my time is limited by my career - should I be thinking about some kind of apprenticeship?

I'm very dedicated to pursuing this, but have been more or less learning this on my own as best I can. Any input in regard to the above would be awesome and appreciated. :)

[Bodacious Betty {★}]

Local car shows are a great way to get gals to model for you for a few shots.  Check out lightenupandshoot.com; he's got some great pointers on how to approach strangers, and women in particular on the street for a shot, and not come off creepy. 

http://www.lightenupandshoot.com/favorite-videos/find-a-model-in-fi...

[Kustomkarma]

Thanks for the link! I actually shot my last set of photos by randomly approaching a girl at the vintage drag races.  Update - Literally just had another reschedule - Drat!

[Auburn Hills]

reply from a pinup fan & model's point of view - not a photographer....  Put your name and/or logo somewhere on your finished product.  The pics you have up are bare - not the way to get your name out there.  When I see shots that grab my attention, I always make a mental note to remember the photographer.  I like your style.

 

[Kustomkarma]

Thank You for the comment and response! You've got a good point. I have marked some of my more recent work and am currently having someone create business cards for me, so I can market myself a little better. My style is still revealing itself. One of my prior posts in this thread describes it in a little more detail. While one of my models for this weekend rescheduled, the other one is still on. I'm going to keep chipping away at this process until I have carved out my niche.

[RyanBoothPhotography]

Edson Carlos said:

"What is a good way to gain credibility?

You'll struggle here between a good way and a fast way. The fast way is one a road many choose to take, I view that as shooting for free and schmooozing and brown nosing some bigger names until they bite. This typically leads to quick credibility in the eyes of your general photography fan and potential new clients. The good way is the GET GOOD. Let the quality bring you the bigger names, make your work so great that people will want what you produce and are willing to pay you for your time. Time is money whether you love it or it's just work." 

Here here.  I know people that took both paths, and both ways seem to work in one way or another.  I took the "Get Good" path.  I studied photography and did A LOT of it for free, building a portfolio and just showing my work on sites.  Pretty soon people I didn't know would message me asking for photo shoots.  Sure, it took a little longer than the other way probably, but now I know how to set up a shoot easily by myself and get it done.