Models who last.... and stand the test of time.

Well for my next blog I decided to write a short ish article on models that I have had the pleasure of working with over the years.   This also got me thinking about the lifespan of a model?  Some of you out there reading this might be starting to think about this too so stay tuned and we will see where it leads us.    It all began when I decided to back up some more recent images and then took a peek at my archive hard drive.  This one is much older than the one that I currently use but contains a considerable number of images, it takes over five minutes to load up these days at the Terabyte drive was quite advanced for its day and fast but with it almost full when I moved on to my next one it has stood the test of time.

Looking through the endless index listing of name of models I noted that a few of them stood out for me and it got me thinking about those models who are still working in the industry after five, ten or fifteen years of modelling.  Its nice to know that these young ladies still look stunning and are producing outstanding pictures for us photographers.   So to illustrate this I decided to pick three girls that I have had the pleasure of working with and are still smiling for the cameras today.

Firstly the Pleasure.

Firstly Rachel Travers.    Great model whom I have had the pleasure of working with on a number of time, still modelling and with a stunning figure.

Although taken in 2003 they really show what a fun model she was and still is to work with. Thanks Rachel.

Next up on my list of Brill Girls is someone whom I got the chance to work with a lot and still models today mainly from her home which is superb, I mean of course none other than "Raven". others know her as MH.

Its always a pleasure to work with Raven and she always delivers top notch images just as she did back in 2004 when these were taken at a now closed studio in Sheffield which was at the top of an old mill building.

Finally on the list of Celebs I must add the name of Jocelyne Booke Hamilton to the listing she was stunning to work with back in 2005 and still delivers outstanding pictures for those who work with her.  A real professional model wanting to go that extra mile to deliver.

Sadly I have only managed to work with her the once back in 2005 but it was an experience that I will never forget with her ability to put the photographer at total ease and work to produce outstanding images.






So getting back to the blog:

Lifespan of a Model?

I also wondered about the effective lifespan of a model in the industry and what she has to look forward to if she wants to make a go of being a photographic model.  You only have to take a peek at the websites for models and photographers to see those who are tying to start out, a good set of images would help so many and the ability to communicate is another essential but what is their actual lifespan.

Sadly from looking around its not very long in fact they peak very quickly (No pun intended) and then vanish into the background, no replying to e-mails or phone calls.    Its a dog eat dog world out there and the bitchiness really does get to a few girls who give up when they meet other models or so-called models socially or on shoots.  Its also a fact of life that girls get bored, get boyfriends, get dogs(Or cats) or even get pregnant.   Some come back afterwards but find well toned and more motivated models out there having taken their crown they don't want to give it back.

Attitudes to models have changed over the past ten or fifteen years in that photographers take them for granted and tend not to stick with one girl to support and move them forward.  I can think of only half a dozen photographers who have done this successfully with girls that they have trained and those girls are doing really well indeed with that support.   Most are left out on their own, some make a go of it others fall by the wayside, in fact more fall by the wayside because modelling is considered to be seedy by friends, family and work colleagues.  Do models have a sell by date tattooed on them, well some have tattoos but that is not what I was meaning, is it just ok for a few years or do models have a time when they decide to pack it in for good and bow out gracefully as they have lost their looks or body shape?

Going back to the basics when models start acceptable training courses for models are sadly in the minority telling them the facts and laying out the reasons why they can do well and or how they can improve.   To be honest we need some sort of mentoring service to advise and assist models with this to allow them to gain information that will enable them to engage with customers, become more effective and independent.  So where are they now, take a look down the high street and you can see them, "Be a model, No Way, I aint taking my Kit off for nobody"!   Its a shame but hopefully in time things will change and restore modelling to something of value and not something seedy and hidden away in private when mentioned in conversation.

Till next time hope you enjoyed this.  Please feel free to comment.    Paul Rowe

Original or is anything Original at all for photography.

I have noted in recent months a number of photographers posting on social networking sites and forums on modelling sites moaning that people are copying other peoples work like sheep and following trends too much.   The big complaint is that why don't people do something original for a change, which got me thinking about this for a few minutes.

Photography has been around now for well over 100 years so the chance to do something truly original is massive in that hundreds of thousands of photographers all over the world are working on many projects that might be similar or with a type or style that others will see as not original cause someone has done it before.  In this time Many styles of work have been developed (No pun intended) by photographers in fields such as portrait, landscape, closeup, architecture and glamour photography.

To be truly unique in this day and age together with all the photographers past and present is not only a challenge to do but something of an impossible feat.    If you consider all the styles, topics, locations and settings that photographers work in its all been done before to an extent, so nothing can be original. 

So whats the point in doing it, when its all been done before by someone five, fifty or a Hundred years ago.   The solution is simple and one that has escaped the notice of those complaining about copying.   To truly copy something you would need to re-create the shot exactly, which unless you have a time machine is impossible to do.    You might be able to copy a style to produce something similar but with all the variables you could never produce an exact likeness of a photographers picture even if you used the same gear to take the picture, the same model to work with the same lighting conditions, the same viewpoint, the same time of day to point out just a few variables, not to mention the location?

Having thought about this people blindly following trends like sheep is a bit harsh but to understand that people like to take portraits, glamour, landscapes etc.,  If that's it then what is the problem?   Those who complain about this should take a long hard look at their own photography and think, why did you take those pictures, was it worth the time and effort to get the result.   If yes from the photographer, model, viewer then it was worthwhile and it does not matter that the photographer has used a style or type that has been done before as the shot will clearly reflect the talent or lack of talent that he or she has used to get the result.

Photography is subjective, how can we learn it without copying other peoples styles or types, how then do we manage to get a better picture without practice of our art.   If you think its all copying then whats the point in taking pictures?   In answer you should be thinking that you have created your own unique image and that it does not matter if you have made a landscape or glamour shot its the creative style that you present it to the world that matters.

In the same way that people like some food and dislike others its all a matter of taste.   I also noted that those who complain are always the ones who troll the internet sites moaning about the quality of other peoples work yet so far cannot produce good quality work that they are proud to own up to as their own.

I always think of the saying "People in Glasshouses shouldn't throw stones" as being so true for these folk.

Photography is an art form and should be considered a combination of the technical with the artistic to be creative at all times it does not matter that its been done before, the question is do you like what you see.

In finishing I will be penning more of my thoughts on photographic matters in the next few months I hope that you enjoy reading these and make you think about your own photographic art.