I talked about test shots during the previous article about why you’re not being booked for projects and I just want to elaborate more about this. Test shoots are essential especially to those who are just starting their career and building their portfolios. These are shoots that you will have to participate in, unpaid for the time spent doing it, but the images will be of great benefit to your book.
What are test shoots?
Basically, it’s an unpaid photo shoot where the images shot are more for creative experimentation or building someone’s portfolio. You may need to do a lot of test shots, especially if you’re a new model that’s just starting out. Not only that it will help you build your book, but it will also give you some experience. It’s pretty much like a real photo shoot, so you can really test the waters and see your performance on how you project yourself on camera.
You may have to pay for some test shoots especially if it’s for a specific model portfolio. The rates can vary and can range from $300 up to $1000. But just like what I mentioned, “you may” have to pay, but that’s not always the case. The only time you should consider paying is when the photographer is really good and there is a guarantee that the images that you will get are amazing.
Are paid test shoots worth it?
In my opinion, photographers who do model test shoots can shoot a lot of models over the course of the day. Your shoot may only last a few hours long. Another issue that can arise is that if he is shooting all of you, probably with the same hair and makeup, styling mood and even the same location, this can mean that the outcome of the images will look similar for all of the models that are present in that shoot.
This can be a problem especially that clients can spot the similarities of these shoots from a mile away. If you’re trying to stand out for a big project, this will definitely be a problem for you as the competition can become too much of a close call.
Having recognizable photographers style your portfolio is fine, but having images that are too identical to other models, definitely not ideal.
Another issue that I have encountered with paid test shoots is that the photos aren’t always suitable for your portfolio. Your agency might also decide that they only want to use one or two of the images and might only be of use for a month or so. Unless model test shoots are going to be of high quality and may be used for years, I think that’s the only time that you should consider paying for one.
My take on paid test shoots
Some of the best images I have on my portfolio aren’t something I paid for. It was a prize I won with a really good photographer and a makeup/hair stylist. It was really good and even after a few years, I still have a few of them in my book.
There’s nothing wrong with paid test shoots, some of them can end up really good and they can be quite an investment. Do your research too, regarding the photographer that will take your pictures. Unless he is well renowned, internationally published and can come up with killer shots for your shoot–by all means, go for it.
In some cases, especially with the same photographer, they may want to do a shoot with you for their portfolio but they won’t pay you, even though you clearly paid them when you needed images for your portfolio. That’s quite unfair, so you might want to weigh your options on this one since it’s unpaid work.
Not that I’m discouraging you to do paid test shoots, but there are a lot of things that you might want to consider, like: when you’re doing test shoots for the book of other creatives. Their concepts can be geared towards a particular concept that can be used to strengthen their book, including yours.
There’s also a similar thing that can be added to your portfolio and it’s called a submission shoot.
What is a submission shoot?
This is very similar to a test shoot, except that the pictures are being taken as an editorial that is submitted to a magazine for publishing.
Sounds great, right? If it’s going to be used as an editorial, then this basically means that these are strong images that could end up as tear sheets or photos that are torn from a magazine to be placed in your portfolio. As to what I observed, tear sheets are often received better by clients rather than test images.
As amazing as submission shoots sound, we all know how magazines take a long time to get published. Your photos might not even be published at all. If by any chance that it will really be published, it might take about 6 months or more before you can finally see the images on print.
My suggestion is that you keep the photographer’s number and email address along with the other creatives so you can contact them regularly for updates. You may also ask your agency to do this on your behalf.
The worst thing that can happen is if you spend a whole day working and not getting paid or to pose for images that nobody will ever see. As you progress through your career, you will find that you’re going to be pressured less and less to do them. Being honest with your agency about wanting to revamp your portfolio is your choice, don’t forget to speak up.
If there’s anyone that’s in charge of your career, it’s you.
Tags: income, photoshoots
Share On Facebook
Tweet It
