“Coffee Shorthand”, taken on my Android, edited with the Photo Editor app.
Today, Dear Readers, I’ve been pondering a topic that was brought up in the modeling education group of which I’m a Moderator: Self-publication. A model posted that she was looking to score more shoots, not unlike looking to score more blow – but anyway, she started to rattle off her credentials, most of which were being published in on-demand, internet magazines via MagCloud.com. But here’s the thing, from what I could make out of her convoluted, round-about comments, was that most of those magazines were ones that she, herself, had put together, consisting mostly of her own images, and put out on MagCloud. She considered those bona fide tear sheets and credentials.
Another Moderator of the group expressed their opinion, with their Moderator cap off, that on-demand, internet magazines cheapen and diminish the value of actual publication in print magazines. I think it does that particularly if you are putting out a magazine full of your own images and then justifying charging a higher modeling fee because you “have been published numerous times”. I call “Bullshit” and “Shenanigans”. Let me say it again: BULLSHIT and SHENANIGANS.
I have a decently long list of credentials that I’ve accumulated in the last three years, from tear sheets to a calendar, television commercials to images in galleries. Yet, I still do a fair amount of “Trade for…” shoots and my rates stay at $20-25/hr and the current IRS mileage reimbursement rates.
Today, I just so happen to be doing one of those trade shoots with a photographer who has a MUCH longer, and more impressive, list of credentials than I do: William Zuback. I have a feeling he and I will get along swimmingly – and I’ve already warned him of my initial “wallfloweryness” at initial meeting, as I need to assess what I can say without being offensive.
He’s an artist. Some of his images involve creepy little dolls (dolls are like clowns, btw… I don’t like them). He has images hanging in galleries and people buy them. That is awesome. I’m lucky to have been asked to be a part of one of his projects.
So as I sit here at my desk, waiting for Mr. Muse to roll himself out of bed so I can finish gathering up my gear for the day and double-fisting a coffee in one hand and my Banana-Raspberry-Oatmeal smoothie in the other (between typing), I can only shake my head in astonishment and bewilderment at the self-published magazines and the people who feel they are reason enough to charge higher rates.
Bullshit and Shenanigans.
Musings of the Amusing Muse 
It must be exciting to be part of one of his projects and I hope you share it with us once it is completed 🙂
I AM excited! Since Bill (I get to call him that) uses film for the particular project I was/am part of – there was a lot more pausing between shots than with digital, but he said he was happy with what he got. I won’t give away more.
People need to go BUY BILL’S WORK!!!
Very cool! I would loved to see a link to his work. My oldest sister is an artist she has received a lot of notoriety through the past few years and is finally beginning to sell some of her pieces. But she does it for the art not the money.
I have two links in today’s post. 😀
excellent!
Congrats on your opportunity and yes unfortunately we have to deal with what I call fakes and want to be’s on a daily basis. Good luck to you and we enjoy following you.
Thank you so much! I had to laugh that while I was away shooting on Saturday, the “model in question” left the group because they were getting grilled about their credentials. All the fun always happens when I’m away!
LOL !! There is an old saying, “you can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all the time” ! It rings true ! Hey we are looking forward to your projects, your submission to TNS (their publication is beautiful) and if your doing a photo shoot with you as the focus of attention I hope you can share some of that here as well for our benefit. Have a wonderful day 🙂
Thanks! I will share as much as I can here. I recently was asked why I didn’t have any nude images from the Big Nude Boat posted here, and I had to explain that most of the ship was a “no photo zone”, and when I was out and about – I was working and didn’t have a camera with me other than in port. BUT, until or unless my Mom says “I don’t care if you post artwork even if it IS nude” I will be refraining from posting nudes here. Though… I could always warn her via code??? Contains images “NSFM” = Not Safe for Moms??
Yes, totally understandable. We have many images of us and a few with others from our resorts we visit. We often share our nudes with some sites and friends but never any that have our friends in them unless they (our friends) specifically ask for them. Funny how family is so squeamish about things that are so natural. Our parents are ok with our images even though none are nudist but our kids are totally in the OMG state of mind when it comes to seeing us. While we find their state of mind amusing, it’s also a big disappointment for us not to be able to share something so natural with them.
I think that comes from the Puritan nature of the US. I don’t want to see my parents naked – but my friends have seen my nudes and it’s not a big deal. However – for me, the level of comfort is determined by reaction, i.e. comments.
I am disgusted and creeped out when I hear/read comments about an image being “hot” – because for me, the images I pose for aren’t typically meant to have any sort of sexual connotation (there are some exceptions). Sadly, society often sees nudity as sexual and those who are nude as “asking for it [sex]” even if sex isn’t even remotely associated with an image. It seems that even a lot of nudists focus on the physical judging from what I see them post on Twitter.
Jeez… I think I’ve given myself a whole topic to explore here.
I have great friends who have self-published their own works . . . and I encourage them in their pursuits — whatever you can do to get your product into more hands, the better.
But, well, it’s made me also question when I’ve heard someone say they they’ve “been published.” I click a button, and I publish to my blog . . . there is “being picked up” and “being published.” At one time, they meant the same – they don’t anymore. It’s a shame that someone can just bankroll their own resume & cheapen the market for others.
I’m glad I got you to ponder on this topic! Honestly, I had a discussion about the self-publication subject with William Zuback (his day job is in…. publishing). He feels that the future IS in e-format style publishing. There are thousands of authors whose work is entirely e-format.
I’ve no problem with self-published projects as long as people are being up front that that is the case.
Now that I have an article that will be published in a print magazine – which to me is HUGE – for someone to come along and say they’ve been published but it’s their own project, it really does feel like what I have done is “less”.
To me they just aren’t the same thing… not yet.