Zoom-in Online

So, remember when I first started this blog and I told you I was kind of in a slump and that the new year brought with it the hope of many a photo session? No? Okay, but I did. And later on, I talked about using a site like ModelMayhem to find new models. That's exactly what I did, but so far, only one photoshoot has come out of it.

It's not that I am super picky with the models I want to shoot. I have been talking to maybe six or seven different models since the year started. But still, nothing has come out of it. It seems that as soon as we get down to the details (location, time of day, that sort of thing), communication slows way down. In some cases it stops completely. This is, of course, extremely frustrating.

So, what can be done? Most microstock photographers seem to find maybe a handful of models and work with them more or less exclusively. That might be where I end up too, though I would prefer to mix in a few fresh faces every now and then. The other route is to pony up and start paying. The only downside to that is that you then have to start doing the math to see what it will take to make a profit off of the investment. Some agencies also advise their models against doing stock photography in general (that's another topic, for another day). The point is: Using online pseudo-agencies like ModelMayhem is convenient, yes, but also not always the fastest or even best solution. Patience is required.

For now, I'll go back to sitting here, hoping the model with whom I have scheduled a shoot for tomorrow gets back to me to confirm the time and place before it's too late.

Rasmus Rasmussen is on loan from iStockphoto, where he is part of the image inspection team.