American or European Models? Which do you prefer to work with? Ok this may be a weird question but it was recently brought up at a modeling event in LA by some international photographers (mostly from the US). Many of them have worked with fashion models both her in the states and abroad. So the question was posed.. The answers were rather revealing, if not controversial.
While several photographers had a comment on the subject, I choose to focus on the comments made be a professional photographer with over 20 years in the industry. His comments were very insightful and interesting, to say the least. Whether they are true or not is of course unknown, and your experiences may vary greatly.
Photographer Interview:
Me: How long have you been in the fashion model industry?
Photographer: I started about 20 years ago shooting for a small online company that worked with stock images. Mostly I worked with freelance models and created the content that the company would later sell along with the image license. After about 2 years I branched out on my own and started to work in the fashion industry. My work was 100% in the USA for the first few years and I worked with models ranging from formal evening wear, designer outfits, to Playboy style artistic work and entertainment magazines such as Maxim. I treated the job as a professional and always worked with top level models.
Me: So when did you start traveling abroad to work with models and what difference did you notice?
Photographer: My first trip to Europe was about 6 years ago. I started out working in Prague. The motivation for this built up gradually over time. Basically I was having more and more trouble finding suitable American models. Not because of their 'look', but because the culture was changing so fast in regards to online modeling and freelance photographers. For example I would often be required to pay for the model's boyfriend to attend the photo-shoot to ensure that nothing 'funny' was going on. Or to pay for a bodyguard/chaperon to be present at the shoot and during the interview. Now I fully understand the need for safety, but I am a professional photographer with a huge portfolio and years of experience. Also the models I worked with often came from agencies and talent scouts, not Craigslist. So over time it became very uncomfortable to work with American models. I even began to feel 'sleazy', as if what I was doing was somehow shady. This feeling was not from the content I produced, but from the model's actions toward me. In addition to this the price started to go way up while the quality started to drop drastically.
My first photo-shoot in Prague was an incredible experience. I arranged the casting call through an agency. Upon arrival I found out that there were over 100 applicants, some from as far away as Brno (a two hour drive). My normal pay-rate was more the double the average pay-rate that models normally receive from local photographers. The models treated me with great respect and openness, which was a tremendous difference from the paranoid US models. I traveled with a small team consisting of a make-up artist and crew. We rented a large apartment that we created into a studio for the photo-shoot. The apartment was over 5000 square feet and would have cost thousands in the states. However we were able to arrange the stay for $1200 (which covered 2 weeks).
The models also came prepared. What I mean by this is the models actually knew how to pose and what style of imagery I was seeking. Before the photo-shoot we have a casting and I display the image styles and review the exact type of work I am seeking. I do this in America as well but despite my prep work the models always show up having no clue and I basically have to spend around 20-30 minutes reviewing the posing styles and overall feel I am trying to achieve from the images. I was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the European models practiced prior to arriving at the shoot.
Me: Does this mean you will not work with American models anymore?
Photographer: Well I think it may seem is if I am coming down to hard on US models and I don't mean for that to be the case. I have worked with some amazingly professional American models. However the atmosphere lately in regards to American models seems amateur. I have experienced entire photo-shoots completely ruined because the model was not prepared or simply changed her mind mid-shoot. So for the time being I think I will stick with European models.
If you enjoyed this article please share it and leave your comment below. Thank you.
Me: How long have you been in the fashion model industry?
Photographer: I started about 20 years ago shooting for a small online company that worked with stock images. Mostly I worked with freelance models and created the content that the company would later sell along with the image license. After about 2 years I branched out on my own and started to work in the fashion industry. My work was 100% in the USA for the first few years and I worked with models ranging from formal evening wear, designer outfits, to Playboy style artistic work and entertainment magazines such as Maxim. I treated the job as a professional and always worked with top level models.
Me: So when did you start traveling abroad to work with models and what difference did you notice?
Photographer: My first trip to Europe was about 6 years ago. I started out working in Prague. The motivation for this built up gradually over time. Basically I was having more and more trouble finding suitable American models. Not because of their 'look', but because the culture was changing so fast in regards to online modeling and freelance photographers. For example I would often be required to pay for the model's boyfriend to attend the photo-shoot to ensure that nothing 'funny' was going on. Or to pay for a bodyguard/chaperon to be present at the shoot and during the interview. Now I fully understand the need for safety, but I am a professional photographer with a huge portfolio and years of experience. Also the models I worked with often came from agencies and talent scouts, not Craigslist. So over time it became very uncomfortable to work with American models. I even began to feel 'sleazy', as if what I was doing was somehow shady. This feeling was not from the content I produced, but from the model's actions toward me. In addition to this the price started to go way up while the quality started to drop drastically.
My first photo-shoot in Prague was an incredible experience. I arranged the casting call through an agency. Upon arrival I found out that there were over 100 applicants, some from as far away as Brno (a two hour drive). My normal pay-rate was more the double the average pay-rate that models normally receive from local photographers. The models treated me with great respect and openness, which was a tremendous difference from the paranoid US models. I traveled with a small team consisting of a make-up artist and crew. We rented a large apartment that we created into a studio for the photo-shoot. The apartment was over 5000 square feet and would have cost thousands in the states. However we were able to arrange the stay for $1200 (which covered 2 weeks).
The models also came prepared. What I mean by this is the models actually knew how to pose and what style of imagery I was seeking. Before the photo-shoot we have a casting and I display the image styles and review the exact type of work I am seeking. I do this in America as well but despite my prep work the models always show up having no clue and I basically have to spend around 20-30 minutes reviewing the posing styles and overall feel I am trying to achieve from the images. I was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the European models practiced prior to arriving at the shoot.
Me: Does this mean you will not work with American models anymore?
Photographer: Well I think it may seem is if I am coming down to hard on US models and I don't mean for that to be the case. I have worked with some amazingly professional American models. However the atmosphere lately in regards to American models seems amateur. I have experienced entire photo-shoots completely ruined because the model was not prepared or simply changed her mind mid-shoot. So for the time being I think I will stick with European models.
If you enjoyed this article please share it and leave your comment below. Thank you.
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