10 Reasons Why ‘tfp’ Is Actually HURTING Your Photography
OR: “How to shoot tfp the CORRECT way”
Me, shooting TFP on the sand in Long Beach
It’s an inescapable truth that the bar for entry into the photography industry is practically at ground-level in the 21st Century Digital Age. This can be both a blessing, and a curse.
But this does not mean that we should value professional Creative Services any less, nor engage in a mutual Race To The Bottom. TFP photography culture risks doing just that.
DON’T GET ME WRONG::
There is a time and place for tfp shoots. After all, Practice Makes Perfect.
But it’s important that you understand when and how to conduct them, to ensure they aren’t a constant time-wasting drain on your personal Creative Growth.
Remember, time is our most precious, non-renewable commodity. You can’t reclaim lost time in your life.
So let’s talk about what ‘tfp’ means, how it started, and where it is today.
For those who don’t know, tfp stands for “time for photos/prints.” It’s a way that early film photographers would find test subjects to contribute their time standing in front of a camera in exchange for actual 8×10 prints. The photographer put up most of the investment of film, development, darkroom and paper costs in exchange for someone being a warm body posing for the lens so the photographer can hone their skills.
You can see this dynamic play out in this film clip from The Notorious Bettie Page:
The proliferation of the internet coinciding with the availability of affordable digital photo equipment turned this practice into a commodity (I mostly blame easy photography signup websites like Model Mayhem)
Now, somehow new beginners into the photography/modeling world think that somehow this has to be the de facto standard for entry.
But I’m here to help clear the air and argue that it might be more useful to your Creative growth to consider these
10 Reasons to Avoid tfp When Possible:
10) You Get What You (Don’t) Pay For.
I mean, duh. We all get this on an intellectual level.
But let’s examine how this plays out in a tfp context:
You spend month after month, year after year, scouring the WorldWideWeb for THE right tfp model, with THE right look, for THE right project, at THE right time, to help build YOUR book the way YOU need to… it’s a lot of time and effort spent. You’ve already spent money on your equipment. Maybe even paid for studio rental time. Why skimp out on the most important aspect of model photography — the model?
I would argue the allure of paying zero dollars on an amateur up-and-coming-model-in-training isn’t gonna get you the maximum returns you hope for.
Especially if it turns out this person isn’t who you expected. Especially ESPECIALLY if they end up flaking on you.
Speaking of::
9) Your “flake factor” increases TENFOLD.
Have you ever been super excited to put a photoshoot together, finally found a model, got a really good hair and makeup team assembled and ready to go, and then at the Eleventh Hour while you’re setting everything up at the studio, you get the dreaded text: “I’m sorry, something came up, I have to cancel!” 😩
Or even WORSE, they ghost on you entirely!
I mean, after all, what incentive do they have? Photos from a relative stranger that may or may not turn out well??
You haven’t even set up a deposit or retainer for this shoot. They lose next to nothing for giving you literally any reason under the sun not to show up. This goes for your model or your crew. Any one of them can back out at any time, with you holding the bill.
Sure, you can go full Catharsis Mode and put them on blast in all the online photography groups, but that doesn’t really help solve anything — and probably makes you look super unprofessional instead.
8) It takes longer to achieve the same desired results
Not all models are built the same.
Some show up dramatically different than their portfolio led you to believe. Some are really awkward and don’t know how to pose, but they cherry picked some of their best shots to show to you. Others are very demanding and want to take the shoot in a different direction than you had in mind or discussed beforehand.
This means tons more photos to get the “shot.” This means tons more photoshoots to drive results. And that means more time and energy spent to achieve the growth you desire.
7) Most tfp models lack clout
It’s worthwhile to find a model that has following and credibility, and can either repost some of your work or vouch for you to other models. This in itself has more value than we give credit for. We should take care not to over-inflate the promise of “exposure,” yet when you have next-to-none yourself, good word-of-mouth can be pretty valuable, indeed.
So taken into consideration, how will you expect to get worthwhile results shooting someone who won’t even realistically help get you the audience and eyeballs you need to see the results?
6) Some one else could be profiting off of YOUR hard work
What are the model’s intentions with the photos? Are they going to be using them to sell something for Commercial profit? Or worse, are they going to be given to a third-party??
All of a sudden, the photos you thought were for mutual portfolio-building, are being sent to another retoucher you don’t know, or worse reposted with some lame Instagram filter that makes your photo look cheesy, or even worse still, used commercially to sell wardrobe or other commodities in order to profit off of your hard work — while you recoup NONE of the expenses you put into the project.
5) You need to learn how to edit as much as shooting
You want to make sure that you’re only showcasing what’s best for your brand. Knowing not only how to edit your images to look their best, but also to cull your edit down to the best of the best is key to maximizing those ends.
Which leads into the next issue:
4) You’re giving away the farm!
Why are you handing over the entirety of the shoot anyway??
Remember, “tfp” originally meant “time for prints.” That didn’t necessarily mean the model got a print of every. single. negative on the roll. Just because we’re in the Digital Age, doesn’t mean you should just hand over the entirety of your SD card for free. How can you properly value photography if you equate it to 100% free? That principle applies to both photographers and models.
3) You risk lowered expectations/respect for the craft
There is merit in practice. We’ve already established that. There’s even much to be said about a lowered sense of pressure and stakes at risk. But if you can build a good reputation as a reliable pro when there are low/no stakes, then how much more are you able to convince potential clients to hire you when there will be little room for error or opportunity to reshoot!
2) You perpetuate the ‘Economy of the Free’
There’s a downward pressure on the value of photography due to the lowering costs of equipment, and the ability to learn the basics and get a decent photography education through free online training and videos. But this doesn’t mean we can’t come up with creative ways to deliver higher-valued services to the client.
There are newer artists out there who actually argue for keeping rates suppressed, because they feel they can’t get hired for gigs otherwise. When in reality, they need to learn how to increase the way they convey value in their services so that they can meet a threshold of long-term sustainability.
1) You keep “begging the question”
The phrase “to beg the question” refers to a circular argument created by questions that raise even more questions than answers. Kinda like, “how can I get a job if I don’t have experience to show? How can I show experience if I can’t get a job??”
This exact same cycle plays out in the tfp marketplace. Everyone tries to get the free version of things they value — it’s human nature. But if you find yourself begging the question, “how will people book me without a portfolio to show? How can I get a portfolio if models won’t even book with me??” But eventually you also realize, “I feel like I’m learning to get good enough to get paid, but how can I when I’m only learning through trade?”
Then it begins to feel like tfp is only a tepid solution, with all the baggage associated above.
All of these terrible scenarios combine into a perfect storm to make your personal development much more difficult than it needs to be. It could actually stunt your growth in a way that actually costs you income potential in the long run. If you subject yourself to this painful gauntlet time after time, then it’s no wonder you probably feel like you’re struggling to gain any REAL traction.
But, there are ways tfp can be advantageous — especially for reason #1 above.
So, how can you use tfp to your actual best advantage?
Plan, Plan, PLAN! Doing a shoot-from-the-hip, improvised photoshoot is really for the pros, or those to whom photography comes natural. “Preproduction” refers to all the work and planning that goes on before the actual photoshoot commences. This includes all the logistical work, like location scouting and time-management, as well as building the concept of the shoot itself, and prepping your model and crew for achieving your creative vision. Building moodboards, assembling wardrobe, and testing your lighting setups before anyone even shows up will guarantee better results than just showing up and winging it.
Ask your friends or family members! Sure, not all of your run-of-the-mill everyday people have that “model” look (refer to #7 above) but if you’re working with someone you know personally, that could be an asset! After all, if you can take striking, professional-looking photos of everyday average people, you’ll be able to better convince aspiring models that you’re reliably skilled and worthwhile of their time — which again, is our most valuable commodity.
Ask the models you’ve already shot with before. Since they’ve trusted you and you’ve built that rapport in the past, they’ll be much more likely and even willing to do so again. I understand you want to show diversity in your portfolio, but if you can make the exact same person look dramatically different from one shoot to the next, you can demonstrate that you have technical and creative range. And that’s way better than wasting time on someone who won’t turn out the way you expected
— or won’t even turn up at all.
Schedule more than just one person. This way if one person gets sick or worse ghosts you entirely, then not all is lost. Also, you have the opportunity to supercharge your portrait skills by wrangling two (or more!) models simultaneously. This experience will teach you valuable skills to conduct couples and group shoots, where there is tendency for much bigger production payouts on a paid gig.
Do NOT deliver the farm!! The biggest mistake newer photographers make, is after their tfp shoot, they deliver nearly the whole photoshoot in its entirety. From the best shots to the worst shots and all the so-so shots in between. This does nothing to teach you how to edit your work output — ie, only showing and delivering your BEST. The last thing you want is for your model to have an opportunity to post and tag you in photos that don’t accurately convey your best work.
During the scouting and pre-production phase, you need to spell out clearly what is on offer in terms of number of photos delivered, whether they are delivered full-resolution or resized for web, and whether there is retouching included.
I’ve heard so many complaints from models that they didn’t get the full shoot delivered, because expectations were not properly set beforehand. Also, be sure to set reasonable expectations for turanaround and delivery. If you’re only handing over a limited number of selects, it shouldn’t take you a month or more to deliver to the model.
Learn how to upsell. Now that you’re able to better gauge how much to deliver for a typical trade collaboration, now you can work on your shoot upgrades. If you can master making your collaborative partner thrilled with a limited selection according to your trade agreement, you should have no problem convincing them to purchase upgrades after they see the results.
Think of it like the free samples table at your local grocery store: You are allowed a limited amount of tasty goods for free, with the idea of convincing you to purchase the product at retail price to take home. Apply this same formula to your tfp shoots, and you’ll start recouping expenses and be able to charge full price for your photoshoots MUCH faster than giving away everything for free every single time.
