Finding Photographic Models

A part of my photographic journey has been photographing people in studios and various locations and I’m often asked “Where do I find my models?.
In this short article, I will attempt to share how I go about it.

People are all around us but finding somebody who will look good in front of the camera and be comfortable in doing so can be a bit of a challenge, so usually a bit of effort has to be put into finding suitable subjects. I will expand on the following list and share my approach.

• Friends and acquaintances
• Online modeling sites
• Studio Mailing Lists
• Workshops
• Events
• Camera Clubs

Friends, family and acquaintances can be a useful source for models in the Photography. Hopefully, you will have lots of them and they will all have a unique look about them that will fit into some scenario. On the plus side they generally won’t charge you money for modeling and of course you will pay them with images or prints. which they can use on their social media. On the downside they are generally not experience models and will need a reasonable amount of directing and coaching as it’s not something they normally do, this can place extra burden on you as the photographer to get the very best out of them. Often it can take a little bit of time and effort to cajole your friends into getting in front of the camera as it can feel quite daunting to people not experienced in this.

Online modeling sites can be an interesting place has the variety of images on show can cover all styles of photography, some of it much tacky the new thought possible. A site I have used in the past is purple port which is a website for models, studios, make up artist and Photographers. This is a reasonable site to use as you can search. For your requirements in your area. when using purple parts I do tend to select models whose job it is and who’s reputation is important to them as they are the ones that are likely to turn up and to perform well in front of the camera. I rarely use sites such as Facebook or Instagram to find models as they can be a bit hit and miss or maybe unreliable, but you can find people that you may then be able to contact through bespoke modeling sites.

Studio Mailing Lists can provide a source of models that are local to that area or are ‘on tour’. This is a good option as it can provide new faces, people that are from across the country and may not be well known in the local camera club scene. When you sign up you will be offered places on shoots as and when they arise and if the model is popular you’ll have to be quick. I tend to avoid the ‘club nights’ that studios often put on as you will be working in a group and you will probably see both good and from the other attendees.

Workshops are one of the easiest ways of photographing people as a lot of the work is done by the workshop organiser including the selection of the model. Additionally these workshops will take care of lighting, location, outfits and props so they are a great opportunity to take quality images. Often one of the real problems is finding interesting outfits and props to lift your photographs and workshops are a useful resource for this. There is a downside however, and that is that your images are unlikely to be unique to yourself. And you do risk having a portfolio very similar to many other photographers in your area. As a judge for photographic clubs, I do see a lot, and I mean a lot, of very similar images that were obviously taken on workshops. I’ve tended to use workshops to learn a technique or a lighting set up or to photograph something that I just couldn’t put together myself and they are great for this purpose.

Events provide some really interesting opportunities and include things such as historical re-enactments, Goth and steam punk weekends, 1940s parades, et cetera. Some of these events are organised specifically for Photographers and some of them. More for the general public so you do have to be careful in which ones you select and how you approach your Photography, but there are always opportunities. These events can be a little bit like workshops as they get more popular and more people take images of them then they become a little bit less unique and you have to work hard to try to find a different approach to make your image to stand out from the masses.

Camera clubs can be a great resource, get your club to host some portrait nights, they are great for cheap opportunities and there is usually somebody there who can help with settings and technique if you need it. These type of events can be quite hectic and busy so make sure you know what you want to achieve before it’s your turn to shoot. Also watch how other people work and pose the model to get the results that they want – talk to these people to boost your learning.

The above thoughts are not by any stretch the limit of what can be done on what’s available but hopefully these may give you some thoughts as to how you can find an approach people for your own photographic projects. Have fun.