The advice on this page has been compiled using feedback from people listed on this site. If you are thinking about contacting someone please read this

First Contact

When making contact with someone email first, with samples of your work. When emailing actually look like you have made a bit of effort, ie use a name, look at a web site and say what made you look.

Be contactable. If someone does want to work with you they will need to speak to you. If your mobile phone is normally switched off they will probably give up on you after a couple of attempts.

Be available and flexible. It is very common to need to have a second job to support the creative side. However if you are only available to shoot (not just testing) one day a week you will effectively be ruling yourself out of ANY opportunities that may come along.

Getting A Break

Be honest about your level of experience and ability. Two images do not make a portfolio. Everyone had to start with nothing so don't be afraid to admit that you are new to this. If you don't have much of a book to show put some effort into offering new ideas - you need to have something that will make others want to take a chance on working with you.

Be careful to only take on jobs you know you can do don`t try to take on too much too soon it can backfire on you and word gets around very quickly if you do slip up.

Portfolio

Your portfolio rules but the impact it makes will be reduced if you are not working with the best people possible. Everyone involved will get marked down for poor styling or if the photography is not great. Poor casting of models is another indicator of lack of experence.

Only show the very best images and only those that are relevant to the person who will be viewing your book. Don't show wedding, theatrical or SFX make up if you are looking for photographic work unless you have been told that a specific project will require it.

Turn Up!

One of the biggest fears about working with someone for the first time is "will they even turn up?". Much of this can come down to lack of communication prior to the shoot. However there are two golden rules:

1- the shoot will ALWAYS go ahead unless you are told specifically that it has been canceled. If you are waiting on conformation or you are in any doubt about whether a shoot is going ahead make it your responsibility to phone and check, DO NOT wait for the others to let you know.

2 - If you do have to cancel you must SPEAK to the others involved. Leaving a message or sending a text/email is NOT sufficient. Obviously you should send/leave those messages but you have not canceled until you have actually spoken to the relevant person(s).

In an ideal world no one would ever have to cancel on a shoot. Real life is not like and sometimes you will have to break a commitment BUT there are some reasons that are NEVER good enough to warrent a cancelation:
"the shop/bar/office I work at called me in"
"I'm still at college and had coursework to finish/hand in"

Don't be a pain

Mobile phones. If you receive persistent calls leave the vicinity of the shoot to talk if you have an opportunity to do so or switch your phone off for the duration of the shoot.

Prints and costs

You put all that work in and the shoot goes really well so there is nothing left to worry about? Wrong. It all gets nasty over the prints. Photographers seem to hold on to the prints for ages and everyone else expects the photographer to provide free prints. The result is that everyone ends up complaining about the other.

Photographers do need to make an effort to let everyone else involved in the shoot see the results as quickly as possible.

If you are shooting digitally it is really easy to put the images on a web page - Photoshop will do it all for you. If you are shooting film try holding a meeting as soon as the films come back from the lab. Do NOT let the contacts or transparencies out of your possession until everyone involved has seen them.

The cost of prints does tend to surprise people, a good quality print typically works out at around £20.00 for 10"x12". You should not assume that photographers will provide images on CD for you to print yourself.

The description TFP or TDCD also appears regulary online. In this case one or more of the parties are deemed to be paid by the photographer, with payment being in prints or images on CD - which clearly have value. If you are being paid it is reasonable for the model to sign a release and expect the photographer to sell those images. If you are not happy with such an arrangement don't enter into it!