Bad timing...

This is another shot of the delightful and prompt AngelD -- NOT one of the models discussed in this entry.

Had found an interesting model on SuicideGirls who lives here in SW Ohio and back about the 20th of June we set up a shoot for Tuesday, July 11. Great. I was looking forward to it. We would confirm details closer to the shoot date. Fast forward a bit to last week, and it turns out that a set she'd submitted on SG is posted, so now she's an official "Suicide Girl" -- great for me, right? EXCEPT I had not gotten a phone number, so now my e-mails to her to confirm that the shoot is still on have gone unanswered, since she's probably getting tons of e-mails and messages as a result of the set being posted. So, I don't know if she's still planning to show up at my studio, or not. My gut says no, but I certainly don't want to be the one to stand HER up if she does in fact show up. So, I'll go down to the studio at the appointed time tomorrow and hope that she remembers and honors the appointment. Light a candle for me, please.

Postscript: did hear from this model, and while she is canceling tonight's shoot, she says she does want to reschedule in August because she's spending all her spare time now preparing for a local move. So, keep the candle lit that we actually get to shoot together after all.

My doubts about Tuesday's shoot are multiplied by the fact that I had a no-show, no-call on Monday. I won't mention her name, but here she is at right. I had shot with her before, and she had confirmed by e-mail today and seemed very enthusiastic about the shoot. I'd even booked a make-up artist and we had plans to do a pretty ambitious number of set-ups based on a number of clippings she'd sent me. Sounded like a no-brainer. So, somewhere between 1:00 and 7:00, Cincinnati and Dayton, she either changed her mind, slipped into a coma, or just plain forgot.

What to do about the no-show, no-call models? Part of me feels like warning other photographers about them somehow on OMP or MM or something. Another part realizes it's part of the game, especially when it's a "time for images" shoot, rather than a paid shoot. I get criticized sometimes for paying models, but it sure prevents this no-show problem, which to my mind is worth the money. How much is an evening of my week worth to me? Monday I still had to pay the make-up artist, so that money's down the hole, plus the opportunity cost of either doing another shoot, or working on images from prior shoots, or doing the unthinkable and spending a quiet evening at home.