Working with me

Hey there - thanks for clicking on the link. This is not a casting for anything specific, but just what to expect should you ever fancy working with me in 2020. A quick note regarding the locations I've listed: I live in Cheltenham, but my studio is over near Tewkesbury.

To see a bunch of themes that I would like to shoot some time, click on this Pinterest link.

PRE-SHOOT

• Comms - My preference is WhatsApp, but PP email is fine. I will need a contact number for you prior to the day of the shoot, to negate No Shows.

• Pinterest - Ideally you will have an account, as it's an awesome collaboration platform. Please follow my Pinterest account and I will reciprocate, allowing us to create a shared board we can both pin ideas to.

• Levels - I rarely shoot beyond Lingerie, but nevertheless, it's important Levels are discussed early on so that there are no surprises on the day; something I recommend you get into the habit of doing, rather than just agreeing to a shoot with no plan.
  
  
  • Tip: if you only shoot up to X, but the photographer mentioned Y & Z in your communications, I'd strongly suggest you make it clear that you require your fee to be settled at the start of the shoot (probably wise regardless). Also, if you're having to travel a long way, costing you a lot of money up front that you can't afford to lose - get this to be paid upfront through Paypal/BACS. I've heard of photographers holding the owed money over models, saying that unless they up their levels, they'll not get paid - which for some who desperately need the money, can mean they end up allowing their levels to be pushed.

OUR PHOTOSHOOT

• Chaperones - You are welcome to bring along someone if it makes you feel more comfortable. If you are under 18, I insist you are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, as a friend is not sufficient in this instance.
  
  
  • Tip: if you're working with someone for the first time and doing lingerie or higher, I'd definitely consider taking a chaperone with you, especially if that photography doesn't have many references. There are genuine reasons why photographers don't like chaperones, as they can be distracting and inhibiting - but a chaperone sat outside the studio isn't affecting anything, so no excuses. Often how a photographer responds to your desire to bring along a chaperone can often reaffirm that gut feeling you might have about them.
    
    
• Expenses - Your travel costs minus mine, paid in full usually, but currently capped at £10 (whilst I'm unemployed). Expenses to be agreed upon before the shoot.
  
  
• Locations - If shooting at my studio I will provide snacks and refreshments (vegan). If we are shooting on location then I suggest we make our own arrangements. As you may have read elsewhere on my port, I have a disability that affects my mobility and will restrict the locations I can visit.
  
  
• Duration - I'm pretty flexible, but a minimum of 2 hours at the studio. For outside locations, then the shoot duration needs to sensibly reflect the distances we've travelled.
  
  
• Cancellations - models cancel for a number of reasons; genuine emergencies, anxiety, or they've just been put off using Purpleport by the GWCs who frequent it. Now hopefully from looking at my portfolio & references I don't come off as one of those asshats, but if you've had some bad interactions with them prior to our first shoot together, I'd totally understand your reluctance to use the site any further. If you need to cancel, just say so - no explanations needed - just do it before I set off ;)
  
  
  • Note: due to how my disability (RSMD) affects my lungs - if you have a cold, or fear you're coming down with one, we will need to reschedule sorry. In truth if you're unwell you're not going to feel like shooting anyway, but I know some people feel the need to soldier on through these things. Sadly it's not something I can risk, so please do tell me to save us both unnecessary journeys, as I will cancel the shoot if I turn up and it's obvious you've got a cold.

TF SHOOTS

• Proofs - I will get these back with you within 48 hours (most likely the same day). These are the images straight out of the camera.
  
  
• Studio Images Returned - I will process 3 standard images for every hour we shoot together, up to a maximum of 15. Your favourites will make up 66% of this number, and I will choose the rest. Examples:
  
  
  • 2 hour shoot: 6 processed images returned = your 4 favourites + my 2 favourites
    
    
  • 3 hour shoot: 9 processed images returned = your 6 favourites + my 3 favourites
    
    
  • 4 hour shoot: 12 processed images returned = your 8 favourites + my 4 favourites
    
    
  • 5+ hour shoots: 15 processed images returned = your 10 faourites + my 5 favourites
    
    

• Big White Box Images Returned - I will process 6 images for every hour you spend in the BWB. Examples:
  
  
  • 1 hour BWB shoot: 6 processed images returned | your 4 favourites | my 2 favourites
    
    
  • 2 hour BWB shoot: 12 processed images returned | your 8 favourites | my 4 favourites
    
    

• Image Delivery: I make no promises to how quickly you will get the processed images back, but I will return images to you as I do them. I would hope to have all the agreed images back to you within a fortnight - but sometimes 'life' can delay this.
  
  
• Post-production & Retouching - By default I'll crop/straighten, correct colour/light, tidying up background noise, remove blemishes/scars (if desired), stretch and clothing marks, stray hairs etc. I use a number of software tools, including the latest version of Adobe Photoshop
  
  
  • Composites - these can be quite complex and time consuming, compared to the editing associated with a standard studio shot, and so this will count as 2 or 3 images if you want me to create something overly elaborate. I have some examples in the album called Composites, and some of these took several hours to build up.
     
• Formats Returned: For each of your chosen images, you will receive:
  
  
  • A full-sized image with no watermark suitable for printing and showing to agencies
    
    
  • A copy resized for Purpleport, which will have my faint watermark on
    
    
  • A copy resized for Instagram
    
    
• References - I will leave you one shortly after our shoot together, and will only prompt you for one in return once I have returned half your images to you. Please note, the only way you would receive a bad reference from me is if I turned up to the studio/location and you were a No Show. I require models to contact me an hour or so before they set off to help mitigate this.
  
  
• Copyright - I retain sole copyright. I do not sell my photos, and you are prohibited from doing so too without my prior consent. I rarely request you sign a MRF as they carry very little legal weight in the UK, but if you are under 18, I will ask your parent to sign one as a precaution.

PART/PAID SHOOTS (not an option whilst unemployed)

• Image Costs: any images you want processed/retouched from seeing the proofs will cost you £10 per image (£30 for composites).
  
  
  • Example: if your hourly rate was £20 p/h and we shot for 3 hours, I would owe you £60 plus fuel expenses; let's call it £70. If there were 3 images that you really liked from seeing the proofs, that would cost you £30.
    
    
• Payment: we can do this one of 2 ways:
  
  
  • Pay on the day: I settle up with you at the start of the shoot, and then should you want any photos after having seen the proofs, you just Paypal me for them.
    
    
  • Settle up later: One of us Paypals the difference after you've received the images you wanted; so in the example above, I'd Paypal you £40.
    
    
• References: I will leave you a reference after I've received one. In return for a good reference, I will share with you the resized images I edited for my own portfolio.
  
  
• Copyright - I retain sole copyright.

COMMISSIONED  SHOOTS

• My Time + J9 Studios: £40 per hour.
  
  
• My Time only: £30 per hour + travel expenses + studio hire (if needed).
  
  
• Retouching Costs: any images you want processed/retouched will cost you £10 per image (£30 for composites).
  
  
• Copyright: all photos are yours.
  
  

If I've missed answering a question you have, or you would like me to elaborate on something mentioned above, then just ping me a message and I'll happily do this for you.

Cheers, Jay

ps. Map to my studio: 

The small print: do you like Marmite? A strange question I know, but it shows me you've read the above (you'll be surprised how many don't).