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. A quick note regarding the locations I've listed: I live in Cheltenham, but my studio is over near Ashchurch, Tewkesbury (see map at bottom).

COVID NOTES: As you might have read elsewhere on my profile, I have a medical condition that sits me in the "At Risk" group, and so I will require all those I work with to take a Lateral Flow Test - either the night before, or the morning of the shoot (I will reimburse the cost). The studio does have a filter, but because the studio is internal, there is no ventilation, other than keeping the door open. I will be wearing a mask during the majority of the shoot. For those not prepared to take a test, then I'm only prepared to work outdoors, and the model would have to provide their own transport. Please note that these precautions apply to everyone present on a studio shoot, such as a chaperone, MUA etc...

PRE-SHOOT

• Comms - My preference is WhatsApp, but PP email is fine.

• 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. I have LOTs of themed ideas there.

• 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. You will hopefully already have read that I will require the same Covid precautions from chaperones as I do the models (i.e. have either been vaccinated OR prepared to take a test 24 hours prior to the shoot).
  
  
  • 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 photographer 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.
    
    
• Locations - If shooting at my studio I will freely 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.
  
  
• Travel/Expenses - I will cover your train/taxi fares in full, and for those driving or being driven - a flat £5 for anything less than 10 miles, and then £0.40p for each additional mile above ten. If you have 100% positive references, I am happy to PayPal you the expected travel costs ahead of our shoot. All travel expenses need to be agreed upon before the shoot.
  
  
• Duration - I'm pretty flexible, but a minimum of 2 hours at the studio. For elsewhere, the shoot duration needs to sensibly reflect the commute.
  
  
• Images - Throughout the shoot you will be given access to the back of the camera and able to delete any images you're unhappy with. Likewise, when you come to view the proofs later, you can request images be deleted. You and I will then choose our favourites from whatever images remain.
  
  
  • Tip: If you're working higher levels with someone and you think they snapped an inappropriate shot that you want deleted - know that most modern pro cameras have 2 or more SD card slots. So for instance, when I take a photo, it gets saved to both cards - so that should one of the cards fail or get corrupted, I've not lost all the images up to that point. Keep this in mind, because if you're reviewing the images and come across a shot you badly want deleted, hitting that trash can button is only deleting it off the primary card, and NOT the backup card. The photographer would need to swap the cards around to allow you to delete the image off the backup card too. Obviously don't request this be done if it's just a rubbish shot, like if you're blinking - as the photographer is only going to download the images off the main card and will format the backup before their next shoot. I'm just making you aware that there are undoubtedly some GWCs out there who will snap when you're not ready, claim to have deleted the shot, or allowed you to, but are keeping quiet about the fact it was saved to a backup card. 
    
    
• 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 desire to take a break from the site or even stop using it 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. If you knowingly come to a shoot ill, I will not reimburse your travel expenses or if it was a paid shoot, pay you for that either.

TF SHOOTS

• Proofs - I will get these to you within 48 hours (most likely the same day). These are unprocessed thumbnails.
  
  
• Studio Images Returned:
  
  
  • Shoots under 4 hours: 9 processed images returned = your 6 favourites + my 3 favourites
    
    
  • Shoots over 4 hours: as above, +2 processed image for each full hour beyond 4 hours; all additional favourites chosen by you.
    
    
  • Note: I'm sure there are plenty of photographers out there who offer more images than this, but I found that when I was being more generous with the number, I rarely ever had the time to process my favourite shots from the shoot. Plus there have been numerous occasions when the model has requested the full number offered, only to upload one or two images to their port/social media - which is frustrating given each returned photo can take anything from 30-60 minutes to retouch/process (or even longer in some cases). So in the past where I might have allowed you to choose all 9 photos, now I get to choose some of them so that I'm assured of getting some images I liked from the shoot. I fully appreciate these might be images that you might not ever use, and that's why I have tried to put as much information on this page as I can, so you can make an informed choice of whether to work with me or not.
    
    

• Big White Box Images Returned
  
  
  • 8 processed images returned | your 6 favourites + my 2 favourites
    
    
  • Additional images beyond 8; for every 2 images you want, deduct 1 image from the Studio Images count above
    
    

• 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 with no watermark, on the proviso I am tagged
    
    
• 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

• Payment: we can do this one of 3 ways:
  
  
  • Pay before shoot: I will only do this for models who have a large number of positive references.
    
    
  • Pay on the day: I will settle up with you at the start of the shoot (remind me).
    
    
  • Settle up post shoot: Only really applicable if you expect to want some Hi-Res copies of images.
    
    

• Hi-Res Image Costs: any full-sized/watermark-free images you want processed/retouched will cost you £10 per image (£30 for composites).
  
  

• 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 Purpleport portfolio and Instagram.
  
  
• 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. Typically images are provided via a cloud sharing service (usually OneDrive), but for total peace of mind, feel free to provide me with an SD card at the start of the shoot for me to use, and for you to take away at the end. A fast Class 10 U3 64GB SD card sells for around £20.
  

NO TRANSPORT ?

As you can see from the map below, the studio is a 5 minute walk from the train station. If it's tipping down with rain, I am happy to pick you up from the station, and can provide you with a list of models who have travelled in a car with me and survived to tell the tale! Similarly, if you live relatively local, I can pick you up and drop you off. Of course all offers of a ride are dependent on the Covid situation and I would insist on us both wearing a mask in such a confined space.

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).