How Long is a Photo Shoot?
Summary:
How Long is a Photo Shoot?
The amount of time a photo shoot takes really depends both on the client and the type of job. I have been to shoots that last 30 minutes and others that can go on for days.
Now with digital photography, most jobs do not take as long as they used to. Clients now have the benefit of seeing the photos as they are being taken. Before they just had to shoot and hope they were getting what they wanted.
I have worked many jobs where they have already chosen the advertisement shot before I leave. This saves a lot of time because when the client knows they have their shot, there is no need to keep shooting.
The other variables include the difficulty of the shot. I once did a job for Vaseline lotion and they wrapped my entire body in seaweed. This took over two hours alone. When we broke for lunch they had to remove the seaweed and start all over again. This type of job can take all day…. Most likely though your agency has negotiated a rate that will compensate you for the amount of time you are working. Or you may be being paid hourly- in that case- take all the time you want I say ;)
If you are doing test shoot, on the other hand, it will usually take 4-5 hours depending on the photographer.
Video Transcription
Cristina: If you’re testing, you usually have a set amount of time. They usually allot 4 to 5 hours depending on the photographer, and they’re giving you that time because they know, in their experience, that’s about as long as it takes for other new models.
If you’re working a professional modeling job there is usually a set amount of time and you are paid for a certain amount of time and if it goes over that, your agency will usually negotiate for extra time. That is unless you were paid a one rate for no matter how long it took. It depends what your agency negotiated for you. Usually the photographer knows approximately how long it is going to take. In the day and age we are in with digital photography; it is a whole different world out there. When I started a job, getting one shot could take 4 hours, because they had to keep testing light, etc.. They used to take Polaroid’s to test the light, and they would look each photo and then they would show it to the client. Now, they take one digital shot, they know we can fix all of this afterwards with retouching they e-mail the actual ad to the client somewhere else and say, “is this okay?”. It is a totally different world in the modeling industry now. So now I can go in and shoot jobs that are just an hour. I have gone all the way to New York and traveled 3 hours, and then I go into the studio and they say, “Put on this,” I get my hair and makeup done and I stand there and they take 6 shots and they say, “Okay, we are done.”
This can be unfortunate if you are getting paid by the hour. But your modeling agency should be charging the client for the amount of usage for the photo not how long it takes necessarily.
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