Disappointment . . .disappointment . . .
Joined an organised shoot a few weeks ago. Have not joined any shoot by this organiser before and I also did not know much about the model's background when my friend sms me, asking if I wanted to register for the shoot. I double checked my calendar, decided to give it a try and took it as an opportunity to brush up my composition skills in portraiture.
The organiser only released information of the venue the night before and it was at Clarke Quay. When I knew about the venue via my sms, I thought to myself, "Clarke Quay again?!" I started shooting portraits at Clarke Quay and have since been there for more than ten shoots. Why Clark Quay?! But since the organiser had chosen the location, I've to respect her decision.
The meet-up time was at 8.30am. This was actually set by the organiser. Two of my friends and I, together with a few other photogaphers, waited for more than 20 minutes before the organiser and the model strolled in slowly. Not a very good start. Next, the organiser gathered us and the model took out a few outfits to seek her advice. Instead of answering the model, she directed the question to us. The outfits should have been selected way in advance when the organiser set the theme for this shoot. Not very professional, I must say. I have joined shoots organised by other organisers and this type of situation has never happened before.
The thing that riled me was that the organiser started asking us where we wanted to shoot the model. Hey! You chose the venue and now you ask us where we want to carry out our shoot?! Then in the first place, we should have been allowed to vote for the venue we wanted and not to waste precious time on the actual day, deciding where to shoot. This is a paid shoot and an organiser should do all the necessary arrangements. I must stress again that I have never encountered this with any other organisers before.
By the time the exact location was decided upon, the model had started looking disinterested. When we were posing her, she seemed restless and uncooperative. Not sure if it was the hot weather or that she had been partying hard the night before, she looked haggard. It didn't help when the make-up she wore couldn't conceal the dark circles around her eyes. All these I could still do a bit of touch-up during my post processing but it didn't reflect well on her as she had been a model with a certain male magazine before. This piece of information was told to me by my two other friends after the shoot.
As for the organiser, she sat at one corner and started dozing off without even bothering about the entire shoot. This should not be the case. Once again, this was a paid shoot so as an organiser, you should bear the responsibility in ensuring the entire photoshoot progress smoothly. Not just sit back and doze off after receiving our hard earned cash (SGD60).
My two friends and I gave up shooting the model one hour after we started. This shoot was supposed to last three hours. Normally, I would use up all three of my CF cards for any other photoshoots. But this time round, I barely managed to use up ONE CF card. If you have noticed from all the five photos I've posted here, they were all candid shots which I'd captured. None of the posed photos could make it.
There has been an increase in the number of organisers in this particular photography forum. Seems like a lot of people want a slice of the pie. We, photographers, are not ignorant. Once bitten, twice shy. We will not throw our money down the drain if organisers cannot deliver what they have promised. I vowed to myself that I would not join any other shoots organised by this organiser anymore. Meanwhile, I will just stick with the few organisers who have been really professional in their organised shoots which I've joined.
The organiser only released information of the venue the night before and it was at Clarke Quay. When I knew about the venue via my sms, I thought to myself, "Clarke Quay again?!" I started shooting portraits at Clarke Quay and have since been there for more than ten shoots. Why Clark Quay?! But since the organiser had chosen the location, I've to respect her decision.
The meet-up time was at 8.30am. This was actually set by the organiser. Two of my friends and I, together with a few other photogaphers, waited for more than 20 minutes before the organiser and the model strolled in slowly. Not a very good start. Next, the organiser gathered us and the model took out a few outfits to seek her advice. Instead of answering the model, she directed the question to us. The outfits should have been selected way in advance when the organiser set the theme for this shoot. Not very professional, I must say. I have joined shoots organised by other organisers and this type of situation has never happened before.
The thing that riled me was that the organiser started asking us where we wanted to shoot the model. Hey! You chose the venue and now you ask us where we want to carry out our shoot?! Then in the first place, we should have been allowed to vote for the venue we wanted and not to waste precious time on the actual day, deciding where to shoot. This is a paid shoot and an organiser should do all the necessary arrangements. I must stress again that I have never encountered this with any other organisers before.
By the time the exact location was decided upon, the model had started looking disinterested. When we were posing her, she seemed restless and uncooperative. Not sure if it was the hot weather or that she had been partying hard the night before, she looked haggard. It didn't help when the make-up she wore couldn't conceal the dark circles around her eyes. All these I could still do a bit of touch-up during my post processing but it didn't reflect well on her as she had been a model with a certain male magazine before. This piece of information was told to me by my two other friends after the shoot.
As for the organiser, she sat at one corner and started dozing off without even bothering about the entire shoot. This should not be the case. Once again, this was a paid shoot so as an organiser, you should bear the responsibility in ensuring the entire photoshoot progress smoothly. Not just sit back and doze off after receiving our hard earned cash (SGD60).
My two friends and I gave up shooting the model one hour after we started. This shoot was supposed to last three hours. Normally, I would use up all three of my CF cards for any other photoshoots. But this time round, I barely managed to use up ONE CF card. If you have noticed from all the five photos I've posted here, they were all candid shots which I'd captured. None of the posed photos could make it.
There has been an increase in the number of organisers in this particular photography forum. Seems like a lot of people want a slice of the pie. We, photographers, are not ignorant. Once bitten, twice shy. We will not throw our money down the drain if organisers cannot deliver what they have promised. I vowed to myself that I would not join any other shoots organised by this organiser anymore. Meanwhile, I will just stick with the few organisers who have been really professional in their organised shoots which I've joined.
