Melbourne Camera Club - Information for Models

The Portrait Group is made up of both professional and amateur photographers who have a common interest in portrait photography. These nights are a great way to further our skills, learn from each other and provide an opportunity to shoot different faces each month.

For new members to the Club it is a great opportunity to learn about portraiture and observe and practise in a relaxed environment.

For our models it is a great learning experience, a fun night and a very inexpensive method of putting together a portfolio of images. Each photographer obtains different results and in the past models have received back numerous images, many that they are really pleased with.

Models who are keen for further work (mostly trade for prints) often make contacts on the night and seek followup individual shoots with some of the photographers (but this is totally at your discretion).

Essentially we are at your mercy here. If you have a particular target use for the images then please bring clothes that are appropriate. For example if the images will be used in your resume then a business suit always works best unless you work as a clown and then a different outfit might be more suitable. :-)

Otherwise if you have any favourite clothes you'd like to be photographed in then please feel free to bring them along. You are not restricted to one outfit for the evening- you can change as often or as little as you like.

Suggestions include:

* formal wear (eg. black tie, evening gown)
* corporate (eg. business suit)
* smart casual
* casual (eg. jeans, t-shirt)
* sports wear
* themed eg. clown, 1920's, gangster

Plain colours usually work best - stripes, patterned materials tend to detract from the face. Though a number of photographers prefer strong colours like reds, blacks and blues, pastels can also come up quite well. Bring a selection and then you can take your pick. If you are not sure bring a selection and we will advise you what will work best.

Accessories:

* jewellery
* hats
* scarves
* gloves
* props - in the past we have used musical instruments, juggling balls/batons, hats, brightly coloured materials, mirrors

Makeup/hair:

* You will be responsible for your own hair and makeup (unless you have a friend coming along with you who's a makeup artist or hair stylist).
* Some models have problems with their skin getting shiny under the lights so if you have a powder that suits your complexion please bring it.
* Bring a hairbrush! Clean freshly washed hair always photographs best and it's handy having a brush to run through it throughout the night.

What to expect:
We usually have 2 studios set up. Varying from month to month we can have anywhere from 5 to 30 photographers there on the night. Usually we average about 20 people and they come and go throughout the evening.

We try to divide the portrait model's time between the 2 studios to make the most of photographer's preferences, different lighting effects and varying backdrops.

During the course of the night photographers will take turns in shooting you. They will give you directions on poses they think will work well and will also listen to you on anything you are after. Often you may find a few photographers shooting away at the same time. Try to only give your attention to the individual who is directing you at the time.

Feel free if you want to bring someone along with you. It is important to us that our models feel relaxed and comfortable in the studio environment.

If there are any particular images you'd love of yourself be it for work, resume, personal then let us know and we will do our best to achieve the look you are after. Otherwise most of the photographers have fairly good ideas and are pretty good at improvising.

Your images:
Each photographer is expected to provide some images for you as a thankyou for your time. This can be in the form of a cd or printed photos depending on the photographers preference. Most images/cd's are returned to the club within 2 months but some do take longer.

If you are happy to give your email or contact details to individual photographers for further shoots or for emailing images that is your choice.

As a general rule we don't give out portrait model's contact details and merely have a single contact point at the Club who collects all images/cds and passes them on.

Finally...
Please let me know if for any reason you are running late or cannot attend. We usually try to organise a 'standby' model but we still need as much notice as possible if plans suddenly need to change.

My mobile is 0412 307 296. Feel free to call me if you have any questions about any aspect of the evening. You can also contact John Van Hirsel (who's the lighting and studio setup coordinator for the portrait group) on 0432 936 964.

Ask for myself or John when you arrive on Monday. We look forward to seeing you then!

Thanks,

Patrick Jackson
0412307296
mcc-portrait@melbournephoto.org.au

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