TFP Warning
After I qualified from DFMA back in April 2014 I found myself pitching on several Facebook Groups and joining various websites for collaboration work on a TFP basis, Time For Pictures. This was a great way to build on my portfolio as well as my confidence as an artist. It was also a great way to start networking, for coming out of the course I hadn’t a clue on whose who in the creative industry but now after collaborating on several occasions you learn and discover on what to look out for when working with new people and what to ask, you also discover how small the creative industry is and everyone knows everyone so people will talk so great work ethics is highly important, don’t ever be a diva manners cost nothing!
In collaboration work there is always a risk of who you work with and I have been very lucky for I have had the pleasure to work with a still work with some amazingly talented individuals, but on the flip side I have unfortunately experienced on or two bad experiences when it comes to pictures.
This experience was more about working with amateurs, im not being mean in anyway but when you collaborate everyone is more than likely learning like you are so there will be risks of mistakes as for example...
I had a young Student contact me last year via recommendation who was studying photography and needed a Makeup Artist for her final piece, the shoot was local with a bird theme so I thought why not. I arrived at the Photographers house who was with the model, the girls were lovely and welcoming and offered help with anything I needed. I got started
immediately with the makeup and hair and worked as fast as I could. On shoots I like to be on set for the duratin of the shoot so Im there for any tweaks or touch ups that need doing, naturelly i was going to drive to the location and the girls asked if they could jump in wih me which helped as I hadnt a clue where I was going.
Once finished the Photographer said that these are for a school project so they will not be ready till a few weeks, which was totally fine and to contact me when they’re ready she also was really sweet and sent me a picture. As a month passed I contacted the Photographer asking on any updates, she replied she was busy with schoolwork, I accepted and left again a few more weeks. I messaged again and got a reply of having trouble with her laptop, ok no worries, I then messaged a week later on updates to then I got no reply, messaged again and yet no reply, and as easy as that I had lost a days work and I wont be getting these pictures. I had also checked her Photography Facebook page and saw only a couple of the behind the scene pics which makes me wonder if she had trouble with the laptop, lost the pictures and was too embarrassed to say. So as a warning to Photographers as well, back up your work!
I have also purposely not mentioned any names as I don’t want to blacklist her for she was young and new to the industry and still has a lot to learn but she has taught me also not to be so trustworthy with collaboration work.
I did experience this on a another occasion with a more established Photographer who even rudely never replied to my messages leaving me to try and hunt down the photos, which i sill dont have them all. But i just want to say it is rude and unprofessional to promise Makeup Artists, or Models or anyone in the creative team pictures of their hard work which they did for FREE and not gove them at least an explanation, the industry is big but also very small and people talk, we all make mistakes but being lied to or ignored is far worse then some bad luck of losing the pictures. This is our Full time job we have everyday life to pay for let alone, kit, insurance, travel etc. So please let this just be a warning to people in the industry be careful as you probably will come across this at least once in your career but there are many groups on things like Facebook and various websites that you can warn others about such collaborative.