Studio Era

Information on Free Shoots
For Personal or Business use

The Japanese have a saying:
"Nothing is more expensive than Free"

Below is our list of Conditions for a Free or TF/DVD? Shoot

1. You are welcome and encouraged to bring a friend for safety or support.
(Please keep in mind that we will cancel the shoot if this person is disruptive)

2. You have the final say in all poses, costumes, locations and themes.
(It is okay to say 'No'. Everyone has their own personal limits. We will shoot within your comfort zone)

3. You will need to bring a DVD or two, or a 2Gigabite (2GB) minimum flash-drive? to take the original photos home with you after the shoot.
(Please note: if you do not bring one, we will suggest going out and buying one. Deals including, "I'll pick them up later" or "We'll mail them to you" rarely work out)

4. You will need to get to and from the shoot location or our small indoor studio.
(If you take the bus, we will pick you up and drop your off at one of the bus stops posted on our Contact page. If you are a single female, and we shoot until it gets dark, we will do our best to drive you to a safe location of your choice. This would need to be discussed before-hand)

5. You will need to bring your own make up.
(The more the better. For touch ups and different looks. We also swear by false eyelashes. They are a female model's best friend. If you don't have them, buy them for the shoot)

6. You will need to show us photo ID.
(We must protect ourselves by checking the name on the release form is your legal name. We will not take down your address. We only write the ID number)

7. You will be required to sign a release form?
(We can provide written documentation that you own the rights to the photos you go home with if you like)

8. You must be 18 or over for models.
(Nothing hokey here. It's just anyone under 18 requires the signature of their parents for release forms, and we feel modeling is best saved until you are old enough to be legally responisble for yourself. This condition does not apply to family, orgainised groups, schools, sports team or charity shoots)

9. You must agree to an Accident Waiver included in our release form.
(Accidents happen. In shoots there are lights, high heels, stage corners, unfamiliar locations, animals, props, scatter-brain-ness, even pins in dresses. It also means, if we say "Go stand on that old, decrepit bridge" and you do and it breaks, we can't be held responsible for our combined stupidity. See: Condition #2. If you feel unsure about anything. Don't do it!)

10. We reserve the right to cancel the shoot in the event the model or his/her escort is disruptive, engaged in illegal activity, clearly under the influence of drugs or alcohol, deemed dangerous to self, us, or our image, or is just intensely creepy.
(It may sound rather funny, but we've heard stories you wouldn't believe . . . )

11. We require an exchange of phone numbers.
(We will never call you outside of business directly regarding our upcoming photoshoot. We will not call to discuss past shoots, to try to sell you something, or because we 'feel' we're friends. We will only call as friends if you tell us to)

12. Finally, we have a One Strike policy with what the industry refers to as Flakes.?
(We will never work again with someone who hasn't grown up enough to make a phone call or who isn't able to properly arrange their schedules. So-called models who do so will be black listed and their names shared with the other photographers of the Vancouver area.
Don't Flake!
Working on a free shoot is not done because we all have nothing else better to do. It is an investment in time and energy for all involved. We are professional and courteous with you and your time and we expect the same treatment.

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So, there it is.
As we're sure you can tell, it's not something for nothing.
You will need to invest your time and commitment.

If you have conditions of your own, we are more than happy to discuss them with you.
More often than not we find a middle ground with people with specific requirements.

As far as actually seeing your photo on a billboard, or anywhere else for that matter, there's about a 1% or less chance of that ever happening.
When a client pays for a shoot, he/she has a specific image in mind that we set out to capture. Very rarely does a random photo end up being purchased. (And we have a computer full of photos to prove it)

Is a Free Shoot what you want?

For some people, the answer is 'yes'.
A free shoot will help you get those eye catching images of your food for your restaurant. Give you the opprotunity to give a gift to your partner or family. Help add new looks to your growing modeling portfolio.
All for the cost of a DVD and transportation.

A possible downside is that it becomes a joint venture between you and us. We will not shoot what we don't want to, and we will do the shots in a way that is pleasing to our senses. We could even turn the project down if a location is too far to drive, or simply because we have to pay for parking.

Conversely
A paid shoot puts you in charge and we shoot what you want, in the way you want.

If you have any inquiries
feel free to contact us by email:
Please see our Contact page.