The Truth. “Unveiled”
The reason I started this blog was to do something I’d always wished someone in my industry would do: pull back the veil of mystery shrouding professional fashion photography. I wanted to write about things that could be useful to other photographers, whether they were just getting started or already established. I wanted to present an honest, no-holds-barred account of what it’s like to work as a photographer in the hyper-competitive world of fashion. And I wanted to include it all: The good. The bad. The ugly.
Not long after I published my first post, however, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to write quite as freely and openly about everything as I’d first imagined. In other words, while I can be brutally honest and truthful about most of the facets of my job, there are certain subjects I need to stay away from for the sake of professionalism. I’m a working photographer, and I need to maintain good relationships in the industry I work in. It quickly became obvious that not only students and other photographers were reading my blog. The Industry was reading it. Clients, potential clients, agents, colleagues, contacts, etc. were on here reading my words. So I’ve been careful about what I’ve presented here, and I’ve censored myself to maintain a certain level of decorum.
Until now.
Today is the day I’ve decided to let out some truths about the uglier side of this business. In the past when I’ve wanted to speak frankly about an unpleasant truth about something or someone, I’ve been told, “You can’t say that, Melissa.” Today, no one gets that opportunity. Here’s one truth that no one likes to talk about: Sometimes shitty things happen to good photographers. Promises are broken, politics are played, back-stabbing takes place, and all kinds of ruthless shenanigans go on in this industry. It has always been this way, and I suppose it always will be. There have been times that the politics in this industry have almost completely worn me out, and I’ve wanted to quit. But as I said in my video: I feel blessed and grateful that I have this career. I make a living doing what I want to do, and I wake up happy most days because of it. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to not love your work, but I know it must really suck. So I thank my lucky stars every day that I am living authentically and living my purpose here on Earth. And I treat that gift with the respect and dignity that it deserves. Sadly, there are many others in this industry who do not have the same amount of respect or gratitude.
So here’s what happened to me, a good photographer that got, well, screwed! The following story is a perfect example of how you can put a ton of work and resources into a project that seems as solid as they come, do excellent work, and still have it all come to nothing due to circumstances beyond your control.
A few months ago art director Douglas Little approached me to shoot a 16-page editorial (Shown Below) for Flaunt magazine. Douglas had this great idea about shooting a twisted gothic love story on the beach for Flaunt’s “pre-fall fashion issue”–pre-fall meaning the clothes still had a “summer vibe” but with a sneak preview of fall fashions. I immediately said yes. The idea was great, and I was really inspired to shoot it.
All Images ©2009 Melissa Rodwell Photography
So I set about casting the perfect models for this shoot. I e-mailed about five LA model agencies asking for submissions. I chose about 20 to see in person. Douglas and I settled on the idea of using two boys and one girl, a sort of “Jules and Jim” twisted love tryst. I knew I wanted to work with Ridge Redmond from Ford Models, because I had worked with him recently and he has such a great look and very cool presence. I found the other boy through an LA Models e-mail submission. I asked to see Peter Ursich in person, and once I met him, I knew he’d be perfect. The girl, however, was a bit more difficult to cast. I poured over hundreds of girls from e-mail submissions, met 10 in person, but still couldn’t find “her.” I asked the agencies for more submissions, and finally, through a Next Models submission, Scarlett Kapella screamed through on the sheet of thumbnails. All in all, casting took about two weeks.
Next I wrote to the editor at Flaunt and asked him which of their advertisers they wanted us to pull some of the clothes and products from. Once I got that information, it was time to choose a stylist. From the beginning of prepping this shoot, I had a particular stylist in mind. I even waited two weeks for him to return from Singapore so he could meet with Douglas and me. At the last minute, though, he pulled out. I suppose he’d decided that the shoot was too complicated for him to jump in on. (And he was right. Looking back, I want his psychic reader, thanks!) Still, we had a shoot date scheduled, holds on models that took weeks to cast, and a magazine waiting for the images. The show must go on, as we often say in Hollywood. So I put in a frantic late-night call to my dear friend, uber-talented stylist George Blodwell. George agreed to style the shoot, and all was saved. I forwarded him the list of advertisers and then went about working out the shot lists and making lists of gear and props that would be needed to shoot our concept. I did my best to cover all the bases, though nothing could have prepared me for the incredibly stressful shoot that finally arrived on June 5!
Click On Image to EnlargeWith a crew of 14, half of which were up to 2 hours late to the Malibu location due to a fatal car accident on PCH, and storm clouds threatening to rain us out on the beach where we were shooting, the day was already proving that it was going to be more difficult than most. In fact, during the second shot, with six more to go, we did get rained on. When it started to downpour, assistants and crew members had to scramble up to the parking lot to rescue a million dollars worth of couture clothing while I finished getting the shots in the can!
Click On Image to EnlargeDid I mention I had a crew of 14? You read that right. Along with my trusted intern Carmen Chan, I had two male assistants, Matt Stone and Zack DeZon. David, of course, was there taking care of the digi-teching. And my raw nerves! I had a makeup artist, Drew Krake, who I had never worked with before, but thankfully, he turned out to be wonderful! I worked with another person for the first time as well, hair stylist Anthony Cristiano from Artists by Timothy Priano. He also was just great! As I mentioned, the stylist was George Blodwell, who came with two assistants. Douglas Little was the art director, and he had two assistants. And then our three models.
Click On Image to EnlargeWe shot at El Matador beach, an easily accessible beach in Los Angeles, favored because of its moody and timeless feel, yet there it is plunked down in the middle of celebrity-cheesy Malibu! We had a honeywagon/trailer stationed in the parking lot to do the hair and makeup. To get down to the beach, and to our shooting location, you had to make your way down about 100 steps. I stayed down on the beach in between takes, but my assistants were running up and down those stairs all day.
Even though the images turned out beautifully, it was definitely a hellish shoot. There were personality conflicts of major proportions, newbies who were nervous, there was the threat of rain, then there was torrential downpour. There was enormous sexual chemistry being flung around in all directions by more than one member on-set. There was a lack of patience among some key players. There was bitchiness, drama, a $30,000 rented Hasselblad, and a million dollars worth of clothes and antique props being subjected to sand, wind, and salt air. The only thing missing was animals. We should’ve had animals with their neurotic trainers to complete the fiasco! Wait a minute, we did have one dead octopus. Does that count?
Click On Image to EnlargeIronically–or maybe I mean hilariously–this hell shoot to end all hell shoots was recorded on video for posterity. Dimitrios Papagiannis and Tim Glass from The Eye Lab came out and shot this magnificent short film. They came to my house the night before the shoot to interview me about the preparation that went into doing this editorial project. They then came down to the location to document my shoot. I think the results are amazing, and I’m incredibly grateful to Dimitrios and Tim for their efforts and their talent. They really captured the essence of this shoot perfectly. I have to admit, I was particularly keen to work with Dimitrios because we both graduated from our beloved Art Center College of Design here in LA. We alumni from Art Center seem to stick together. Plus, he just bowled me over with his charm and humour!
So where’s the bad news? Read on.
When the issue was finally published, nothing had prepared me for the shock of seeing my “16-page editorial” reduced down to two pages with only six images spread across them. I was given no indication that my editorial was going to be hacked to shreds. Also, I was given no indication that no one besides myself would be credited, not even Douglas Little or George Blodwell, the Art Director and THE STYLIST!! I mean, that’s almost criminal. In the 23 years I’ve been shooting editorials, this has never happened to one of my shoots before. Never. It’s such a huge slap in the face to everyone that took part in this shoot. The models weren’t even credited. Neither was hair and makeup. And everyone did this shoot for fee-waived.
Look, I’ve done editorial that had a few pages shaved off of it. I’ve shot for 10 pages and only had eight run. I’ve shot for eight pages and ended up with six. I’ve shot cover tries that never made it. And I’ve had times where the magazine has done something to the color or the layout that I’m not over the moon about. Still, I got at least four to six full-page tear sheets from those projects. So this experience with Flaunt is just ridiculous. I have always had good communication with every magazine I’ve shot for and expected similar professionalism from Flaunt. So the fact that I wasn’t given a heads-up that the editorial was cut to a two-page spread and that nobody else who worked on the shoot was going to be credited, well, I’m more than a little disappointed.
Rest assured, I will never let this happen again. I’m embarrassed for my crew and I’m the one who will bear the repercussions, from the modeling agencies down to the hair and makeup people and the stylist. They will all call/write/picket my house asking WHY? And I don’t have an answer for them. I didn’t even know the magazine was out until a friend told me she saw it earlier that day on the newsstand. No one even called or e-mailed me to let me know the issue was out, as is customary.
But back to WHY? Politics? Perhaps. Maybe something transpired between someone who worked on the shoot and the magazine head honchos. I will never know. Does someone inside the magazine hate my guts and wants to slight me? Perhaps. Again, I will never know. Did someone ON the actual shoot who has more weight than I do at Flaunt get so frustrated over something I am clueless about that happened on set that they decided to sabotage the whole project? Perhaps. Did someone at the magazine dislike the photos because there were no bare breasts and nobody on set looked like they just did a hit of smack? Maybe. These things can–and do–happen all the time. High-profile projects are killed all the time for reasons like these. Personally, I think my pictures are fantastic. And I am my harshest critic. Truth is, it’s like a ghost town over here–we’re all scratching our heads while we can hear the whistling of the rusted old storefronts with no one inside. No one has a clue as to what exactly transpired that caused a 16-page editorial of full-page photographs to shrink to a two-page spread with six thumbnail-sized photos laid out like cartoon panels.
Here’s some good news, at least for me. This sort of thing happens to good photographers all the time, so I needn’t take it personally. But how do we usually save face when this sort of thing happens? By saying, “Oh well, shit happens,” or “It doesn’t matter, I don’t like that magazine anyway.” We pretend that we’re “bigger than that” and try to take it in stride, because no one wants to come off like a cry-baby. We don’t complain when we encounter unprofessionalism in someone we’ve worked with, either, because we don’t want to be associated with anything negative. We do this because photography is a freelance field. We’re always looking for work, and jobs most often come through people you’ve worked with before. We want to have a good reputation.
Still, there’s a negative side to that kind of white-washing. I started this blog to talk openly and honestly about issues that are important to working in this field. And not all of them are pleasant. Politics are ugly. But they’re there.
I don’t think that any professional photographer, myself included, ever gets used to being stepped on. Sure, we’ve developed tough skins over the years, but I don’t think we ever deep-down feel like it “doesn’t matter” when we think our work is devalued. It’s especially trying when the work is done for free–for exposure, or as a favor to someone, or done on spec. I really think it’s time that magazines become more responsible in their treatment of photographers and their crew. The days of being bitchy little fashionistas and throwing their power around like the days of the Tudors are finished. Give me a break. You’re just another magazine. And there are plenty that keep popping up that are prettier, shinier and newer than you. Lemon, for example. Great magazine. So is Wonderland. Check them both out when you have a chance! My only hope is that the newer mags treat the people that supply them with their content, that keep the magazine looking the way it looks, better than Flaunt does. A magazine is only as good as its content. Talented photographers supply the content that makes the magazine popular. Why step on the photographers, then? Did nobody teach them how this works?
So enjoy the video. Dimitrios and Tim did an amazing job and we all did it with you guys in mind, knowing how much you love my BTS videos. And the only way I know how to end this post is by saying this: it won’t be last time I will be disappointed. But we can all demand better treatment and change if we start insisting on it. When we stop taking shit and start demanding respect, we’ll start to change the industry. I was nervous to open my mouth here and say something but I know that the time has come that we need to start calling people out on their poor and unprofessional behavior!
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Melissa
A terrible tale. And a useful heads-up for many. For me the wonder was in those images though. Absolutely stunning products.
JG
It’s really sad to see that some magazines works like that. The worst part being that you will get all the critiques from the crew…
Really great video there. I hope you’ll have more luck next time.
Great pictures btw. I really love BW editorials !
That really sucks. Your images are simply fantastic. You deserve more respect than that. I am glad that you are speaking up for yourself!
Keep your awesome work.
This is the sad reality that I’m glad you exposed. It took a brave person to put this out there but from your posts here and our Twitter interaction you seem as real as it gets. Thank you for just being you and always showing the real side of fashion photography when others claim they have no time or play into this fashion world secret society crap.
Sorry this had to happen to you but maybe it will cause one of us to humble ourselves or just be prepared for anything because now we see even established fashion photographers get screwed.
Thanks for not playing politics also. We need more real people in this industry.
I’m truly blown away by these shots… The Video is unflinchingly honest and the Story behind it all is truly a wake-up call to all fashion photographers and how unjust the industry can be.
MORE MORE MORE!
Justin
Melissa,
Honesty, integrity, and ethics are in very short supply in both the personal and professional world. It is a sad statement about what has happened to this society and core values with people.
You have every right to be upset and outraged about this incident and I applaud you for taking a stand that puts you at risk in a job that you love. The number of us that are willing to take a stand on what is right instead of just tucking our tails and being quiet is small. You know I have a love and a passion for photography but at this point haven’t translated it into a revenue stream capable of supporting me. In March of this year, after nine years as IT Director for a company, I was “downsized” for daring to encourage open, ethical behavior. As I write this, I still have not found another job but there is not a single moment I regret taking a stand for what was right and for speaking out.
It takes a lot of courage to write a post and publish it considering the potential negative impact in your industry. People that do not value those qualities in you and your work are not fit to publish your photographs and be associated with your good name.
Love you,
Gerry
Always inspiring and amazing as always.
Well it is pretty bad enough that no one is getting paid. Magazines need to start paying if they want good material. Good photographers need to stop to do it for free, and well the rest is even worse. Just Insane!
Mellissa this is Awesome! The magazine; Not Awesome. But this video is right on! Just what we need to be seein more of. The guys did a great job with the film and you and all the talent were super!
The photos are stunning. Great job cant wait to see more!
E
WOW!! Fucking Congratulations!! Serious!! I hope you feel better about this now that it’s written. It’s a great read.
I’ve been shooting for a small rag down here and thought their ineptness was just the way it’s done.
As I was reading your story, fantastic images BTW, got to thinking about contract language and requirements of the publication w/regards to level of performance. Do contracts for services (your’s to them) state specifics w/regards to what the magazine is expected to do? It really sounds like a first year student just didn’t know what they were doing? How about the advertiser (supplier of wardrobe) have you spoken w/them? Is there an opportunity to resell to another publication?
Are the peers of this level of publication laughing and pointing that they fucked up so badly?
Sorry for the list of queries, it’s just got me thinking…
Best,
-jon
Stunning work by you and you talented crew Melissa. You consistanly earn my respect and admiration as an artist and a professional.
As for your treatment, obviously you and crew were wronged. Mix power, money and ego together; it always manages to manifest itself in ways we can never imagine.
Stay true to your work, integrity and vision. It’s the one thing you do control.
All the best,
Jeff
Melissa,
Carry on regardless…
You know what you’re worth…. we know who you are….
Actions stay with those who practice them…
Keep up the good work.
Regards
Amelia (Portugal)
Your photos are beautiful, and that can never be taken away! Being an artist is wonderful. It is in your heart!
Happy photo shoots. Your work is lovely.
If you get tired of the fashion shoots, there are many fashions to be shot on the urban streets: (which can be quite elegant! )
kellydaughertyphotography.com
Geez that really sucks. I can imagine how frustrating it can be. But the truth is, your images are wonderful!
I really enjoyed the editorial. I’m glad I got a chance to see it here.
Sorry about all the drama. Don’t let it get you down.
Melissa
you have my respect for speaking out! Even though no one ever talked about it it was somehow clear to me that all this is just a false image of the industry we get. Its all beautiful for our eyes but its ugly in the background.
Maybe a reason why photographers often dont get the respect they deserve for their work and time is that those people controlling what gets shown in the magazines may think good photographers pop out of nowhere…and to be honests there surely are many many good photographers and there is definitly a lot of competition going on. On the other side…i didnt like EVERY of your work, most of them though else i wouldnt be reading every of your posts
but this editorial is just stunning. Its such an amazing work i cant describe it in words. (i didnt even watch the video yet).
Yet someone decided to leave out all those wonderful shots. That cockyness is undeserved. Your team did a great job and i hope they read your post and do understand that you re not the bad one because you definitly arent.
You risk a lot by writing this but i hope more and more established photographers will start doing so and something might change.
Some last words…
“Keep it real”
We love you for beeing yourself so keep it that way!
cheers
Oh my gosh…call me stupid but i wrote something bad that needs a quick correction…
“i didnt like EVERY of your work —>but most of it<— though else i wouldnt be reading every of your posts
but this editorial is just stunning
haha…its too late already.
love ya
cheers
Your anger is justified and you’re right, there probably will be repercussions but consider this:
1. You still have the pics, as the photog they’re your copyright, right?
2. Sounds like that was a bonding day despite any prima donna activities and connections will have been made.
3. The magazine layout was no doubt based upon Chinese whispers, poor communication and an inexperienced page designer. As a graphic designer who started in the 1960s I’ve seen every graphic mess-up known to man.
4. It got you out of the studio which is GOOD!
5. The shots were stratospherically good, and that’s with a camera you don’t use regularly.
6. If you hadn’t done that we wouldn’t have seen the charming film which is one of the best and quirkiest documentaries ever.
As you say, shit happens but I reckon this cloud has quite a few silver linings.
Thats an awful situation. I was glad you were able to share this with us, I know as me and many others who are trying to transition into this industry, we dread the possibility of something like this happening. I have had my own shoots from hell, but they pale in comparison to your story,
Bravo Melissa!! I don’t blame you for feeling nervous about posting this, but screw those people. You have the rights, especially after they pulled a low blow like this with no communication or explanation, which all of you deserve. You have a good head on your shoulders cause you know it won’t be the last time. I try and think the same. It’s always a dissapointment, but you keep your head up and move on the next job, because there WILL be good ones.
Always a pleasure reading your blogs and learning new things. You seem like a very cool and fun person. Like you said, it happens to the good ones too.
Best wishes,
Carlos
You did this for free? Sorry to be the lone voice of dissent here, but if you had actually demanded compensation for your work, they might respect you enough (and have enough invested in the story) to publish the whole thing.
I’ve noticed that no one has asked you why you did this for free. Well I’m asking.
You leave no reason for the magazine to use your work; they have nothing invested.
The sad part of this tale is that you aren’t the only person that these folks are going to abuse.
I hope that those who see this don’t follow your example and go through this for nothing.
Please don’t use the “tearsheet” excuse. If it doesn’t pay the cell phone bill, it doesn’t get shot.
Valuable lesson learned for all.
Beautiful images…I feel sorry for the crew and have to wonder what was the incentive to work for free unless it was the obvious, free advertising. I would send a bill for a percentage of the cost due to their lack of respect and their breech of what was offered. Estimate the cost of the shoot with crew and expenses divide it by the 16 pages they promised and subtract the 2 pages they ran. Bill them the total. I get so tires of the BS magazines get away with knowing what they are charging the advertisers and regardless of the cost to produce the publication. If not for beautiful images what would they really have to offer the viewer? I realize many of them are folding these days and with this kind of treatment to the people that make their pages look so good I have to wonder when their time will come. Thank you for sharing, it is what we all need to do these days to make our voices known in the world of business, it is not easy to be a photographer and it cost more these days than it used to. Thank you for your courage in speaking your mind!
Wow… what a read!
Unfortunately, I can completely relate, there are so many publications & companies that don’t treat photographers & hired staff properly.
I’m amazed at how many publications don’t include the proper credits… especially when ppl were working on this strictly for tearsheets… that’s just shameful!
I had a similar experience last month where none of the 5 models and myself were fed (on a 12 hour shoot!!!) because the client just forgot to take care of catering, even after I had offered to include it in the bill. It was also shot on a beach and the weather did not want to co-operate. Probably one of the most stressful and upsetting days in my career.
So yes, I totally feel for you and your team that you put in so much effort and it seems like a lot was wasted. But the more ppl that Flaunt Mag works with that they mistreat, the worse their reputation will be in the industry. At least take comfort in that!
Thanks for another brilliant post!
i’m torn here, still yet resolved on if this was an ultimately positive thing to post or not.
i can completely relate with having a story cut, changed, altered, scrapped and all the emotions that go with that. i also know that posting , essentially a rant and calling out a magazine ( or any client ) for the ways that i feel they ‘wronged’ me , can come across unprofessional.
yeah… i don’t know. i’m still undecided, ambivalent about it.
either way, thanks for the post.
rocksteady,
danno~
wow…. well written… I see stuff in my industry all the time that I wanna SCREAM about but can’t because of all the BS politics… but sounds like the politics run even deeper in the fashion world!!!
BEAUTIFUL images!!! I LOVE the shoot, and I LOVE the casting you did, well done holding out until you found the perfect girl!
Out of curiosity, did you contact the magazine afterwards and ask them about all of this?
It would be nice to hear their side of the story too, even if it is something to the affect of ‘Sorry, we messed up’, or ‘It is not what we initially planned, but we paid you for this, so we had the right to make changes as we see fit’.
It is good for us to hear your side of the story, it is even better to hear both sides of the story as this can educate us even more about how things transpire, be they right and justified, or just wrong and unprofessional.
Holy Cow
Congrats on a well written, honest, portrayal of what happens behind the scenes in an industry where everyone is scared to say anything that involves their daily bread. Also let me applaud the work of your crew who must have worked so hard to help make such beautiful images happen and never get the credit they deserve.
I can definitely understand your apprehension in taking this “path less travelled” and applaud your undaunted testimony. I believe the respect you will gain from this will outweigh the deviousness you have described so eloquently.
I also loved the video, especially the “headaches” section. I can’t believe how good it looks on youtube.
Sincerely
James
The shots and Models were Amazing. The video was really well done ( except I could not see any of the lighting set ups
So sorry about the drama, But loved the story itself and enjoyed watching it unfold.
Hope you all are well. You both look Great !
It really is a shame that these magazines feel that it is ok to treat people this way. On the other hand, the images that you produced are absolutely stunning. The models that you selected where perfect for the “feeling” that you where portraying.
It takes a strong individual to be brave enough to post this and expose the magazine for what it is.
The film that came out of this shoot is wonderfully produced and styled. I truly enjoy your BTS videos as it helps show what a shoot includes.
Thank you,
Jeremiah
Awesome video, thank you for sharing that and your story, people never cease to amaze me, such is life I guess-
Did you like using the speedlights over strobes? mmm that chili burger comment is makin’ me hungry
The shots turned out great (as did the video)! I’m so sorry to hear things didn’t work out with Flaunt; that’s really terrible for them to do that to you, and all of that fantastic crew expecting their tearsheets.
Thought you might like to know I’m in Paris now, and loving every minute of it! Even developing a taste for fashion–the magazines are spectacular here(and I just got back from Vogue’s big fashion celebration)! Thanks for all the tips and advice, I really think I’m on track to doing some great projects.
-Zack
P.S. is it possible for you to give me one of those fancy links you gave the other assistants? My site is http://www.zackdezonphotography.com. Thanks again!
The dude above has it right about the free part. What kind of respect do you get when you’re giving away something for free?
What’s going to stop them from doing the same to others? They must have a list of people that are willing to do work for nothing so they just dial the numbers until they get someone willing to do work for free. I’m sure that many a beginning photographer has heard the phrase ” if you do this one free, we’ll pay you for the next one” but the next job never comes; it goes to the next person on the list willing to shoot for free.
Another question, did you have insurance coverage to cover the Hasselblad, the garments, the the people that were “in your employ” during the shoot? If you didn’t you are skating on thin ice, what if something was to have happened to the camera? Whoever rented it would have been liable for any damages etc. to that gear.
Sorry that this happened to you, but you kind of left yourself open to this.
one more addition:
i’m assuming you tried to get a hold of douglas , or anyone else at the mag… right? what was flaunt’s response to what happened?
rocksteady,
danno~
God!! for crying out loud, Thank you for speaking out! Sorry that happened Melissa..
As you said, you would think “they” would have more respect and treat the “artists” “visionaries” who MAKE their magazines worthwhile thumbing through.
When and what does it take to get a little respect…well, posts like these. In my industry I get to deal with insecure interior designers, who would like to believe they make shit (fine art) happen in a room setting. Nevermind the artist who had the vision and painstakingly hand-painted/crafted the masterpiece. What was the interior designers part? Providing the opportunity and space for the artist to be creative. And the artist?
To thank the universe and be oh so grateful for that opportunity. its quite simple but easily forgotten only to be misplaced with globs of “but my mommy didn’t love me” insecurities.
When I walk on the sidewalk and see big slabs of concrete I always catch a flower creeping / making its way through a tiny crack to reach a glimpse of the sun. To survive.
Thanks Mel, for putting some fire in my day. Beautiful photos! Once again! xo
If you want to earn the respect of others, then you must respect yourself first.
When you work for free, you advertise to the world and your clients that your time and your work is worth nothing.
Great job Melissa! I respect you for voicing your opinion on this matter a a similar thing just happened to me over an editorial shoot. Not the size & scope of yours by any means & not even the same industry..but truth be told, some Mags out there are completely disrespectful and total wankers. “This is an editorial shoot & we’re not selling anything with this” This is what an editor told me. Excuse me, but it’s the photo’s & content in your magazine that sell your product. And another favorite ” We just don’t have the budget” well go under then. We artists need to band together & stick up to this kind of bullying & BS! Take a stand.
Wow. This is just …I’m speechless. I know you and I have had conversations before on this topic. I still hav’nt forgotten a certain Florida magazine that royally screwed you over but from FLAUNT one would expect more.
I’m really sorry to hear how unprofessionally they’ve behaved towards you and your crew.
Stay strong my friend. You always do.
The photos are exquisite! I remember you had mentioned a similar idea re the beach shoot but I think the Jules and Jim scenario is even better than what you originally envisioned.
Magazines come and go. Talented photographers are forever.
Things could be worse ya know. You might be facing bankruptcy and artistic serfdom a la Leibovitz. I know that’s terribly cruel but I just wanted to make you feel better.
xoxo,
M.
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for your story, the video, the stills and your blog – Its great to read every post of your page.
Best regards,
Michael
http://www.photofolio.dk – http://www.photofolio.dk/blog/
Melissa,
Thanks for being bold and brave enough to speak up. I had a similar experience on a much smaller scale with a local magazine. The lack of consideration, communication and the prima donna attitude thing really has to stop.
You’re right, it’s just a magazine! And not to even take sides, but Flaunt isn’t Elle or Vogue, so how big of an ego should they really have? And your pictures were certainly worthy of a much higher level publication, so they should feel fortunate to have your level of work to elevate them, but instead they snub you and your crew. Shameful.
In the end, it’s true that this business is very much about relationships and NOT burning bridges. However, there is a point where working with someone is so bad that you never want or need that experience again. So burn it, blow it up, and erase it from the map. It’s a path you’ll never want to travel down again anyway.
Best wishes,
Mike B.
Why would Flaunt respect you and your work, you shoot for free?
I use to do this as well but never again. When they have no money involved, it’s easy to kill the job. Shame on them and shame on you. 23 years and you still work for free?
Fashion’s dirty little secret is this, fashion photography is full of trust fund kids who don’t have to make a living. Magazines like flaunt exploit them for their own gain and spit them out when they are done. You just got spit.
you did the best job one could possibly do given the circumstances and the end result is not a reflection of you. don’t let this get you down. you are still an inspiration for lots of people out there
Good thing you can’t spit my trust fund. ; )
Thank you Melissa for the video and insight into the behind the scene experience…both positive and negative. And the images are so stunning!!
Cheers,
Allison
Lots of comments already, so don’t need to repeat anything… so I’ll just comment on two things:
1. Great job on connecting with the models and getting those great photos.
2. You’re absolutely adorable in that fedora at the end, keeping up the smiles through all the headaches!
The good. The bad. The ugly…Well put ….Liked the Video Very Honest…Stunning images by you and you talented crew…Sorry about the Drama……..
Thanks for posting the images and video. The photos are GORGEOUS!! I especially love the glass orbs and the octopus, and the moody lighting. I can’t believe they didn’t print them full, I would have loved to tape them up on my walls!
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on when to shoot for free/tears as I’ve heard of a lot of professional photographers and publications doing that, I thought it was common, though there is apparently debate on here. Regardless it’s no excuse for that magazine to be so unprofessional. Congrats for coming out with some beautiful work despite the problems!
First of all im really sorry about what had happen and i truly understand because it happened to me too !!!!! when magazines have bigger demand and reputation they have a certain act of unprofessionalism in them and does not bother to take care of minor responsibility ! In your case the most you could do is ask the editor from Flaunt to have a written apology on their next issue. In most cases they would do that to save our working relationships together.
I had a similar incident when i was shooting for a magazine and they had credited the WRONG PHOTOGRAPHER and put other photographers name on it. I was so furious ! after calling them and screw them out, they kept saying sorry and promised that it will never happen again. Never kept mum about such unprofessionalism even if you are a newbie … if you know that you had done a good job and you had kept to their standards, you don’t have to worry when you have spotted a mistake on their side. Make that call and let them know that you are disappointed with that mistake. If editors can critic photographers works why cant we critic theirs? Having said that the industry is full of bitches and egos and backstabbers but not all are like the devil but you do want to be treated with respect and not get bullied, you got to make your opinions heard and keep in mind that they are many other magazines out there and i would rather work with someone who appreciates my efforts than someone who doesn’t even bothered at all. Famous magazine doesn’t always mean they have good content on every issue. Sometimes i do questioned their taste level. But for whichever magazine you shoot for even how small or new the magazine is if your works are good, people will start noticing and following you.
DUDE, that sucks! I’m in love with the last picture btw.
Thank you for posting your experiences. For better or worse, your (and the whole teams) work looks great, this will endure. Stick to your guns and all will be good in the long term.
Your work is beautiful, but I think you got screwed when you did this job for free.
What are you out now, a few tearsheets? Far less valuable I would think than the logistics, equipment, and time of all involved. Maybe I’m naive and the tearsheets are worth working for free.
No, not really.
Wow, I love the photos and the styling. In a past life I was an IT Director at one of the major/worldwide marketing companies. I’ve seen politics at the highest level, but things there were even more harsh. I’ve seen $20M ad campaigns sabotaged because someone didn’t like someone else! I have nothing against getting rid of people you don’t like, but how can you kill campaigns that bring major bucks into the company??? And you know what? It happens all the time. I wish it didn’t happen to you after all the work you and your team put in on this campaign. There’s not much you can do to guard against this, though, you just have to soldier on and hope for the best. Ciao!
Hey Melissa, my heart goes out to you and your collaborators. The photos and the video tell me y’all did great & don’t let anyone tell you you did not. And don’t let this episode sap your vim & vigor either. I’m sure there’ll be sweet retribution … it’s called karma
kc
Hi Melissa,
First, Thanks for your blog!, my favorite on the net. Your work is awesome, I would use a different word if I could think of anything better than awesome. The choices you made for stylist, mua’s , hair and assistants make for truly beautiful pictures. They are as you just awesome!
This all reminds me of a story: There was a school bus full of children going on a field trip one day. All of a sudden all of the children went to one side of the bus to see what was going on, it seem their were two dogs going at it, no not fighting, just making little puppy’s. Jonnie very concerned ask the bus driver if everything was all right and ask what was happening. The quick think bus driver said, “You see, Jonnie the dog in the back hurt it’s front paws so the don in the front is carrying him home.
Jonnie said, “That’s just like life, you try to do someone a favor and they shove it up your ass every time”.
I hope my joke makes you feel a little better and I hope Flaunt finds some way to make it up to you.
I love the photo of the girl by the rock. Very dramatic. Sorry to hear about the magazine.
I’m sorry that you had such a bad experience.
Your photos are just wonderful, love your blog and that Video is fantastic.
Good for you to speak up. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Frederic.
Ps: Do you believe in Karma
Melissa, first let me say the photos are beautiful, you and the team did an amazing job. I’ve had plenty of magazines choose images of mine that I would not have picked (that’s why my portfolio has different images sometimes) or edited, cropped, run copy over, miss-credited my work (my first name is Dan not David), not credited with the .com at the end of my name (seems simple enough to add a .com at the end of my name doesn’t it?)
But the question really is Why? Why did Flaunt decide to do this?… make such a dramatic change of plans, AND not give credit to the important members of the team that made the photos possible?
I understand your frustration with all of what happened, but perhaps it would have been best to discuss this with the magazine before writing the article… after all, this is not life and death… we are not curing cancer with photography, we are making art and you do that well and often.
Continued success in all you do, I hope to meet you one day, your work is inspiring.
best,
Dan Coogan
You have given the right credits here, no problem!
The video is great and I am proud that a Greek director/editor did such a wonderful job!
You have given the credits here way too analytically so, no problem
I was proud to see a Greek director/Editor producing such great results with your video!
Work like yours is what keeps me trying to extend my photography.
Despite all the conditions, the shots are stunning – great imagination, beautifully executed.
The couture looks amazing and the models really delivered.
Like the rest of the commenters, I sympathize and I’m really pleased you shared the story. If by doing so you give other potential clients food for thought, you’ve done a great thing.
Very nice shoots. I like the style. Normally i dont like w/b but in this case they looks just perfect
I forgot to ask you. Can you tell me who is the composore of the music? I mean like it and i want to find it to listen it on internet.
thanks
Amen Melissa.
Nobody who shoots for Flaunt get’s paid. Expenses are not even covered, the camera Melissa rented costs $500 per day, plus RV, insurance, etc. Not even their big name shooters get paid: David LaChapelle, Tony Duran, Michael Muller, James White and the rest. All are volunteer photographers covering the production costs of the shoot themselves.
Same thing with Genlux magazine discussed in other excellent posts by Melissa. No pay and all expenses are covered by the photographer. Genlux will also drop stories for political reasons after the shooter spent hundreds or thousands producing the shoot for the promise of tear sheets. Most fashion magazines do it. They can easily get an endless list of talented free shooters to produce pictures.
That is the game in fashion photography. Everyone is hungry to build a name. If you want to get paid for all your shoots, then shoot weddings.
These images are amazing, and everyone who had a part in realizing them deserves all the credit in the world for it. Easily as good as a lot of the stuff I see in world famous fashion magazines.
But I have questions:
1. Isn’t Credits something that should be/usually are specified in the contract you set up with the publication? Especially when so many people (with your good knowledge) worked for free just to get this credit wouldn’t it have been prudish to include that in the contract?
2. The publication (as long as they pay properly for what was delivered to them are perfectly fine to include as much or as little of the images as they want. That’s their problem really, unless again, you made a point of including this in your contract seeing that you knew people were working for free. Unless ALL of this was done for free, that would be taking it to a whole different level of disrespect.
3. Have you tried asking for an “errata/appendix” to be included in the next issue of the publication? It’s possible that the credits were actually placed on one of the pages that got slashed in the last edit and nobody noticed it until it was too late (it has happened to me).
I feel sorry for you to have all this grief over what was a lot of hard work and obviously stressful shooting conditions for everyone involved.
I feel bad for you, Melissa. I know that magazine, Flaunt.Who knew they would be so bad at treating people! I’m glad you said what you said because everyone needs to know the truth. I myself tried out for a wedding gig recently and was told I would get paid half the rate to find out later half the rate for 8 hours is $40!!!!!! You heard right! It was such an insult to my work. I almost tore the check up in front of the person who hired me but didn’t want to create a scene. I learn my lesson though, I should stick to what I want to do which is fashion and commercial photography even when times are touch in the economy. Now I learn to put everything in writing and be upfront in terms of money and all. We, artists are taken advantage of a lot! I highly recommend studying a bit about business from score.org, they have free videos on how to market yourself and such. Just thought Id share
.
Again, thanks for being our mentor, Melissa. As always, you rock!
Shooting for free for that kind of magazine? Unbelievable. I feel sorry for everyone involved in that kind of deeply immoral business.
I just reread my ending there.oops. When I said I highly recommend studying a bit about business, I didn’t mean it to you, Melissa, I meant I wanted to share it with your readers here.
BTW, your video and photos from this shoot is simply stunning! I love that you use the simple speedlight too in the shoot. I’m a big fan of simplicity!
Thank you for sharing, writing, taping, photographing, producing, imagining, telling the story. Thank you for being honest, reveling that sometimes there is no glamor in “glamor” photography! Great vedio too, enjoyed every minute of it. Great shots, love the poses, the mood, the feel, the creativity, the art behind it. I work at a hospital, do modeling photography on a side, I call it my favorite expensive hobby. I am full of ideas, but to put it down on a photopaper, people dont realize how much goes into: the camera, the people, the dress, the location, the post production, everyones time, the art, the vision, etc. And, then you get 2 pictures out of 500 published, just sad! Just like with any famous artists, you will be famous and reach after your death! Anyway, on this sad note, thank you again for sharing..Larissa K Photography, Shingletown, CA
[...] after and glamourous of all photography jobs. But for those in the industry, this story of how a photographer got screwed isn’t new, or news, or noteworthy except for the fact that it NEVER gets talked about. Still [...]
Thank you for sharing this with us. Really interesting to me from a number of points of view. The level of preparation for your shoot, is indicative to me of the level of professionalism and dedication that is required to work as a fashion photograper, the dynamic of your work during the shoot with your models and your crew was fascinating, relaxed and dynamic, I enjoyed this the most. Made me realise that the essence of photography does not change, from my simple shoots with amateur models with my lovely wife holding foils and styling to your crew of 14 the intrinsic dynamic between the model (or models in your case) and photographer appears to remain the same. Correct me if I am wrong.
Your insights into the machinations of the fashion industry do not suprise me, is there any human endeavour that is free of human frailty? People are often weak, ignorant and rude, even to those that deserve better. I can but imagine how embarassing something like this is to someone as professional and talented as yourself and as you stated it is you that has to face the shiny talented people who gave their time to this shoot for free.
The shoot was great and I certainly feel that the full sixteen pages of shots should have been included. Thanks for the insight.
It seems that the industry hides an ugly face behind a pretty mask and sometimes that mask falls off. I regret that the mask fell off during your shift on the little black box. You and your team did a wonderful job and created some striking and creative images. Kudos to you all. Push forward.
What I’m reading and seeing here is scary…….
When are you going to stop looking at the pretty side of this and look at the business side of this?
Most people here are feeling bad for you; but the bottom line is that you brought yourself to this point by making a bad business decision. You did not do due diligence on the people and business you were going to work with.
After reading this and doing some research; I found out that the magazine has a really bad reputation as far as compensating photographers for their work. It took me less than 30 min. to find this out. To go through all the effort to do what you did for no pay doesn’t make sense to me when you could have readily looked into the situation that you were getting yourself into and avoided it.
No one put a gun to your or anyone else’s head to do what you and the others did here. I’m sure that you though this might forward your career by producing this work and gathering this crew of people to work with you on this project. But now how do think your reputation with these people is going to be in the future? How willing are they going to want to work with you the next time you have another project? Bottom line…….”are we going to get paid” the next time we do something with her? Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself that question. You may have had a great experience producing this work but great experiences don’t put dinner on the table.
Aside from these great images you produced; what else have you accomplished? Again looking at this from the business side; you and the others that work for free have really hurt the business of photography. Does anyone at the magazine come into the office and work for nothing? Do the printers print the magazine for nothing? Do the distributors carry the magazine to the news stands for nothing? Do the news stands give away the magazine for free?
You are aware that it’s your images that drive the advertisers to the magazine, this magazine NEEDS you to increase their ad revenue so they can have profitability. Why give away your images? Why help the business of photography eat it’s young, because that’s what you’re doing everytime you do work for free for these people.
It is a shame that things like that happen and more over with such an amazing and stunning editorial!!
Great post hanks for that as always very inspiring as yes, “shit happens”
You are a blessing. I have recently decided to shift careers from architecture to photography, and you have given me hope that there are people worth working with. Treat people as you would want them to treat you. To establish a level of respect from the beginning. I admire all you’ve accomplished and what I know is still to come. Keep being a real person and I look forward to enjoying many more images of magic from you. Thank you Melissa.
Stefan van Deventer from Cape Town, South Africa.
First – love, love, love your work! there is another scenario that has nothing to do with you – the magazine’s editorial staff aren’t talking with each other or more likely, there’s a power struggle going on and you are just collateral damage – whoever commissioned the piece was probably so embarrassed they didn’t have the guts to let you know that your piece had been murdered – either way the magazine and their readers lost out, your work is fabulous and inspirational in equal parts. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for your honesty, and my heart goes out to all of you. What can we as photographers (and stylists, etc) do in this modern climate? This thing where we sacrifice everything to a magazine just for credits has us by the short hairs. Thank you for naming names and being gutsy about this. Kudos.
Oh aye, nice photos btw.
This must really suck to get screwed like that. I don’t know how I would be able to look into the eye of team members after that. On a brighter note images came out amazingly so it’s not complete waste. Btw did you shoot whole thing with just one bare flash?
Hey Melissa,
Great post! Thanks for sharing. And the images are fantastic btw! Cool vid too.
As I’m just starting out I shoot for free all the time. Actually most people involved in my shoots do it for free as we’re all just building ports. But everybody doing it for free for a mag thats going to publish the shots, and then they turn around and do that! Unbelievable! That type of s**t you can do without.
Always love reading your posts/watching the vids.
Keep up the great work!
Cheers,
Dave.
to take it a philosophical way, these things make you reflect on what you do and don’t tkae things for granted, a learning experience
WOW!!! Melissa i am loving this video. you guys went all out on this one and it shows great job. This should be a reality TV show. The Melissa Rodwell show or call it “The Shoot” starring Melissa Rodwell. LOL.. THe images are outstanding as usual.
As mentioned before…
I said:
”
Regarding the Magazine: I read about this last night on Melissa’s blog and this morning at the news stand I had the chance to flip through a copy of the Flaunt Issue Melissa is talking about…
This story was not only HACKED TO SHREDS and condensed to 2 pages… We are talking about 6 2×2 pictures misaligned with the Photographers name typed in size 2 font. It was atrocious to say the least. I wish someone would do a scan of the pages and post them here, so you can really get a view about just how pathetic it really is… To make matters worse, the shots used for the main editorials are naked point-and-shoot blurry shots of naked girls running down beaches that looked like the amateur American Apparel ads. The shots within could have been shot better by a preschooler with an iPhone. The only notable story was shot by Yu Tsai whose work stands comparable next to Melissa’s.
This is an issue of serious politics over talent, not the other way around.
Regarding Getting Paid and Contracts: You do realize that 95% of fashion editorials are done without contracts?? Usually a verbal agreement, phone or email from the magazine is all that is necessary for this type of gig.
Also, regarding not getting paid, 99.99% of all magazines of this caliber never pay a dime to any photographer. The work is strictly for tearsheets and promotion. The photographer spends money to make the shoot look good, just as they would printing promo cards every year and sending them to potential clients… Its advertising….
As with many artistic fields… Interior designers do “Showcase Homes” and spend thousands out of their own pocket just to make them look good so that when people go for a viewing they can see the designers talent…. or maybe even get their rooms photographed in a high-end magazine.
Anybody here talking about contracts or “shooting for free” has no experience in the Fashion Photography field…
About the Article: I think its a good thing she is exposing her readers who are “Looking Into” starting a career in fashion photography to the truth of the industry. What an unbelievable gift she has given to the photography community… That type of advice you can’t find anywhere… I don’t think after 20+ years of shooting this is Melissa’s first run-in with being screwed over. Therefore I think her post was not “Drama Driven” or even used as a vehicle to “Out Flaunt Magazine”. If the people on here actually took the time to Read the POST they would realize how diplomatic, cool, calm and collected she is remaining throughout the entire article… ”
Ken Garret
Shame on them!
You’re right the images are fantastic, mind-blowing in fact. It’s editorials like your that made me want to be a fashion photographer in the first place and they continue to inspire me on a daily basis.
Your words are so useful to people just starting out in the industry, like myself – thank you for being honest.
That’s so unprofessional of this magazine and so embarrassing for that you and your crew wasn’t credited. They should have communicated with you, which they didn’t. I love your work and you are a professional fashion photographer who has been in the business for a long time , so you shouldn’t treated in this way.
OMG! So sorry to hear about that. The images are beautiful! I’ve had similar issues with magazines. It’s just such a disrespect to all of those involved who put their blood, sweat and tears into it.
I’m not happy that this happened to you, but I’m glad to hear that it does happen to professionals (and it’s not just me).
Thank you so much for sharing this!!!
There’s no need to say about the quality of the shots and all the models/staff work…it’s ALL super cool, very professional….about the magazine (not even saying their name…) what really happened…well, it’s not a surprise that everyday we hear a story here and there about “people” like that…. the lack of attitude will certain have a price – Melissa, thank YOU so much – your attitude of sharing this experience with us shows how sincere you’re !! Keep on shinin’
Your post sure brings back memories. Same thing happened to me. Same beach, same on set antics and drama, stress level and cost out the roof… great shots and nothing run. Later learned the magazine had “assigned” it to several photographers and then selected the one it liked best.
I learned my lesson. While this was a paid shoot, one of the lessons learned is the number of magazines who expect shoots without payment which sounds to be the case here. These guys are a dime a dozen. No reason we should cater to them at all. Also that many will assign work to several photographers at once “on spec” but frequently don’t bother to tell you they have ALSO assigned it to others as well. Just say no to these deals. If the magazine doesn’t care enough about the shoot to put a financial investment into it then they really haven’t put the commitment there either. We can’t afford to put thousands of dollars and weeks of work into a shoot for nothing and no publication has the right to expect us to do so.
I’ve also learned that there ARE reputable magazines and shoots proceed very differently with them. The art director and magazine staff are present on the shoot… contracts are signed… money is on the table whether or not they run the shoot, so they are there to make sure they get what they want. These are our clients. Not the ones who attempt to push the entire risk of the shoot down to the photographer and crew. That is dirty pool.
Your shoot is beautiful Melissa. Very beautiful. Don’t let anyone do that to you again. DEMAND what you need in writing before agreeing to a shoot. That is the lesson I have learned. If they won’t do that, then they don’t intend to play straight in the first place.
Mark
not surprising..they did the same thing to a photographer I assist for on a job we worked for them last year..
Thank you for this Melissa, I know it wasn’t an easy decision to put your ass on the line, knowing the risk of burnt bridges in such a brutal industry. I know there are thousands of us upcoming photographers that appreciate your hard work and dedication to the career you love so much. It really was a wakeup call though, if someone with your experience and respect in the industry gets treated this poorly, what hope is there for the new guy?
I guess it’s true then than no good deed goes unpunished.
I love that location, and the models and styling were excellent. Your photography is top-notch. It’s really beautiful work and everyone involved should be commended (and should have been credited).
I envy you that you got to work in such a beautiful place with such a great crew and killer gear. If you’d ever rather just stay in the studio, I’d be more than happy to take your place on a location shoot.
Your images are simply fantastic.Great post! Thanks for sharing.
Mel,
Thanks for the incredible write-up! Being a newcomer and looking to branch out into this industry I really appreciate your transparency and sharing your terrible experience. I think it will help people in the future from maybe going through the same thing, or at least being more equipped and aware for tell-tale signs.
You are a tremendous asset to the industry and I hope we see many more years of your stunning work.
You do lovely work…when we say we are publishing your work, we mean it. If you are interested in being a contributor…contact us info@styleologymag.com
Mel,
I just wanted to say what your doing here is great and don’t stop with your doing with this blog, your advice & experiences has help my grow as a photographer. while at work at night i log one\ to this blog and re-read past post many times just to see what i can do to better myself….thank you
PS if you ever need any extra hands on your shoots I’ll be glad to help
Thought those things only happen in Spain
Congratulations for your excellent work, and team. I love your work.
fantastic images, but maybe the problem is you are highlighting the models and not the clothing.
That’s just horrible and unfair! Those pictures are just outstanding!! They’re ART!
I agree that this sucks big time.
Difficult shoot. OK
Mag doesn’t like it. (for whatever reason) OK
Mag cuts story to bits with a crap layout. Not OK.
I am thinking about Steven Meisel’s “Dogging” story that was Too HOT to run in Vogue Italia so they did not run it. But that was OK because it then ran in V Mag.
The biggest issue here I think is that if Flaunt was not going to show the work the respect it deserves they should have cut it loose and let you publish it elsewhere. I am sure you would have had plenty of takers.
Perhaps its time we photographers did start getting contracts signed before shooting like this, guaranteed 10 pages. Etcetera.
Beautiful work Melissa & somehow I suspect its going to get a lot more viewing right here on your Blog than in any Uber Cool Mag.
I’d like to congratulate you on such a great article. The guys in the office here really enjoyed it. Personally the best thing to take away from this experience is that you were able to rise to all the challenges thrown at you. After all look at the beautiful results.
I’ve worked for corporations over the past 12 years and it seems this type of thing happens all the time. We throw thousands of dollars and unrecord hours on campaigns and the poof people walk away with no explanation. Peoples fickleness can be disappointing. In the end I have learned to take pleasure in my work and less on what others think about it.
I look forward to being inspired by your work
Amazing, As a newbie and aspiring editorial hairstylist. This is a real eye opener. I am sorry that this sort of thing happened to you and your crew. But, On the other hand looking at the photos,I would be proud to have worked for free with you, Just to have been a part of the shoot. Remember, What goes around comes around.
Cheers,
I am so happy to have read this. That sounded wrong. I am so sad to hear this happened to you, but, I can certainly identify! just happy that true stories like this are out in the open.
You are so right saying that photographers are the ones who provide the magazines with their content and their POPULARITY! We should get WAY more respect or at least professionalism. Plus, what happened to just being nice since its the right thing to do and it would make the world a slightly better place to live in?
I must also say- these images are amazing, you rock!!!
Thanks for sharing this story with us, Im very happy with those photos you got, you really captured the mood. You are amazing for making a behind the scenes of this amazing shoot.
And as you said, shit happens.
Best,
Luis
This was a really great article. This is the first time I’ve read your blog and as a new photographer, mainly self-taught I’ve been wondering how to get into the “industry”. I’ve worked on similar shoots that have turned out poorly and were disappointing and it’s comforting to know that it can happen at any level and to start working out those types of kinks now. The images are absolutely stunning, a real prize for not having it be your “best work” The video production was incredible and I’m thankful to get an insider’s peek. Lastly it’s nice to see how a female photographer controls her set. Your personality comes through and it shows in the final images. Thank you and I’ll be sure to keep reading.
That’s really shitty of Flaunt, even if it’s not very surprising. Aside from that, your photos look fantastic! The video was great too! As an amateur photographer, I appreciate all the insight you offer in your articles and videos. I just want to say thanks for publishing this blog and fuck Flaunt!
To call them idiots would be a compliment… It was a tremendous loss to them not to have publish this visually STUNNING amalgamation of style, lighting, concept, energy… I wish I could turn back the hands of time and pointed you to a much more worthy magazine of your talents… HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE… I’m not even picking up FLAUNT anymore… Take your talents elsewhere.
Dallas
Melissa…strangely enough I went through something similiar a few weeks back [on a much smaller scale] when two female photographers with the same first name got their wires crossed. I wrote about it in my blog, but eventually decided to blow it off as photographer’s ego. My new motto is: Karma Does Know Kindness. Like you I continue to evolve and take my craft seriously. Like you also, I went kicking and screaming into the digital world, but somehow in the darkroom with Dektol and Fixer flumes around me and those sweet-amber “paper-safe” darkroom lights…I felt more in touch in photography.
ciao bella…James
I think this is very well written, it could so easily have come out bitter, but you stuck to the facts and you clearly have a great deal of respect for the people you work with.
The photos are fantastic, i can’t imagine what these people were thinking when they chose not to print all of them!
I was really inspired when I saw the movie too. I just wish the fashion industry was more honest and grateful for the work people put into creating their content.
What to say, what to say? Again Im blown away by the shots you made. I mean, it looks like everything came together just right. The scenery with the clounds was just there to be shot. And the shot you made with the girl just when it started pouring down…I mean, WOW.
I really really really liked seeing that you used like 1 “portable” small flashgun, and some reflecting surfaces, cause I constantly have the feeling that for making great shots, one needs a ton of lighting equipment. And you showed me in practice I`m wrong. So tnx for that.
The video is just great, what can I say, the guys did a great job (like you wrote). It made a really great overlook of the shoot, combining not only the shooting but also clips of “backstage” atmosphere. Like you bitching about hating doing shoots outside.
I dont know why, but that just made me smile. In a good way of course. 
.
Im really glad that you mentioned “Mood Boards” cause I used them all the time, and people just look like I invented some totaly new approach. And Im like “WTF, that is so obvious for me to do, if I wanna make good shots”. My moto is “If you wanna picnic shots, grab a camera and go for it, and if you wanna art/fashion or whatever high quality shots, make preparations, concept and stuff that makes you slip in the mood when you`r on the set.” I guess I have to find more people that work like you and me.
I hope Im gonna have the opporutnity to make shots on a scale like you showed here, cause I normaly work alone, and am courious what it feels like to be in a moment when you can say “there are to many chiefs and not enough indians”. That was another laughter for me.
. I really think that working with so many talented people can make a person so much richer at the end of the day, that you finally just let go of unwanted memories of shity moment.
Well in conclusion, I keep being an admirer of your work (not just the end result but the whole approach). And a comment on things that happend with the magazine – well its just a magazine.
. As long as you know you`ve done the best you could at given moment, you had the experience worth beeing experienced. Nothing else matters.
So keep up the great work and keep posting new stuff, so we, that come behind, have a minor glimps into what lies ahead.
Love & peace to all.
Aleks
I love the shots, but IMHO they are a little to arty and do not show the clothes off well enough. I think its partly due to the high contrast B&W PP, quite alot of the finer qualities of garments is lost.
I didn’t really notice this until I watched the video. I thought “Wow, look at that green jacket”, yet in the photos it could almost be mistaken for any “standard” jacket.
I personally think the photos would be better if the subtleties of there fabrics etc weren’t so blocked out. Love the composition and emotion in the frames though.
This is why I love your website and blog!!
Save for the disgraceful circumstances, I thought the pictures came out delicious! I’ll have to swing by Malibu again and try to look at it differently.
This is the kind of thing that scares me away from commercial work. I’m at a point right now where I’m trying to decide whether or not to stick to fine art or branch out into the commercial world, and these horrendous interactions keep me from wanting to ever leave my backyard and DIY setups. As you said perfectly, we’re not curing cancer, and it should be about having fun. I wonder if the fun would become sparse if I gave up fine art!
Either way, I can tell you’re really frustrated about this, but it’s good of you not to sugar-coat. So thank you for another great post!
Diana
A very good article and video. I am very sorry your crew didn’t get the acknowledgment they obviously deserved. Hopefully they will be bigger people and see the folly was with Flaunt and not you. Keep on Melissa you are fun to watch and listen to!
Thank you for the words of wisdom. I get requests to use some of my Flickr photos on different web sites. I often agree as I am an amateur and looking to get my work out there. But I have found many of these people join Flickr to get photos and then quickly disappear. So I am more careful and sometimes it works out nice. I had a boating magazine ask permission and I granted it. I was given full credit and sent a couple copies of the magazine in the mail and a note saying if ever needed, they would send a letter of reference.
Hello Melissa,
Great to hear such an amazing photographer talk openly!
It’s such an inspiration and it really opens everyones eyes to the ugly truth. Too bad so many people always think that fashion and editorial photography is just pretty pictures and an easy business… bull shit!
Anyways, I just wanted to say that your work is really fabulous, please keep surprising us with your professionalism and photographs!
Sincerely,
Dasha.D
ps. I really love your quote “A magazine is only as good as its content.” It’s so true!
keep doing this melissa, you are great!
Love your work and your blog!!
Must say I really love these pictures, and I think it was a great story and very well interpreted! Cool to see the bts video as well.
A couple of tech things about the Blad. I shoot with a Blad myself, and I find handholding can be a bit difficult because of the big mirror and a mirror slap that causes vibrations very easily. Did you struggle with that? And did you use the faster 31mp version for the shoot, or the slower 39/50/60 versions?
Keep up the great work!
Cheers,
Eivind
Fuck the system!
Very nice Look & Feel of the pictures…and the video is so cool!
I like the “strobist”-lighting-
but how do you get the background underexposed, when shooting with a wide open aperture and the restriction of the sync-time of the cam (must be 1/500 with the Hasselblad)?
Or is it done in the Post?
XOXO
Martin
Thanks for your straight honesty and for sharing this story. I kinda went through a similar ordeal on a much smaller scale and can totally relate. Getting credits and seeing your team, your collaborators being left out puts you in a terrible place, though you feel you’re on the same side of the fence. But seeing your work decapitated without warning must feel like creative death. It doesn’t mean this project can’t have a second life…
Stellar images….and an incredible lack of professionalism from a magazine. Nevertheless, thank you for sharing your story with us…nice to see some honesty and truth for a change
I Cannot believe in this day and age this nonsense happens. You shot an amazing series of images for which you deserve credit and the 16 page editorial for which they were intended!
Fantastic work, Keep it up!
Charlie
Great video and great images, it’s definently ashame when people forget who got them to where they are now.
I’m not a fashion photographer but have to say the images were amazing, and so very effective in mono. As regards Flaunt, it really is their loss – can’t understand why they treated you like that.. maybe they’re on the way out.
I am blown away that a huge company like that would be so unprofessional. Specifically with a well known and accomplished photographer as yourself. I would say that you are on my top five list for favorite photographers and I have to say thank you for being so damn cool. You are fucking awesome for being willing to give away such good info on being in the industry. You have helped me tramendously. I hope one day I could shoot at the quality you do. Thank you for your work and that magazine will get theres.
What comes through in your article is the amount of passion, care, integrity and love that you demonstrate. The video is very artful and dreamlike and I think that as a film there is a lot of beauty.
I just saw “The September Issue” and I would say you are the Grace Coddington of this story. She is the creative director who has so many years of experience– and a vision– that she puts forth, only to get shot down by Anna Wintour at the last minute.
It’s strange to me, as a photographer, that we are somehow dismissed for our subjectivity and intuition, but the same editors and publishers who run these rag journals, are applauded for their strength and decisiveness in throwing out good work and offering no explanation for their artistic hit and run murder.
I can’t offer you any explanation, except to heed power. Those in control, whoever they are, do not act justly, and only legal agreements can restrain their power.
You do great work, and I love your vulnerability and self-doubt, which to me is the mark of a real artist. Thank you for writing so honestly about this debacle, but at the end of the day, your project is still alive, and you have these photographs, which will last for eternity, long after the stupid and vapid rag FLAUNT is extinct.
At the least, Flaunt should be covering equip. rental and catering. Well, you have some good promo material…Thanks for getting all this crap out in the open!
The pictures were really beautiful. Your love for your work can be seen in it clearly!
This is an Amen Sister going up all the way from sunny South Africa! Love your blog and your work…True inspiration!
Brillant work !
so sad for the magazine behaviour
At least you got out some awesome photos! They’ll regret it one day (as a firm believer of karma)
I loved the girl’s tattoos. What did it say?
Excellent work! And great post.
Doesn’t surprise me at all: your pics blow away most of the shit they print. I never liked Flaunt. When I worked for a record company we had a free subscription and I’d look through it when bored. Most of the photography sucked. It all looked like Terry Richardson’s amateurish crap that nobody would actually like except that they’re told to like it by “taste makers”. Aim for one of the European mags, they’re so much better than the American fashion mags…..
Perhaps im the only person here to say that I’m not a particular fan of the images shown here. Does not mean they are bad images. I will omit the critique, but suffice it to say that it is not something I would expect flaunt to carry–I just do not believe it is the, hmm, style? of images I’d expect them to have. Not the gothic aspect of it–that’s all consistent–rather the execution and the post work seems “different”. (FY I do love some of the point and shoot images that someone here mentions as being fed to us by “taste makers”. Also, a lot of the European magazines carry these quite a bit, despite what previous poster says–see Purple Magazine. Also a great fan of NOT point and shoot photography–Helmut Newton, Meisel, Luchford, Steven Klein, Inez Lamsweerde Vinooh Matadin etc)
But whether or not I like the story, the failure to credit your team or to give more attention to your credit is just appalling and wrong. Unfortunately, magazines feel like they can get away with these things because photographers are knocking down their doors looking for a way to get published.
It sounds like what happened is that Flaunt was interested at first and spoke about a lengthy editorial, but was not satisfied with the results. What’s frustrating is that they could have probably been able to tell what kind of images to expect when you were pitching the idea in the first place. They could have easily told you that they would only want to run a few pictures, but perhaps were leading you on or were too lazy or careless to inform you of the decision to cut everything down. Unless you are a major figure, they just don’t care!
I especially feel terrible for the rest of the team.
Of course, printing costs are huge and the image of the publication is precious–deciding what to do with an editorial that does not fit within the image of the magazine is tough. But the lack of professionalism in failing to credit people or lack in communication is just wrong and all too common. I just last month had two images run in major magazines without any kind of credit.
Crappy flaunt.
Sorry for the misspells – it’s kind of late.
I hate to say this but anyone shooting for FLAUNT should hope for the best and expect the worst. No one should have been surprised by the outcome as this is par for the course and is well known.
There was a great article that isn’t on the net anymore about Michael Williams going to Flaunt for a meeting and the publishers asking him if he wanted to see their twins and then pointed out the window to their two BMW seven series. Michael decided then that he would no longer work for free anymore.
I shoot for free quite a bit and all I can say is that it is great self promotion and shooting for Flaunt is the best self promotion you can have on the west coast. If you don’t get published you will have a strong story for yourself, you get better models, clothes and everyone steps it up. I think Melissa should happy that she has some new photos for her book, felt bad for herself for a few days and moved on because yes she got screwed but now she wont have a second chance with one of the best magazines on the west coast.
At least they ran it and yes no one but you got credit but that wasn’t your fault none of it was. I’m sure everyone will be happy with a set of beautiful prints for their books.
Hey Tim,
on the guy from the last comment…what are you talking about…
What Flaunt did was horrendous to such a talented and gifted photog..
like Melissa…who would want a second chance with some mag that wasnt’ honest forthright or even had the decency to let her know it wasn’t what they wanted…
Melissa you are a Rock Star….your models were superb and cast perfectly..
look she had great talented models….one mill in clothes…so Tim your point?
who wants some thumbnail prints with a mention of your name…that doesn’t even reflect your work…
Tim look at the video and story on her site….they are beautiful
models….
Peter…wow….gorgeous..the Crown pic….seriously….he is the BEST LOOKING model that I have seen in a long long time!!
Melissa you will come out on top of this….Flaunt and go Flaunt their garbage elsewhere…never picking up a copy again…nor will I order for my offices across America…..
Flaunt go screw yourself!!
Your celeb editions suck as well…..!! boring..you can read about celebs in the local rags….US and People are better than your RAG!!
signed:
Flaunt will make some great TP!
Hey Tim,
on the guy from the last comment…what are you talking about…
What Flaunt did was horrendous to such a talented and gifted photog..
like Melissa…who would want a second chance with some mag that wasnt’ honest forthright or even had the decency to let her know it wasn’t what they wanted…
Melissa you are a Rock Star….your models were superb and cast perfectly..
look she had great talented models….one mill in clothes…so Tim your point?
who wants some thumbnail prints with a mention of your name…that doesn’t even reflect your work…
Tim look at the video and story on her site….they are beautiful
models….
Peter…wow….gorgeous..the Crown pic….seriously….he is the BEST LOOKING model that I have seen in a long long time!!
Melissa you will come out on top of this….Flaunt and go Flaunt their garbage elsewhere…never picking up a copy again…nor will I order for my offices across America…..
Flaunt go screw yourself!!
Your celeb editions suck as well…..!! boring..you can read about celebs in the local rags….US and People are better than your RAG!!
signed:
Flaunt will make some great TP!
Wonderful doc. I’m working on some similar documentation footage of shoots with photographer Ella Manor. Sorry to hear this mag didn’t warn you about reducing the editorial. But the images are beautiful and at least they get to live here on your blog.
Keep up the good work! As you said in the video, you surround yourself with amazing people. And they’ve all done a good job on this.
Arin Crumley
Well Melissa, it’s sad yet comforting to hear this happens in all places. I have been promised, told, emailed and even over lunch given specs and ‘expected’ outcomes to jobs that would require quite the investment on my side, only to find it was lies. It can really tear ones heart out and sometimes question why the hell we do it at all.
Hopefully the support you have been given here at least proves the art of it is appreciated. Your videos are brilliant – cannot wait to see more.
Well done to your team and yourself.
Alex
I deeply admire anyone that will stick up for their crew, that will stand up to goliath. Melissa I’ve been taken advantage of very recently myself, from a well known personality (who I refuse to put in my portfolio or website), and everyone told me to just take it. They said you can’t do anything you are the little guy here, you are lucky to work with so and so… the more I heard that, the more fumed I became and said enough was enough. My situation was different, my person refused to pay up after getting all of the work in good faith. Well after many many many failed attempts, I had to issue a nice little piece of paper that pretty much said, “SEE YOU IN COURT”. Funny, how quickly payment was made but I don’t anticipate on working with this person or their friends anymore. The way I see it, perhaps frowned upon by business majors, is that if you look down on me for defending myself and going up against someone for what is rightfully owed to me… then I don’t want to do business with those people either.
In my experience, 95% of people are great. It’s those few rotten apples that spoil the fun and the beauty of this industry. I have told you before and will say it again, THANK YOU for looking out for other photographers and thank you for speaking the truth. It’s not easy, yes there will be casualties but in the end YOU can sleep at night knowing you are doing the right thing.
I try to do the same thing on my blog and show the good, bad, ugly of the business as I experience it myself. So this inspires me to continue on my quest also…
Maybe the people who owned the clothes were disappointed that they couldn’t see the garments except as dark silhouettes and decided to try something else.
The video is brilliant – totally engaging, entertaining and informative. Well done!!!
Those f..n magazine, I tell you!!! They always want everything for free from the photographers (and everyone else) and then treat us like dirt! I mean here we are giving our talent and time for what they always tell us “good for our portfolio” but they always refuse to pay for it while they still keep a salary, drive a BMW X5 and wine and dine all year long.
If this happened to me, I would call the all the clothe labels that was involved and apologized and telling them that this was meant to be a twelve page shoot yet for no reason that you know of they have refused to published the rest. If the label companies ask questions maybe than they will put pressure on the mag next time they want to borrow clothes…or they might pull advertising out of the mag.
Because to be frank if the photographer demands answers, they tell us to piss off and if we don’t like it they will get someone else to do it for free!
I always think of this saying when someone screws me; 6 nights for the thief, one night for the master!!! If you get my drift…
PS – Enjoy your blog thoroughly Melissa! Keep up your amazing work.
Ian
Great project though. At least you have something new and original for your book.
Janice and Bernard are you one in the same? I’m not going to argue your point but stories get killed/shortened or butchered all the time, what sucks is that it seems Melissa produced this one out of pocket. That said yes it sucks but with the options out there if you want some editorial you have to take the ups with the downs.
If you want to see this on a grand scale just go watch “The September Issue” things getting killed left and right.
In a shrinking magazine market photographers are getting a raw deal, if you want to shoot editorial you have to put up with the BS.
And Ian, the clothing companies will still continue to lend clothes because they know things get killed they also know that when they lend clothing there is no guarantee that it will get published, if you have ever been on set you would understand that there will be three to four full racks of clothing for 8 shots. You think they are going to pull advertising?
Pat email me you know which Tim on the Lower East Side
I know this was hard for you to post, maybe not hard to write, most likely hard to edit, but def hard to post. I’m glad you said what you felt. Some people might look down upon sticking up for yourself, but I admire and prefer to associate with people who do.
Its what separates extraordinary from ordinary. Thanks for being yourself.
I worked at Flaunt for a few months, and that was about as much as I could endure. If you think they screw over outside help, you can’t imagine what goes on in house.
I don’t think this publication should be supported, and I appreciate your commenting on this experience.
thanks for the great post and images (love the blads tonal range!). hope now youve vented the sting has gone a bit.
Im curious that you only had one make-up artist given 3 models and the fact it was TF? Ive had TF mua’s not show before so now I always book two when i have more than one model and if im shooting one model I always have extra hair and make-up on speed dial. The system has saved me more than once.
Thank you sooooo much for writing this! I’m an aspiring photographer and have been scratching my head as to how this industry work…well pretty much everything you wrote in the beginning.
I got screwed over so many times. It’s annoying! It makes you feel like you did something wrong or your not worthy but I’m glad to see it even happens to full-time pros too. I quit shooting months ago but now I’m at it again…because I love this too much and I don’t want to give up.
Thanks! <3
You are one brave woman! I am sure you’ve upset the sharks and hope it won’t affect your career. The pictures are marvellous, as always.
Hey there beautiful photog! As a beginner pro who is FASCINATED WITH THE IMAGES in fashion and all the different styles of shooting and varying degrees of broken rules, this really sheds some light on the fickle world of fashion in yet another sense. I am sorry they can’t appreciate you and think it’s a shame. I only hope one day I get to be screwed over, because then I have made it
Who knows, maybe my photography is just crap! Thank you for sharing about the ever elusive world of fashion photography. It’s great to know what someone who is so amazing can go through. Big hugs and shit in the mouth to Flaunt, what a shame!
awesome production. great work. very inspiring. Melissa you rock
brilliant photos…exquisite making off video…despite all the problems…this was well worth it and the photos are a genuine proof of that…congrats to all of the team…
You’ve probably burned the ‘Flaunt’ bridge, but I’m sensing you don’t care so much.
El Matador, shot there at least ten times. It’s always a challenge, but darn beautiful on occasion. Hey at least you got it at low tide! I assume you planned that. I once had a do-or-die shoot there, couldn’t schedule another day, and it was high tide. We barely got beyond the end of the stairs at the bottom.
The last time I shot there, I seem to recall a car accident tying up traffic for ages too. But I don’t remember your honey wagon in the parking lot, so it must have been a different fatality. Sadly.
Anyway, keep your chin up. Times are tough, and the only reason people pay us is because we’ve convinced them we’re worth paying.
i have avoided reading your blog for a while and im sorry u got screwed like that. but i’ll one up u…at least you didn’t have someone involved in the crew call you a n*gger…and the funniest part. i ain’t black.
You should have just grabbed some coked up scenester and photographed them in their apartment with a disposable camera – you’d probably have got the cover!
Oh and as for the people saying you shouldn’t have worked for free you either don’t really work in the industry or you’re all top tier photographers (I’m guessing it’s the first one…)
Seriously if you’re working in the fashion industry full stop you’ll always have to do a certain amount of work for free for networking, favours, keeping up appearances etc. It sucks but that’s the way it is.
absolutely stunning.
I have worked as an editor (for a computer magazine) and I have to say that size of a magazine is dependent on the number of ad pages sold. The editorial content is prepared about three months before publication, but the ad pages are being sold until about one month. The final decision is made by the publisher.
The managing editor understands the industry that the magazine is in, but the publisher is a business person first, interested in the survival and profitability of the business. If the ad pages are not sold, the corresponding editorial pages are not printed. Always count the ad pages, they should be 40% of the total in a healthy magazine.
When I see a bunch of pictures compressed onto a couple of pages, I get the sense the editor really fought for you. She said, “We have to print this great stuff. The photographer will never work for me again if you don’t use at least six of these great pictures.”
At the last minutes, because ad sales were light, the publisher decided the article would get two pages. Now the editor would not ‘solve’ the problem by thinking that tiny pictures would make anyone happy, not to mention the readers. But the publisher is quite capable of doing this silly thing and telling the art director to do it. The editor probably was just as horrified as you were by the final result.
Magazine editors too have their own problems.
A mate urged me to read this website, nice post, interesting read… keep up the nice work!
Your images, mood, style, and energy are all elements to which I will embrace and exude, as I journey down the path of a fashion photographer.
I am just getting started, and your blog has proven to be a must have tool.
Thank you for availing your time and skills online.
like the glass ball in the hand, very magic
Nice post, thanks! Could you explain the second paragraph more?
I am very inspired by this blog. I was directed here through Michelle Moore and I just loved your beautifully written explanation of the truth in the industry and hope that you continue to share the reality of it all.
By the way, I am jealous of your talent and success. I can only hope to have a career that I can be satisfied with as you are with yours.
Hi Melissa,
Great work you have there! I’ve always admired your photos. Keep on sharing on this blog.
Anyway, I’ve been wondering, what software did you use to edit the videos? I love the old-film effect on the documentary video. I need a good video editing software and couldn’t decide on one so if you’re willing to share, it’d be great! Thanks.
Keep up the excellent effort!
Hey Melissa,
Fantastic shoot, your bts vid’s are much appreciated. I watched the beach shoot 3 times, and will likely watch it again some more.
Thanks heaps.
Peter
I watch the video first and dreamt how it would be to get to shoot such a fantastic story. The video made me feel I was there and that made me feel very sad and angry when I read the blog.
And the editor that shredded your 16 page spread has to be blind to discard these photos and it is really their loss
Thank you for sharing
/R
While that subject may be extremely touchy for a lot of people, my opinion is that there needs to be a middle or typical ground that we all can find. I do appreciate that you’ve added relevant and also intelligent commentary here though. Thank you!
Well, if it cheer you up, here in Poland such things are almost daily habit. Magazines don’t credit most of the crew members, editorials are cut into pieces and changed into what we call “editorial.rar” (as the *.rar extension means compressed file). Sometimes they put 9 pics on single page, and still call it “editorial”. Sad but true, I know what you feel…
Hmmm…. must reconsider Flaunt. For what it’s worth, I considered getting a subscription to Flaunt, they do have good images. I like to manage my subscriptions through Amazon… but there were DOZENS of comments about how they take your money, but never send the magazine. Go check it out, I definitely did NOT get the sub.
Btw, the video is not available in my region (Germany) due to Sony content. Must be some music that was licensed.
I like the pictures a lot, it’s nice to see Goth done professionally. There are way too many Emo kids climbing ruins here in Berlin.
To the anonymous commenter who described the dresses as black silhouettes… calibrate your monitor. I think you will enjoy the results.
Great post. Those images are great.
I have frequented your website before. The more I take in, the more I keep coming back! ;-P
Let me just say,that this is the first time in a long time,that someones images have moved me so deeply,almost to the point of tears watching your videos. Truly a loss,for the magazine and it’s viewers.Yet truly a blessing that you allowed us to see you create such beauty in the midst of such chaos. You create the images that my dreams are made of.
You did the right thing by speaking out about what’s going on in your industry. I did, too!
I was a freelance newspaper photographer in Los Angeles for 23 years when I decided to try it out as a celebrity photographer.
Like you, I also set up a website when I started with this new job to chronicle my daily experiences as a paparazzo in Hollywood. What happened to me just blew my mind away! Of the dozen or so celebrity photo agencies in L.A.—five of them have already screwed me and most of them are major players in the industry: Bauer-Griffin, Splash News, MJJPhotos…
My first job was with MJJPhotos. During my first two months, I managed to shoot 8 “exclusive” photo sets of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and their kids and Julia Roberts and her twins. Altogether, the 8 sets sold for over $70,000 worldwide (this is not counting re-prints).
It turned out that MJJPhotos owner Youssef Koneh was a “scam artist” who preyed on unsuspecting photographers through his Craigslist ads. I was never paid a penny out of my 50% share of the $70,000 in worldwide sales of my photos.
Then I went to work for Bauer-Griffin which prides itself as among the more “honest” agencies in town. They did the same thing to me what MJJPhotos did—although in a much discreet way.
During my second year as a paparazzo, I decided to use the services of Splash News, owned by a Brit named Gary Morgan. It turned out that Splash News was worst than Bauer-Griffin. After sending them my photos and videos to sell around the world—from March 19, 2009 to December 19, 2009—-Splash News only paid me $3,700 so far for all my photos and videos that were worth at least $100,000!
It happens all the time here in Hollywood. So my website, aside from documenting my daily experiences as a paparazzo—is now also exposing these greedy celebrity photo agency owners—who I found out were monopolizing everything about the paparazzi industry. Sure, they are competitors, but their greediness makes them a single group with a single agenda: to make money out of their photographer’s celebrity pictures.
And what about the photographers who supply the only product in this industry? Of the 400+ paparazzi I’ve met to date, 95% of them DO NOT even have medical and other health benefits. Others have to borrow money from friends and relatives to pay their bills!
What about the celebrity photo agency owners such as Randy Bauer and Frank Griffin of Bauer-Griffin and Gary Morgan of Splash News? Well, sad to say that I found out they live in $3-million dollar homes and live the lifestyles of celebrities their exploited photographers cover every day!
Lastly, you did the right thing by exposing what FLAUNT magazine did to you and your crew. More power to you for speaking out. As I write this, photographers are being screwed left and right in the paparazzi industry and it’s shame no one ever exposed these greedy agency owners—until now.
John L. Shinn III
Founder & Editor
PaparazziNotebook.com
LOS ANGELES
Did you ever contact someone at Flaunt to ask why they did what they did?
Great post. I watched video couple of times. I like it. I like this style and mood of these photographs.
Horror story. I feel your pain and anger.
Crappy behaviour happens everywhere, not just in magazines. The buyer either respects people or not.
Loved your pictures.
Good luck
David