Model Safety

*Not* an actual conversation. This is just my interpretation of the mentality of a “photographer” that gets angry when he can’t get a model to shoot with him unaccompanied.

There's no limit to how many times I can say this: if you're about to shoot with a photographer that tells you that you can't bring an escort with you, that's not someone you need to shoot with. There's a reason behind their reluctance, and it's typically not a good one.

If you're a model, and if you let me know that you'd feel more at ease if you had an escort with you on a shoot, I am more than okay with that. Model safety is very important to me.

Whether or not you’re a new or experienced model, you deserve to feel secure. If a photographer comes at you with an attitude about this very simple request, then you don't need to shoot with them - it doesn't matter how good their work is. A photographer that is renowned and respected will return that respect to the model - if the model asks to bring a trusted friend with them to your shoot, and if the photographer answers with the opposite of yes, that is a red flag, and this person has a strong possibility of being a predator - I'm not talking about the ones Arnold fought in the movie. Also, their work usually isn't very good.

Also - a nice benefit for me as the photographer, other than knowing that my subject is comfortable is that when there's a escort, I gain an assistant. I bring a lot of cameras and accessories with me, and these guys are always willing to help me out. On one NASA Jacket shoot I did in the past, my model’s mother was there the entire time. Was I put off? Was I annoyed? Did it effect the shoot in any way?

The answers to those questions are no, no, and yes. To clarify the yes - the shoot went beautifully. The mother was extremely kind, willing to assist me, and most importantly, she put her daughter at ease. That’s not to say that she would not have been so if her mom wasn’t there, but that is the role of an escort on any photo shoot. The model asking if an escort can be present is not intended to insult or imply discomfort with the photographer - they just want someone there that they know, so they can do their part in making the shoot truly epic.

TL;DR - watch out for creeps