Disclaimer: Most of the ideas and tips expressed here on this blog are, for the most part, the fruit of years of getting it wrong, personal research and trial and error. Everyone’s experience will be different, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

What might have worked for me over the years might not work for you today, but you can always use it as a guideline to find your own path.

How To Find And Contact Models For Collab Work?

First of all, we need to be clear about what photography collab work is. Having a clear understanding will definitely help you in the planning of your shoot.

Collab Work: Whenever two or more artists join forces together, to work on a specific goal for the benefit of everyone’s portfolio. Usually, there’s no money involved, only certain costs like driving to the location, using your own hair & makeup products, studio rental, photo retouching, etc… A typical photo collab could be between a photographer, a model, a hair and makeup artist and a wardrobe stylist. If you want to build a strong portfolio, collab work is one of the most cost-effective ways to get there. Finally, you should always think first about the value you can add to everybody’s portfolio and how you can help them grow better as artists. If a project is only going to be beneficial to yourself, it is not collab work, therefore you should hire the talents to help you achieve your goal.

 

 

The Prerequisites

  • You need at least some good work to show if you’re going to convince other professionals to collab with you on a project.
  • Have a clear and concise idea of the shoot or the theme you want to work on. Use Pinterest to create a board with photos similar to your theme and share the link with your team so everybody could be on the same page.
  • You should already have contacted every talent needed for the project, and let everybody knows who’s in. They will trust you for that.
  • Have a budget for drinks and snacks for everyone. If you remain as a team after the shoot then you can share the cost in the future.

You can add to this list if you think it’s necessary, but from experience, I believe these points need to be checked first before moving onto the next stage which is the planning of the shoot.

Even though the post’s title is How To Find And Contact Models For Collab Work, the information provided here can still be used to contact any other creatives.

Instagram is one of the largest social networks with millions of daily active users. It’s the advanced version of Model Mayhem back in the days. There’s a great chance that the ones you’re looking for are out there.

 

Start with a hashtag search of your current location, and go the recent section to see the latest posts. People like to geotag or add a hashtag of their location when they post. If your model has done some recent work, it’s very possible to find her. Feel free to do variations of the hashtag or look for other places close to where you are.

Sometimes you’ll find someone who is not a professional model but has the look you’re after. That’s the beauty of Instagram.

 

An artist’s online portfolio is like a résumé. So before you even go to the DM, take a look at his or her profile first. By doing so, you can see what work they have done in the past, and learn about their style and sometimes their personality. Leave some genuine comments on a few photos, and move to the DM to deliver your project pitch.

Be concise and always end your pitch by asking a question to keep the conversation going. If you get a yes, your next question should be about his or her availability. But if you get a no, don’t be mad or rude just say thank you for answering your text and move on to the next.

Besides Instagram, another good way of finding a model for your shoot is among your friends. We all have at least one friend who can model really well or who knows a model. Use the resources you already have available around you. Be smart.

Before you can convince people to embark with you on the journey, you must first have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Also, you should be able, in a few words, to sell that idea. So, gather all the information necessary before making the first step. When you’ve finally assembled your team, only then you can move to the next stage which is the planning of the photo shoot. This will be the subject for a future post.

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The Gear I Use ( Affiliate Links )

Nikon D810 https://a.co/d/cTO1UF7
Rokinon 135mm f/2 https://a.co/d/1KbXAv0
Nikon 50mm f/1.8G https://a.co/d/8vRnUIn
Nikon 85mm f/1.8G https://a.co/d/gAl2t1U
Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro https://a.co/d/3EKc6yN
Flashpoint XPLOR 600 https://a.co/d/cgiDZxO
Flashpoint 600ws Extension FlashHead https://a.co/d/1CXYYsK
Flashpoint Zoom TTL R2 https://a.co/d/hjiwszB
Flashpoint R2 Pro 2.4GHz Transmitter https://a.co/d/6pOQh4J
Wacom Intuos Tablet https://a.co/d/1anO14J
Avenger 40″ Lightstand Kit https://a.co/d/gudjO2M
Savage Seamless Super White https://a.co/d/hEyP5gW