trade industry secrets - ha!

Current mood: argumentative

While I working at an event at Epcot last night, a videographer and photographer working for Disney Marketing were capturing set-up, catering and party moments for use in advertising.

The photographer asked if he could take my photo. I said sure. He offered to send me a copy if I’d give him my email address.

Now, when I was modeling in LA, this sort of thing was simply unheard of. It was very rare, if ever, that a photo subject would get a copy of a photo prior to ripping it from a magazine. Only if the negotiations allowed did the photographer provide a photo, and even then it was post production and only the photo used for the project.

So, for this professional photographer to offer up a photo blew my mind.

True to his word, he emailed me three photos this morning. Along with the photos, he typed a brief message that simply said, "I can tell you’ve posed before. You’re lovely. Tim"

Generally, I don’t tell strangers that I modeled because I feel like it 1) could sound gloaty and 2) could be interpreted as risque (though I never did that sort of work). But considering this fellow was a professional photographer, I felt compelled to confirm his suspicions.

I wrote back thanking him for the photos and the compliments and said I’d left LA just over a year ago after working as a print model.

Done, right? No.

The sucker had the nerve to write back again and ask me to get together to trade industry secrets.

"Get together to trade industry secrets." Did he just ask me out? What?

And if he did in fact sorta ask me out by suggesting we get together to trade industry secrets, why would he assume I’m not with someone? Is it written across my forehead? "Poor, pathetic lonely chick desperate for photographer with whom she can trade industry secrets."

I don’t know. Maybe I’m assuming he’s assuming I’m idiot. But for whatever reason, I really took offense to this.

What ARE these industry secrets anyway? My secrets? I don’t have many. And I don’t really consider them secrets. But here you go: 1) Angle your body so that your hips are the furthest thing away from the camera so they appear smaller. 2) If you have an early calltime, fill the bathroom sink with cold water, drop in a few ice cubes and dip your face in for 3 seconds at a time for 5-6 times in a row. As much as this hurts like h-e-double-hockey-sticks, it eliviates the look of tiredness in your face. 3) Don’t be yourself in front of the camera - your pics will look like the ones you take with your friends. Be someone else. Act. Take on a persona for the shoot.
You’re playing a role anyway... don’t be afraid to ask the art director what he/she is envisioning and then give them what they’re hoping to see.

That’s all. That’s all I got.

So will I meet with Tim to trade industry secrets?