Well Shreveport, I'm About to Bid You Adieu...

It's been a great three-year run here in the Port City, but after further consideration, it appears that SunArcher Photography will be relocating.

There are several reasons for the move, but for the most part, I'm ready to grow. I'm ready to learn more about my craft. I have networked with several great photographers and models, but as the old adage goes for those aspiring to be models, you have to be where the work is. And for what I want to do, that place is elsewhere.

I've shot with experienced models who have dropped in, and I have shot with new models looking to make a name for themselves. I've shot for rappers, and I've shot folks who just want pretty pictures. I put my all into every last one of them. And now it's time for another challenge.

I'm looking to get published. I'm looking for broader opportunities. I'm looking for a wider variety of models in a wider variety of genres. And I'm looking again to network. To see how the business side flows. To get a greater challenge. To market myself to more people who can get me in front of folks who can make it happen.

That's not to say that it's all bad in Shreveport. Not at all. But for what I want to do, there's more action and opportunity (and yes, more competition as well) elsewhere. So here I stand. Getting ready to close down my studio, pack it in, and head for another pasture. May be greener, may be leaner. But it's a new pasture. I hope to keep in touch with my core group here as I transition, and to those in the Washington, DC/Baltimore, MD area, look out. SunArcher is coming your way. Clear off a couch for a bruh and let me see you! I cook a mean gumbo, so let's network!

Let's Talk Testing and Trade

It's a new year and a new day for SunArcher Photography. With all of the messages in my inbox looking for collabos, I figure it's time to discuss my feelings on testing and trade shooting, since the topics cause much heartburn on the sites I'm on. I see testing and TF* as two completely different lights and as two completely different things.

I see testing as either me trying out a piece of equipment or the model trying out for a project, either of mine or someone else's. I may have a new lighting setup I want to try, I may be on location and want to do different things, or I may have a model in mind for a project and want to see how (s)he does things in front of the camera. It may be that I am shooting in a genre in which either the model or I do not have much experience or is straying from what we normally do. In any event, there's no guarantee that pics that are usable for display or a portfolio will result from the shoot.

On the other hand, trade shooting (or as I call it, time for images (TFI), which can be prints or digital images), is for a defined project with a defined model and is an exchange of services. Simple as that. The model is not charging me for their time, and I am not charging the model for my time. We both find something in the other that appeals to us, and we get a collabo going. In exchange for this barter arrangement, we both get pictures that are suitable for whatever purpose is agreed upon (Web display, portfolio usage, etc).

Now, with that said, it comes down to this: I only agree to TFI if a model can benefit my own portfolio. Simple as that. Yes, it comes down to "what can you do for me." And it has to be that way, because a model sees (or should see) a photographer the same way. If I cannot benefit a model's port, they are probably going to quote me a rate. It's no different the other way around. That should be the only reason whatsoever to accept trade work. I do not do TFI for people who simply cannot afford a rate and do not wish to negotiate a lower one. Just as a model places a value on his/her time, I do as well. And if that value balances out, either by quality of work or other incentives such as providing a good makeup artist (which I sometimes do) then I'm open to trade work.

Do I pay models? Absolutely. Do I pay makeup artists? Absolutely. Do I pay hair stylists? Sure do. But does that mean I will pay any ol' person asking for a rate? No. Anyone has the privilege to set whatever rate or value on themselves that they want, whether model, photographer, hair stylist, or wardrobe designer. And it is up to each of us to determine if the rate, perceived value, and countervalue mesh together. I will not pay someone, or even work trade with them, if they cannot either improve my portfolio or my business (networking opportunities and opportunities for publishing also improve the portfolio). It's as simple as that. And that's how it works away from what I do, too. For instance, I pay for a certain brand of gasoline, even though another brand may be cheaper. All about value.

So remember, how I see it and how you see it may be the same. It may be different. I can respect the difference. Can you?