im no lawyer  and the model isnt signing up for the army but some amount of planning I believe would save alot of stress and headachs later on  unless you guys have  some other sugestions?  I would love to hear your ideas or input 
I mean if I was hiring a model for a particular theme or comfort level then of course that is what I would expect but its different when the model has no real legal stake in in  wether or not she shows up. you just have to go on trust and faith that we both will be professional.
I plan to just go over certain areas. 
of course there is the model release
but I also plan to  go over  the models comfort level and what she will or wont allow to be photographed.  if a model is open and all ready knows than this goes quickly. with the models I will probably be working with they wont know and we will have to talk about different types of set ups  like see through (low or high) shilouette, are they ok with backs and if so how far down
or shots showing the side of the leg and hip or side breast, and are they talking about the whole breast or just the areola  and if they will do implied or near nude do they want to use a modesty cover like a paisty?

im not saying I would ask every single model all these things  just  some things that might come up.

The boundries and parameters of the shoot like do they want a "hands off" policy  or will they allow certain interacton regarding hair, wardrobe, props or pose    if they bring an escourt that is able to help out than this is also not an issue. I would never do anything without the models knowlage or consent and would allways default to a consurvative stance lol this might actually anoy some models that are very comfortable modeling because all the caution would slow a shoot. like if I turned away or left the room every time a model  made adjustments or changed wardrobes.

I would also go over  themes that they might be interested in doing  wether its western or bikini or lingere, nastalga, pinup ect.  I would actually  outline a shooting script after I visit the persons house and we see what they have to work with as far as clothes or props. Part of the reson for this is so you dont have "destroyed hair" themes mixed in with  fancy hair themes.

I dont want to end up wasting alot of time because a model didnt realize that  a bikini or  sheet or bathtub were part of a shoot  and I definatly dont like suprising a model with an "oh by the way can you remove your top"

Brent, I inadvertently deleted your questions for Rachel, I meant to move them to their own thread & hit the wrong button.      Please feel free to start a new thread & ask her again, those're excellent model questions from a photographer & would make a great discussion.

One thing RE the mention of using Yellow Pages ads, almost no one does that any more.  Yellow pages are rarely used & increasingly uncommon, and I've read that the majority of businesses who use them for ads are targeting consumer over the age of 50.  So not what most photographers want.

the double standard.
would the same issues be voiced if the model was male?

Emeritus wrote:

Peter Flanagan wrote:

Before all the howls start, let me say that I do understand that there are plenty of upstanding professionals who shoot out of home studios.  Over the years I have come to know plenty of them.  The vast majority of them had their studios set apart, outside the living quarters.  Most had Yellow Pages ads and/or some other means of establishing at least some modicum of legitimacy. 

I guess the bottom line is this, if I were a female model I would not shoot in a photographer's home unless he, at a minimum, met the test in the paragraph above.  I certainly would shy away from shooting in the living space of a stranger and would never shoot in a photographer's bedroom, regardless of how well I knew him.

Peter Flanagan wrote:

"...test in the paragraph above" is the operative phrase here.  I am less concerned by a photographer who is somewhat established who works out of a home studio than I am by a guy who is not well established working out of his home - especially if he utilizes the living quarters as a studio as opposed to a separate studio space located on/in the same premises.

I'd like to hear a more complete description of what you mean by "established", and how a model can tell if a photographer is "established".  So far you have only suggested one indicator:  a yellow pages ad.

A LOT of excellent, reputable photographers are not in business, and so do not do the things that businesses do - like yellow pages advertising.  That doesn't make them any more dangerous or suspect than anyone else, as near as I can tell.  So what does "established" mean?

Although I'm not under any obligation to explain anything to you, I'll attempt to entertain you nonetheless.  There is a host of things that would constitute being "established."  For example, investments in marketing programs; investments in studio space or build outs of basements, garages or whatever.  Less tangible but equally important are a good referral list, a reputation in the community, and the like.  In keeping with the OP, those are the types of things that would demonstrate a level of commitment on the part of the photographer that would hopefully ease the mind of a model considering shooting at the photographer's home studio.

Hopefully you have now acquired a clearer understanding of my view of "being established."

brent847 wrote:

I have noticed that there are at least three distinct types of people/ women that are open to modeling
1.  the aspiring model/actress,entertainer
these models mainly go for a more professional approach  they model for experience and for content for portfolios these type of models tend to be confident and reliable

2.  the curious adventurer
these ladies are wanting to try something new or they want to do a shoot for the beautiful pictures and self esteem boost.
many are shy and cautious and a more mentoring type slow and casual approach  is best with lots of positive feedback they can be a bit flighty and unreliable

3. the thrill seeker, voyure, exhibitionist these ladies  love being in front of the camera and having someone take their picture. they are also more adventurous or open to more edgy or daring themes  they are also most likely open to doing revealing work  the approach with the thrill seeker can range  from serious to down right dirty or raunchy  depending on the models personality and the feedback they want also they may want or even ask for interactive contact, descriptive verbal  and also prefer frequent or even continuous eye contact with  the photographer and/or crew (as opposed to turning away or leaving the room to change wardrobe) that is why is good to  take the time to be very clear and detailed in your initial meeting what the model wants or expects. the advantage of a thrill seeker is their adventurous personality it makes it much easier to do get the shots your after with little difficulties with modesty or self contiousness they might not even need a warm up to get nude or even want ro do out door shoots but the down side is that they can be frequently unreliable and forget about shoots or become dissinterested or impatient.

some photographers on here have a total hands-off policy while it is good to keep it to a minimum and default on the consurvative side I dont believe its completely necessary  and I simply dont have access to a second person unless  the model has an escourt that will help out. I would never do anything without the models knowlege and consent and if we arranged a no nudity shoot and the model changed her mind  we would have to make changes to the written sgreement specifying the change in intent. and it goes both ways  if the model origionally was interested in doing nudity and changed her mind  we would just have to  determine the new boundries for the shoot. its fustrating because you spend alot of time working out a shoot and what looks your going for, but it happens.

You need to spend less time analyzing models and more time shooting them.  Who cares why they do it?  The only thing that matters is that they take a bath, iron their clothes, trim their nails and show up (on time).

Chances are the "escourt" will rip you off.

Don't give models anything in writing except a license agreement if you plan on letting her use your images.

Why invite trouble?

I don't live in an area where there is much modeling  and  I dont have any experience or models in a portfolio to show, I dont have the money to place an ad to hire a model  so  most of the contacts I get are  curious or inexperienced.
the one that I have actually met with is an aspiring model, but its is a low priority because of a heavy work load  even with that said  my only meeting thus far has yealed a shoot on the 19th when her and her husband  are getting dressed up for a office party  so I cant be doing everything wrong.

I just wanted to point out that my difficulty has been in finding models and arranging to meet with them  not the content of a shoot.
transportation is a huge obstical for me (full sized truck)  ive only  posted on craiglist so far  but ive considered posting flyers at the local college and entertainment school  and other places that someone interested in a photoshoot might be.
Id like to have several people on my list hopefully before spring and good weather gets here.

Peter Flanagan wrote:

My earlier post wasn't intended to be all inclusive.  Rather, it was limited to my point of view if I were a female model deciding whether to shoot with a person who shoots in their home.

If we are to be responsive to the OP in a way that is useful to models, at some point she has to say to herself, "I wonder how that applies to me?"  Knowing what is meant by vague terms like "established" helps her to know.