Stock Model FAQ

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Stock Model FAQ

Note that many of the questions & answers in this FAQ are ones that many stock photographers won't mention to you, however, I feel that models should be aware of these things. Keep in mind that most of this applies to any stock photographer you work with, not just me.

Q. How much money can I expect to make modeling for stock images?

A. Not much, if any. Stock photography is a numbers game, even for the photographer. Even though you may make some money, it's certainly not a good source of income for a model.

Q. If you are trying to encourage models to shoot stock with you, why would you start off by telling them they won't make much?

A. Because some won't, however, if a model shoots regularly, and puts effort into the shoots, and does his/her best to understand the goal of the stock images, and helps achieve those goals, the images from each shoot will have a much higher chance of fitting a buyers needs and being the images the buyers select out of the many stock images they have to choose from. If a model just shows up and doesn't really apply his/her self, it will show in the images and the buyers will move on to other images. Keep in mind that my goal is to sell images also, so if I'm making money, stock models are also, however, not all images sell, so there are no guaranties your images will sell. The more a stock model gets into character for the shoot, the better the images should be, and the chance of finding a buyer.

Q. If I might not make a lot, why do it?

A. For the experience, but mostly for the images you can add to your portfolio. Stock images tend to have a more commercial and/or editorial look than just shooting TFP, which can make them a valuable addition to your portfolio.

Q. Why are stock images better for my portfolio?

A. It's not that they are always better, it really depends on what type of TFP and who you've been shooting with. Many photographers that shoot TFP do it for their own portfolio or for the experience. If they are a portrait photographer, then most of the images will look like portraits. There's nothing wrong with this, that IS what a portrait photographer needs, and there is nothing at all wrong with having portrait images in your portfolio, but you really should have a wider variety of images in your portfolio. Stock images may have a different look to them, since you, the model, are not always the focus of the image, where in a portrait type of shoot, you ARE the subject. If you do print work, you typically are helping to sell a product or service, and not always the focus of the image, and for many stock images, it's the same type of thing, so these type of images can expand the look of your portfolio. Plus, at least with stock images you have some chance at a future tear sheet, when that is not the case with TFP.

Q. Will I get paid?

A. I don't pay money up front, but I do compensate stock models in a couple of ways. First off, for any image that sells, the models in the image get a percentage of the sale, so if I make money, you make money. Second, the models get images from the shoot for their portfolio. If you've ever paid, or at least checked pricing, for a photographer to shoot portfolio images, you know what this can be worth. Even though most of the images I shoot will be stock images, I also try to include a few extras for everyone's portfolio, and if the location is right, I've been known to shoot headshots for talent when time permits during a stock shoot for free. In addition, if a model ever hires me for any photography work of any kind, they will get a good discount.

Q. I've heard of photographers paying up front for stock models, is this true?

A. Yes, there is a small percentage of well established stock photographers that pay decent money up front, however this is not that common, and in fact, the majority of photographers compensate just with images and/or prints, and nothing else.

Q. When you do sell an image - how do I get paid? From you or from the customer who bought the image?

A. In most cases by me, and never by the client. The client is just looking for a finished product to use. For some models, I do work with one stock agency that may pay them directly, but other than that, all payments will be from me.

Q. If there are multiple models in the shot, how is the percentage handled, is it divided by the number of models?

A. For any image that I get paid for, the models will split a percentage equally. So the percentage on the release can be divided by the number of models in the image to determine how much each will get.

Q. When an image does sell, how much can I expect to get paid?

A. There's too many variables to say, it depends on what the image sells for and how many models are in the shot, but it can be anywhere between a couple of dollars to hundreds of dollars per image. Realistically, expect the average to be between $10 and $40 per image.

Q. How long does it usually take to sell an image?

A. This is really hard to pin down. Some images from the shoot will never sell, others may sell repeated over a few years. Most experts estimate that it takes about 18 months from the shoot for images to start selling.

Q. Once an images sells, how long till I get paid?

A. Soon after I get paid. The release you signed actually says how much time I have to pay you once I've been paid, and this is normally between 30 and 60 days, depending on the release. Normally I'll pay you within a few days of the money clearing the bank, however, it can take a while for me to get paid. Once a buyer decides to use an image, many do not pay until it is actually published, others pay right away. In addition, many agencies will wait to pay photographers in case the buyer changes their mind, as many do, if they find another image they think will work better for their needs. Typically, it will be between 2 months and 1 year for the model to get paid once an image sells.

Q. What is stock photography?

A. A stock photograph is an existing image ready for a buyer. When a business needs an image, they can either hire a photographer to shoot the images, or they can check to see if one already exists, basically checking to see if anyone already has the image "in stock". Photographers may use images from client shoots that the client didn't need as stock, or a photographer can shoot images specifically for stock, which is where most of my stock images come from. Anytime you work with a photographer, such as a paid print job, it's possible some of the images will end up as stock. In fact, some portrait and wedding photographers have a clause in their contract that is basically a release that lets them use the images as stock (many people don't realize this).

Q. What's the different between Rights Managed and Royalty Free stock photographs?

A. Even though it's common to say a stock image is "sold" or that a buyer "buys" a stock photograph, they really are not sold, but instead they are licensed. Rights Managed (RM) and Royalty Free (RF) are two different methods to license a stock image to a client. Royalty Free means they pay one time and can use the image again and again for different projects as long as they want (some RF images to have some limits, but not too many). Rights Managed means that the images are licensed for a specific purpose for a specific amount of time. For example, they might license the image for a magazine, at a 1/4 page size, for one month, after that, they are no longer licensed to use the image, and if they do want to use it again, they pay for another license (renewing the license is normally discounted). At a traditional stock agency, RF images typically cost the client more than RM, however, at some newer agencies, including microstock agencies, RF images can be cheap.

Q. What is microstock?

A. Traditional stock photographs are reasonably priced, but not cheap, typically from $50 to thousands, depending on how the client wants to use the image. Microstock agencies are relatively new and offer stock images at discounted prices, normally starting a $1 on up to about $20, and are normally Royalty Free, though not always. None of my stock images are sold as microstock.

Q. How do buyers find your images? Do you market them?

A. Most all of my images are handled by stock photography agencies, who's job it is to find buyers for photographers stock images. Though some photographers do sell their own images, stock photography agencies are in the business of finding buyers. I prefer to be shooting images, and let others find the buyers since that is a full time job itself.

Q. Will I have a say in how any images with me in it will be used?

A. After the shoot, no. In some cases if the use is of a sensitive nature, I will contact you to see how you feel about it, but for general use, you will not get a chance to review the final image usage. Even when you do regular assignment/print work, if you read the release you signed, you don't have a say in the use of any images taken. The best way to control this is by the nature of the images taken. For example, if you shoot some risky images with another photographer and sign a release letting them do whatever they want, then you could expect some missuse, however, if you look at the nature of most of my shoots, they are not the type to be missused. If I happen to do a shoot where the images may or may not be used in a way the models might not like, I typically will mention this either when casting or before the shoot so the model can decide. If a model still has concerns, talk to me, and we may do a special release for that shoot that includes additional restrictions that address any concerns. You can also take a look at my stock images at PeopleStockPhotography.com to see what type of images I have and if you think they are the type of images to be misused.

Q. I'm concerned how the images of me, or my child, could be used, should I be worried?

A. Most business that use traditional stock images are legitimate business and don't want to misuse images for liability reasons, plus, it's typically not good for their business to do so. By traditional stock images, I mean images that are sold at reasonable stock prices, not microstock prices. A business that's not on the up and up that wants to misuse an image is not likely to spend a couple hundred bucks for an image to misuse, when they can get one from a microsite for $1, or to be honest, they are more than likely just to steal an image from the web. The biggest concern should be images used for sensitive issues, such as social or medical issues. For example, lets say we have an image of a car accident that has three models, two are paramedics and one is the driver of the car. This image could legitimately be used by an insurance company, a school for training paramedics, a town or county wanting to hire paramedics, or any number of clients. Also, there are a number of legitimate uses that might put the driver in a bad light, such as drunk drivers, underage driving, falling asleep at the wheel, just to name a few. All are legitimate uses and not a misuse of the image, however, the model or parent of the model that is the driver may not be comfortable with this. For a shoot like this, I would discuss it before hand with the models, and if needed, bandage or otherwise hide the drivers face. As another example, who remembers the Friends episode where Joey, the actor on the show, did a photo shoot, and then found a large poster of himself in the subway station? When at a stock shoot, the model is basically acting out a role, just like in the movies or TV. Some characters are not the good guys, and this is how this should be treated, however, most of my shoots only have good guys, so this is normally not an issue. When I do a shoot what I think has sensitive issues or "bad guys" in it, I'll let the models know before hand so they can decide for themselves. Take a look at my images and decide for yourself if they are the type of mage's a business might seek out and pay to missuse or use for sensitive issues, you can see them at PeopleStockPhotography.com

Q. This sounds interesting, but I don't really have a model look, can I still do it?

A. Every stock shoot has different needs as far as what the models look like, but in most cases, they need to look more like regular people than a super model, so yes, you can still be a stock model, in fact, stock modeling is more like acting than some modeling. You'll need to be able to do a wide range of realistic expressions and natural looking poses (poses that don't look posed).

Q. If an image with me in it is published, will I get a copy or tearsheet from you?

A. Probably not. Unlike assignment work were the photographer has a well established working relationship with the client, with stock images, everything is normally handled through an agency, and the norm is not to provide tearsheets to the photographer. However, I will be able to let you know what image was involved, and if by chance I do get a tearsheet, I will share copies of it with talent.

Q. If you sell/license an image, how does that affect the availability of that image to others?

A. It depends on how the buyer licenses the image, however, in most cases the image is licensed for non-exclusive usage, meaning the same image can be licensed again, even while it is licensed to another. If a buyer wants to make sure no one else uses the same image (or similar's) at the same time, they typically will pay more for exclusive rights, at least with in their industry or region.

Q. Since it looks like some images will be selling for years, how will you find me to pay me?

A. When you fill out the release for the stock shoot, you will include your contact information. Make sure I can read it!!! It is the models responsibility to make sure the contact information I have for you is kept up to date and valid. I will make every effort to contact you using the information I have, but having up to date contact information will make things much easier and faster, so if you move, change phone numbers or email address, please let me know.

Q. If I shoot stock photos with one photographer, can I also shoot with others? What if the "theme" is similar to what I shot with someone else, is this a problem?

A. There's nothing really wrong with this, though I'd prefer models not share any ideas we've discussed with other photographers, especially before or soon after a shoot, and in turn, I'd rather you not share information from other photographers that they might consider confidential with me. The more time that has passed, the less of an issue this will be. If you are considering attending one of my shoots, and you've recently shot a similar theme with another photographer for stock images, you might let me know. It doesn't necessarily mean I won't use you for the shoot, but instead may just make sure you aren't in the same role. A lot's going to depend on how much time has passed.

Q. Can I ever suggest a theme/idea for a stock shoot?

A. Yes, I'm always looking for ideas, though there is a lot of little details involved in a successful stock shoot. For example, any idea that involves a public location, such as a mall or other store, probably can't be used without the permission of the owner. If you know a business owner, contact me for more details. Before suggesting an idea, take a look at magazines, books, brochures, etc.. to see what type of images they are using. Does your idea seem to fit in with these? Feel free to suggest any idea, and if I like it, we'll start working out the details, though it may take a while to schedule it.

Q. I noticed you post castings on the TexasModelsandTalent.com forum, how are you associated with that forum and the Austin Models & Talent agency?

A. Even though I know the owner and am a moderator/admin for the forum, my photography business and the stock shoots I do are held by me for my business, BinghamPhotography.com and are often cast on TexasModelsandTalent.com forum just like any one else casting for talent. Even though many of the models I work with are part of Austin Models & Talent Agency, the stock shoots I put on are not a shoot put on by AM&T or the TM&T forum, however, TM&T is a great place to look for other opportunities for both casting, images, and shoots.

Q. I'm signed with an agency, how does that effect me being a stock model?

A. It really depends on the contract you have with your agency. For example, if you have an exclusive contract, your agency probably expects a percentage of any earnings. If you have an agent, it's your responsibility to read your contract and if needed, talk to your agent to determine if there are any issues with you being a stock model.

Q. I'm not sure I want to be a stock model - do you shoot TFP?

A. On occasion, just for fun or to test equipment, but in general, if I'm not shooting paid work, I'll be shooting stock. If a model has a fun idea and a good location, I'd probably be interested, but if a model contacts me to do TFP without any ideas, themes or locations, and wants me to come up with everything, well, most of my ideas are going towards stock shoots. When I do shoot TFP for fun or to test equipment, I normally try to use stock models I've worked with in the past.

Q. I've shot stock with you before, if I want to be on your "call list" for future TFPs, is there a way to do so?

A. I don't really have a call list for TFP's. Normally, if I have a specific look in mind and know of a model or two that have that look, I'll just contact them, otherwise, I'll just post a message looking for models. This is normally done on the TexasModelsandTalent.com forum.

Q. There seems to be mention of a couple of different sites, what's what?

A. I have three sites I use for my photography business. BinghamPhotography.com, the site you are looking at now, is my main photography site. I also have a site called TimeOfYourLifePhotos.com that I use for portrait and event photography. The third site, PeopleStockPhotography.com, is used as a gallery of my stock images.

If you have any questions that were not answered by this page, please contact me.

without express written permission.


	\| home Portraits \| Portfolio Development \| Headshots \| Fashion \| Commercial/Stock \| Video Services \| Contact Us Stock Model FAQ \| DemoReelFAQ Stock Model FAQ Note that many of the questions & answers in this FAQ are ones that many stock photographers won't mention to you, however, I feel that models should be aware of these things. Keep in mind that most of this applies to any stock photographer you work with, not just me. Q. How much money can I expect to make modeling for stock images? A. Not much, if any. Stock photography is a numbers game, even for the photographer. Even though you may make some money, it's certainly not a good source of income for a model. Q. If you are trying to encourage models to shoot stock with you, why would you start off by telling them they won't make much? A. Because some won't, however, if a model shoots regularly, and puts effort into the shoots, and does his/her best to understand the goal of the stock images, and helps achieve those goals, the images from each shoot will have a much higher chance of fitting a buyers needs and being the images the buyers select out of the many stock images they have to choose from. If a model just shows up and doesn't really apply his/her self, it will show in the images and the buyers will move on to other images. Keep in mind that my goal is to sell images also, so if I'm making money, stock models are also, however, not all images sell, so there are no guaranties your images will sell. The more a stock model gets into character for the shoot, the better the images should be, and the chance of finding a buyer. Q. If I might not make a lot, why do it? A. For the experience, but mostly for the images you can add to your portfolio. Stock images tend to have a more commercial and/or editorial look than just shooting TFP, which can make them a valuable addition to your portfolio. Q. Why are stock images better for my portfolio? A. It's not that they are always better, it really depends on what type of TFP and who you've been shooting with. Many photographers that shoot TFP do it for their own portfolio or for the experience. If they are a portrait photographer, then most of the images will look like portraits. There's nothing wrong with this, that IS what a portrait photographer needs, and there is nothing at all wrong with having portrait images in your portfolio, but you really should have a wider variety of images in your portfolio. Stock images may have a different look to them, since you, the model, are not always the focus of the image, where in a portrait type of shoot, you ARE the subject. If you do print work, you typically are helping to sell a product or service, and not always the focus of the image, and for many stock images, it's the same type of thing, so these type of images can expand the look of your portfolio. Plus, at least with stock images you have some chance at a future tear sheet, when that is not the case with TFP. Q. Will I get paid? A. I don't pay money up front, but I do compensate stock models in a couple of ways. First off, for any image that sells, the models in the image get a percentage of the sale, so if I make money, you make money. Second, the models get images from the shoot for their portfolio. If you've ever paid, or at least checked pricing, for a photographer to shoot portfolio images, you know what this can be worth. Even though most of the images I shoot will be stock images, I also try to include a few extras for everyone's portfolio, and if the location is right, I've been known to shoot headshots for talent when time permits during a stock shoot for free. In addition, if a model ever hires me for any photography work of any kind, they will get a good discount. Q. I've heard of photographers paying up front for stock models, is this true? A. Yes, there is a small percentage of well established stock photographers that pay decent money up front, however this is not that common, and in fact, the majority of photographers compensate just with images and/or prints, and nothing else. Q. When you do sell an image - how do I get paid? From you or from the customer who bought the image? A. In most cases by me, and never by the client. The client is just looking for a finished product to use. For some models, I do work with one stock agency that may pay them directly, but other than that, all payments will be from me. Q. If there are multiple models in the shot, how is the percentage handled, is it divided by the number of models? A. For any image that I get paid for, the models will split a percentage equally. So the percentage on the release can be divided by the number of models in the image to determine how much each will get. Q. When an image does sell, how much can I expect to get paid? A. There's too many variables to say, it depends on what the image sells for and how many models are in the shot, but it can be anywhere between a couple of dollars to hundreds of dollars per image. Realistically, expect the average to be between $10 and $40 per image. Q. How long does it usually take to sell an image? A. This is really hard to pin down. Some images from the shoot will never sell, others may sell repeated over a few years. Most experts estimate that it takes about 18 months from the shoot for images to start selling. Q. Once an images sells, how long till I get paid? A. Soon after I get paid. The release you signed actually says how much time I have to pay you once I've been paid, and this is normally between 30 and 60 days, depending on the release. Normally I'll pay you within a few days of the money clearing the bank, however, it can take a while for me to get paid. Once a buyer decides to use an image, many do not pay until it is actually published, others pay right away. In addition, many agencies will wait to pay photographers in case the buyer changes their mind, as many do, if they find another image they think will work better for their needs. Typically, it will be between 2 months and 1 year for the model to get paid once an image sells. Q. What is stock photography? A. A stock photograph is an existing image ready for a buyer. When a business needs an image, they can either hire a photographer to shoot the images, or they can check to see if one already exists, basically checking to see if anyone already has the image "in stock". Photographers may use images from client shoots that the client didn't need as stock, or a photographer can shoot images specifically for stock, which is where most of my stock images come from. Anytime you work with a photographer, such as a paid print job, it's possible some of the images will end up as stock. In fact, some portrait and wedding photographers have a clause in their contract that is basically a release that lets them use the images as stock (many people don't realize this). Q. What's the different between Rights Managed and Royalty Free stock photographs? A. Even though it's common to say a stock image is "sold" or that a buyer "buys" a stock photograph, they really are not sold, but instead they are licensed. Rights Managed (RM) and Royalty Free (RF) are two different methods to license a stock image to a client. Royalty Free means they pay one time and can use the image again and again for different projects as long as they want (some RF images to have some limits, but not too many). Rights Managed means that the images are licensed for a specific purpose for a specific amount of time. For example, they might license the image for a magazine, at a 1/4 page size, for one month, after that, they are no longer licensed to use the image, and if they do want to use it again, they pay for another license (renewing the license is normally discounted). At a traditional stock agency, RF images typically cost the client more than RM, however, at some newer agencies, including microstock agencies, RF images can be cheap. Q. What is microstock? A. Traditional stock photographs are reasonably priced, but not cheap, typically from $50 to thousands, depending on how the client wants to use the image. Microstock agencies are relatively new and offer stock images at discounted prices, normally starting a $1 on up to about $20, and are normally Royalty Free, though not always. None of my stock images are sold as microstock. Q. How do buyers find your images? Do you market them? A. Most all of my images are handled by stock photography agencies, who's job it is to find buyers for photographers stock images. Though some photographers do sell their own images, stock photography agencies are in the business of finding buyers. I prefer to be shooting images, and let others find the buyers since that is a full time job itself. Q. Will I have a say in how any images with me in it will be used? A. After the shoot, no. In some cases if the use is of a sensitive nature, I will contact you to see how you feel about it, but for general use, you will not get a chance to review the final image usage. Even when you do regular assignment/print work, if you read the release you signed, you don't have a say in the use of any images taken. The best way to control this is by the nature of the images taken. For example, if you shoot some risky images with another photographer and sign a release letting them do whatever they want, then you could expect some missuse, however, if you look at the nature of most of my shoots, they are not the type to be missused. If I happen to do a shoot where the images may or may not be used in a way the models might not like, I typically will mention this either when casting or before the shoot so the model can decide. If a model still has concerns, talk to me, and we may do a special release for that shoot that includes additional restrictions that address any concerns. You can also take a look at my stock images at PeopleStockPhotography.com to see what type of images I have and if you think they are the type of images to be misused. Q. I'm concerned how the images of me, or my child, could be used, should I be worried? A. Most business that use traditional stock images are legitimate business and don't want to misuse images for liability reasons, plus, it's typically not good for their business to do so. By traditional stock images, I mean images that are sold at reasonable stock prices, not microstock prices. A business that's not on the up and up that wants to misuse an image is not likely to spend a couple hundred bucks for an image to misuse, when they can get one from a microsite for $1, or to be honest, they are more than likely just to steal an image from the web. The biggest concern should be images used for sensitive issues, such as social or medical issues. For example, lets say we have an image of a car accident that has three models, two are paramedics and one is the driver of the car. This image could legitimately be used by an insurance company, a school for training paramedics, a town or county wanting to hire paramedics, or any number of clients. Also, there are a number of legitimate uses that might put the driver in a bad light, such as drunk drivers, underage driving, falling asleep at the wheel, just to name a few. All are legitimate uses and not a misuse of the image, however, the model or parent of the model that is the driver may not be comfortable with this. For a shoot like this, I would discuss it before hand with the models, and if needed, bandage or otherwise hide the drivers face. As another example, who remembers the Friends episode where Joey, the actor on the show, did a photo shoot, and then found a large poster of himself in the subway station? When at a stock shoot, the model is basically acting out a role, just like in the movies or TV. Some characters are not the good guys, and this is how this should be treated, however, most of my shoots only have good guys, so this is normally not an issue. When I do a shoot what I think has sensitive issues or "bad guys" in it, I'll let the models know before hand so they can decide for themselves. Take a look at my images and decide for yourself if they are the type of mage's a business might seek out and pay to missuse or use for sensitive issues, you can see them at PeopleStockPhotography.com Q. This sounds interesting, but I don't really have a model look, can I still do it? A. Every stock shoot has different needs as far as what the models look like, but in most cases, they need to look more like regular people than a super model, so yes, you can still be a stock model, in fact, stock modeling is more like acting than some modeling. You'll need to be able to do a wide range of realistic expressions and natural looking poses (poses that don't look posed). Q. If an image with me in it is published, will I get a copy or tearsheet from you? A. Probably not. Unlike assignment work were the photographer has a well established working relationship with the client, with stock images, everything is normally handled through an agency, and the norm is not to provide tearsheets to the photographer. However, I will be able to let you know what image was involved, and if by chance I do get a tearsheet, I will share copies of it with talent. Q. If you sell/license an image, how does that affect the availability of that image to others? A. It depends on how the buyer licenses the image, however, in most cases the image is licensed for non-exclusive usage, meaning the same image can be licensed again, even while it is licensed to another. If a buyer wants to make sure no one else uses the same image (or similar's) at the same time, they typically will pay more for exclusive rights, at least with in their industry or region. Q. Since it looks like some images will be selling for years, how will you find me to pay me? A. When you fill out the release for the stock shoot, you will include your contact information. Make sure I can read it!!! It is the models responsibility to make sure the contact information I have for you is kept up to date and valid. I will make every effort to contact you using the information I have, but having up to date contact information will make things much easier and faster, so if you move, change phone numbers or email address, please let me know. Q. If I shoot stock photos with one photographer, can I also shoot with others? What if the "theme" is similar to what I shot with someone else, is this a problem? A. There's nothing really wrong with this, though I'd prefer models not share any ideas we've discussed with other photographers, especially before or soon after a shoot, and in turn, I'd rather you not share information from other photographers that they might consider confidential with me. The more time that has passed, the less of an issue this will be. If you are considering attending one of my shoots, and you've recently shot a similar theme with another photographer for stock images, you might let me know. It doesn't necessarily mean I won't use you for the shoot, but instead may just make sure you aren't in the same role. A lot's going to depend on how much time has passed. Q. Can I ever suggest a theme/idea for a stock shoot? A. Yes, I'm always looking for ideas, though there is a lot of little details involved in a successful stock shoot. For example, any idea that involves a public location, such as a mall or other store, probably can't be used without the permission of the owner. If you know a business owner, contact me for more details. Before suggesting an idea, take a look at magazines, books, brochures, etc.. to see what type of images they are using. Does your idea seem to fit in with these? Feel free to suggest any idea, and if I like it, we'll start working out the details, though it may take a while to schedule it. Q. I noticed you post castings on the TexasModelsandTalent.com forum, how are you associated with that forum and the Austin Models & Talent agency? A. Even though I know the owner and am a moderator/admin for the forum, my photography business and the stock shoots I do are held by me for my business, BinghamPhotography.com and are often cast on TexasModelsandTalent.com forum just like any one else casting for talent. Even though many of the models I work with are part of Austin Models & Talent Agency, the stock shoots I put on are not a shoot put on by AM&T or the TM&T forum, however, TM&T is a great place to look for other opportunities for both casting, images, and shoots. Q. I'm signed with an agency, how does that effect me being a stock model? A. It really depends on the contract you have with your agency. For example, if you have an exclusive contract, your agency probably expects a percentage of any earnings. If you have an agent, it's your responsibility to read your contract and if needed, talk to your agent to determine if there are any issues with you being a stock model. Q. I'm not sure I want to be a stock model - do you shoot TFP? A. On occasion, just for fun or to test equipment, but in general, if I'm not shooting paid work, I'll be shooting stock. If a model has a fun idea and a good location, I'd probably be interested, but if a model contacts me to do TFP without any ideas, themes or locations, and wants me to come up with everything, well, most of my ideas are going towards stock shoots. When I do shoot TFP for fun or to test equipment, I normally try to use stock models I've worked with in the past. Q. I've shot stock with you before, if I want to be on your "call list" for future TFPs, is there a way to do so? A. I don't really have a call list for TFP's. Normally, if I have a specific look in mind and know of a model or two that have that look, I'll just contact them, otherwise, I'll just post a message looking for models. This is normally done on the TexasModelsandTalent.com forum. Q. There seems to be mention of a couple of different sites, what's what? A. I have three sites I use for my photography business. BinghamPhotography.com, the site you are looking at now, is my main photography site. I also have a site called TimeOfYourLifePhotos.com that I use for portrait and event photography. The third site, PeopleStockPhotography.com, is used as a gallery of my stock images. If you have any questions that were not answered by this page, please contact me. This document is © Copyright Richard G. Bingham II and may not be used or copied without express written permission.