Months ago I did a shoot for the tribal series that I was very happy with. The model was excited and happy with the shoot and left with all things looking positive. At the time I hadn’t had any release forms handy so I emailed him one. A couple of weeks later he emailed me demanding that I not use the shots and actually requesting that I delete them. I agreed to not use them despite never being given a clear reason why not but I refused to delete them. I needed to keep them for reference for a possible re-shoot.

We are still friends on facebook and I follow him on instagram. Last week he posted a selfie nude in bed on instagram that showed just as much as he had in the shoot with me but mine was in a studio setting rather than a camera phone. Now I get that he might have been looking for work or something at the time but he never explained why I couldn’t use the photos. Does he realise that while he may be happy to post those photos now he might be looking for work later and change his mind again but those images are out there online. He’s also one of those guys that puts #4 #million #hashtags on every photo guaranteeing that people see it.

As a photographer who can’t afford to pay models and relies on goodwill, there is a lot of room for flakey guys using the chance to model to stroke their ego and to change their mind but I don’t think a lot of them stop to think that my time is just as valuable as theirs. I guess, until I can afford to pay models that this is the risk I take.