Differences between American Fashion Models and European Fashion Models.

While several photographers had a opinion on the matter, I choose to focus on the comments made by a pro photographer with over 20 years in the field. His remarks were very useful and fascinating, to say the least. Whether they are true or not is of course unknown, and your encounters may vary greatly.

Photographer Interview:

Me: How many years have you been in the fashion model field?

Photographer:  I started about 20 years ago shooting for a small online provider that worked with stock photographs. Mostly I worked with freelancer models and created the content that the provider would later sell along with the picture license. After about 2 years I branched out on my own and started to work in the fashion community. My work was 100% in the USA for the first few years and I worked with models ranging from formal evening wear, designer outfits, to Playboy style artistic work and enjoyment magazines such as Maxim. I treated the job as a specialist and always worked well with top level models.

Me: So when did you start traveling abroad to work with models and what significant difference did you discover?

Photographer:  My 1st trip to Europe was about 6 years ago. I started out working in Prague. The determination for this built up steadily over time. Primarily I was having more and more trouble finding acceptable American models. Not because of their 'look', but because the culture was changing so fast in regards to online modeling and freelancer photographers. For example I would generally be required to spend for the model's boyfriend to be present at the photo-shoot to ensure that nothing 'funny' was going on. Or to pay for a bodyguard/chaperon to be present at the shoot and during the interview. Now I fully comprehend the need for safety, but I am a professional photographer with a huge portfolio and years of expertise. Also the models I worked with often came from agencies and talent scouts, not Craigslist. So over time it became very distressing to work together with American models. I even started to feel 'sleazy', as if what I was doing was by some means shady. This feeling was not from the material I produced, but from the model's behavior toward me. In addition to this the expense started to go way up while the quality started to drop substantially.

My very first photo-shoot in Prague was an amazing experience. I arranged the casting call through an agency. Upon arrival I found out that there were over 100 professionals, some from as far away as Brno (a 2 hour drive). My regular pay-rate was more the double the typical pay-rate that models typically attain from local shooters. The models treated me with excellent regard and openness, which was a tremendous distinction from the paranoid US models. I traveled with a small-scale group composed of a make-up artist and staff. We booked a massive dwelling that we developed into a studio for the photo-shoot. The dwelling was over 5000 square feet and might have cost thousands in the states. However we were able to organise the stay for $1200 (which included 14 days).

The models also came prepared. What I mean by this is the models actually knew how to pose and what pattern of images I was looking for. Just before the photo-shoot we have a casting and I showcase the image variations and critique the actual type of work I am looking for. I do this in America as well but regardless of my prep work the models often show up having no clue and I simply have to spend around 20-30 minutes reviewing the posing styles and overall feel I am trying to achieve from the pics. I was pleasantly amazed to see that all of the European models practiced before to arriving at the shoot.

Me: Does this suggest you will not work with American models ever again?

Photographer:  Well I believe it may seem is if I am coming down to hard on US models and I don't mean for that to be the case. I have worked well with some astonishingly specialized American models. However the ambiance lately in respect to American models appears to be rookie. I have experienced entire photo-shoots completely ruined because the model was not organized or simply changed her mind mid-shoot. So for the moment I think I will carry on European models. kids for modeling