TFP, collaboration and test shoot projects
While this topic applies to all parties in a TFP team, I am a photographer so I speak to my experience as one. I’ve had several years of TFP work experience with a variety of people with different expectations and taken some great learnings to share.
What is it?
TFP - Time for prints, essentially means all parties in a photoshoot arrangement will receive the prints of the photoshoot in exchange for time already spent working together. In the modern day it’s quite unlikely to actually receive prints, rather digital full definition images. You’ve probably also heard this called out loosely as ‘Collabs’ on Instagram. At the end of the day, in this project, photographers are providing their equipment and skill set, models are providing their talent and often equipment in the form of props, makeup and outfits in order to create images together without paying each other. At a larger scale, a team will include makeup artists, hair artists, fashion stylists, brands or even equipment and location services all working at TFP rates.
While ‘Collabs’ is a word thrown around mostly in the hobbyist world on Instagram and Youtube, TFP is regarded as a professional business deal and it is important to recognise and respect that.
Why would you do it?
There are several reasons and if you are reading this then you already have at least one. They all fall to the backbone of saving some money for us, starving artists. It’s however important to understand the different scenarios that motivate someone to create a TFP shoot so that if you are involved in one or want to organise one, you will understand and respect what others want out of it. I’ve categories them under personas for ease of reference.
1. Hobbyists. This deal suits the hobbyist and non-business artists very well. It means you can connect, have fun and create without the extra charge as a burden especially since there’s no monetary gain. Usually people in this category are the most willing to do whatever is available because it’s all fun with no business requirements.
2. Profile builder. Fresh out of college or self taught, there is always a need to gain experience and network at the start. TFP is a really good way to do so, because you will start to network with your direct peers who are also starting off and looking for the same opportunities. It’s the cheapest way to build a profile worthy of attracting your next client while gaining real experience. It is not only for the newbies either, existing working professionals often need to change genres of their profession and require re-building of their profile. Also in many cases, especially with boudoir, professionals are not permitted to use client images as a form of advertisement, hence they will reach out to shoot with models for marketing purposes.
3. Business chaser. TFP here usually means a full cast team with a very specific purpose to build images to attract a certain type of business. For example, a team working together trying to catch Nike sportswear by shooting Nike sportswear in their own creative advertisement style. If Nike is attracted to their offering and requires services, then the team is already formed and experienced shooting together, ready to go!
4. Creative projects. Different from the hobbyist, this is projects set by professionals to challenge themselves and learn outside of their normal business deals. Example a beauty portrait photographer wanting to create environmental portraits. It could also be challenging ourselves within our normal practice to improve and advance our skillset, that may be too risky to do in a paid project. A good example is also to test concepts and new equipment that maybe too risky to do during a job.
5. Pure boredom. We are creators after all and we desire to create. I place this separately to hobbyist because while a professional can get bored and just want to shoot something different, he/she would generally still behave like a business transaction to the TFP team.
Find the right balance.
If you want the best chance of success joining a TFP team, then it is important to find the right balance, and hence there are unspoken rules of engagement.
1. Engage as much as you can with people of same persona and purpose.
It’s obvious to yourself where you sit in the above personas, but not necessarily to others, and what others want may not be obvious to you either. It helps when all parties are actively aware of each other’s purpose and during this exchange have everyone’s purpose met at the end. Example, a hobbyist pairing up with business chaser, will both approach the shoot very differently. A hobbyist may be 10% engaged in the outcome of the shoot and 90% on the fun during the shoot day. The business chaser is close to 100% on the outcome and the shoot day is just work. So while the hobbyist will find it ok to shoot half a day and have lots of fun, the business chaser may want to lock down 1 hour only. And here is where clash and unsatisfying TFP experiences occur. Didn’t get your photos for 4 months? Well maybe the hobbyist had his/her fun day shooting and the rest is low priority. Being aware of each other’s purpose will reduce this type of clash, but if you stay in the same persona then you will generally have the same target.
2. Engage with people at a similar skill set level
Be upfront with your skill level. Present your current work and seek for others that you feel is in similar category. It is NOT realistic expectation that if you are beginning your photography career to target TFP with a highly experienced model, and vice versa. It is better you seek out creatives at a similar level so you can level up together. Don’t lie about your skill level, the TFP community is plentiful but within the professional side there are not that many, it’s not worth lying and risking your reputation. Of course, if you are an experienced wedding photographer wanting to do some TFP work for fashion, your portfolio may be attractive enough to get it without a problem, but if you are landscape photographer wanting to start with people portraits, you are better off considering yourself as a beginner.
3. TFP is NOT free work
“I got a new dress, TFP photoshoot please”. You will get plenty of people who will use the industry for their own gain. It is just an unspoken rule to not support this behaviour as a professional. Doesn’t matter how much you actually want to shoot with them, it’s simple professional courtesy and discipline. If you are after free shoots, there are definitely hobbyists out there looking for the opportunities. It can also become a tricky situation if some parties of the TFP team is getting paid and others not. So if you are the photographer with a paid job, and reach out for a model to work at TFP, there’s nothing wrong with it since you are still providing the same service, but, BIG BUT! It’s not right either, just don’t do it.
4. TFP is equivalent to paid work
While there is no money exchanged don’t forget the monetary value behind the job. This is not a repeat of the point above though, this is about the respect of commitment. When you are being paid at work you need to think long and hard on your excuse of skipping work. But for a TFP job, the thought of no money exchanged, go the extra mile to cloud our judgment and commitment. And maybe this rings even louder between a hobbyist and a professional when exchanging TFP. At the end of the day, commitment has a price. For working professionals with a respectable business a TFP commitment is easily thousands of dollars together, so ‘my dog is sick’ for the 3rd time will end up in a photographer’s blacklist.
How do I approach it?
I use a template of essential information. Especially if you are doing this often, then it’s good to have a template email to go. The template is as much for you to collect your ideas, as for others to understand your ideas. Your ideas should lead down a direction. It doesn’t need to be complete, but it needs to have direction.
I use my actual Job Proposal Template document and line out all deliverables and place a TFP in the pricing for each line item. When you reach out to agencies this will really show the professional difference. If you are going for social channels like Instagram and Facebook, then the information still remains the same but you don’t need to be so formal in the delivery. Here is an example of the essential information you should include in your template.
Who do you need: HMUA, female fashion model with editorial experience. Be specific if you can; is it commercial model; editorial; skin colour, ethnicity of preference if any.
Date: if not set then a general guide, like within a month.
Location: professional studio, home studio, on-location, etc.
Idea description: It’s going to be a fashion photoshoot with a vintage car. The car will not be the focus but for background story telling.
What to expect: You will get 5 full resolution print ready digital photos to download in 4 weeks. I plan to submit your photos to a magazine. You will need to sign a model release form. There will be a second photographer and possibly an assistant during the shoot.
Mood board or images of inspiration are very helpful to include.
Your portfolio: Show examples of your work.
Talent agencies frequently look for TFP and test shoots especially with new recruits who likely to be in need of profile and experience building. After all why pay for photoshoots when someone is offering for free. Agency administration will quickly cull through the crap and see photographers worth working with, so best thing you can do to ensure your request is viewed is to be clear and concise in your communications.
Final notes
At some point I was all 5 personas, I went from a hobbyist to a profile builder to targeting specific industries and every now and then I just want to create. Creative TFP teams have allowed me to explore ideas with less monitory pressures and over the years I have helped so many artists build profiles, get published and land jobs. The icing on the cake! Remember TFP is a professional promise of service, so if you’ve agreed to the deal, turn up, follow through, be professional and take the opportunity to network and create together with your peers. Worthy of another blog, but if you are a creative photographer then you really should aim to fit in a creative project once every 1-2 month, we need to keep our passion alive and not just work. If you are in it for the hobby seek out other hobbyists or pay for a professional. If you are a professional, don’t talk badly on the hobbyists offering their services for free, sometimes we are more professional, unspoken.
Happy creating!