This weekend I learned a valuable lesson in regards to mixing business and friendship - DON'T!
Just because I'm not COMPLETELY tactless, I will not give the name of the person involved, even though I really want the whole world to know. However, if you are a model, photographer, or website owner and you think you may need to know who this person is, email me privately and it will be at my discretion as to whether or not I disclose the name of the person to you. [However, if this fucktard does end up fucking me over and doesn't pay me like he said he would, I will post his full name here in big, fat, red letters with a link to his website AND his email address.]
Anyhow, on with my story. There is a particular photographer that I have been communicating with on a regular basis for about two years. We talked about everything from collaboration ideas to referrals to sex and everything in between. I considered this person my friend.
It took us a while, but we finally made arrangements to work together on the Thanksgiving weekend. It was to submit a few sets to a particular website for pay. I was headed to New Orleans and took time away from my scheduled trip and drove out of the way to shoot with him. I got up at 4:30 in the morning to make it there early and we shot for 10 hours. He stated that he had obtained enough material to submit several sets to the website and I was happy.
Since then I have asked him several times if he had submitted the images yet, and there was always some reason why he had not. Finally this weekend I pinned him down on it. His response?
"I have not submitted per se any imagery to them. I sent them a sample of:
The sunset, the road by the old house, the old house, the simulated phallus roots and the shadow hands.
He really liked them! Asked if you were interested in doing something for Michelle7-erotica and if you could do a G/G Collection. I told him YES and I would try and schedule it!
So you are in - all we have to do is shoot it! And, if the girl you get is ok, she can probably also try if she wants - but mainly we need you and the G/G." - For the record, G/G is girl/girl shoot - erotica.
Are you fucking kidding me? I haven't even been paid for the last shoot, you did not submit the images as you said you would, and you want me to schedule an erotica shoot with you? FUCK you! I'm not doing shit until I am compensated for the last shoot! Of course, I wasn't nearly that ugly. Tactfully I stated:
"When I made arrangements to shoot with you, it was very clear upfront that this was going to be a paid shoot. Granted, we accepted the fact that it may not be until January before we see any money, but there was NO misunderstanding about the terms of the agreement. I did not add an additional 4 hours to my driving time and spend 10 hours shooting for a 'test shoot'. Not only was it very clear what the arrangements were, but you even said yourself after the shoot that you gotten more than enough to submit several sets to Michelle7. I will not make any further arrangements until I am paid for the last shoot."
That's when all hell broke loose. I'm not going to copy and paste the entire correspondance, but basically his reply, in short, stated that what we had done was TFCD (Time For CD) and that it was not a paid shoot. He flat out lied and said that I and my husband had said things that we never said, he suggested that things HE requested was our idea, so forth and so on. We went round and round and the more I realized I was being fucked over the more pissed I became. I continually tried to remain tactful and professional, giving him opportunity after opportunity to redeem himself, but he played the dumbass card, as if he could just not understand where I was coming from. In the end I did end up calling it as I saw it and flat out let him know that I knew he was a liar, a manipulator, and worked under false pretenses.
He did finally agree that he would submit the images and split the pay with me, but I know another model that he told that to and she still hasn't been paid to this day.
The sad thing is that I had been warned about this person from close friends and reputable models and photographers and I actually defended his sorry ass. That was a mistake and I'll never do it again. (My husband just walked in with a Xmas card from him........hahahahahahahahahahaha. Yea........isn't that sweet? How about paying me, bitch. You can keep the fucking card.)
I contacted a few models to warn them about this person, one of whom he had worked with. She responded stating that she was going through the same problem and he was dicking her around too.
I can't stand people who prey on other people, especially young, unexpecting girls who are struggling to get by in this industry. How big of a piece of shit can you be? And then he tells me he's going to church Sunday morning and I couldn't help but laugh. Yea, you need it buddy, and I hope you prayed extra hard, you're going to need it after all the lies you've told and all the models you've fucked over you sorry ass piece of shit.
