FB Issues, Booking Shoots & Getting Out There

This post will be more like an actual diary post, translation: all over the place ^_~

First, my issues with Facebook. Or more accurately, Facebook's issues with me. I have a FB fanpage and before last week I would regularly post a photo or link once or twice a day to that page. Sometimes I would post a FB photo, but also link to my Tumblr post on that image so people could like and reblog it there. Sometimes I would share a censored image and link to the uncensored image. And then other times I would simply post a link to a nude image, but with no preview. I was under the impression that I was well within the TOS and following the rules far more in line than many other models and photographers I've seen. Many of these people have tons more fans than I do, so their pages are seen by far more people (and thus would be more likely to be reported), yet I have issues. I could curse FB all day long, but at the end of the day the fact would remain that I simply can no longer share my Tumblr links there. I tried URL shorteners like Bitly and using Twitters URL for each post, but FB still recognizes it as coming from my Tumblr URL and blocks it. The message I get when I try to post it is that the website is "unsafe."

A non-Facebook safe photo, photographer: Dustin Patrick

What I find even more frustrating is that every single photo or post with a link to my Tumblr has been removed, not just on my page, but on my profile as well. This means all the comments and such are gone as well. On the positive side of that particular issue, I get to upload them and promote them all again which is not so bad.

But this leaves me at a weird place. I'm not sure what to do, really. Right now I'm just trying to get the word out and let people know to follow me on Twitter and Tumblr. I can still post Zivity set links, Etsy shop links, etc. If you have any ideas, please let me know either on Facebook or via e-mail (dekilah at gmail dot com).

Update: Today (the day after this post was written) I logged on to Facebook to find that my Tumblr posts and photos had been restored and that I was able to post my Tumblr link once again. I still am not sure what happened, but I'm glad it's back to normal!

Moving on... I had a great shoot on Saturday with Stein McGee who is a local designer, hair stylist, MUA (and more) and J Singleton who is a photographer. I don't want to give away too much about what the shoot was about, but it is one of Stein's projects and I couldn't be involved with her past events due to time conflicts, so I was thrilled when she contacted me to do a photoshoot. During this photoshoot I got to pose on the roof of Tangent gallery. Tangent is really like a second home to me now, and it's the venue for most of the events I work on. But for this shoot I got to explore areas further up in the building, beyond the gallery and ballroom, that I had never been to before. And of course, I had Mason the very large dog (Rottweiler, I think) to pet on while I was getting ready, and a very bratty little long haired kitty upstairs during the shoots to provide cat-ly presence. I will be sharing these photos as soon as I can and I think you are going to love them!

A FB safe photo, photographer: Aglet Photography

After that shoot, I decided that I really want to start booking more shoots again. I think I've said this about 50 times in the last two years. The problem is kind of... complicated. I moved to Detroit from East TN. In East TN I was one of the top models, and apparently the top nude model. Pretty much everybody knew who I was and I had carefully built up a really good reputation by word of mouth, primarily, from photographers who had shot with me. I had a falling out (over something personal) with a female photographer and part of the community ended up pushing me out, but that was only at the very tail end of my time there and it was already improving when I moved here. I moved into this market with a solid portfolio and already know a fair number of people here, but I feel like I've had to start all over. I've gone to photoshoots and had photographers ask me "Oh do you model much?" It stings a little bit to be honest. I worked so hard as a model for years, only to move someplace and nobody knows who I am.

It seems like I could just start over and do what I did before, but it's not that simple. I have a good portfolio and I have a lot less time than I used to, so doing a bunch of trade shoots regardless of quality just to build up my name is not really a luxury I have time for. I also have health issues, as many of you know, and I do not drive, plus I have car anxiety issues, so I'm kind of cautious about who I ride with, not just for my sake, but because sometimes I have mini panic attacks and it's nothing to do with the driver or how they are driving. I don't really want to spend a lot of time talking about it, but it's an issue and not one that everyone understands.

A really cool conceptual shoot I did with DVS

Anyway... I'm trying to work on booking more shoots. And of course that always has its own set of issues. Here the issue is two fold 1) driving time and 2) finding locations. A lot of people in Detroit don't seem to have a place to shoot, even a home studio (by the way, I actually like home studios if they are done decently well). I don't like the idea of trespassing and every time I bring that up I feel like I hit a wall, but if I don't mention it I get 10 offers wanting me to go to abandoned buildings. I know they can look really cool, but I'm just not comfortable with it. And nobody around here who wants to shoot seems very close to me. I feel like 30 minutes one way is a pretty fair driving time, maybe 45 minutes at most. And it's not like this is out in the country where everyone is really far apart and there aren't that many people. I have decided that possibly there is a field of energy that keeps photographers out of my immediate and somehow myself and my husband have slipped past this radar. This seems to be an acceptable and plausible explanation as I have found no other explanation.

But I'm pushing past all the barriers and making myself stick it out. Sure shooting myself in my living room is arguably easier in some ways, but I only have my style and I actually enjoy collaborating with other people. Plus, I want to do more clothed shoots, more shoots with hair and makeup, and different styles. That is what I LOVE about modeling. I love trying new things. And having my makeup done is pretty much like a state of euphoria for me. Also exciting: Detroit has bodypainters! Like real, live, talented bodypainters! I never had access to anybody like that in TN and now I'm talking to people about at least 2 more bodypaint shoots. My vintage dresses may also be coming out to play soon.

A bodypaint shoot I did with photographer Carl Chen and MUA/bodypainter Erick Gerson

All in all, it's going to be challenging to push myself out there, but I think I can at least get to the point that some more people recognize me. And if my current inboxes are any indication, I can be a very, very busy at modeling again if I want to be ^_^