MicrostockGroup

This can't be good.

OK, the following is purely conjecture on my part:

They will now be requiring paid membership for all photographers.

Models will be free, but limited to two images in their profile unless they are paid subscribers.
Free members will get one message per week.
Paid Sliver subscribers will get to send and receive 25 messages a month.
Paid Gold will get 35 messages per and Black Diamond members will get 40 messages (45 if they are special).

The goal posts will be changed every year so that you will never be able to budget properly for next years expenses.

Feel free to add to this list.

I'm glad someone bought model mayhem. for all its traffic, it is a terrible website. hopefully now they'll have some standards, rather than every model posing naked to prove they can be sexy. do we really still live in an era where young models think they have to represent themselves as sleazy to get ahead? I don't use MM anymore, found word of mouth was a better way to get dependable models. I pay my models too, which helps, modest hourly wage + prints.

Why do you think they do it? Because of the over population of newbies who go buy a cheapo digital rebel and suddenly think they are pro fashion photographers yet offer TFCDs cuz nobody will pay them and let's not forget all the blow hards who boost their ego with BS like "I've shot for playboy." no you took a crap snapshot that ended up in their freebie POTD section plus you got the descent photogs who claim the same but are really just praying they will get the right girl out of her clothes and get the PB finders fee .. then you got the straight up pervs.
At our studio we have done tons of portfolio sessions .. some for stock but mostly as paid sessions (we dont pay models they pay us) and we constantly hear "I was told if I wanted to make it in the biz that was part of it." The photographers are behind the sleeze factor not the models.

here is another thread discussing models
http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/where-do-you-find-stock-photography-models/

What on earth has naked models got to do with MM in particular or indeed model/photographer websites in general? I'd agree MM isn't much of a website but then I don't really understand how they generate the income to run it let alone improve it. It is what it is. It's been around for a long time, generated a lot of work for its members and therefore has to be considered a notable success. I don't see it much different to OMP other than OMP is obviously more sophisticated but simply awful to navigate.

If I search for available models in my area on either MM or OMP then it is obvious that each model has their own reasons for doing what they're doing and they're all different. Some of the kit-off 'models' are clearly intent on providing a service to a particular market, not dissimilar to be honest to that of lap dancing bars. That's ok. There's a market for it, it's perfectly legal and many people enjoy participating or earning from it.

As it happens many of the top models make most of their money posing nude. They tend to be incredibly beautiful, have fantastic bodies and are most often very professional indeed. They work hard at diet and exercise, know how to pose, take direction well, suggest their own ideas for the shoot and can usually do their own hair/MU. If they're good enough they get flown around the world, live a fairly glamorous lifestyle and earn decent money.

Why be so judgemental about how others choose to live their lives?

The "photographers" without film in their camera do exist. I had to remove "model photography" from my business card because I grew tired of the cheesy grins I got when they read it.

dude, it's almost laughable this question came from you...

I care about how young people are treated in our industry, absolutely I do. I've heard absolute horror stories about how models have been treated by photographers. a few of us we were having a conversation about MM, the site, the business around the site.....why do you have to be such a troll, why comment if you don't like the conversation?....why be so judgmental about how others choose to live their lives?