A friend arranged a TFP session with Olivia in a local park
Định is a friend I shot TFP with studio lighting and a simple piece of cloth thumbtacked to the wall for a backdrop
I hired Bill to cut down a tree and he ended up as a subject for an environmental portrait
Claudia is a friend who has posed for me TFP several times
I shot DJ Inze at work as a club DJ because it was an interesting challenge
Jaime is a good friend who posed for me in exchange for prints
What is TFP?
TFP stands for "time for print" or "trade for print." Sometimes you will see the updated term, TFCD (time for CD). It is an arrangement whereby someone models in exchange for prints or a CD of images from the shoot instead of outright monetary payment. There are many reasons a photographer or a model will enter into a TFP arrangement. Either or both parties may be trying to build or expand their portfolio. An inexperienced party may want to work with an experienced one so as to improve their skill level. One or both parties may have an idea they would like to experiment with or try out, but can't or don't want to spend money on it until they know how well it will work. One or both parties may simply enjoy modeling or photographing so much that they are willing to do it for free when they're between paying work.
Most of what I photograph is inanimate, such as buildings and objects, or events like weddings and parties. The nature of event photography doesn't allow the time to set up equipment or make dramatically-lit, relaxed, artful photos of people. I want to maintain/improve my portraiture skill and expand my portfolio, so I'm willing to occasionally do TFP photography.
What is TFP not?
TFP is not a way for people to get professional portraits for free when they have a moral obligation to pay for them (such as for commercial or unattributed use). To prevent this, it is customary for the photographer to ask the model to sign a model release which limits the ways in which the model can use the photographs. This release also notifies the model that federal law automatically assigns copyright ownership of the photos to the photographer. Although this sounds one-sided, many releases also limit the ways in which the photographer can use the photographs and/or they grant the model a license to use the photos in specified ways.
"TFP and me"
If you would like to have me photograph you under a TFP arrangement, please use the Contact page to send me an email. In the email, please tell me a little about yourself and briefly explain why you would like to work TFP instead of as a paying customer. You don't have to be a beauty queen or Adonis for me to be interested, and I'd like to work with some couples to explore the challenges involved in posing and lighting two people at the same time.