[Eclectic Images]

I was teaching studio lighting classes about 30 years ago at a local continuing education school. They decided to add a figure photography class after a bunch of my students asked the administration for a follow up to my portrait class. So I run an ad in the local paper for models, and get boatloads of responses. After listening to a bunch of good sounding models I schedule them in sight unseen. This was the mid 70's. Sure as hell, no show. Happens again the next week, but the next gal calls at the last minute. So I schedule her for the following week. She shows up over an hour late the next time, drunk as a skunk so she would be fortified for the shoot. She can't even sit upright ;-) We finally had to use all prone poses to get some shooting done, LOL! I didn't call that one back either ;-)

Finally the solution was to schedule anyone who applied to a free test shoot at my home in the lower level studio I had. Some objected and I told them I had too many problems with no shows and cold feet, and couldn't afford to keep a class of students waiting on a no-show. I further told them it was a chance to find out if they were or weren't comfortable posing nude before the class time. Probably half of the ones I scheduled at home wouldn't show up, but I figured if it was at home there were other things I could be doing. I wouldn't even bother to get the lights set up until they showed.

The ones who didn't show at home got their card tossed and I didn't bother calling them again. The ones who did show for the most part were okay. A couple were just too uncomfortable or tense, or whatever, and I would just have to tell them they wren't ready for the class yet. The ones who did show for the trial shoot and were scheduled for later always showed.

To me the point would be that a trial or rough shoot would be a qualifier before investing further time and resources to a shoot requiring other people's services or purchase of suppies/props.