Be wise - Scrutinize

Ladies, be careful, (ok guys & tog's you gotta be careful too)
The world is really a sick place, and there are a lot of creeps out there...

I was contacted via email by a guy called Patrick B_ _ _ _ _, He's not from ModelBase but he might be on here under a different name, He was looking for models to do a body paint shoot, it went on for weeks, he was apparently looking for a venue/studio, which was actually just a stupid excuse for him to suggest using a hotel, the alarms in my mind already went off, so when I starting suggesting Studio's, asking questions and wanting info, the guy fell from the face of earth... and I haven't heard from him again.

I think what ticked him off was that I said I always keep everyone details on file,
for my own safety and for future networking,
So I requested his company details, but he then said he is a freelancer, so I requested, a copy of his ID/Driver licence, perhaps I was a little paranoid, but Life is worth more than a few measly Rands,
So do your homework and scrutinize... and if something seems off, it most probably is, and please share any bad experiences, you could be sparing someone from an unwanted situation.

x
M

Good job, and well approached.
A little common sense goes a long way.

So many of these stories recently.. Good spot.

So do your homework and scrutinize... and if something seems off, it most probably is, and please share any bad experiences, you could be sparing someone from an unwanted situation.

+1

Thank you for the reminder- !

Excellent Michelle.

Well done Michelle, now if only the rest could follow!

actually just a stupid excuse for him to suggest using a hotel

Oh crap. I suggested shooting in a hotel last time I as up in JHB. No wonder almost all my shoots cancelled lol

Hmm yes hotels are usually a little strange, but it was a lot of little things that made me wonder, you at least have some reputation,
He was based in JHB/PTA yet prepared to hire a room in the Michelangelo at +3k a night and in the same breath he said that the concept side of their projects don't get n big chunk of the budget, I'm sorry say but something's not 'lekker'...
If I got the info I wanted I most probably wouldn't have had an issue with using a hotel, but things just didn't add up...

I agree. Generally shooting in a hotel room is a bit dodgy, especially if you live in the smae city lol

Though I was planning on doing some lifestyle images in a loft in the Upper East Side Hotel at some point BUT the normal shoot protocols would still count though.

Anyway i will be doing some cityscapes on Thursday evening I think.

Of course you must stay safe regardless and insist to take chaperones on traveling shoots, but this thread would be banned on a moderated site like MM:

The world is not generally a sick place, it's mostly good and fun with a few exceptions. Spreading fear doesn't help; any real concerns should be taken up with the police. There are a few people out there with White Knight syndrome who will hunt down a named person just to try impress the model, so naming on a hunch can do real harm. If you don't care then who is the sicko psychopath really?

It's just too easy for a competitor to launch a smear campaign, so it's against the law to Name&Shame an individual.

It's completely normal to shoot in a hotel when traveling, especially in Japan and UK, as most hotels take id and vehicle registrations, security footage,etc. It's one of the safest, cheapest places, way more than a location or studio. Plus they have great moody lighting.
If you have doubt then take a chaperone.

What's creepy and seems off is naming and shaming a tog as a threat just on on a feeling, without having met...no one will shoot with you again in case they say the wrong thing and get humiliated publicly! (criminal iniuria)
I'd also bail on a travel shoot if a model started wanting too many personal details and started acting in a threatening way, but then again I am a creepy lech artist with long greasy hair etc, so my points may be invalid :p. (and no it wasn't me :p )

I do understand the concern based on past news stories, but this is a police issue. Would you like to see your name mentioned in the paper as a possible paedophile because you said you love kids?

Last point, and possibly most important, if this person is indeed a psychopath and sees you humiliate him publicly he may come after you. (or even others)
So do take it up with the police, not with the public. (and that's the main reason why this thread would be banned on a moderated site, for your own safety)

Generally shooting in a hotel room is a bit dodgy, especially if you live in the smae city

My wife got upset when I used our bed for a shoot once... so next time I'll have to use a hotel.

so it's against the law to Name&Shame an individual.

There goes my lysdexia again. i completely missed the name. Dammit!!!

The world is not generally a sick place, it's mostly good and fun with a few exceptions.

Your right, the world is not generally a sick place but it is a place in which sick thing happen. We are not talking about a couple of guys that got pissed at a party and acted like arseholes and then afterwards you say "Ah it was a fun party. Pitty those guys spoiled it though".

We are talking about a place where 10 men rape a women, urinate on her, beat her to a pulp and then burn her alive.

It is a fun world where a young girl's breast were cut off and her sexual arogans mutilated with a broken bottle. Why? Because in both cases they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Do yourself a favour and go sit in the criminal courts for a couple of days.

The world is a fun place until someone does something sick to you.

Personally I think it's better to be safe and sorry than dead.

Okay – point one: Name & shame is just NEVER a good idea. Speak among yourselves if you must, but "outing" someone on a public forum has a way of biting one in the ass. So while the intention is "noble" – in this case – the result may be disastrous. As a policy, I never name and shame.

Point two: I live in a crappy house. A decent studio can put one back R1800 plus a day. Why not spend a grand more and get a moer of a fancy hotel room? You have the settings, the d้cor, the "feeling" AND you don't even need to clean it up afterwards. I see nothing dodge with shooting in a hotel – in fact, I'd do it more often if I could afford it.

Point 3 – There are assholes on this planet, yes, but it's all about laws of probabilities. You stand a 2% chance of dying from smoking related illness if you smoke, which means you stand a 98% chance of NOT dying from a smoking related illness. Fun with stats. For every one person whom Christo is talking about there are 500,000 who will not cut you open with broken bottles. I've just made a point of it long ago not to live a paranoid life. The two times someone broke into my car was the two times I locked it! I really am of the opinion that I cannot go round life mistrusting everyone because of a few bad apples. Yes, the bad apples are REALLY bad, and the bad-apple-to-good-people ratio in SA is a bit higher than we'd like it to be, sure, but that's not going to stop me from living a life of trust. It only takes one, yes, but I just don't like living the paranoid life for that one that MAY happen, and of that one happens, it may happen anyway. Chris and I on opposuite sides of the ideological table again!

Once again i had a whole thing typed out and eventually decide why the hell bother.

hey :) Go ahead. Be reckless. Go shoot in Hillbrow and leave all your kitt out. Wait for 499 998 people to walk by and then pack up quickly and get out of there.

I try my best NOT to become a statistic. Spyt kom altyd te laat ne. The best way to avoid being bitten by a shark is to not parade yourself in front of it.

Yes Gerry we have opposing views. I believe in protecting myself after all the god-particle helps those who help themselves.