1) Photographer. My photographer has been in the business for over 25 years and knows his stuff let me tell you. The equipment he uses at each and every shoot is valued in the tens of thousands of dollars. Compare the images his camera and lens produces next to a very good digital SLR that you would pay say $1,500 for and you won't go back. After the shoot each and every photograph is cleaned up and my logo inserted by my photographer. This is done on an expensive computer running expensive software. Between the shoot and processing my photographer invests two full days of his time and considerable talent in the project. Does he get compensated in monetary terms? You betcha.
2) Studio space. Ever wonder where we shoot? In a room in a building is where. Heat? Light? Maintenance? Taxes? Alas, we are not a part of the occupy Wall Street movement and consider it poor form to demand free shoot space as a constitutional right. Don't get me started on those brainless, you owe me man... fuckers. Opps. Did I use a swear word in a politically incorrect statement?
3) Props. Where did that chair, table, stool, swing, rope ladder, plate, cupcakes (insert object here) come from? I either go out and purchase the props (Safeway gets a lot of my money. "Honey? I see we have more Safeway points. What did you buy?"
) or I make them with my own hands with my own tools and materials I purchased with money I earned. We don't steal our stuff. 4) Speaking of Safeway, I feed the entire crew lunch, beverages and snacks at each and every shoot. On me baby.
5) Custom clothing. You think Sisi goes out and purchases material then designs and builds all those clothes and accessories for free? "Here Uncle M, please use all my custom clothes I create in order to make a living, pay my bills, have a life and not sit on my lazy ass in a tent on public property and demand the fat cat capitalist swine take care of my every needs." Damn, there I go again. Like my photographer, Sisi gets compensated in real terms and fairly I might add.
6) Make up artist. "Ummmm....I actually purchase my kit supplies Uncle M and I would like to be reimbursed for them if you please."
7) Stockings. I love stockings. Stockings are mandatory at a shoot. My cookie folks. I purchase them. All of them. Stockings can and do run, though I am very, very good around them and rarely get runs in them.
8) Shoes. Yup, I participate in the costs of shoes. Not all of the time mind you, but if Sisi has her eye on a specific pair for a shoot we make it happen. $$
9) Rope. Most important part. I spend $100's in rope each year. Rope gets dirty and the rope I use does not wash all that well. My girls get fresh rope.
10) Web site. Owning a web site is akin to owning a boat. A boat is a hole in the water in which to pour money. A web site is a hole in cyber in which to pour even more money. If you think for one instant that us guys and gals that own and operate a pay web site are raking in the dough...think again. Mine was attacked late last winter and was irreparably damaged. I came within a whisker of taking the thing down and walking away never to venture into the world of cyber again. Turns out like any business these days, one needs a web site to showcase yourself. I have something now that is clean, simple and actually setup to display galleries properly. Dumped more than enough of my resources into fixing and upgrading the site and what you see is what you get. I still have many hours of fixing broken links in the behind the scene section ahead of me.
11) Pre shoot breakfast/lunch meetings. It is our custom and practice to sit down over a meal and discuss and plan shoots as well as critique past shoots. Our shoots run like a well oiled machine for a reason and that reason is pre-planning. Plan you work and work you plan as they say. I have these meetings with my models at least twice a month and more if need be. The tab is on me and we don't do the fast food thing.
12) Uncle M's time. Uncle M is the creative pervert behind the pinup bondage of Uncle M Productions. The art is his vision. Uncle M works for free.
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