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TFP vs. TFCD


Doing TFPs and TFCDs are a great way to build up your portfolio at no cost to you. If you aren't familiar with what these are, they are basically a free trade of services between the model and photographer. No money is exchanged, only the time needed to produce the images.

Note that TFP means "time for prints" and TFCD means "time for CD." The two are not the same so pay very close attention to what kind of shoot you are signing up for when dealing with these two.

Each person has their own preference on which one they like best. Some people prefer TFPs because they want to add to their book (this is especially true for fashion/editorial models), while others like the freedom that comes with having all of the images on CD for them to use as they please, whether it's for their website, portfolio, etc.

One isn't necessarily better than the other. Pick the one that best suits your needs. Personally, I prefer TFCDs because I do a lot of my own photo retouching in Photoshop, not to mention the fact that it's always hard for me to just pick a handful of photos I like. With TFPs, you only get a few images that you and the photographer choose. 5 is usually the magic number but honestly, I need more than just 5 images for my website.

Many photographers prefer TFPs because then they don't have to worry about their images floating around on the Internet and people copying and using them without permission. Most photographers don't care what you do with your prints once you get them. Sometimes they'll also give you the same selected images for print on a CD as well, but it'll usually only be those chosen images.

On the other hand, some photographers feel it saves them a lot of time if they can just burn you a copy of the CD, since they still get to use the images they want for their own portfolios. So if you choose to work a TFCD with a photographer, be sure to ask if they have any guidelines when it comes to copyrights and if they require that their name appear on the image or not.

Some photographers don't care what you do with the photos or where they appear but there are many who have very strict rules about what needs to appear on the image itself when used online so they get the credit and people won't abuse use of the photo.

Anytime you plan to do a TFP or TFCD, research the photographer beforehand and make sure they shoot the type of looks and themes that you'll be able to use in your portfolio. Schedule a face-to-face meeting ahead of time before you shoot so the two of you can get to know each other and talk in more detail about the concept of the shoot. This avoids confusion or lack of communication when it's game time.

These types of shoots are great because they save you money and allow you to network with various photographers but at the same time, if you choose someone who doesn't fit your needs or doesn't do quality work, this free photo shoot can turn into a waste of your time as well as the photographer's. And there's nothing worse than having a batch of useless images.
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