Help Me Howard: No Modeling Pictures

WSVN -- Imagine waking up with a snake, a rat and a rabbit within only three feet in your home.

Antonina and her husband love their pets. Occasionally, she even poses with them just for fun. Then, the other day at the mall, a man came up to her and said, "With your face you can make money."

Antonina Shachar: "Asked me if I was interested in modeling, if I modeled. I said, 'No, I do not model,' and he asked me if I'm interested, and I said, 'Of course, sure.'"

Of course he offered to shoot her modeling photos at his Sunny Isles studio, for a price.

Antonina Shachar: "He showed me the contract, I would have to pay 600 something dollars forward, and he would create my portfolio for me. We would choose photos out of all he took."

For $600 the photographer promised a portfolio mixed with indoor and outdoor pictures. He also told her she had a great future.

Antonina Shachar: "He said, you would be stupid if you didn't take this chance and didn't take this opportunity."

The first photo shoot was indoors.

Antonina Shachar: "He would tell me to make sexy faces, and he made too many moaning sounds looking at my pictures, 'Oh, my God, this is beautiful, beautiful.'"

She then waited for the second shoot to be scheduled and the first batch of pictures to be developed and waited and waited.

Antonina Shachar: "He was supposed to call me the following week to schedule a photo shoot. He never called me that week. I waited until a week after that and actually e-mailed him."

Antonina Shachar: "I sent him a letter, he never responded to it."

Antonina is a college student, who put her hard-earned money up to kick off her modeling career. Instead of work, she was left wanting.

Antonina Shachar: "I want to see something for my $600. What did I pay for?"

Antonina Shachar: "I want either my money back, or I want to see results."

Antonina Shachar: "I want to have the job he promised me."

Unable to get the photographer to talk to her, Antonina then called the people that no one has ever asked to model anything, the people from Help Me Howard.

Howard Finkelstein: "Antonina never got a copy of the contract, but I don't have to see it to know that, legally, this is a breach of contract, because she didn't get what she paid for. It's that simple. Either take the rest of the pictures or give her her money back."

When we contacted the photographer, he told us he's not ignoring Antonina, that he's been really busy, but that her pictures are now done.

In fact, he sent us these snapshots by e-mail to prove it. Antonina thought they looked very nice. He then called Antonina and set up her second shoot for this Friday morning. She'll also get to see the pictures then as well.

Howard says, if you are going to hire a photographer, be careful.

Howard Finkelstein: "Photographers don't have to be licensed through the state or even have any training. Anybody can say they are a professional photographer, so, to borrow from that old line, caveat emptor, let the buyer beware."

Antonina Shachar: "I think, if I really do have a future in modeling, I would give him another chance."

Hopefully, this second chance works out for Antonina, and this animal lover's second set of photos won't come literally, when pigs fly.

So you want to be a model? Experts say don't hire a photographer first.

I called Tammy Green, the president of the Green Agency on Miami Beach. She said go online and read the modeling agency's web page to see their guidelines. She says, try to meet with an agency, that they have asked people to come in based on just a cheap Polaroid. After that they will recommend the type of photographer you need to use, for the type of modelling that best suits you, and, if someone on the street taps you on the shoulder and says, 'I can make you a model,' get away.

Developed a problem that's turned negative? Need a picture-perfect solution? Shoot it over to us. We aren't photogenic, but we're a model for free legal advice.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Help Me Howard Contact
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn (please include your contact number when emailing)
DADE: 305-953-WSVN
BROWARD: 954-761-WSVN