I shot a lot of fast action photography. And dabble in odd B&W work. Recently some of the sponsors of racers I shoot for have been asking me to shoot models in their garb or to help design posters. Since this is not my current forte' I really am unclear how much to charge for photo usage. But I'll solve that.

The bigger issue I have is the rate to pay a model. Although I have seen some really fantastic models on different sites, they tend to be 'overkill' for what I need. And $150 - $300 an hour is more over head than most small start-up clothing companies can offer.

So my question is, what is a decent starting rate to offer new models? I really have ZERO desire to work TFP. I just do not have time to spend working on prints for the models. I do not mind TFP/CD but then I don't have the time to color correct every photo I give to them. I would rather just offer an hourly rate and move on.

My shots are not what many models consider 'great portfolio' work becasue it's not mainstream. So finding interested models can be just as tough. But I have a very specific genre and group I shoot for. In addition to that, I have been burned by two TFP models who asked me to shoot for them. Only to be no-shows. Well I would feel better knowing they lost money and I saved myself money rather than wasting my time. If that remotly makes sense.

Little help here...

Your post makes sense.  I think $25.00 to $75.00 is plenty.
Here's why. Most people make around $20.00 an hour before taxes.
$25.00 without taxes is liking making $37.00 an hour and c'mon modeling isn't
hard.  Make an offer though and see what the models say.

I usually just stick with day rates.

Promotional models make between $100-$300 for most events, so if I'm shooting something that doesn't require better than promo model looks, I offer the high end...$300/day.

It also really depends on the usage...just like your rate, the model's fee should be different if they're being used in a national campaign vs. a local one or a web only one.

There is no right answer.  In California, the base rates for independent models seem to be about $65hr for swimsuit/fashion, $85hr for lingerie/implied and $100hr for topless/nude.  The day rate is typically $350-$500 a day.

But that varies all across the board.   If you are offering a model an interesting project with a tear sheet, you can probably get away for less.  If you are new and self-funding, there are models that will give you a break.

If you get a model from an agency, it will probably cost you twice that in many cases.  If you use a photo nationally, in a major ad, it could cost you a lot more.

The proper amount to pay a model is what the two of you agree to.  Guidelines are just that.  Everything in life is negotiable.

Most of the models I work with have an hourly rate (based on experience and what we're doing).  When I offer their rate times 3 for a half-day or their rate times 5.5 for a full day (8 hours with a break), they're usually amenable to it.

Just remember, everything's negotiable.