[PoleNinja]

4 Freed Georges V LaPC LOUL			0

I think this is fair, but also more than I have.  But thank you.  Also, it sounds like according to this community that you couldn't be reputable because you asked for the money.  This is based on your fellow commenters.

To be fair, this community is not used to location requests for what seems to be almost professional purposes. When we get a message from a fellow explorer from overseas, we might consider showing them our playground, having them implicitly commit to do the same when a stranger will asks them for a helping hand in the future. When we're on an equal footing, no money is exchanged. It's a give and take, a bit like on couchsurfing.

On the other hand, you're the exception. You seem to have a budget to travel the world, you did finance what seems to be quite expensive photo equipment (I have nothing of the kind), and well, I'm assuming your models are travelling too. Or aren't doing it just for exposure, as exposure doesn't pay rent. I'm also guessing that you're doing this for a living or will have a return on investment sooner or later. Hence, if you wish to rely on someone's time and expertise to show you places, it'd be only fair to pay for the service. Otherwise, it brings the question of "what's in it for me?".

I work freelance, and am faced daily with people who want me to do things for them for spec (#saynotospec), from which they will benefit, but I won't really get anything in return. Should I have four hours to spare, I'll then rather put it into something I will enjoy.

I'm not trying to change your mind, just explaining where I'm coming from.

Btw, overall don't take the answers you're getting here too seriously. Ckzone is one of the finest troll farms the internet can offer. And I wish you to find a suitable guide. There must be a few out there who'll most likely get in touch via private messages.

I feel that's reasonable, and as mentioned, similar to the parkour community of which I've long been a part of.  

My budget to travel the world is that I am working all over the world, outside of photography.  Photography is my art, but I am a professional athlete, and I am invited to travel the world and teach workshops.  If you are curious, my instagram for athletics is: instagram.com/doctorkenpoleninja
The models often are doing it because they want nice pictures and memories.  I have something of a reputation with the acrobatic and dance world, and so people all over the world contact me to shoot with them.  When I am in a location, I try to find something I am interested in, and I charge people to cover my own costs, but not much more.  Hourly, I earn less than minimum wage when shooting photography.  My day job, in the US, is that I am a doctor.  So, it is this unique combination of doctor, athlete, and photographer that attracts these specific models to me.

I try to offer whatever I can in return, that the individual would find valuable, but this is where it gets difficult.  As I said, every culture is different.  When I was in the philippines, I had to bribe local authorities to let me document the slums and the poor living conditions there.  That took many days of constant questioning, just to find the right people who could bribe the right people to grant me permission.  Even then, it was very limited, though my purpose was purely journalistic.  When I was in Tasmania, or Iceland, no locals cared, and I could wander as I wished.  Not many places are like this.  When in Chile, I thought it would be easy, but the prices people wanted for any services were absolutely stunning, more than the flight to Chile from the USA, sometimes.  In Korea, people are willing to help just because they are kind people and the communities are so strong.

So as I said, every place is different, and I can only discover what people in a certain location want in thanks, and try my best to offer it.

I currently have no plan on return-on-investment.  I finance this desire purely with my other jobs, and partly with the occasional "vanity shoot" which I despise.  I know what you mean about freelance issues, as a doctor, because people constantly ask me for "free advice", or to look at something "real quick".  They don't understand my student loans were more than the cost of their house.

But thank you very much for your informative responses.  I have received, in fact, a couple offers which I very much appreciate and will do my best to "return the favor" on.