DR. WALLACE: I'm 19 years old and I'm furious. A few weeks ago, I was contacted at an event by a freelance photographer who told me he had a potential modeling assignment for me. To make a long story short, he instructed me to buy certain types of outfits and to meet him on a Saturday afternoon to photograph me in front of various types of off-road vehicles. I worked really hard, posed in every imaginable way and did what I thought was an excellent, professional job of modeling and following the instructions I was given.

He was nice enough, but when we finished, I asked him how much I was going to be paid for the day, and he told me that it depended on whether the photographs he would be submitting were going to be used in an upcoming publication. A week later, I contacted him again, and he told me he hadn't heard anything back. Another week went by, and he finally confessed to me that it looked like the photographs he took did not end up being used by the publication he was submitting them to.

The bottom line is, I worked in the hot sun out in the desert for a full day and got paid nothing! Not only that, but I bought the exact type of outfits he recommended that I wear. Some of them got scraped up a bit, and I was not able to return all of them. So I actually lost money on this "modeling gig." Needless to say, I will not be doing any more modeling for this particular photographer. Why do people like him take advantage of ladies like me? — Beyond Frustrated, via email

BEYOND FRUSTRATED: A keyword jumped out at me as I read your letter, and that word is "freelance." A freelance writer, photographer, scout or news reporter is a person who does not work directly for any specific company. They basically work for themselves, and "freelance" various work opportunities to submit content that may be viable to be used, and therefore paid for.

It appears to me that this freelance photographer didn't mention to you up front what could go wrong, meaning that, despite both of your best efforts, there may not be any sale of the photographs he took. So, unfortunately, here, you've learned a very hard lesson. Anytime you're entering into a business arrangement, you need to ask a lot of questions upfront before you agree to do anything. In this case, it would've been wise to get a written agreement in advance, including the specific compensation for the work you were about to do.

I'm glad to hear that this photographer at least treated you well. It occurred to me while reading your letter that you might've been out in the desert by yourself posing for these photographs. If that was the case, you were also putting yourself in a vulnerable position as to your personal safety.

In the future, anytime you enter into a modeling agreement. My advice is to have a trusted friend or relative accompany you to any modeling assignments. You might also consider asking for a good-faith deposit of 20% to 50% of your modeling fee in advance to secure any future job opportunities in a reasonable way for both parties.

MY MOM SAYS I'M TOO YOUNG TO ATTEND A WEDDING!

DR. WALLACE: I got invited to a wedding because the older sister of one of my close friends is getting married in about three weeks. She's 23 years old, and her soon-to-be husband is 25.

My best girlfriend is going to be in the wedding, and although I didn't get selected to be a bridesmaid, I want to be there to support my friend and witness the wedding because I've never seen one in person. I'm a girl who is 16 years old and I feel I'm old enough to attend a wedding, but my mom thinks that I shouldn't be attending any weddings until I'm an adult!

It's strange, because my mom likes my best friend very much and she respects her family. Do you think a 16-year-old girl should be allowed to attend a friend's wedding? — I really want to go, via email

I REALLY WANT TO GO: I solidly agree with you on this, so long as there are not any other mitigating circumstances that are holding your mother back from giving you this permission.

Have you been grounded recently? Have you done anything that has caused your mother to reduce your freedom, or to have doubts about how you might behave in public? If so, that could be the reason, much more than your current biological age.

But those things aside, if you've been well behaved, have a good relationship with your mother, and are a good student, I see no reason why you shouldn't be allowed to attend the wedding of your close friend's sister. People of all ages are routinely invited to weddings, and as we all know well, even small children are often part of a wedding ceremony.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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