|
I use the following:
- Bronica GS1
camera, which produces a 6x7
negative (2.25" x 2.75").
- Good ol'
Tri-X film (ASA 400), developed in Kodak D76.
- Ilford Gallerie glossy paper, developed in
Kodak Dektol.
- Speedtron Brownline strobes (for studio
pictures), with a variety of soft boxes, the largest of which is 4'
x 6'.
- Various light modifying gizmos.
In May,
2005, I obtained a new digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix 8400.
My previous digital camera, a
Canon Powershot G5 (5 megapixel) camera, did not fire the strobes
reliably, so I replaced it. There are things I like about the
Nikon:
- I
like being able to use the pivoting/swinging LCD screen to compose
& expose images.
- It
has a supported methodology (the AS-15 accessory) for firing
strobes.
- It's
8 megapixel -- plenty for my purposes.
- I can
use it to preview lighting & to show models what we are working
on.
If it wasn't for its
inconsistency in firing the strobes, I might prefer the Canon -- I think
its colors are more accurately rendered, it is easier to use, and it is
a bit faster. But the Nikon works reliably, and that's very
important.
I scan
my film/paper images using my good ol' HP Scanjet 5 -- in fact, I
keep around an old computer running Windows 98 just to run the Scanjet.
I've tried newer scanners, but don't like them as much.
I use
Jasc's Paint Shop Pro 9 to process all the digital images (those
scanned from film/paper & those from the digital camera.
I've
recently purchased a Canon Pixma MP780 all in one printer.
I does make decent prints from good digital images, but I'm still a
believer in traditional film & paper photography.
(Return to the
top).
I'm a traditionalist. If my objective was
solely this web site, I'd probably work in digital photography.
Digital is much more convenient, and to be honest, I don't enjoy
darkroom work all that much. But my objective is the best art that
can be displayed on the wall, and for that, digital photography doesn't
come close (yet). If you compare a good digital print to a
photographic print I can produce, you'd find that the photographic print
is better -- the blacks are darker, the whites are whiter, and the tonal
range is richer. And while I usually print 8x10 prints, I
sometimes print 11x14 or even 16x20 -- a digital image would have to be
huge to produce a decent print of that size. I read once that in
order to record the information in a 35mm negative, a digital image
would have to have 200 megapixels. My 6x7 negatives are maybe four
times bigger than a 35mm negative. Today's sub-$1000 digital
cameras are more in the 6-8 megapixel range. You do the math.
Also, I produce a lot of images each year, and
I find it more convenient to store my negatives (with contact sheets) in
a loose leaf binder than it would be to find some way to store all that
digital images.
(Actually, I recently got a Sony combo DVD
drive in my PC -- storage isn't much of a problem.)
Note (June 14, 2004):
In a recent sitting, I produced a
digital image that I really, really liked. I still believe that
the objective is to put the best quality image on the wall, and for
that, digital still doesn't come close to film/paper. But I really
haven't produced a framed print in a long time, so perhaps I will
produce more digital images (and invest in a color printer). So,
perhaps for future sittings, I'll rely on more digital images. How
do you guys feel about that?
(Return to the
top).
No. It takes me a good amount of time to
produce a top quality print -- I may be able to crank out a handful per
day, assuming that I was motivated. Because of the effort &
that materials I use, I would have to sell each 8x10 print for more than
$300, just to break even. Given that many photographers sell their
(digital) prints for quite a lot less, I'm not sure the occasional sale
would be worth the effort. (For a while, I donated prints to an
on-air art auction at a San Jose public television station -- usually
great fun. There, my prints were auctioned off for prices in the
$500 range.)
Besides, I'm concerned about the effect of
earning money through my photography. Right now, I make the images
I want to make. If I want to photograph a nude model twirling a
hula hoop or if I want to pour chocolate over a model, I'll do it.
If I started earning income through my photography, I am concerned that
I'd start trying to make images that would sell. I don't want to
do that -- I don't have the energy to produce commercially successful
images and still have energy to follow my own muse.
Note:
The reality is that I've been laid off, and I've had to sextuple
the
bandwidth of this site to keep it up & running. I am
considering offering (probably digital) prints for sale from this web site. What is
your opinion?
(Return to the
top).
This is a popular question. I'll share
some thoughts.
First of all, I consider the finding,
selecting, and negotiating with models to be part of the artistic
process. Your resulting images are dependent on the model and your
ability to communicate with her/him. Choose carefully.
Secondly, lots of photographers, especially
beginners, don't want to pay models. That's fine if you can find
models who want to do you a favor & pose for free or for prints, but
most models I know will pose for free only for experienced & talented
photographers, so beginning photographers may have problems finding free
modeling. All photographers should take a moment and think about
their photo sittings from the model's point of view -- why would a model
want to pose for you for no compensation? Think about it.
My advice:
- Put yourself in the model's shoes.
Why would someone (possibly a stranger) want to take off their
clothes for you & your camera? What is their motivation?
- For the most part, it is a very good idea to
compensate every model in some way. What do you have to offer?
If you don't compensate your models, then the ownership of the
resulting images is questionable, even with a model release.
- Be as clear as possible about what you want.
You won't be successful if a model stops by thinking that she's
posing for clothed portraits and you ask her to remove her clothing.
- Have some images to show her. Best
would be to show her images you've done, but if you are a beginner,
it might be a good idea to show her someone else's pictures if you
intend to try to emulate.
- If you are just starting out,
- Don't neglect to ask
friends. If
you can't ask your friends to pose, how do you expect to be able
to ask strangers? Besides, friends are more likely to be
comfortable with you and to pose for you for free.
- Check out local colleges & art
schools for nude photography workshops. I used to see lots
of these offered, but lately, such workshops are scarce. I
guess that's an indication that the social climate has been
drifting to the conservative.
- Additional ideas:
- Don't be offended if a model asks to be
compensated or if a model asks for what you consider to be "too
much". Just because a model is worth "$X" (or
thinks she's worth "$X"), that doesn't mean you can afford
"$X". Just say no.
- As an
exercise, find out what other local photographers are paying their
models. How do you do that? Well, ask local
photographers and/or models!
- Check
out my FAQ for Models
for more hints.
I've seen some photographers who feel that a
model should be honored to be asked to pose for them, and that should be
enough compensation (or at least that should justify low modeling
rates). I'd like to think that I'm too humble for that.
(Return to the
top).
Yes. I suggest that you do a search on
the Internet for model releases, because I'm no lawyer, and you
should definitely NOT take any legal advice from me.
The problem with most of the model releases
I've found is that they are very scary. Many say things like
giving the photographer permission to use the images in a way that may
be embarrassing. Heck, if I was a model, I wouldn't sign many of
the releases I've seen. So, I've created a very simple release (click
here for a MS Word version) -- it's a bit more friendly, and it
probably doesn't protect me 100%, but since I don't sell my images nor
do I charge for viewing them on this site, I'm hoping that I'm
okay. Besides, the best thing that protects me is my relationships
with the models -- we might not produce wonderful images, but I hope
that all models leave the sitting after having fun & feeling
respected.
For
models -- read those releases carefully. When you sign, you give
the photographer the right to use the images of you in any way the
photographer wishes, without further compensation. If you want to
restrict those usages, talk to the photographer.
Note:
I've had people ask to be hired to pose for me, but they don't want to
sign a model release. I figure that if I can't get a signed model
release, then I shouldn't be hiring the model. Perhaps the model
wishes to hire me?
(Return to the
top)
You
should first understand that I got started with nude photography because
of the challenge -- despite its popularity & prevalence, nude
photography is very difficult. The challenge is being able to
visualize worthwhile images, finding models, getting models to agree to
pose for you, and of course the technical challenges of producing
worthwhile images. Welcome to the brotherhood!
There
are related questions here in this FAQ -- read this FAQ
thoroughly. Some additional ideas:
- Identifying
models & getting them to agree to pose for you is part of the
artistic process.
Select wisely.
- See the question
"How Do I Find Models"
here on this FAQ page.
- Also,
when you are done with this question, look at the "Do
You Have More Advice For Photographers" question on
this FAQ page.
- I
know it's a burden, but you'll have to look
at lots of nude photographs
(there are several hundred here on this site, for a start, plus tons
of links to other nude photography web sites on the links
page). Analyze the pictures you see:
- For
the pictures you like, what about it appeals to you?
- How
do you think the picture was made? What did the
photographer & model discuss before the picture was
made? What was going on immediately before &
immediately after the exposure?
- For
the pictures you don't like, why don't you like them?
- What
would you do differently?
- How
was the image lit?
- At
all times, consider
the model's feelings.
When you ask a model to do something or to pose in some way, how
would they feel about that?
- At
all times, treat your models with respect!!!
No touching. Don't invade their "space" without
asking permission. Don't ask them to go beyond their limits.
- Start
simple
-- work outdoors with natural light, but if you do, select a private
location.
- Discuss
concepts with the model beforehand,
and in general, don't stray too far from previously agreed upon
concepts. It's a good idea to show the model images you'd like
to try. This not only sets expectations & avoids surprises
during the sitting, it improves your ability to talk about your
photography, which is essential to making improvements.
- Practice,
practice, practice.
(Return to the
top).
Well, yes, I guess I can
share some of my experiences:
- Get
yourself a web site. Or put together a portfolio of
your images & carry that around. It's a great help if you
can show potential models examples of your work, and it's usually
encouraging to get feedback from people. Your web site doesn't
have to be fancy (this one isn't), but it should show a variety of images &
photographic styles, and you should keep it up to date.
- View
& analyze images. I am mostly self-taught, and
the single most helpful habit of mine is that when I see a
photograph I like, I analyze it. How was it lit? How was
it produced? Could I produce a similar image? What would
I do differently? And so forth. And it's not a bad idea
to show some of these images to potential models to let them know
what you are trying to achieve. Verbalize this analysis --
it'll help you to become more articulate about photography.
- Seek
out local photographers & start a network.
You'll find that local photographers will share tips, models,
locations, equipment, etc. with people they know & trust.
- Be
prepared to offer models references.
- Have
a clear idea about what you want to accomplish during each
photography sitting.
- Most
workshops are often valuable, especially for beginners.
- Learn
to use the "manual" settings on your automatic cameras.
Get
a light meter & learn how to use it. Learn how to select
an appropriate exposure for an image. Focus the camera
yourself. These things will slow you down a bit, and more
importantly, force you to think a bit before making your
exposure. And the more you think about your image, the better
the image will be.
- Don't
do the same thing over & over. Figure out
significant or subtle improvements or totally new ideas. The
goal isn't the final print -- the whole objective is the experience,
and you learn practically nothing if you just go over old ideas.
- Put
up a bulletin board somewhere, and pin up your latest photographs
& other photographs that you like. The bulletin
board needs to be somewhere in your eyesight on a daily basis.
If you live with your photographs, you'll think about them more.
(Return to the
top).
I
started making nude photographs because of the challenge -- how do you
find models willing to pose nude, how do you make the sitting
comfortable for all involved, how do you produce worthwhile images, etc. Nowadays, I'm more skilled at
nude photography, including finding wonderful models. Don't get me
wrong -- each sitting is a real thrill for me. But sometimes, I
want more of a challenge, and sometimes, I come across a model who is
interested in posing for pictures that are more erotic or extreme than
the typical "fine art" image. So, if conditions are
right (e.g. I am comfortable with the model, the model is comfortable
with me, and the model is comfortable and/or interested in such poses), I
occasionally create more extreme images. A couple of notes:
1) 90% of the time, I try to produce "fine art" images,
and 2) I consider the fetish work that I've done to be more erotic than
"fine art". Anyway, there are a few "secret"
pages containing these images. The
secret galleries aren't extensive,
but there are a half dozen pages or so.
The
challenge to this kind of photography (for me, at least) is how
do you use such subject matter & create artful pictures.
Pretty much any time you dabble in these themes, you are likely to
create sleazy or shocking pictures.
Recently,
I've decided to make access to these secret pages available to selected
visitors. I've decided that only those people who have made a
voluntary donation (of any amount) will get access to these pages.
Here's how you can get access:
- Make
a donation using the "Voluntary
Donations" link. This will allow you to make a
donation.
- Within
a couple of days, I'll send you a "Thank You" note, which
will include a link to a form & instructions on how to apply for
access to the secret galleries, if you are so interested. The
purpose of this form is for you to indicate that you are of legal
age and that your community, computer, and computer owner supports
the viewing of erotic/adult material. With this form, you can
select your own user name & password. Your user name &
password is case sensitive.
- I'll
send you confirmation when the user name & password have been
implemented; I'll include the link to the secret galleries.
- And
then you are set.
I
reiterate: the
secret galleries are not extensive; I should add that I'm not very good
at these themes.
If you are considering making a voluntary donation (and thank you for
that!), I'd prefer that you think of your donation as a contribution for
the support of the extensive public galleries & not as a purchase
for access to the secret galleries.
If you do get a username
& password, please do not share these with anyone else.
Note:
Your user name & password will be valid only until January 1st of
the following year. After that, you'll have to reapply (i.e make
another donation). Donations made in December will be good through
the following year.
Note:
Don't confuse the Out Takes Galleries with the Secret Galleries.
Starting in 2005, I've decided to limit the number of images I post for
each sitting; I do this in order to conserve bandwidth -- the Out Takes
are more of the same kind of images I post publicly. The secret
galleries are more extreme or erotic or explicit. People who make
a voluntary donation will automatically receive a shared username &
password for the Out Takes -- they have to apply explicitly in order to
receive a different username & password for accessing the secret
galleries.
See the
next question for more details.
(Return
to the top)
In
October, 2002, I was laid off from HP (after working there for 23 years
-- feels like I was discarded like a used tissue), and I haven't replaced that job. While I had planned for a
very early retirement, and while I've been able to pick up money here
and there, I am now a bit sensitive to expenses. This site has
only grown -- it currently has over 6500 image files from dozens of
sittings. Meanwhile, this
site's popularity has grown -- my home page is getting over
400 hits a day, and I'm averaging over
2 Gb of bandwidth each day. Despite
over sextupling the bandwidth limit during 2004, we still often run out
of bandwidth!!!
This still is a significant expense for me. Additionally,
photography can be an expensive hobby: not only do I have to pay
for web hosting, I also pay for modeling fees, film, paper, lighting
equipment, camera equipment, darkroom equipment, props, etc. Each
sitting costs a few hundred dollars.
So, I
asked my visitors for suggestions, and the one I liked the best is this:
asking for voluntary donations. This site will remain free for all
to enjoy, and I don't intend to charge anyone for access to the main
site. I also do not intend to place ads or banners on this site,
and I won't get sponsors for this site. So, voluntary donations
seems like a good way to go. Here's how it works:
- Enjoy
the site. You'll find that it is extensive & robust.
- If
you are so inclined, I would appreciate a donation of
any amount (over $5.00).
- In
order to make a donation, follow this
link, and on that page, you'll find a link that
will allow you to submit donations to this site. That should
be safe & easy for everyone.
- I'll
send you a thank-you e-mail when I receive notice of your donation.
- I
offer three
extra incentives to
people who make a donation:
- I've
put together an e-mail distribution list, which I'll use for
sharing news & update notices. I will not sell or
share this list with anyone. By default, I'll put the
addresses of the donators onto this distribution list, but if
you'd prefer to be left off this list, just let me know after I
send you your thank-you note.
- In
order to conserve bandwidth, I've decided to limit the number of
images I post from each sitting -- I will post additional images
from each sitting in the Out
Takes Galleries, and access to these out takes will be
available only to those who have made a donation.
- I've
decided to grant access to the "secret pages" only to
people who have made a donation (of any amount). By
default, I will not
grant access to the secret pages -- you have to ask explicitly.
See this question for more details.
Note: Both the Out Takes access and the Secret
Galleries access are good only for the calendar year in which the
donation is made (donations made in December will remain good for the
following calendar year).
Please do not share your
passwords with others. Thanks.
Why no ads, sponsors, or banners? First of all, I find them
annoying & distracting when I come across them. Secondly, this
is my hobby, and I'm making the images that appeal to me -- if I sell my
images or sell sponsorships or place ads, I may shift my thinking to
producing images that are more popular or financially successful, and
that's not what this site is all about.
|
|
You can use your credit card to make your
donation. Your transaction is secured by VeriSign -- I
don't see your credit card number. |
One final note: if you are considering a donation (and thank
you for that), please do so with the mindset that you are contributing
to the support of this extensive web site (which contains well over 3000
images) -- the secret galleries are not extensive (but there are a lot
of images from recent sittings in the Out Takes galleries).
Thank
you very much for your support.
(Return to the
top).
The past
couple of years have been significant for me, in a lot of ways:
- I
feel that the quality of my work has increased significantly.
- I
started posting larger pictures, and more pictures per sitting.
- I got
laid off from my "real job", and I'm attempting to be
semi-retired (which makes expenses a more sensitive issue).
- My
web site has become "established" & has grown in
popularity.
- As
the web site's popularity has grown, I started exceeding the
bandwidth limit I purchased from my web host.
- Purchasing
extra bandwidth has proved to be expensive, so I started asking for
"voluntary donations".
- My
productivity increased -- I posted twice as many sitting last year
than I did the previous year.
- With
the increased productivity, I saw a good increase in the quality of
my images.
- For
the last two sittings completed last year, I posted over 100 images
from each sitting.
- And
we continue to run out of bandwidth each month.
So, at
the suggestion of a patron of the web site, I intend to restrict the
number of images I publicly post from each sitting. Additional
images will be made available in the "Out
Takes Galleries", which will only be available to those
people who have made a voluntary donation. Here are some notes:
- When
someone makes a voluntary donation, they will immediately receive a
shared username & password for accessing the "Out Takes
Galleries".
- The
out takes are similar to the images posted. The "Secret
Galleries" contain more erotic or explicit images, and
patrons must request & qualify before they get a separate
username & password to access these.
- The
out takes username & password will be good only for the calendar
year in which the donation was made. (Donations made in
December will be good for the following calendar year).
See the
"Voluntary Donations" and the
"Secret Galleries" questions for
more information. Thank you for considering making a donation that
will help towards the upkeep of this web site -- your support is greatly
appreciated.
(Return to the
top).
I use a
form for facilitating visitors communications with me for a few reasons:
- I can
obfuscate (hide) my e-mail address from some applications which
harvest e-mail addresses & sell them to spammers.
- It
lets me ask readers specific questions, like asking them to suggest
URLs for sites I should visit.
- It's
an excuse for me to learn a bit more about HTML scripting.
(Return to the
top).
This is
depressing -- it costs a lot. To be honest, I only recently tried
to figure it out, but the costs have been increasing quite a bit.
Some of the major factors include the following:
- Modeling
fees: $60 - $250 (double this amount for two-model sittings).
- Film:
$20 - $40
- Paper
& Chemistry: ~$80+
- Plus,
figure in pro-rated camera, equipment, water, electricity, etc.
Time-wise:
it can also be expensive:
- It
usually takes a couple of exchanges to set up a sitting with a
model, during which we discuss the sitting, compensation, and dates.
- It
takes me about two hours to tear apart my living room & set up
the camera & lighting equipment.
- A
typical sitting lasts about three hours, during which I expose about
10 rolls of film (100 exposures) and perhaps an equal amount of
digital exposures.
- I
often put together a "quick preview" page for the model,
showing her some of the digital images we made. This takes 2
to 3 hours.
- I
have a Jobo film processing machine that can develop up to 10 rolls
of film in a single batch. It takes about 2 or so hours to
develop that single batch, then an hour drying time, and a half hour
to cut them down.
- Then
I print contact sheets for all 10 rolls, which takes about another
couple of hours, usually on a separate day.
- Then
I select the images I wish to print. There are 10 exposures
per roll, thus there are a 100 exposures in the 10 roll
sitting. I tend to print between 30% and 50% of the images,
and that takes a full day or two.
- The
printed images have to be pressed for a couple of days, otherwise
they curl up too much.
- I
scan the images & make some minor digital adjustments (e.g.
applying toning, correcting dust spots, etc.). For a typical
sitting, this step takes 3 to 5 hours.
- I
also process each digital image carefully for posting on the web
site. Another 2 to 3 hours.
- Note:
all that darkroom work is not necessary for digital images --
they are already "scanned" & are ready for digital
manipulation. Tempting as it is to save the expense & time
associated with film processing, I am still committed to film
images. My yardstick is still the quality of images I can put
on the wall, and to my mind, digital doesn't come close to the
quality I can still achieve with film & paper.
- Finally,
I put together draft web pages -- depending on the sitting, that
could take up to 10 or more hours.
Bottom
line: it can get to be very expensive & time consuming! Have you seen my Voluntary
Donations page?
If you
do the arithmetic, you'll see why I rarely host more than one sitting
per month, although in 2004, I was more prolific than that. During
2004, I hosted two sittings in a single day, and in a separate run, I
hosted three sittings in twelve days. That keeps me busy.
(Return to the
top).
Gosh, I
don't really know. But it's been around for several years, and
I've been adding pictures to it all along. If you explore the
site, you'll find several dozens of sittings with dozens of models, and
perhaps over 6500 images. That's pretty good for a site that is
free, has no sponsors, doesn't require membership, and has no adware/spyware.
Again, I can use help to keep the site going -- if you can, please visit
the Voluntary Donations
page and perhaps make a contribution to help keep the site
going.
(Return to the
top).
To be
honest, I started making nude photographs because I thought they would
be challenging, and this specific aspect, learning to be comfortable
with nude models, is the single most significant part of the
challenge. It is difficult. Some suggestions:
- There
is a lot of information on these FAQs. Read them!
- See if you can find a
local workshop. When I lived in California, some local art schools
would offer nude photography workshops, in which there would be one
or two instructors, a few models, and maybe a dozen student
photographers. You can learn a lot at these, not only by working
with the models but also by watching the other students &
talking with the instructors. (To be honest, you can learn a
lot about what not to do by watching other
photographers & how the models react to them).
- If you can't find a
workshop, perhaps you can try contacting some experienced local
photographers & picking their brains. Perhaps once they get to
know you, they may consent to allowing you to observe one of their
sittings, but that's unlikely. Anyhow, you can do a search for
photographers by location in web sites like One
Model Place.
- You can share a model
with a more experienced photographer/friend.
- Start with an
experienced model -- let her know about your concerns & comfort,
and ask her to help you through. Good models will be very helpful.
- Or start with someone
you know, someone with whom you are already comfortable. I don't
know why beginners don't work with friends more often.
- Remember,
identifying, selecting, & negotiating with models is part of the
artistic process.
- Always, always,
always consider the feelings of the model! I find that if I
focus on making the model comfortable, my own comfort comes along as
a bonus.
- Practice,
practice, practice.
I'm
still not totally comfortable working with nude models, but I'm working
on it! But I've got a ways to go to improve, especially where it
comes to moving close to the model and where it comes to working with
new models. But sometimes that "discomfort" adds to the
overall thrill. I suspect that if/when I get totally comfortable
with nude photography, I'll probably get bored & will probably slow
down or stop.
(Return to the
top).
For a
few reasons, none of which would be "good" reasons:
- For
studio sittings, I convert my living room into a studio, and in the
seasons when the days are shorter, it's easier to block out light
coming in from the windows (for evening sittings, which I prefer).
- It's
really hard to drag myself into the darkroom when the weather is
nice outside. I feel like I'm missing out on the good
weather. (And I'll admit here that I don't really enjoy all
that darkroom work.)
- I
hate tan lines.
- I
like to take a break to "recharge" my creative
batteries. If I just push through all year round, doing
sittings constantly, I find that I get into a rut & all the
images I produce start to look alike.
On the
other hand, several models are also students, and they are more readily
available during the summer when schools are closed. Additionally,
it seems that more models travel during the summer. So, I suppose
that if the opportunity presents itself, I will do a summer photo
session.
(Return to the
top)
To me, there are two key
aspects to examine when viewing photographs: the aesthetic
& the technical. Both must
be present for a photograph to be considered (at least by me)
"good".
Technical
Considerations: It's all about tonality. Think
about really old television sets, with manual adjustments for
brightness & contrast -- has the photographer adjusted those knobs
correctly? Is there deep rich dark tones? Are there
details in the shadows? Are the highlights bright without being
blown out? Are there appropriate details in the
highlights? Oh, yes -- is the image appropriately focused?
Does the image have the appropriate depth of field?
Aesthetic
Considerations: Of these two, the aesthetic quality
of the image are the most important by far. And of the two, the
aesthetic quality is the most difficult to quantify. Some things
to think about:
- Does the image work
overall?
- Do all the elements
of the image contribute to the overall impact of the image?
- Is the image well
composed?
- Was the light well
crafted (for artificial lighting) or well selected (for natural
lighting)?
- Is the concept
original? Was it well executed?
- Does the image
evoke an emotional response?
Stuff like that.
(Return to the
top)
I
used to. I really like well done outdoor nude photography, and
when the weather turns nice, I try to resolve to do some during the warm
weather season, but admittedly, I rarely do, for a variety of reasons:
- Nowadays,
to get the quality I expect from my photography, I need to carry a
lot of equipment, including a medium format camera, a sturdy tripod,
multiple lenses, film, reflectors, filters, light meter, and various
gadgets. It all adds up to a few dozen pounds of stuff to
carry.
- In
general, I'm paying models on an hourly rate, and for outdoor
photography, I feel obligated to pay the model for the commute time
to the site.
- I
don't know too many private sites that are appealing in the area.
- The
weather in this area is unpredictable.
- The
best times to do outdoor photography is very early in the morning
(e.g. dawn) or very late in the day (dusk), and these times can be
logistically difficult. For example, in order to catch the
best light of the day (dawn), I'd have to get up at maybe
4:00am. Not too many models can do that.
But that
being said, I am still interested in outdoor photography. Perhaps
someday I'll get it together. Some models (especially Jennifer)
have expressed interest in working outdoors.
(Return to the
top).
When I was about 14, I
attended a summer art school, planning to study film. My films
weren't anything special, but the images were encouragingly good.
At the last week, I borrowed a Pentax Spotmatic, and I ran around
photographing my friends for keepsakes. Those photographs were
interesting.
The next school year, a
friend's father was packing up a lot of old photography equipment to
give away, and I volunteered to take it off his hands. The loot
included an old Nikon rangefinder 35mm camera (that was older than I
was), filters, a basic light meter, and a full set of darkroom equipment
(I'm still using those original trays & tongs). That was the
beginning of my hobby.
I graduated high school
early. By this time, the camera was ensconced in an old army
surplus gas mask bag that was constantly slung over my shoulder.
The camera followed me everywhere -- in fact, I felt naked without
it. The camera followed me to college (Goddard College in
Plainfield, Vermont) where I continued to use it to do people
photography. While I may have done the occasional nude photograph
in college, I was mostly focused on landscape photography (Vermont was
beautiful!) and people photography. In fact, I have somewhere some
images of a very young David Mamet (a visiting artist at Goddard) and
William H. Macy (a dorm mate). During college, I strove to expose
two 36-exposure rolls a week.
After graduation, I
continued making pictures, but work ate up free time a lot. After
a few years in "the real world", I went to graduate school at
the University of North Carolina. Photography slowed down a bit,
but I still kept at it. After graduation, work really absorbed my
time, and my production dropped significantly. For a while,
though, I was the "staff" photographer for a local theater,
photographing the plays & actors for the lobby. I also did the
dance photographs at this time.
But I found that doing
less photography meant that I was less happy overall. I committed
myself to doing more photography in the early 90's, and I chose to focus
on nude photography as a challenge. So, some of these images you
see here are maybe 10 years old. I gradually ramped up doing nude
photography, participating in nude photography workshops in Northern
California primarily. Eventually, in the late 90's, I felt
comfortable enough to host my own private sittings.
The rest, you can see
here on this site.
(Return to the
top).
I get this question
fairly often, to which my immediate reply is, "well, does your
wife/girlfriend want to be photographed?" I find it best that
if someone wants to be photographed, they themselves should contact
me. That saves a lot of time for all of us. Then, look at
this next question, below.
(Return to the
top)
Maybe. Before we
get too serious about setting up a sitting, consider the following:
- I often get this
request from people who are nowhere near me, and I don't travel much
nowadays. I live in downtown Portland, Oregon -- are you going
to be in town for this proposed sitting?
- I do this for fun,
and currently my goal is to place the photographs I make on this web
site. Are you willing to have nude photos of yourself be on
display here? Are you willing to sign a model
release?
- Do you have
tattoos? I ask because I hate photographing tattoos (see
my tattoo rant). If I can't avoid your tattoos, I probably
won't photograph you. Sorry.
- Please understand
that each & every sitting represents a sizable commitment of my
energy, time, and finances. I simply can't host a sitting at a
moment's notice, and there is a small finite number of sittings I
can do each year. If I can't display the photos of you on this
web site, I'll have to think hard about doing the sitting (and will
probably decline the opportunity).
- What kind of pictures
would you want to do? Is there a specific target
audience? The more specific you can be, the easier it'll be.
- Will you be bringing
someone with you to the sitting.
- Have you thought
through how your friends / family / significant other will feel
about you posing for me?
- How accurate is your
own self-image? Will you be disappointed if/when the resulting
images look like you and not like how you want to look?
- Can you send me
pictures of yourself?
So, the initial key
question: are you working for me or am I working for you? If
you are working for me, I will compensate you & will expect to put the
resulting pictures on the web. If I am working for you, then you
would be paying me & you would retain the rights to the resulting
photographs. There is no scenario where I would compensate you
& allow you to retain the rights to the photographs. I'm not a
lawyer, but the person who pays the other person typically winds up with
the rights to the photographs.
Okay, I've been
candid. But I like to think that I can help inexperienced
models. I'm fairly easy-going & quiet; I am certainly
respectful, so I can be a good photographer for amateurs.
So, the answer is
maybe. Some things that would help:
- I tear up my house to
set up a "studio" for a sitting. Perhaps it'll be
best if we can arrange for your sitting to take place a day before
or a day after I've scheduled one of my regular sittings.
- Working in film
produces superior quality images, but it also requires much more
time (2-3 extra days); thus, I'd probably be more agreeable to a
digital-only sitting.
- Finally, be sure to
read the FAQ for
Models.
Note:
The last person who asked me to do this for her backed out at the last
minute. While I respect her decision to decline to pose nude, it
is annoying for me to put in the time & effort to do someone a
favor, only to have it fall apart in the eleventh hour. Thus, I am
somewhat reluctant to undertake this kind of thing.
So, think
about it a little more. If you are still interested, please
provide send me a picture of yourself. (Contact me
via the link at the top of the page & I'll send you an e-mail
address). I will not consider photographing anyone who I haven't
yet seen.
(Return to the
top)
Although
I've been inconsistent, lately when I colorize a digital image, I put a
"sepsat" at the end of the file name. For film images,
lately I've been colorizing all the images anyhow, so I don't bother
with the "sepsat" in the file name.
I use
JASC's Paint Shop Pro 9 to edit both the digital & the scanned film
& paper images. To "colorize" them,
- I use
the "Colorize" command, with Hue = 23 & Saturation =
75.
- Usually,
I then have to adjust the brightness & contrast.
Typically, I use the "Histogram Adjustment" dialog to do
this.
- Finally,
I use the "Automatic Saturation Enhancement" dialog, with
Bias = "More Colorful", Strength = "Normal" or
"Strong" (whichever looks best), and with the "Flesh
Tones Present" box checked.
Notes:
- Okay,
I know that if I used a greater saturation with the initial
"Colorize" command, I could perhaps skip Step #3,
above. But if it works, don't fix it. Someday I'll
experiment.
- I
don't use any of the "sepia" filters or effects -- these
tend to make adjustments to the contrast along with a colorization
step, and I don't like these side effects.
- If
you go to my links page,
you'll find an entry for the "Virtual Photographer" on the
right hand column. Virtual Photographer is a free plug-in with
tones of automatic enhancements to digital images. To see
examples of what this plug-in can do, go
to this Digital Variations page.
(Return to the
top).
 In May,
I was the victim of a touch of identity theft -- someone hacked my Pay
Pal account and made about a dozen purchases (mostly video games).
I caught it within hours of its occurrence. To their credit, both
Pay Pal & my bank responded quickly, and all charges were reversed
promptly. But I had to freeze my account, change my checking &
credit card accounts, and update all the various institutions that knew
of my account numbers. Of course, I was refinancing my home at the
time -- good timing, huh?
While
this was going on, Pay Pal decided that my site violated their Mature
Audience Policy of their Acceptable Use Policy. Ironic,
huh? Especially since Pay Pal is owned by E-Bay, and you know
about all sorts of things available for sale on E-Bay. Pay Pal
& I went through this once before, in December. At that time,
they froze my account before I had a chance to withdraw the funds that
were accumulated in there -- they intended to keep the hundreds of
dollars that was there. At that time, I appealed their decision,
and they unfroze my account. This time, for undisclosed reasons,
they denied my appeal & permanently closed my account (but at least
I was able to get the funds out before this happened).
I often
got feedback from visitors saying that they don't trust Pay Pal, and
given their capricious & inconsistent censorship (plus
horror stories like these), I don't blame people for wanting an
alternative to Pay Pal.
Well, so
be it. I don't need them; they don't need me. I'm just tired
of all these right-wing conservatives passing judgment on my art.
You do
what you want, but I'll never use Pay Pal again.
(Return to the
top).
Maybe.
Send me a URL. But be prepared -- I am brutally honest & I
have high standards. I'll try to be encouraging -- after all, I
appreciate all the encouragement I can get. But if there are
aspects that I don't like, I will tell you in no uncertain terms.
Here's a
list of things that bug me -- if your photos have problems like this,
you'll hear about it from me:
- Single
light source images. I want to see a tonal separation between
the subject & the background.
- Black
or white backgrounds -- boring.
- Bored
models.
- Models
who stare out into the distance, including but not limited to models
staring out of windows.
- Whole
collections with the same lighting.
- Show
me some shadows!
- Limbs
pointing at the camera lens, making said limb appear short &
stumpy.
- Models
exclusively photographed at eye level.
(Return to the
top).
Short
answer: No. I understand that a lot of photographers would
prefer "free" models -- perhaps they can't afford to hire
models or perhaps they are just frugal. Regardless, I have a
limited amount of time to devote to photography, and each sitting
represents a sizable commitment of time & expenses on my part.
I am therefore selective when choosing which sittings to host, and I'm
selective about which models I work with. I do prefer experienced
models, and such models also make a commitment of their time to pose for
me. They deserve to be compensated for their time, and I like the
fact that when they leave at the end of the sitting, our business
transaction is completed. Also, since the transaction is
completed, there is no dispute about ownership of the resulting
photographs.
A
different question would be "Can I get some prints or a CD from our
sitting?". See these FAQs from the FAQ
For Models:
(Return to the
top).
|
