In this industry, there are plenty of people that call themselves “models.”  However, most photographers will attest that there is a strikingly low percentage of models out there that can be deemed “high caliper” … or top-notch.  Of course, each photographer has his or her own criteria by which they rank the talent they shoot.  For me, there are three … in order of importance:

#1 Professionalism: I don’t care how stunning a model is in her looks, if she is not professional the beauty means nothing! What good is a model that is almost flawless in her body and looks, if she doesn’t show up on time or at all, is obnoxious, has a “diva” complex or is just down right rude and disrespectful to the people she works around? I have seen a few… and usually I try to cut them off at the pass and hopefully prevent them from even stepping foot into my studio.  If you consider the talent out there with “super model” status, you would be generally hard-pressed to find those bad traits I mentioned above in them.

#2 Complete Beauty: I wrote the word “complete” before beauty because I have found that most models will posses an amazing body and “ok” face, an amazing face and “ok” body or unfortunately neither.  My heart will usually skip a beat when I come across a model that has both of these qualities.  I was watching an HD show that had women in bikinis posing for a shoot on the beach.  I just laughed as they presented these women with hard bodies and blah-looking faces – complete with close-ups of their sad, blotchy, pimple and make-up covered faces.  Yuck! They even had one woman posing topless, which reminded me of another peeve of mine.  Sometimes women will automatically expect I will want to work with them because they are willing to pose nude.  I don’t blame them for this expectation, but rather the GWCs (Guy’s With Camera) that are so desperate to get a woman naked in front of them that they will accept and pay anything.  Doing so lowers the standards for everyone else in the industry, pushing photographers to hire someone who is lacking the “quality” because they will remove their clothing.  Some may think I am being too critical, but keep in mind when someone tags themselves as a “model” they are inviting a review and judgment from everyone and anyone.

#3 Open-mindedness: Ok, so I have managed to line up the most amazing model – the pre-shoot details are set, the shoot is scheduled, the model is booked… my creative juices are flowing like a river and ready to be captured on film.  Great!  Model shows up and then proceeds to lay down the law – I won’t do this, I don’t like this angle, that makeup is too much, I need 10 bathroom breaks, lots of this…lots of that… My creative license has been pretty much revoked or stifled before I even shoot my first frame.  Point is… if a model is not going to be open-minded enough to embrace my creativity and professional movement to ultimately create some fantastic images, I say “why the heck are we here?”

Fortunately, this industry is a scalable one, so there IS work for the masses and less than perfect specimen.

…from a recent shoot at the boutique class Alexis Hotel in Seattle.

Kristen: Upholstered MUA: Freakishly Beautiful

Kristen: Emerald Teddy MUA: Freakishly Beautiful

Nudity in photographs affects the viewer [or client] in a way that probably nobody else would experience in the same way.  Some are receptive to it, some are turned off, some are threatened while some may embrace it.  What drives these reactions are feelings and emotions that come from the very core of our being. A person’s insecurities can influence their behavior and reaction towards nudity; the opposite can lead to openness and willingness to accept it. There are just so many variables that can make up a person’s opinion on the topic – culture, age, race, gender, religion, morals… you name it and there is probably is a link.

Personally, the nude body is one-of-a-kind, beautiful, natural and I celebrate this fact every time I photograph a client or model in that capacity.  I have learned that my attitude, as reflected by my mannerisms, can truly impact whether the nude person in front of my camera will walk away with a positive experience.  For example, if during a nude session I am glaring at the client or feeling nervous myself, this will of course make them feel uneasy as well.  Professionalism is extremely important and I always adhere to it, never deviating.  Unfortunately, there are a few in the industry that give the rest of us credible and legitimate photographers a bad name.

My friends and family sometime joke with me and ask how I can shoot sexy and alluring women all day and not be aroused or “turned-on” – am I gay?  No, I am not gay and it is really easy actually to not have these feelings.  The professional shooting environment is setup so that I can capture the best images possible of my subjects.  I have no time nor interest in even considering something other than the main task before me.  Who has time for that? Not me, I am more concerned with making sure the lighting is set right, client posed in the most flattering way and ultimately having my client walk out of my studio feeling confident, empowered and beautiful.  A lot of women have commented to me that they initially had a pre-conceived idea about what it might be like to pose nude.  However after a few minutes, those feelings of uncertainty ebbed away and were replaced with comfort and sometimes even a sense of being liberated.

One of the biggest challenges I face with shooting the full range of glamour (including nudity), is that people sometimes make the wrong assumptions about me and the business.  For example, I would be a rich man if I had a quarter for every time a client assumed that they would be required to pose nude.  They made this assumption based solely on the fact that I had nude images in my portfolio.  If they had only asked the question, they would learn that every client passing through my door is in complete control of what we shoot.  If they want to pose in a winter coat and scarf, with ten layers of clothing on, I will shoot it – though it might strain my creative process.   A similar misconception is that if they work with me and the studio, they will have to have their images posted publicly on the internet.  In fact, by default, a client’s privacy is always protected and extreme discretion is adhered.  The ONLY way I can or will post an image on my site is if I have the express written consent, via model release form, from the client ahead of time.  All of the photos on my site are of models or clients that either requested or were asked by me (we got an exceptional shot) to have them displayed publicly.

I could go on and on, as this topic is truly never-ending, so I leave you with two of my favorite quotes on the subject:

• “To see you naked is to recall the Earth.” – Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936, Spanish Poet, Dramatist, Musician and Artist)

• “In the NUDE, all that is not beautiful is obscene.” – Robert Bresson (1907-1999, French Film Director)

Her name is Shyn and this MUA can style, primp, brush, pencil, mold, buff, dab, revitalize, accessorize and pretty much bring-back-from-the-dead any person you put in front of her -  she is AMAZING.  Shyn is also a very talented model, actress, up-and-coming photographer, dedicated and loving single-mom to a cute little boy, and ultimately warrior-goddess of the world.  I know.. I am using a lot of adjectives here.. but they are all approrpiate.  Heck, the woman even offered to spackle, paint and smooth out my studio’s walls for me (nothing to do with her gender, just amazed she would have any time).

I have only worked with her for about a year now, but in that time, we have had some memorable times working on my shoots (provided at the expense of some whacked-out models / clients).

Candid shot of Shyn with client:

Shyn, early morning - working her magic!

Let me get that...!!

I love this shot, I was trying to explain to the model to make some adjustments, so that she could ultimately perk up her breasts….well, after a few minutes of not getting it, Shyn decided to take it [them] into her own hands. The model was fine btw, the expression though was priceless.

I have been wanting to create this for some time, over the years I have stored up in my brain some of the best dumb-ass excuses I have received from models.  I certainly don’t think every model out there is giving me lines, but c’mon … really….. ok, you be the judge:

• Funeral: I remember a model one time told me the following, as to why she had to cancel her shoot scheduled in two weeks, “Hi, yeah, unfortunately I need to cancel my shoot on May 27 [two weeks ahead] because I have to attend a funeral on that day.”  Now granted, she was at least courteous enough to let me know in advance that she couldn’t make it, but wow … that excuse just left me utterly speechless! I was thinking to myself later “did she have an execution to attend?”

• Power Outage: A model sends me an email and says that she never bothered to show up for her shoot an hour before because she had a power outage.  She goes on to tell me though that she is even sitting in the dark, as she is typing the email to me because the power is still out. Hmm, now I am thinking, “so power is out but she can still send an email?” I call her, and when she answers the phone she sticks to her story, but in the background you hear someone say “hurry up, the movie is starting!”

• Stripper Pole: Had a model tell me the reason she was a “no-show” for our shoot was because the night before the stripper pole she was swinging on broke! She ended up having to be rushed to the hospital with a concussion.  Maybe this was true, but I still think it qualifies as lame-ass.

• Born Again Christian: Had a girl not show and later tell me the reason is because that day she became a Born Again Christian and then decided she was not going to model anymore.  That is all well and good, but does that mean she was now unable to use the phone, email or anything to at least let me know? Note: A week later my photographer buddy did a shoot with her – guess that BAC shit was short-lived.

• Deported: Model emails me telling me she got deported back to the Philippines and that is why she couldn’t make it to the shoot.  Just for the fun of it, I looked up the location of the IP address attached to the email – San Francisco!  Maybe she had a relative send the email from the US? I don’t know, maybe I am not supposed to be so technically savvy – sorry.

Of course, these five are on top of the many last minute sicknesses, food poisonings, dead grandmothers, car accidents, muggings, car towings and stolen everything (cell phones, laptops, keys, purses etc.).

Stay tuned… I am sure there will be more to come.