NUDES DAY 2 of 2
Okay, I thought I would complete this thought in a day. Instead it took a week.
As I stated in last week’s journal, I usually ask somebody who is a friend and who seems to have an interest in the arts. Typically, anybody who I ask, I show them my work first. This not only allows me to gauge how they feel about the subject, but it also demonstrates to them that I am not shooting Hustler Magazine-type crotch shots.
If she agrees, we plan a time and a place to meet for the shoot. Most all of my shoots have been where I was living at the time. There I will have one or two portable studio lights ready to set up, music and wine.
The look and feel that I’m usually trying to capture includes a serious tone to it. The music I choose usually reflects that. I try to find something kind of modern but yet relaxing and almost classical in feel. If possible, I like to create a relaxed, sophisticated environment for the shoot so it doesn’t feel like a cheap frills sex shoot. Wine is nice because a drink or two will help settle nerves. Beer is a little heavy; to get the same effects, one tends to get bloated.
I suggest to the model that starting a couple hours before she shows up that she should wear loose-fitting clothes without undergarments to avoid pressure lines on the skin that might take hours to completely fade.
I have a pre-session model release that basically states that I can use all the images that are anonymous in nature, those in which the model’s identity is hidden, in any manner I want: galleries, my web site, future books, whatever. After I’ve processed all the photos, if I want any image in which the model’s identity is revealed, I’ll then ask her if she would release images on an image-by-image basis.
Then comes the shoot. Usually the process lasts a couple hours. Somewhere in the middle there is often a break when I completely change the set or location to try something different.
A lot of people have asked me (sometimes jokingly, sometimes seriously) if I sleep with my models or if I use this to pick women up. Absolutely not. I approach this very seriously. During the shoot there is absolutely no touching between me and the model unless I ask permission first, such as to move a lock of hair or something. I am very cautious not to do anything or act in any way that would be inappropriate or make the model uncomfortable in any way.
Afterwards, I develop the film and edit it down to just a couple frames that I like. I scan the negatives. Eventually I make it into the darkroom and print 11″x14″ prints. Then I contact the model and give her copies.
I’m in no hurry, but one day I would love to have a gallery showing of my work: a nice wine-and-cheese affair. But it will probably take a while before I have a body of work large enough that I’m proud of enough to show.
That said, if there is anybody out there who would be interested in modeling, certainly let me know.
Here are some clips from the journal that I don’t publish. It’s mostly technical giberish and such. Comments on models, how the shoot went, what worked, what didn’t, print exposure times, other thoughts.
