Studio Erotic - Your portal to the world of Erotic Photography
Working with dancers is a pretty good way to go if you can get them interested in your project. These women typically have a very guarded attitude when it comes to someone tossing them a card while they are on stage. I was fortunate enough to work with a few of the local dance publications and worked diligently to bring about a change in the portrayal of dancers in them. Some people just don't get it. If they wanted to be hookers they would be hookers. I realize in some cities the line blurs but in Portland, Oregon, the highest per-capita instance of adult venues in the US, dancers are for the most part performance artists. I do know some of them break the rules but they are few and far between in this arena.
Got ants in your pants waiting for Summer? Now is the time to plan for upcoming shoots by working through new ideas and finding the perfect models to book for them. Hit up CraigsList, ModelMayhem and of course OneModelPlace to track down models that want to update their portfolios or who charge within your project's talent budget.
Send them enough information so they know what they are getting into but leave out any details that would give away your idea. I know several photographers who have fallen victim to models gleaning ideas and shooting them with other less creative or less expensive photographers. Most of the time, you'll find the models pleasant and great to work with. Another method of finding top notch, established models is to hit up your local photography club and ask for models that might be interested in working with you.
Ok... the most important thing to remember about photography is... come on.... you know it... LIGHT. That's right, light or the absence of it make an image. Some photographers spend all their time mastering light others master their camera technique and a third group masters the interaction between the model and the camera. It's rare to see someone that's new to photography get all three facets represented in their work but when they finally get it, like I did. It's pretty much the most exciting thing you can think of for a photographer. Seeing all those elements tangled up nicely in an image just seems like magic.
My progression went this way. First, I picked up the camera and started shooting film, lots of film. I had no idea what I was doing but I had an awareness about me to strive for better and better images. I'd say that most of my work back then was based on trial and error and pure luck. There was no instant preview so you had to meter like crazy and rely on you past experiences and seldom made notes of similar photography sessions to help guide you along. I read books and magazines, gleaning them for all the tricks the pros used but seldom found what I was looking for. Back then, there were "secrets" that only few shared. Sure you saw articles in magazines but mostly they were about getting better snapshots of your vacation and children and focused almost entirely on gear. The magazines were all about advertising gear for sale so that was what you got.
Another weekend of erotica approaches. It's funny how fast the summer seems to fly by when you're having fun. I still have to get up to the mountains to do some shooting but the small town I'm visiting is a little short of models that enjoy erotic photography. In my experience, it seems that women in larger cities are less afraid of nudity. Maybe it's the anonymity of a large population base or maybe small towns just breed a certain amount of conservatism within their female residents. Whatever the reason, it is making my life very, very difficult.
I have several models that want to shoot but they are from outlying areas. Anywhere from 45 - 400 miles away. The only problem with that is I've never shot with them. This gets difficult for a number of reasons.
