Seeking Persons To Pose For Art/Figure Photography. Exp Not Required. ((Always Hiring) Snohomish County)

Jan. 14, 2012

Seattle, WA

Confidential

Professional photographer of 20+ years is seeking persons to pose for figure/boudoir/erotic art sessions.

No experience necessary. Often times those who are new to this style modeling can often bring a fresh and honestly vulnerable presence and that can be very good for certain projects. I of course hire those with experience as well. If you are listed on a model database such as Mahem, please supply your model ID number or link.

Now it is important to note that I am Not looking for one specific style of person in terms of physical appearance. Inner beauty often defines outer beauty. What this amounts to is that I do not want you to predetermine that I would not have interest in you if your not a size 4. I shoot people of all sizes and there is no restriction on body art or piercings, stretch marks or anything else. These are all things which make you unique. There is no height or weight restrictions. A rough age range I wish to be in is 18-45

There are many various themes of work beyond it simply being au naturel. I shoot projects in the following styles:

*Implied nude (you are photographed nude, but the shooting for this area does not focus on any graphic element but rather the 'less is more' idea. I tend to shoot indirect or use heavy shadows to imply.

*Natural. (little hair and makeup prep is used for this style. Often times shot in a natural outdoor environment. Usually a private environment.)

*art nude (usually shot with little if any suggestive nature. Meant to define the body shape and lines. I shoot both in studio setting or in natural light.)

*Anonymous (these photos do Not involve the face and focus on various parts of the body.)

*Environmental/Outdoor (not a style for everyone, but some models enjoy the thrill of posing in common public areas)

*Candid (something that appeals to the voyeur in many. Shots taken not in studio setting, but everyday situational shots. A very popular theme!)

*Boudoir (a more suggestive theme with overtones. Some lingerie involved at times)

*Erotic art (For some reason, some people assume this means porn. It does Not. Erotic photography clearly does have very sensual overtones and can be taken in a lot of directions. Porn is very much over colored, non creative tripe. Erotic work is Not for everyone and is Not a requirement for you to work.

*Implied Sapphic (again, a very specific area of work Not meant for everyone obviously.)

No matter what the specific style, This is of course a form of work which requires an open mind and not for those who are super inhibited. Comfort with not only one's body, but one's self. And please do not fall into that trap of being critical of your body and start thinking of things that would prohibit you from believing you can pose. but I simply am looking for those who are ok with themselves. I'm not looking for super models, so you don't have to be one.

My work, I would like to think, tells a story. And is not merely a black and white depiction of someone physically. While this medium does focus a lot on the human body, I often think that the face will tell more of a story that the body will.

Ok, another subject I have come to find very important doing this work over the years is safety and comfort. a model is not going to be good if they do not feel safe and comfortable. So, by that alone, we will do an interview prior to any shooting going on. This interview is not only designed to suit my knowledge of who you are and if you would be a good fit, but it is also a time for You to do the same of Me.

A good and relaxed relationship must exist between myself and the model.

When both you and I have an interview and come through it with the idea we can indeed work together, we will go into a test shoot. Test shoots are designed to gauge the model's comfort, ability to relate to, and overall body language when being photographed in this type of work.

I have shot over 300 models in my time for figure study or related styles. A few things come to mind that I can pass along. If you are New to this and have never done it, I do Not expect you to be perfect and completely relaxed the first times you shoot. Some people are perfectly relaxed right from the start. Others need a little transition time. There is a difference between 'I would Never do that' and 'I would like to do that but feel embarrassed or shy.' Many many new models are shy. I am a patient person and will help you use methods which will help relax and move things along. Obviously if your experienced, this is just another "day at the office" to you and you will be observed in the test shoot more for your ability to take direction and how your style works with mine.

Also, due to the nature of the work, Some models have spouses which have issues with their other half doing this kind of work. So as I like to say, please make sure your husband/boyfriend is either open minded and cool with your choice of work or they simply do not know. I have had a few husbands knock on my door over the years in some misguided jealousy trip. I really don't need that kind of headache. I am not one to judge which method you choose if you fall into this category. Just that if issues arise that you keep them away from my door. I am a single father and have children who live with me part time (no, they are not present when I am doing a session) and prefer to keep my home a safe environment for everyone.

Yes, I do shoot out of my home. This is where my studio is located. I have a 4000 square foot lake home, so I have plenty of room. Some projects will not take place there of course, but much of the studio type work is. Many professional photographers and artists alike work from a home environment. I shoot portraits, passports, child photography as well here and I am a wedding photographer too. This element is but a small part of what I do. It is not cost effective to have a separate building for a studio given the work done simply doesn't require it. Honestly your more apt to run into a seedy porn studio/photographer working out of an actual commercial building. I have nothing against art sensual style photography. I just have issues with commercial porn falsely exploiting people.

Why do I shoot this style? Well, it's the same as asking an artist why they paint nudes. They find beauty on various levels and enjoy doing the style of work they have selected. So please be assured that the content from these projects is Not used for commercial or publishing purposes.

To guarantee you that Your content will be kept private, you will sign a contract which if you prefer will give you exclusive rights to the content! You will Never have your images published or posted in any publication or any other mass publication unless You consent in writing. Your content will Not be used for profit or exploitation. Now if you have modeled before you know that photographers seldom ever allow a model to have exclusive rights if they want them. As I have no intent to publicize or sell the content I have no problem granting these rights to the model if they want them. This contract allows me to sign some models who would not otherwise work because of the possibility of unwanted publicity. In effect, if it's your desire, you can remain completely anonymous.

COMPENSATION: Photographers go through a lot of models and a good and reliable model is sometimes hard to find. I have about 15 models whom I can call on who without hesitation will show up on time and do the project. These models have proven their ability over time and now make a very decent hourly wage with me. But photographers and artists are always looking for fresh faces and as such I have openings for a number of models. You know, you don't even have to call yourself a model. Some women who work for me don't even like the title. They are just amateurs wanting to make some extra money. I have a couple people who pose regularly just so they can send well photographed sensual images to their husbands who are stationed abroad in the military. I have others who have posed just for therapeutic purposes of raising their self esteem and acceptance of their bodies. So we can use the term models, but I honestly shoot people in all walks of life who come together with me with a common interest.

Initial pay consists of basically this. Interview and test shoot: interview time not paid. Test shoot paid at $10.00 an hour cash. Most photographers do Not pay anything for test shoot time, but I feel since they do take time to complete that a person should receive compensation for their time. But given the large number of test shoots done, I must restrict the pay scale on test shoot time to this figure. Test shoots seldom ever render actual artistic or useful content. They are designed more as a psychological test to determine comfort levels and gauge potential future comfort levels. Basically to see if you have the potential to actually do project shoots. If we conclude you are able and you want to start doing projects, then those start out at $20 per hour. After you prove ability to show up on time and work flexibly and are good at producing the result I am looking for, then it goes up from there. I have a few models who make $75 an hour. Sometimes more. I have some projects that start out at $30 per hour. Depending on the style of the project. These are all cash payments to you upon completion of posing on that specific day. no taxes removed. You are also permitted free of charge 50 digital copies from each session. (up to 50 per session) as I know many of you are working up your portfolios and need these without paying out for them. Alternately you may have 25 photos which are refined/edited to presentation grade. For test shoots if you supply a flash drive you may have all of the images from the test shoot. I do minimal manipulation of photos. At least in terms of heavy photoshopping or such. I prefer to keep what the camera gives me. I used Canon 1Ds bodies. Canon L glass lenses and my lighting is Profoto and Elinchrom. So I don't need to manipulate much as I get a good image with that gear.

Please, I welcome questions so feel free. I am at the northern end of Snohomish County about 10 minutes off of I-5 just north of Marysville. Very easy to get to. Please enclose a photo (body shots are optional depending on your comfort level) but face shot is required with some information about yourself.

I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.