Your Nude Credit Score
By Denman Scofield
26 September 2007
Your Nude Credit Score
A lot of people over the last month or two have come to me with the same concern. It's something that I've had to deal with myself in the past. No two people have phrased it to me in the same way, but they all meant to ask the same question... "How do I start doing nude photography?"
It's a question that a lot of people are afraid to ask. It's also a question a lot of photographers that already shoot nudes, don't know how to answer. I'd like to shed some light on the topic for everyone.
Your Nude Credit Score:
It's really easy to get approved for nude photography; you just have to have some credit. We've all got those credit rejections when we were younger. "We're sorry to inform you, Scofield J. Denman, we could not approve your request for a credit line with Kohl's at this time due to the following reasons: NO PREVIOUS CREDIT HISTORY"
This is essentially what is happening to a lot of talented photographers. Yes, we know you can manage your money, but you've never HAD a credit card.
It goes even further into the analogy too, because it seems that without having done nude photography you can't do ANY! This has never made sense to me, in photography OR MONEY! Somebody has to give you a shot eventually right? The answer is yes, and from there, you'll have a wealth of models ready to take their clothes off for you. But if you're anything like me, I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG!
So how do I get pre-approved for a "Nude Credit Line"?
One of the biggest problems with the nude enthusiast is that they don't give any indication that they want to do nudes. When models come to Denmanscofield.com they can clearly see that I do nude photography, it's all over my site. If the potential model viewing my site has any hidden desire to do nude shoots, he or she now can feel comfortable approaching me on the subject; because they already know that I'm comfortable talking about it. As a photographer who wants to break into nude photography you need to find a creative way to let your audience know that that's your goal. Your method can be your own. Once people see that you're interested in it, the door is open for them to express their interest in it as well. You now will have some activity on your file with the "Nude Credit Bureau". Thumbs up to you.
Now you need to work on your score.
Your first model is crucial. (I'm going to use a female model as an example here, but you may have a male model first, either way the point is the same.) She's giving you a line of credit with her bank, so make sure you're playing your cards right. You need to be explicitly clear that it's your first shoot as well. There's no sense in lying to your model saying something like "I've done lots of nude shoots". NO YOU HAVEN'T! Be honest, it's much more beneficial to you in the long run. Your model will feel comfortable too, knowing that you're both experimenting with it. You may even be able
to capture that naive emotion in your shoot. It may be your best nude shoot ever! As you know already know, emotions reflect on film harder than light!
Be gentle with your first model as well. She has friends that may be interested in doing nude photos with you too. You don't want your first report to the credit bureau to be a bad one! Almost any photographer will tell you this same thing...the best way to make a model feel comfortable is to talk a lot. Your conversation should start the minute she gets there, and shouldn't end until she leaves. It's alright to have a conversation with someone while they're naked. Keep in mind though; you're trying to capture images, not giving a lecture. Be reasonable with the amount of talking you do, versus the amount of directing you do.
Everyone has flaws on their body. No of us choose the body we're in, it's born to us. Besides that, you're not looking for amazing bodied models, your looking for amazing photographs. Be very sensitive to a models body. Photoshoping out pimples and scars is reasonable, but check with your model before you do it. People are very funny about things like that, and what you thought, as a photographer, was helping your photograph, may in turn upset your subject greatly. At this point you've got a great credit report going!
You're directing should be sound. Know what images you want to get BEFORE you go into the shoot. It's your first shoot, so don't feel ashamed to get on JPG, Deviant, or any one of your favorite image pools to hack some ideas from other photographers. Most likely you'll get into your own rhythm when you're shooting, and you'll forget all about the examples you had, and that's alright, at least you went in with some ideas on hand. Plus, if you get hung up somewhere in the shoot, you can revert to your original tactic, and there will be no breaks in your directing. She'll feel like you knew what you were going for every step of the way. Now you'll be getting piles of credit cards in the mail!
One more thing before you go; you must remember two vital things
One, never do a nude shoot alone, especially the first time you work with a particular model. It could come back to haunt you later. There should always be an extra person around to verify that nothing inappropriate went on during the shoot. One day you will get famous off of your photography, and someone is going to want a chunk off your dough!
Two, release release release! Get your model release form filled out before the shoot even commences. It's best in fact to give it to your model a couple days before the shoot, and have them return it to you the day of. And make sure you read it over again when they return it to you. For the case of nudes it's also good to get what is called a "Photo ID release" which is just a copy of their ID signed and dated by them. It will be a much more sound argument should you be dragged into court.
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