Whether you are single or married, working with nude models can be a challenge. Half the time, married guys wish they were single so they could shoot models. Single guys, on the other hand, think it would be easier if they were married, because then they could just photograph their wife. Well, I am here to tell you that your relationship status doesn’t matter. As long as you are honest and approach it professionally, you will have few problems finding and working with models.
Make your spouse a part of the shoot or let your significant other see what is going on . . .
I often hear from photographers who they wish they could shoot fine-art nudes, except their spouse will not allow them to do so or has doubts about it. It’s understandable that a wife might be uncomfortable when her husband announces that he wants to do a nude shoot. After all, many people think that a shoot consists of a model flirting with a photographer in a dark hotel room downtown. Anyone with experience shooting nude models knows that nothing could be farther from the truth.
Therefore, one of the best ways to overcome this problem is to make your spouse a part of the shoot or let your significant other see what is going on during a session. Maybe start with a few boudoir shoots and have your wife help out with picking clothes, or maybe your spouse can help with hair and makeup. Don’t make her feel left out; let her see that she can have a meaningful role in the creative process.
Professional images often require very little gear. It is more about using the lighting correctly than having a ton of “stuff.” I used a small softbox, sun from behind, and a reflector. 
second, f/16, ISO 250, 24–70mm lens at 24mm.
My wife Alice posing for me.
Don’t make her feel left out; let her see that she can have a meaningful role in the creative process.
If your spouse or girlfriend is willing to pose nude for you, that is a great starting place. There’s a big advantage to having a person in your life who is willing to pose nude for you: they are always available. You can take it slower with loved ones because you have the element of time on your side. You can do boudoir for a while, then implied nudes, and then bodyscapes. You can work on your skills over time, getting better each step of the way. Even if no one sees these images, it is important to shoot them thoughtfully and to evaluate the final product carefully.
“Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed.”
—William Blake
We all have friends and most of them do not want nude images of themselves. Most of us don’t even like fully clothed pictures of ourselves—and the idea of being naked in front of someone only compounds the resistance. It’s fair to ask a friend to pose for you, but if they decline, don’t push. Just drop it. Asking again and again will only make them feel strange. It’s a quick way to lose a friend.
Never ask co-workers to pose nude for you, even if they are really good friends.
Co-workers, in my opinion, are off limits (unless you work at a modeling agency or some other rare location). Never ask co-workers to pose nude for you, even if they are really good friends. And if they come to you asking to be photographed nude, turn them down. It’s better to be safe than sorry; you have to work with this person.
When photographing someone you are not dating or engaged with in an intimate relationship, it is easy to undervalue how profoundly they are revealing themselves. No matter how explicit or non-explicit the image may be, they are sharing everything with you. Don’t betray this trust; make sure friends stay friends—and nothing else. If you like a girl, take her out to a nice dinner—don’t photographer her. You have to think of nude photography as business. Even if you are not making money or doing it full time, conducting yourself as if you were running a business will help you stay out of trouble. Act like a professional. After all, the last thing you want is a bad reputation among models, because models do talk.
Sammy is a nude model—but because she is also a friend of mine, it took ten years before we worked together.
Model Mayhem. Model Mayhem (www.modelmayhem.com) is a place for photographers and models to meet online. It may not be the ideal place to meet a new model, but it is a lot better than other places. One of the many things I like about Model Mayhem is that you can easily find various levels of models—from those who are very new to the profession to models who have a great deal of experience. Some are willing to shoot for trade (their time in exchange for your images); however, most models don’t want to shoot nude images without payment. One approach is to start working with a model on clothed shoots. Then, after a few sessions working with her, you can talk to her about shooting implied nudes. Not all models are going to be receptive to the idea, but you will eventually find some models who are agreeable. This is a great way to start building a portfolio. If you can get through a few shoots and produce some good images for your portfolio, then more models will be willing to work with you. From there, it’s all downhill (or uphill, depending on how you look at things).
I met Kitty, a model I often work with, on Twitter.
Social Networks. In today’s world, we are all interconnected by social networking. If you are good at photography (and a normal person with good interpersonal skills), social networks can also help you find new models. Most social networking sites do not allow you to post topless or nude images, so it is good to develop a portfolio of classy, non-nude glamour images before you begin looking for models on these sites. Keep your eyes open for models who have worked with other photographers and are looking for new work to expand their portfolios. Places like Facebook and Google+ are often rich with people who are looking for new images.
Craigslist. Until recently, Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) was a good place to meet models. It was small and local—underground, in many ways. Over the last few years, however, it has become problematic to find models via Craigslist. While I have not had a problem personally, I’ve heard horror stories about photographers meeting models on Craigslist and then having their house broken into or finding their wallet missing after the shoot. Therefore, I would be cautious about meeting models on Craigslist.
Respect is one of the most important values in nude photography. More than in any other field of photography, trust me when I tell that you most nude models would rather make a little money posing for someone they respect than make a lot of money shooting with someone they distrust. Respect comes from the little things a photographer does (or does not do). Let’s look at some examples I’ve learned from my models.
When you talk to a prospective model about nude photography, most of the time her mind will jump to close-up porn shots in a sleazy hotel with dim lights and cheesy ’70s music playing in the background. Like it or not, pornography is part of the modern world and we’ve all seen a lot of it. As a result, moving past the preconception that all nude photography is porn is a very hard thing to do. I would love to tell a model, “Hey, I want to shoot nude images of you,” and hear her reply, “Great! Maybe something like Venus in the The Birth of Venus by Botticelli?”—but it hasn’t happened yet. So start slowly. Begin by working with models on semi-nude or implied-nude images. It’s a great way to show them that this is not porn.
Privacy. I have heard from my models that they hate it when they have to change in front of the photographer. So, make sure your model has a private place to change—a guest bathroom works just fine. Just because you have seen and photographed her naked doesn’t give you the right to see her naked all the time.
Conversation. Keep the discussion of off-topic issues to a bare minimum. Asking about a model’s personal life will make her feel uneasy. And, really, it’s none of your business who she’s dating. A model once told me about a shoot where the photographer kept asking questions about her brothers and sisters—about where they lived, what they did for a living, and if they would be angry if they saw nude images of her. She got so upset that she started crying in the middle of the shoot. He just got way too personal (and scary). There are a million great, non-sexual, non-personal things to talk about, so find them and talk about those.
Mutual respect is the foundation for trust—a critical element between the model and the photographer.
I should add that it is also bad to avoid talking completely. I’m a naturally shy person. In fact, when I was young, my parents put me in special classes because I would never talk. To be a successful nude photographer, however, you have to communicate. You have break out of your shell. If the model is going to get naked and pose for you, then you need to step up to the plate and be professional by talking to her.
Allow an Escort. If the model wants to, let her to bring a friend to the shoot. Some photographers have “rules” about not allowing escorts—and I can understand some of the logic. However, when working with a less experienced model (especially a new nude model), having a friend nearby can make the model feel safer and more relaxed. From my experience, models may show up for the first couple of sessions with a friend. After that, they get comfortable with you and no longer bring the escort.
Be a Professional. There are many things you can do to make a model relax, but a lot of it comes down to acting like a professional. Don’t rush things; start slow with some bra-and-panty shoots or boudoir images. Set the mood correctly by cleaning up the shooting area. If she is worried about particular parts of her body, let her know how you can Photoshop the images or delete images she finds objectionable—and then do it. Never tell a model you are going to do something and then neglect to do it. Basically, don’t act like “just some dude with a camera.” Professionalism will go a long way in helping your model to relax and establishing for yourself a great reputation.
I don’t have any models who never do nude work or models who only do nude work, so I find that it helps to present models with image concepts and see how they feel about a given idea. A model with whom you’ve mostly done nudes may have new fancy dress that will work for an image you have in mind. Alternately, a model you’ve never photographed nude before might see an interesting idea for a nude image and decide that she’d like to shoot a sexy Valentine’s Day gift for a special man.
The result of treating your model with respect is that trust will develop between you. This is the foundation of a great long-term working relationship, which should be your objective. Imagine you find and work with one new nude model a month. If you can keep the past models you have worked with, if they want to keep shooting with you, in a few years you will have over twenty models who want to pose nude for you. After a decade of shooting, you’ll have more models than you have time to work with!
At first, Aaliyah wasn’t sure about shooting in a refrigerator—but after years of working together, she trusted me.
To make sure that happens, be respectful and keep your promises. If you tell her that she will have images in a week, make sure she gets them in a week (not a month). If you say, “These images will not go on a web site,” don’t put them on a web site.
Trust me: models talk to each other and to other photographers. The one time you don’t keep a promise, the whole world will hear about it, and that could mean missing out on working with other models. Your reputation is all you really have; protect it.
It should go without saying that nude or topless photography of anyone under eighteen is a terrible idea.
I think it should go without saying that nude or topless photography of anyone under eighteen (even with the parents’ permission) is a terrible idea. Don’t do it.
I would like to expand on this a bit and strongly suggest that you avoid working at events where you might photograph a minor for any reason. I know there is no law against photographing both nudes and minors, but just think about this for a minute. You want to be known for your artistic nude photographs, but many people consider all nude photography to be pornographic. You know it’s not porn, but do you want to risk mixing the two?
Common (and Not-So-Common) Safety Tips
Talk to the Model. Communicate what you want and accommodate what she wants. Be clear about what you are going to do with the images and what you are not going to do with the images.
Respect the Limits. Ask your model about her limits and then respect them.
Trust Your Intuition. If you have a strange feeling about the model, don’t work with her. There will be another one.
Ask for Recent Images. I once met a model whose online images showed her with long blonde hair—but she showed up at the shoot with all of her hair shaved off! Make sure the model’s images are recent and reflect what you can expect to see at the session.
Don’t Touch. Never touch a model, even with permission. Direct with words.
Meet in Public. First meet new models at a coffee shop or other public location. It makes the model feel safer and more at ease.
Think Like a Model. Imagine yourself going over to another person’s house and getting naked (or semi-naked). It could be scary. Try to make her feel at ease and don’t rush her.
Require Paperwork. You should never shoot a nude model without a signed release and a copy of her photo ID (showing her name, likeness, and age).
Deliver on Your Promises. If you promise her images, provide them. If they don’t turn out, be honest. Tell her, “Look, I’m not happy with these images—here are some, and here is why I don’t like them.”
Be Especially Careful at Home. If you shoot or work out of your house, make sure there is another female around when meeting with or photographing models. Avoid shooting in the bedroom. It’s also prudent to hide any valuables that can be carried away. Finally, for the model’s comfort, make sure the rest room is clean.
Before you photograph any model, check her photo ID—and make a copy for your records.
I have been called a worrywart, but I do not work with anyone under eighteen for any reason—and I don’t book any job where I would have to photograph a minor. The major ones (here in Las Vegas) are weddings. When I’m asked to photograph weddings, I simply explain that, since I photograph nude women commercially, I don’t work with minors for any reason—and weddings generally include minors. So, I opt not to shoot weddings, children’s birthday parties, or any other jobs where minors will be present.
Since I photograph nude women commercially, I don’t work with minors for any reason.
Here’s the nightmare scenario: I’m at a wedding, taking pictures, and some irate ex-boyfriend calls the police, saying, “That pornographer who took nude pictures of my girlfriend is here taking pictures of little kids!” I know, the police know, and everyone else knows that I did nothing wrong—but I don’t want to be anywhere near that situation. For me, there are enough over-eighteen, adults-only jobs to keep me busy.
