I do from time to time I do a few TFP/CD (time for print/CD of images) shoots for new models, if I approach them. (others who require portfolio shoots see below) For those not acquainted with this term it is a simple and cost effective way of getting images for portfolio use. Both for the model and the photographer. No money changes hands and the images can be used for self promotion only. Any model wanting to take advantage of this must have a professional and business like attitude to modelling.
I normally charge for models, dancers and actors portfolios. These are discussed and designed to suit individual needs and are priced accordingly. The shoots can be done in the studio or on location and can last bewteen 4 to 12 hours work on one or more days. An agreed number of images are edited by myself and supplied in CD in JPEG's suitable for online portfolios and also in TIFF files suitable for printing to hard copy. A contract of usage is also supplied, no commercial use of the images other than portfolio use. The copyright of all images remains with the photographer.
The cost varies, however, the average shoot costs around £200.
Tuesday 25 November 2008
Models complexion
With the advent and proliferation of new digital photographic technology a strange twist seems to have arisen in the minds of mainly new photographic models. There is a tendency for these new models to expect the photographer to enhance their normal skin condition to make it look in better condition than it is in reality.
I have often come across models either go-sees or at a casting who state very openly “I know my skin is not good but you can change that with Photoshop (© Adobe) to make it look better”. My short answer to this is “no”.
As a photographer I expect a model to pay attention to their total appearance in the same way as I make sure my cameras are in good working order. It is just part of the job.
So this is a message to all the new models, please take care of your complexion and general appearance. Remember it is an item that may make or break you as a model
I have often come across models either go-sees or at a casting who state very openly “I know my skin is not good but you can change that with Photoshop (© Adobe) to make it look better”. My short answer to this is “no”.
As a photographer I expect a model to pay attention to their total appearance in the same way as I make sure my cameras are in good working order. It is just part of the job.
So this is a message to all the new models, please take care of your complexion and general appearance. Remember it is an item that may make or break you as a model
Studio and location working conditions
I have strict working conditions when in the studio and on location.
I never allow smoking in the studio or on location when I am present. When on location if the accommodation is a villa or similar no smoking is allowed on the premises.
Alcohol is not allowed in the studio or on location shoots. In the past I have lost too many working hours due to models and members of the crew being inebriated the night before a shoot. I have no objection to anyone having a glass of wine at dinner when on location as long as it does not affect their work the following day. If anyone misses a shoot start time due to this they will be instantly sent home and all fees will be forfeit.
I expect all mobile phones to be disconnected or placed on silent when working in the studio or on location.
Chaperones or escorts are only allowed on set when required by law (model under the age of 16). All chaperones must be either properly registered or a parent or legal guardian, no others are acceptable. All registered chaperones must carry their own liability insurance. Escort/drivers are not allowed on set.
I never allow smoking in the studio or on location when I am present. When on location if the accommodation is a villa or similar no smoking is allowed on the premises.
Alcohol is not allowed in the studio or on location shoots. In the past I have lost too many working hours due to models and members of the crew being inebriated the night before a shoot. I have no objection to anyone having a glass of wine at dinner when on location as long as it does not affect their work the following day. If anyone misses a shoot start time due to this they will be instantly sent home and all fees will be forfeit.
I expect all mobile phones to be disconnected or placed on silent when working in the studio or on location.
Chaperones or escorts are only allowed on set when required by law (model under the age of 16). All chaperones must be either properly registered or a parent or legal guardian, no others are acceptable. All registered chaperones must carry their own liability insurance. Escort/drivers are not allowed on set.
Monday 24 November 2008
The Sensual Woman
When one talks about Erotica there are those who instantly believe that it is in some way connected to pornography. This could not be further from the truth. Erotica can mean many things to many people. With each individual having his or her own idea of what the meaning of Erotica is to them. It is therefore difficult to define as belonging to any one genre of the visual arts. The viewer of a photograph will generally make a number of assumptions regarding the perceptible storyline that the picture before them purports to show.
Assume that the photograph is one where a man stands at a bus stop; he has with him a suitcase. In the background of the image one can see the gate to a prison. What would be the first impression as to why he was there? Is he an inmate who had come to the end of his sentence? Or is he someone else, just a member of the public leaving on a trip?
Replace as the first image one of the very same man with the same suitcase standing in the street opposite a railway station. This would conjure up a totally different scenario. The same man with the same suitcase but in a different location, the background information has changed and this affects the whole plot in the mind of the viewer.
In the same way the structure of the visual narrative and the information contained within a photograph is the key to the erotic image. An image of a naked body is not enough, isolated and removed from any identifiable background the body is depersonalized. It is reduced to its basic shape and form. If too explicit the image requires little or no imaginative input from the viewer and may well be found to be distasteful.
Therefore, nudity in itself is in no way a requirement for the erotic image. A simple head shot in which direct eye contact with the viewer is established can provide that viewer with an assumed intimacy with the subject. However, produce a similar head shot where the subject is blindfolded and one creates a totally different illusion in the mind of the viewer.
The use of fabric to drape the body or the use of water on the body can emphasize and therefore eroticize the body. Lingerie, jewellery, stockings or shoes, educe the viewers curiosity – how, why, where? Partly covered nakedness is, of course, by implication, partially un-covered.
My view of Erotica is very much defined by my own personal feelings and visions, as I feel will be the case with most people. I do not dwell on the blatant sexual depiction of my subject or whether the model is naked or not. In that route there lies nothing for the imagination to work on. I see my models firstly as women that have their own inherent sensuality and are aware of its existence. It is a look that is ephemeral; something that passes through ones visual thought patterns and allows the emotional senses to react in a way that gives pleasure to the viewer.
There are no hard and fast rules to the production of this style of work. Every model I use will be different. This difference goes further than her physical appearance. She will have her own values and emotional responses to the subject. Her actions and reactions will be based on what she feels, what experience she has in life, how she perceives herself to be as a woman. I see my task as being an observer who is capable of seeing those moments in time when she allows her inner self to show through. She may be experienced or a complete novice in front of the camera to me it is her experience as a woman that is paramount. What I look for will be more of what she feels as a woman than what she is as a model.
The images I seek are those that, when viewed by a complete stranger, will summon a pattern of response that could be based on the question of the relationship between this woman, her inner self and the photographer. When they view the images they will see a woman, a woman undoubtedly capable of passion, eroticism, sensual thought and the ultimate action and reaction that could be based on those emotions. Thoughts should seem to pass between viewer and the image; will they begin to view themselves in the position of the photographer? The eyes will look back at them from the print. They wonder if this is just an image taken from a purely technical perspective by the photographer or was there something more. Is the sensuality and eroticism this woman shows genuine or is it an illusion?
If an Illusion why does it look so real, if not an illusion then logic must dictate that it is authentic, but is it? How did this woman feel when she was being photographed? Is the manifestation of sensuality and eroticism really what she feels or is it an act? Does she feel the erotic emotions seen in the image or did the artist convey his idea of what he sees and places her there as a blank canvas on which to convey his thoughts? How much of the image before the viewer is her and how much is the photographer’s vision? Either way does it matter to the viewer? Will they be concerned with finding the answer, or will they accept their own thoughts and not wish to know more than they already do?
In the end it will be the image itself that will speak to them. There before them is a woman, a woman alive with emotion and raw sensual erotic power. A woman who appears to be totally aware of the effect her appearance is having on the eventual viewer. She knows that her image will have an effect on the observer; only they, the viewer, will know what that final result on their emotions will be.
© Malloch-Caldwell 2007
Assume that the photograph is one where a man stands at a bus stop; he has with him a suitcase. In the background of the image one can see the gate to a prison. What would be the first impression as to why he was there? Is he an inmate who had come to the end of his sentence? Or is he someone else, just a member of the public leaving on a trip?
Replace as the first image one of the very same man with the same suitcase standing in the street opposite a railway station. This would conjure up a totally different scenario. The same man with the same suitcase but in a different location, the background information has changed and this affects the whole plot in the mind of the viewer.
In the same way the structure of the visual narrative and the information contained within a photograph is the key to the erotic image. An image of a naked body is not enough, isolated and removed from any identifiable background the body is depersonalized. It is reduced to its basic shape and form. If too explicit the image requires little or no imaginative input from the viewer and may well be found to be distasteful.
Therefore, nudity in itself is in no way a requirement for the erotic image. A simple head shot in which direct eye contact with the viewer is established can provide that viewer with an assumed intimacy with the subject. However, produce a similar head shot where the subject is blindfolded and one creates a totally different illusion in the mind of the viewer.
The use of fabric to drape the body or the use of water on the body can emphasize and therefore eroticize the body. Lingerie, jewellery, stockings or shoes, educe the viewers curiosity – how, why, where? Partly covered nakedness is, of course, by implication, partially un-covered.
My view of Erotica is very much defined by my own personal feelings and visions, as I feel will be the case with most people. I do not dwell on the blatant sexual depiction of my subject or whether the model is naked or not. In that route there lies nothing for the imagination to work on. I see my models firstly as women that have their own inherent sensuality and are aware of its existence. It is a look that is ephemeral; something that passes through ones visual thought patterns and allows the emotional senses to react in a way that gives pleasure to the viewer.
There are no hard and fast rules to the production of this style of work. Every model I use will be different. This difference goes further than her physical appearance. She will have her own values and emotional responses to the subject. Her actions and reactions will be based on what she feels, what experience she has in life, how she perceives herself to be as a woman. I see my task as being an observer who is capable of seeing those moments in time when she allows her inner self to show through. She may be experienced or a complete novice in front of the camera to me it is her experience as a woman that is paramount. What I look for will be more of what she feels as a woman than what she is as a model.
The images I seek are those that, when viewed by a complete stranger, will summon a pattern of response that could be based on the question of the relationship between this woman, her inner self and the photographer. When they view the images they will see a woman, a woman undoubtedly capable of passion, eroticism, sensual thought and the ultimate action and reaction that could be based on those emotions. Thoughts should seem to pass between viewer and the image; will they begin to view themselves in the position of the photographer? The eyes will look back at them from the print. They wonder if this is just an image taken from a purely technical perspective by the photographer or was there something more. Is the sensuality and eroticism this woman shows genuine or is it an illusion?
If an Illusion why does it look so real, if not an illusion then logic must dictate that it is authentic, but is it? How did this woman feel when she was being photographed? Is the manifestation of sensuality and eroticism really what she feels or is it an act? Does she feel the erotic emotions seen in the image or did the artist convey his idea of what he sees and places her there as a blank canvas on which to convey his thoughts? How much of the image before the viewer is her and how much is the photographer’s vision? Either way does it matter to the viewer? Will they be concerned with finding the answer, or will they accept their own thoughts and not wish to know more than they already do?
In the end it will be the image itself that will speak to them. There before them is a woman, a woman alive with emotion and raw sensual erotic power. A woman who appears to be totally aware of the effect her appearance is having on the eventual viewer. She knows that her image will have an effect on the observer; only they, the viewer, will know what that final result on their emotions will be.
© Malloch-Caldwell 2007
Eroticism in Photography
The secrets and taboos concerning the human body are at the very heart of sensuality, sexuality and eroticism. It is a fact that for many, these items are kept secret; they are personal feelings that we keep to ourselves and are private to each individual. However, here are times when these feelings and emotions do rise to the surface and are exposed to others even when those who are privileged to be the recipients may be unaware of what they have been shown.
Many believe that the naked body represents us as we really are. The naked or near naked body represents the ultimate and vulnerable reality of this and gives one a view of their own sense of eroticism. In the case of sensual and erotic art photography what the viewer sees is of course defined by his or her own idea of what they determine as sensual and erotic beauty.
However thoughts of corporal beauty can differ so much from person to person, from one ethnic group to another, from country to country and from era to era that there is no definitive area where it would be the same for everyone.
The pear shaped nudes of the early 20th century where no less erotic to their viewers than the stick thin models of the 1960’s or the rounded Rubenesque models of centuries past. Eroticism, like beauty, is very much in the eye of the beholder. This holds true for everyone and defines eroticism in a unique sense for each artist. As it must for the eventual viewer of the work.
Each artist has his or her own methods and unique way of recording the image and genre that can bring a fresh idea of eroticism to the subject.
I, as a photographic artist, prefer to convey a feeling rather than an object. I work to suggest the sense of eroticism and sensuality rather than the obvious representation of sexuality. I feel that it is un-necessary to show more than a few significant elements in the scene. Only so much should be shown as will arouse the final viewer’s appreciative mind and interest and therefore contribute to the aesthetic result in their own imagination.
Many believe that the naked body represents us as we really are. The naked or near naked body represents the ultimate and vulnerable reality of this and gives one a view of their own sense of eroticism. In the case of sensual and erotic art photography what the viewer sees is of course defined by his or her own idea of what they determine as sensual and erotic beauty.
However thoughts of corporal beauty can differ so much from person to person, from one ethnic group to another, from country to country and from era to era that there is no definitive area where it would be the same for everyone.
The pear shaped nudes of the early 20th century where no less erotic to their viewers than the stick thin models of the 1960’s or the rounded Rubenesque models of centuries past. Eroticism, like beauty, is very much in the eye of the beholder. This holds true for everyone and defines eroticism in a unique sense for each artist. As it must for the eventual viewer of the work.
Each artist has his or her own methods and unique way of recording the image and genre that can bring a fresh idea of eroticism to the subject.
I, as a photographic artist, prefer to convey a feeling rather than an object. I work to suggest the sense of eroticism and sensuality rather than the obvious representation of sexuality. I feel that it is un-necessary to show more than a few significant elements in the scene. Only so much should be shown as will arouse the final viewer’s appreciative mind and interest and therefore contribute to the aesthetic result in their own imagination.
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