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Models who would--but can't--pose nude
There is current thread about models who post nudes in their portfolios but then write in their profiles that they won't do nudes. This post is about the other case, about models who say they will do nudes, but then won't. Over the past year I booked several models who didn't have nudes in their portfolio but listed themselves as available for nude modeling. But a few days before their shoots I got cancellations, in each case explaining that a boyfriend had told the model he didn't want her posing nude. In response I instituted a policy of not booking models to pose for nudes unless they already have nudes posted somewhere on the Internet. That is a shame, because several "first time" nude models have worked out well for me in the past. I know that many women would like to pose nude, but their husbands or boyfriends won't let them. I once did a portfolio shoot for a very attractive married woman whose husband was there escorting her, and when he stepped out for a cigarette she asked me to take some quick topless photos of her before he got back. (Tears in my eyes, I turned her down, since I didn't want to cause trouble in their marriage.) How do you models and photographers feel about the "my boyfriend won't let me pose nude" issue? EDIT: I don't disagree with models who have boyfriends/husbands/etc. to live with and who have to make concessions to as a part of their life together. What this question is intended to be about is whether any of you have policies similar to the one I've implemented, and whether you think it is a good idea or a poor idea. Mar 23 06 09:05 am Link At first I thought this thread was going to be about 17 year olds by the title of the thread... LOL! Um, I have had that happen before with the boyfriend thing, but not just shooting nude, just shooting in general. I just shrugged it off because most of what I do is portfolio building for them, and once they let someone else make a decision like that for them, I know they don't have a chance in hell of making it as a model. Someone's got to be a little stronger minded than that. Mar 23 06 09:09 am Link They really should have thought about that when they were putting together their profile, and not listed that they would pose nude. I would think that they knew way ahead of time that their partner would be upset by them posing nude. It also makes me think they're not all that experienced or serious about modeling. Mar 23 06 09:10 am Link Zao Photo wrote: You know, there is one jealousy I have about D. B. Nelson. There is a stunning model in my area, Lisa M., who begun modeling when she was 17. I kept writing her and writing her, asking that she pose nude for me on her 18th birthday. She wrote that she would, then about a month before her birthday she dropped out of communication. The next time I saw her was after her birthday, in a D. B. Nelson hotel room nude. Argh!!! Mar 23 06 09:17 am Link I'm probably an anomaly here but if my wife chooses to pose nude or implied that's her decision and I support her 100%. If she set up a shoot to do nude and, for lack of a better word, chickened out at the last minute I would understand but I'd also have to tell her that it wasn't very professional of her to do so. Were I accompanying her to the shoot I'd shut my mouth and stay out of the way unless the photographer or she asked for my assistance. There are too many bf's, husbands, significant others, other there that just don't get the fact that a person is not property. Her images are hers to control in my opinion. Mar 23 06 09:20 am Link i think the boyfriend thing is a lame excuse. if your boyfriend has to "let" you do something you need a new one. either you do nude or you dont. no one else tells you whether or not you do. Mar 23 06 09:20 am Link and props to big for being man enough to get over it! Mar 23 06 09:22 am Link Claire Elizabeth wrote: very true. the other day i read a post by a photographer whose wife wouldn't let him shoot a model nude. WTF ? Mar 23 06 09:24 am Link Claire Elizabeth wrote: I don't quite understand that quote. Mar 23 06 09:24 am Link Personally, I love the models who offer to pose nude with me as TFP, as long as I shoot some other images for them. And, those who will agree to implied nudes, on the same conditions. Mar 23 06 09:25 am Link Fotorican Inc wrote: Models often ask me what my wife thinks about me photographing nude women. I point to my 48-year-old belly and explain that my wife isn't worried about any of my twenty-something models wanting to steal me away from her. Mar 23 06 09:26 am Link Claire Elizabeth wrote: I agree! I don't do nudes for other reasons. It's not a direction I choose to go with my port. However, if I chose to, and this has been discussed, my hubby would support me and be just as happy with my choice as any I've made here. He trusts me. This buisness is only harder if you don't have someone who lets you be you and trusts you in your descion making. Mar 23 06 09:27 am Link exactly Corena... Mar 23 06 09:33 am Link I recently had a model cancel our nude shoot because her photographer husband thought that it would exploit her to do even the most tasteful of nudes- thing is, he had snapshots of her naked all over the internet already. Guess it's different when it's the husband doing the exploiting. So I shrug, mutter a few choice non MM appropriate words and move onto models with less crazy spouses.  HeatherMar 23 06 09:35 am Link Heeeeeyyyy don't knock crazy spouses *dons tinfoil had and 'we believe' t-shirt  Mar 23 06 09:38 am Link I haven't had a model back out of specific content because of pressure from an SO. I have had models ask me to shot content that they would never include in their port... that is for their SO only. As we joked in another thread, at some point, we reach the age where we are considered safe.  Mar 23 06 09:43 am Link One of my best models who did all types of nudes started dating a guy who wouldn't let her do nudes. She was a natural, and always fun to work with. We did a few non-nude shoots after she hooked up with the boyfriend and then he made her quit altogether. Saying she wasn't to do any modeling at all. Since then, I haven't had any nude models to shoot, (none that I can show that is). Since then, I always inquire about the boyfriend thing. If I even think the boyfriend or husband is an issue, I won't do it. It's not worth the hassle. As in another thread here, down the road they want the photos back or off the market. I don't do anything pornlike, but it's this whole American attitude thing against nudity that drives me bonkers. Mar 23 06 09:43 am Link letting a bf/spouse run your career wont get you anywhere. my bf doesnt like that i model nude but he also knows he has no say in it. its 2006 ladies cmon! Mar 23 06 09:45 am Link This is why I work with ADULTS. The whole mommy, daddy, or boyfriend excuse is not something I deal with. I work with people who can make their own decisions about their bodies. If they can't- then I dont work with them. Mar 23 06 09:50 am Link Claire Elizabeth wrote: Go girl! Mar 23 06 09:55 am Link I think you're letting yourself be manipulated, albeit with the best of intentions to be a nice guy. It's happened to a lot of us until we figure it out. The "would but can't" attitude is very middle school and comes across as wheedling. These women are (I assume) past the age of majority and are in charge of their own lives. To tell you something like that means they're either being spineless, or simply rude by not being straight with their reply. Either they want to, or they don't. The "boyfriend/husband" excuse is just being pathetically lame. "No, thankyou" is an acceptable answer; anything else means they're rattling your cage, so don't buy it. Drop 'em, and move on. You won't lose sleep over it, I gaurantee. Mar 23 06 09:57 am Link If you look at my portfolio, you can tell that I tried very hard to get nude, but couldn't quite do it. Mar 23 06 09:57 am Link phcorcoran wrote: Man, if I had a nickel for every time I hear this.... Mar 23 06 09:57 am Link D. Brian Nelson wrote: Maybe you can be the one to help me finally get nude.... Mar 23 06 09:58 am Link Lapis wrote: I'll be gentle... Mar 23 06 09:58 am Link Lapis wrote: Damn. I gotta start hangin out with Don... Mar 23 06 10:03 am Link D. Brian Nelson wrote: I feel that I laid the groundwork for you. At first Lisa M. wrote me that she couldn't pose nude (only later telling me that she was still 17). Then she wrote me that she might pose nude when she became 18. Then she wrote me that she would. Then she did (for other photographers). Now she tells me that she doesn't want to do nudes anymore. It seems that I've missed my small window of opportunity. Mar 23 06 10:06 am Link ward wrote: Yeah, it is even funnier if you look at how close to nude I have already gotten.... Mar 23 06 10:08 am Link Lapis wrote: Maybe I should show your "what was HE thinking?" photo to the next jealous husband and say, "See, Lapis says this isn't nude." Mar 23 06 10:12 am Link i work as a figure model for art schools, so i am naked in front of people on a daily basis. obviously, there's less debate about "art" vs "sexuality" in life drawing compared to photography, but... i have still had girls i've dated say it kinda bugs them a little that all those people get to see me naked. and i've had friends say they would have a hard time dating someone who did that, because they want to keep their S.O.'s nudity all for themselves, or else it's not "special". my defense against this is to say "yes, honey, all those people also got to see me naked today, but you're the only one who gets to have any fun with it" Mar 23 06 10:36 am Link jon mmmayhem wrote: Would it make a difference if you were posing for photography classes instead of for drawing classes? I've known models who only pose nude for drawings and paintings, and not for photographs. Mar 23 06 11:21 am Link I WANT to get naked, but I'm shy about my body (thick but not fat). My BF WANTS me to get naked. He tells me I have a beautiful body and the whole world should know it. (I know I have nice breasts, but I'm sure the rest could use work.) I've done only one nude shoot and it was in a hot tub, with another girl who was the focus of the shoot. I'd like to do my own, but it depends a lot on the photographer, at least for me. If I feel uncomfortable I can't take my clothes off, sometimes I can't even pose. Maybe its just me... Mar 23 06 11:45 am Link i haven't taken a formal poll or anything, but most of the models i work with freely pose for drawings or paintings, but won't for photographs. it just seems more ... exploitable? i don't know. if you look at my modelling profile on here, you'll see i have no problem doing drawings and/or photos but i'm probably in the minority on that. Mar 23 06 11:45 am Link I've done very little nude work, but loved it! My bf is NOT happy with it, but it's not his body, it's mine and I happen to very much enjoy having it be a part of some nude art. I just don't show him the photos, and he doesn't ask to see them. Easy enough. Mar 23 06 12:06 pm Link Nude work is awesome. As long as the photographer is good the end result is usually amazing. Have some confidence and give it a try. You might be surprised at how much fun you have and how great you look in print. Nothing is sexier than a women wearing nothing but a smile! Mar 23 06 12:09 pm Link I don't see the problem for models posing nude. The female body is art itself it only changes when you pose in a provocative or a sexual form. My husband does not care how I pose and he has no say how I pose it is my choice. Sherrie Mar 23 06 12:11 pm Link phcorcoran wrote: The sad fact is that women often give their power to new boy friends, then later complain that women have less power than men. Mar 23 06 12:17 pm Link Any photogs in need of nude models let me know! No strings or bf's attached lol. Mar 23 06 12:23 pm Link Claire Elizabeth wrote: Wrong... Mar 23 06 12:25 pm Link Sherrie wrote: What would you say if your husband said 'I'd like to see you do something like this?' Mar 23 06 12:26 pm Link |
