CSP wrote:
Ever hire a model to do a NUDE shoot and then the model spends the whole shoot trying to cover up???  What's up with that?

Aw.. I think you guys may be being a little too hard on the girl.
She still modeled nude, right?  Do you mean she was trying to cover up in between your taking photos or during?
It sounds to me like maybe she was just insecure.  Maybe she's just starting and needs some time/experience to loosen up.

Wynd Mulysa wrote:

Aw.. I think you guys may be being a little too hard on the girl.
She still modeled nude, right?  Do you mean she was trying to cover up in between your taking photos or during?
It sounds to me like maybe she was just insecure.  Maybe she's just starting and needs some time/experience to loosen up.

I haven't worked with many nude models, and no one should model nude unless they are very comfortable with it.  Most have been very good and comfortable.  But if you are a model and accept a paying job to do nude work, you should not be constantly posing by covering up with your arms or hands or material or turning to the side, etc.  Nude is nude, implied is implied.  As the photographer, it can be hard to be creative when dealing with a model, who expects to be paid, but who is clearly not as comfortable as you need her to be.  It can certainly ruin the chemistry of a shoot.

Doug Lester wrote:
No. Not ever. One, I rarely 'hire' models and when I do they well know what wil be expected during the shoot. If they tried covering up, as you described, the shoot would end. I've no desire to work with anyone who is not, or even might not, be comfortable with what we are shooting.

I guess my problem is that I'm too nice.  Someone drives an hour or more to you to do a shoot, but clearly isn't as comfortable nude and maybe shouldn't have taken the job, yet I would still find it hard to just toss them out and not pay them, even though they did not fulfill the expectations of the agreed to assignment.

CSP wrote:
Ever hire a model to do a NUDE shoot and then the model spends the whole shoot trying to cover up???  What's up with that?

ummm... no

CSP wrote:
Ever hire a model to do a NUDE shoot and then the model spends the whole shoot trying to cover up???  What's up with that?

Chris Ambler wrote:
Are you kidding?

If you booked a nude model for a project and she refused to do the nude project, I don't understand why she was paid.

If you booked a plumber to come and fix your toilet, but he spent all of his time avoiding the toilet and, instead, walked around complimenting you on your fixtures, would you still pay him?

in the UK you pay the plumbers for that... mostly that! (and him shaking his head a lot...) Damn 'callout' charges!

CSP wrote:
I haven't worked with many nude models, and no one should model nude unless they are very comfortable with it.  Most have been very good and comfortable.  But if you are a model and accept a paying job to do nude work, you should not be constantly posing by covering up with your arms or hands or material or turning to the side, etc.  Nude is nude, implied is implied.  As the photographer, it can be hard to be creative when dealing with a model, who expects to be paid, but who is clearly not as comfortable as you need her to be.  It can certainly ruin the chemistry of a shoot.

I guess I was just unsure of what you meant in the first place.  I didn't knowyou meant she was trying to cover up for the photos.  Had you seen any of her previous nude work?  Was there any?

Chris Ambler wrote:
Are you kidding?

If you booked a nude model for a project and she refused to do the nude project, I don't understand why she was paid.

If you booked a plumber to come and fix your toilet, but he spent all of his time avoiding the toilet and, instead, walked around complimenting you on your fixtures, would you still pay him?

that's one of the best comparisons I've read in a long time.
Thanks for that...I'm still laughing

Wynd Mulysa wrote:
Aw.. I think you guys may be being a little too hard on the girl.
She still modeled nude, right?  Do you mean she was trying to cover up in between your taking photos or during?
It sounds to me like maybe she was just insecure.  Maybe she's just starting and needs some time/experience to loosen up.

I agree.
Even not doing nudes, I often find it takes some warm-up time in order for people to get comfortable.
I shoot a lot of senior portraits/casuals for high school students (so obviously no nudes or even implied) and college students, but a lot of these clients, most of whom have never had REAL pictures taken before, need a few pictures to really feel at ease.
Luckily I can admit that no one has ever been weirded out or froze up with me, so things have always worked out fine, but it varies as to how much "warm-up" time is needed with a particular client.
I assume nudes would be a little more so that way.

LRTMedia wrote:

I agree.
Even not doing nudes, I often find it takes some warm-up time in order for people to get comfortable.
I shoot a lot of senior portraits/casuals for high school students (so obviously no nudes or even implied) and college students, but a lot of these clients, most of whom have never had REAL pictures taken before, need a few pictures to really feel at ease.
Luckily I can admit that no one has ever been weirded out or froze up with me, so things have always worked out fine, but it varies as to how much "warm-up" time is needed with a particular client.
I assume nudes would be a little more so that way.

Nude models don't need warm up time. Its a job like any other and you do what you are paid to do. If you arent comfortable dont do it.

Nemesis73 wrote:
Never send a fashion model to do a nude model's job.

Nemesis

I'll second that Nemesis!!!  Bring those snakes of yours and let's shoot!!!!

LRTMedia wrote:
Even not doing nudes, I often find it takes some warm-up time in order for people to get comfortable.
I shoot a lot of senior portraits/casuals for high school students (so obviously no nudes or even implied) and college students, but a lot of these clients, most of whom have never had REAL pictures taken before, need a few pictures to really feel at ease.
Luckily I can admit that no one has ever been weirded out or froze up with me, so things have always worked out fine, but it varies as to how much "warm-up" time is needed with a particular client.
I assume nudes would be a little more so that way.

There's a pretty big difference between a paid model and a regular high school student, don't you think?
When I've done nudes, the photographers set up their stuff and then basically just said, "Okay, take off your clothes now." And I did. If a model doesn't feel comfortable just getting undressed at a moment's notice, she shouldn't be accepting jobs where nudity will or may be involved. If the discomfort is due to feeling uneasy about the photographer, not the nudity itself (and I'm not saying this was what was happening here), that's when she should LEAVE, not go through with the shoot but half-ass it.

glenn usdin wrote:
can you say "You're fired"

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I love that answer! ... and I used it myself.

would you believe? this 'model' was   1) mid twenties,   2) topless dancer,   3) signed the release at -three- different places agreeing to do some nudes (NO spreads).  ... and she still said "what? I don't do that!!"

and the concept had been explained in a couple of emails also ..... WTF??

stopped the shoot right then. paid her for time "up to then" (because it was lingerie, topless, and some nude). sent her home!
---------
another 'model' was only 19, but wanted lingerie and agreed to nudes (some with 'drapery'). when it came time to shoot the nudes, she wanted me to "turn away while she disrobed and got into HER own pose -and- adjusted some 'drapery' to cover ALL of herself(!). I told her this WAS NOT the way nude shooting worked. she finished some poses, but wanted it her way.
sent her home too.
---------

NO clue as to what wither was thinking ... or was using for a brain!

Claire Elizabeth wrote:

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Nude models don't need warm up time. Its a job like any other and you do what you are paid to do. If you arent comfortable dont do it.

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I can agree with claire: nude models should be able to start right out.

but: nude models do NOT come full-grown out of some god's head; a nude model needs to start -somewhere-, just like any other modeling.  and therefor, if  'new' to nudes, should have a few minutes to change into a robe (I always keep one!) "get into the mood/zone/whatever".
JMO

Claire Elizabeth wrote:
Nude models don't need warm up time. Its a job like any other and you do what you are paid to do. If you arent comfortable dont do it.

why does Delaware have to be so far away????

Harry Young wrote:
nude models do NOT come full-grown out of some god's head; a nude model needs to start -somewhere-, just like any other modeling.  and therefor, if  'new' to nudes, should have a few minutes to change into a robe (I always keep one!) "get into the mood/zone/whatever".
JMO

True, but if she was new to it, shouldn't she try to either hire a photog to warm her into it, or do some small trade stuff with a photog she's already comfortable with rather than hire herself out for a nude shoot?

I mean, even if you're new to nudes, and you got a job doing it, don't you think that at minimum you should mention that prior to day of.

Iona Lynn wrote:
Yipes maybe she was new. If she was not ready to do nudes she should have not hired self out to do so.

One flip side to this topic and OP don't take it the wrong way please.

I have met a few photographers in the past and I got the uber creepy vibe off of there are some people in this world that just don't mesh.
If she was feeling the bad vibes she should have stopped the shoot and left.


next time hire a nude model for your nude projects.

Iona, I agree with you up to the last statement.  If someone advertises as an Art Nude, Nude, model, my expectation is that they are comfortable with such modeling.  And, the model also even came with an escort, so hopefully she was as comfortable as needed to do the job she was hired to do.

Initially, I didn't feel any bad vibe between us, but certainly as the shoot went on, the chemistry went downhill.

kf4vkp wrote:
True, but if she was new to it, shouldn't she try to either hire a photog to warm her into it, or do some small trade stuff with a photog she's already comfortable with rather than hire herself out for a nude shoot?

I mean, even if you're new to nudes, and you got a job doing it, don't you think that at minimum you should mention that prior to day of.

I'm with you kf, if a model is new to modeling or new to a different type of modeling, and its a trade situation and everyone is on the same page, I would completely understand and wouldn't have a problem. 

I'd be more than happy to work with models wanting to explore nude/semi-nude modeling to see if its for them, but when pays involved, certainly there are expectations that need to be met.

Chris Ambler wrote:
Are you kidding?

If you booked a nude model for a project and she refused to do the nude project, I don't understand why she was paid.

If you booked a plumber to come and fix your toilet, but he spent all of his time avoiding the toilet and, instead, walked around complimenting you on your fixtures, would you still pay him?

The plumber is paid when the work is RIGHT....the work wasn't right, no pay !

Also, during the "getting to know each other" phase, I can tell if she's shy or not & what kind of shots is discussed ahead of time....The new pic's in my port are a sampling of my shoot this weekend with this "model"....only 20 years old, NEVER modeled before, let alone nude, but we went slow, and she was very comfortable after the 1st hour....no problems here ;-)