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To "creep",or not to "creep"That is the question..
A lot of threads speak on different subjects, but when broken down most of them all revolve around the photgrapher/model relationship and the "creepy factor". Are we too sensitive now when it comes to this? Being that most "creepy" artists back in the day were labeled "eccentric", the room for them to explore what made them what they were resulted in works that we treasure today. Salvatore Dali was a pretty creepy guy to me, but his work is undeniably genius. I think in this "information age" sometimes we can be too informed. As a child of a law enforcement officer (prior to the internet), I would hear sensational stories about bad people doing insanely crazy things. These overheard stories kept me in fear, on alert, and paranoid until I realized that those stories are of a isolated few, and that the overall majority of people live their lives without anything EVER happening to them. As a photographer I resent the fact that the words "creepy", and "photographer" have become so synonomous with each other because of the evening news and REAL creeps like Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez, and Ted Bundy being that none of them ever claim to be photgraphers. But whenever someone is planning to meet with a photgrapher the creep radar goes on. How can you really tell whether ANYONE you meet on the internet or in the grocery store is going to be a creep, rapist, or mass murderer? A 30-minute series of questions in a public place? I mean, are you really qualifed to discern who's who? Most creeps tend to reveal themselves after months of knowing a person. And why are models exempt from the "creepy" label (because believe me, I've met some real creepy one's)? Jul 01 06 09:15 pm Link Ron Young Photography wrote: At least those creeps are interesting to read about Jul 01 06 09:21 pm Link A model once explained it to me by saying: "A creep is a guy who doesn't know that he is a creep." Jul 01 06 09:26 pm Link Ron Young Photography wrote: With experience and age you can get a "read" on people. Those with criminal tendencies show them off pretty fast. Stealing, lying , cheating, all warning flags but not necessarily mean you. Jul 01 06 09:37 pm Link The problem here in CA (LA area), is that everytime you turn on the news, they have a cover story about how photographers are terrorists, child predators, or some other mischievous unsavory character... They have bulletins about if someone shoots bridges, train stations, or other points of interest, the've got to be up to criminal activity, or if they have a camera around school functions, like sporting events, they're child predators & wannabee molestors... I guess if you take a camera to the football game, you're really a GWC that's wishfully thinking that all the sudden naked underage girls are going to run onto the field & start posing for you during 3rd quarter ??? Everybody knows that ISO 1250 is the sexy ISO...  ... Paul Jul 01 06 09:50 pm Link Ron Young Photography wrote: Generally, we can't. Just look at a large fraction of the people we elect to political office. Jul 01 06 10:05 pm Link Ron Young Photography wrote: Some of the stereo-typed creepo photographer stems from television... Jul 01 06 10:05 pm Link This is an interesting question. I have read in certain model profiles that models are turned off by "over-40 creepy guys with cameras". I am 42 yrs old. I look a little like a cross between a serial killer and a prison inmate. But, I'm passionate about photography, I have a great smile, I'm just a gentle, big, teddy bear. My question is this; does my age and appearance make me one of those "creepazoids", or does someone have to go through the formality of actually getting to know me before I'm thrown into the "creep-heap"? Jul 01 06 10:10 pm Link tell the model, you are the love doctor, keep one hand in your crotch at all time make sure your gold teeth are really shiny. that makes any model feel welcome. Jul 01 06 10:36 pm Link Richard Wheelock wrote: When in all reality the "stalker" and setting you just decribed is nothing but an innocent fetish shoot. The REAL crime has just occurred next door where the unsuspecting wife in thas just poisoned her husband for insurance money. Jul 01 06 10:40 pm Link UnoMundo Photography wrote: I love that!!!! I gotta try it at least once! Jul 01 06 10:42 pm Link The funny thing is that most real "creeps" don't look or act like "creeps" initially, in fact they seem exceptionally normal. I try not to judge a book by its cover. Some of the most interesting people I know also happen to be unconventional in their appearance and behavior. Jul 01 06 10:49 pm Link It's been my observation that former daycare children, who've been told not to talk to strangers, when they were kids in the 80's & early 90's. They seem to be the ones who are frightened of damn near everything....until their mommies say itâs ok first. Some of the most interesting people Iâve worked with were playing baseball during WWII. The women who played for the Rockford Peaches, All American Girls Professional Baseball League were amazing & not frightened of anything. It seems that most people are happy to live in a constant state of fear. Whether it's because they're "Told" there's a stranger at every turn just waiting to take advantage of them or whether it's the current decider, spining propaganda into fear. Fear is obviously a huge business these days, only for those who can't or refuse to think for themselves however. Bottomline is people need to stop living in fear & learn to question those they're interested in working with...use the intuition, common sense & then try living life without fear. Jul 02 06 02:08 am Link i was always told it's better to be safe than sorry O:-) Jul 02 06 02:13 am Link I just assume everyone is a creep. Jul 02 06 02:57 am Link one more thing...not gonna lie, photographers with mediocre ports who leave comments like "you're so hot" just seem kinda creepy...when photographers have amazing ports and leave the same comments they are somehow less creepy! Jul 02 06 03:03 am Link Bearz Images wrote: Very well put. Jul 02 06 03:23 am Link Dang ... I just realized I might be creepy: I'm over 40, I don't think or know I'm creepy therefore.... I thought not getting models to work with me was just because I live in the middle of nowhere Utah. Guess I better work on the creep thing and no more "dang your hot comments" whats a guy with 4 cameras and new sheets from Wally's to do. With so much to learn and overcome I think I should just go back to photographing critters ... they don't even care if I take a shower everyday. Jul 02 06 09:19 am Link Asha wrote: Well put. Please look at my port. I'm new at this, but tell me what you think. I will look at your port. Jul 02 06 09:26 am Link It's hard to get creepy with my staff running around. Mike Jul 02 06 09:26 am Link Is it possible the creep factor is a result of the tendency for photographers to have this artistic "brooding" thing going on, kinda sulking behind the lens coupled with a maybe voyeuristic sort of feel? I think had that tendency not been beaten out of me, I would be that type of person when shooting. In my training days, my slave master boss indoctrinated me with the concept that interacting with the subject was crucial to a good shoot as far as results. Sulking, brooding, and "creeping around" would only weird them out and you'd get a lot of crappy shots. Moreover the way this business operated, the client could walk away and not buy anything. So making sure the experience was positive and rewarding was pretty much the centerpiece of their operation. So we were told to be light and fun, have music playing, laugh, shoot, joke, shoot, smile, shoot, talk talk talk talk, shoot. It drove me nuts at first. I had a hard enough time figuring out how to turn the damned thing on let alone keep a lively running conversation in progress. But I've always been praised on how fun it is to work with me and that I made it easy. So models, is that the issue? Jul 02 06 09:32 am Link That Look Photo wrote: I thought having your staff visible was one of those things that moved you into the creepy column ... now I'm really confused. Jul 02 06 09:33 am Link KM von Seidl wrote: Works for me! Jul 02 06 09:33 am Link Don't forget, there are creepy models, too. There are models with abandonment issues. There are models that have low self esteem. There are models that couldn't give a courtesy call to cancel a shoot if their life depended on it. There are models that can't stop answering their cell phones during a shoot. Some of them are on mood-stabilizing-medication. Just because they won the "genetic lottery", and were born beautiful, doesn't mean that they can't be just as creepy as an over 40 guy with a hairy back and a camera. Jul 02 06 09:40 am Link if it is creepy, insane, and wicked, that's my place / person, to dwell with. recently I've been hanging around with mental illness folks, and I simply adore it. The fact that some of us accept being "ill" in our heads, and don't care about other people knowing about it, and seeing our deviations, can lead to some very interesting talk and produce some really intense works. Always expect the worse and bee ready for it. Jul 02 06 09:54 am Link Image K wrote: You're confusing "creepy" with "annoying". Jul 02 06 09:57 am Link DarioImpiniPhotography wrote: I stand corrected, my friend. But, have I made my point? Jul 02 06 10:00 am Link Asha wrote: I wouldn't say they're creepy... just kinda not smart Jul 02 06 10:02 am Link Bill Bates wrote: Bill, if you got creepy, I suspect Wanda would knock the tar out of you! :-) Jul 02 06 10:04 am Link my wife & kids don't think I'm creepy... Jul 02 06 10:06 am Link Jim Ball wrote: Nope, don't think Wanda has ever thought of me as creepy .... more often she accuses me of being an insensitive a$$ hole. Its a wonder she puts up with me and my ideas. Jul 02 06 10:28 am Link Bill Bates wrote: thats a trooper of a model. In the dryness of Vegas I looong for water like that. Jul 02 06 10:34 am Link UnoMundo Photography wrote: I love the look on her face in the first shot! :-) Jul 02 06 10:38 am Link Isn't it funny how of all the posts to this string only a couple of models have comments? And you know what gets me? The female photographers that contact models and the first thing they say is "I'm a female photographer". What is the assumption? I would think that the quality of your work would be more important to a model than what's between your legs. Unless of course the MODEL is the creepy one. Jul 02 06 03:20 pm Link Ron Young Photography wrote: they're probably creeped out by the thread. Jul 02 06 03:25 pm Link KM von Seidl wrote: They're creeped out by the word "creep". No one wants to touch that one (no pun intended). Jul 02 06 03:33 pm Link |
