Model : Kate Snig Photographer : Robin Burch (Copyright 2020)
I get a message from a model asking me to consider them for work at least once a month. I get messages from non-models too. I look through them all and decide who I would be willing to pay for and who I consider to charge or offer TFP. There used to be a time where if someone was willing to shoot, I would jump at the chance. I am so much more selective now when considering who to work with and how.
I have a number of concepts I want to try and some which I know work well and will always enjoy shooting. When I see a portfolio, I consider where that person would fit in and whether they have a look that will work in those concepts. What comes up all the time is whether they will shoot nude. Very often they describe their work or what they are willing to shoot and a willingness to shoot nude seems almost to be the breakpoint. Not every shoot I do is nude or includes nudity but my work does include a fair amount of it.
I work hard to maintain a healthy reputation. Now, when I say work hard I don’t mean I suppress desires or hold back what I shoot. What I mean is that I work hard to have creative concepts or ideas that use nudity in a way that I find effective but not primarily sexual. I have worked with a few women who have never shot nude but have asked to do their first nude shoot with me because they like how I present it. I consider that an honor and I consider myself lucky to have grown up with a respect for women that comes across in my work. I do allow my ego to get tickled a bit when I hear them say how much they enjoyed the shoot and how they liked the finished work. Part of me working hard is to make sure that doesn’t go to my head. Confidence is open to improvement, arrogance stops that learning.
What I look for obviously depends on the concept. There are a couple models I will always pay for because they can adapt to concepts and are entirely professional in how we shoot. Then there are others that I know I will have to work hard to get what I want. I then consider by their folios what they seem to like and work out how we can both be happy. Those shoots I will often propose TFP. Others offer their time and offer ideas and depending upon that, I decide how much I will charge. If they are making money out of it, then I will charge accordingly. If it is just for their own enjoyment the same applies. My rates change for who I shoot.
For concepts I want to shoot I look for models that suit the look. I look at their posing ability and the look they offer. The facial posing is important and I always look at their hands. Hands are hard to pose and I look to see how they use their fingers. I look to see how they hold tension in their body and how contrived a relaxed pose looks. It’s hard to convey being relaxed in a pose and it takes an element of acting. During a recent shoot, I was blown away by how inexperienced a model was but how she could convey being bored whilst shooting her first nude shoot. She has a talent that is rare.
In art nude outdoors I look for how well a model is able to relate to the surroundings. Now, a lot of that is down to the photographer and what they wish to capture however, when someone has a good portfolio, their work demonstrates their flexibility in environments. I don’t mean yoga flexibility, I mean whether their posing is a studio pose but outdoors or whether the pose is suited to the environment. There is a big difference to me. How a model blends with a wooden stump or an expansive landscape or how they use the landscape to their advantage. I see a lot of studio poses in a forest or upon a large tree or a beach. There’s nothing wrong with that and a lot of photographers like that but I look for more. Much like an accomplished actor, a gifted model is able to convey something without words.
Now, the inevitable question will be: do they have to be fit, pretty or sexy? I want to say no. To be honest, I don’t get a lot of requests from men or women who are older or aren’t models or want to be. I am in the process of doing my first male nude shoot and I want to work with a woman in her 40’s. Both of them have something I want to capture. That’s what is important to me. I am not drawn to tattoos but have worked with women who have them. If someone’s look is ultimately sexy and their portfolios show that work is their aim, I am not drawn to that either.
Someone just sent me a bunch of images and asked to shoot them. I replied saying any photographer could take that style and I am not really interested. If we shoot, I want to do something different from your average Instagram look. I just can’t ‘see’ that way. I have tried but the shots to me looked half-assed and not that great. She loved them and was happy to pay the fee I charged. They were good shots and suited what she wanted but for me it was work but when I shot with her I had to look at it that way. I asked to do a couple more creative shots and they worked well and she was surprised to see herself in a more artistic shot rather than just a sexy influencer or Only Fans content.
So, to surmise what I look for in a subject, it is hard to define but I know it when I see it.