A Photographer's Nude Nightmare--the tip of the day

A Photographer’s
Nude Nightmare
R. Dodge Woodson

Every year I try to bring in a fresh face, or two, for my stable of models. Very little of my recent work involves models. I specialize in wildlife, macro, and nature photography. But, every now and then, I get the urge to make magic with the human form as I did for many years in the past.
When I began looking for a new go-to model for 2010, I ran into a situation that I have never encountered before in some 35-40 years of photography. It is this experience that I will share with you. Hopefully, you will be far better prepared for it than I was. Fortunately, my life experience prevailed and I did not walk into a trap, but it would have been easy for a young, inexperienced photographer to wind up in a world of trouble.
I prefer my models to be go-to professionals who can do it all, or at least most anything that comes along. The pain of going through a long list of models to find the right one who is available is something I don’t have the time for.
If I am looking for a woman to be a mother with a child in a playground on one shoot and a seductive nude figure study in another session, I want it to be the same person when it is feasible. The more I work with the same models, the better we get to know each other. Our end result is fantastic photos.
Given my rules, most of my models must be willing to model for tasteful nude settings. With this in mind, I state my requirements clearly when I do a casting call for models. My work does not resemble pornography in anyway and is not for the adult market—as it is called on the street.
How Do You Get Nude Models?
How do you get nude models? A lot of people think it is difficult, but it is not. Before I tell you the story of the nude nightmare, let me explain the various methods that I have found to be successful in acquiring models of all types.
• If you have a good reputation, you can run advertisements online or in your local newspapers.
• You can go to modeling agencies and arrange for models to pose for you.
• Word-of-mouth referrals are always good.
I know some people advise photographers to hand out business cards to potential models in general daily life. This is something that I don’t recommend. In my opinion, the person handing out the cards can come off sleazy.
How Much Do You Pay For A Nude Model?
Photographers often ask me how much I pay nude models. They are generally shocked by the answers. Here is what I have been doing over the years:
• Many newbies and part-time models will trade their time (even in the nude) for professional photos to use with their comp cards and portfolios to present at modeling agencies. You would be amazed at how many people will take their clothes off for a camera without getting paid any money.
• Some models take a low rate of payment on an hourly basis, say $8 an hour, and then take pro photos for their portfolios to round up their compensation.
• Agency models seem to cost between $60-$100 and hour. I find that $75 an hour is common in my area. It is difficult to afford much of this unless you are shooting an assignment for a paying client.
• There are your high-end models getting outrageous money that we won’t even talk about here.
• Clothed models tend to charge less than nude models.
Now that I have given you an overview, consider that ranked models from legitimate agencies or who work on the side outside of the agencies will pose nude for less than $100 an hour. And these are gorgeous, top-shelf models. This leads us to the nightmare that I experienced recently.
Behind the Smoke and Mirrors
I placed one of my standard ads on a local advertising site. Emails began to come in. There were a number of male models and a few female models. It was a typical, routine model search in a rural location.
Then I got an email with three photos that appeared to be taken at different locations and most likely by different photographers. I made this assumption given my years of experience and trained eye as a master photographer. Something didn’t seem right. I don’t know really what it was, but it sparked concern for me.
After thinking a bit, I emailed the woman and told her I needed to see some photos that were current and that did not have her in a pro setting. I asked for a full-body shot of her front and back. Since most everyone has a cell phone with a camera in it, I assumed she could get photos back to me quickly. I explained to her that I was pressed for time and would like to see the shots within the next hour and that I didn’t care about the background or surrounding elements, only the body elements. I also told her that I needed to know the minimum rate that she would work for in the nude.
My advertisement stated that models would be paid between $8 and $20 an hour and given a DVD of pro photos for their portfolio. It was plain as day in the advertisement.
The woman emailed me two photos. She didn’t look like the woman in the other photos. In fact, she didn’t even come close to looking like the models. Then the bomb dropped. She wanted $100 an hour with a 2 hour minimum charge for a total of $200. Wait a minute! What is going on here?
I have no facts to base my hypothesis on, but I would be willing to bet that the woman is an undercover prostitute using the modeling scam to avoid law enforcement. There is no way any reputable photographer would consider paying her $100 an hour.
If You Are Looking For a Nude Model
If you are looking for a nude model, be careful. There is a lot of potential risk involved. Insist on the following:
• Confirm that all models are of legal age.
• Require picture identification.
• Have all models sign a model release before mounting a lens on your camera.
• Have an assistant on the set with you.
• If you have a bad feeling about a situation, avoid it.
• Consider setting up a video recorder to capture the shoot on tape. You can tell the model that you are doing this to see on video what you missed with your still camera, and this can be true. But, the video also helps to protect you from false claims made by a model.
Photography is a wonderful hobby and a rewarding profession. Don’t let one bad decision ruin your life forever.

RDW