Guy with Camera
At the beginning of October I went to my 2nd Peter Coulson workshop. This one was down in Georgia (the state in the US). This was basically the same workshop I went to last year in NYC and shot with Shay for the first time. The information presented in both workshops was basically the same. Some minor changes in the delivery, and some streamlining of some information, and some expansion of other information. I went the second time to test my growth as a photographer and as an artist. TLDR; I am much improved and happy with my growth. I have much to do to improve even further, but that is true of all artists.
About a year ago I found this podcast ‘The NSFW Photography Podcast’. The host would interview mainly Nude, Fetish and erotic artists and models. These models introduced me to the term ‘Guy with Camera’. Someone who has a camera and uses it to get models naked. They aren’t trying to make art, or tell a story with the nudity being a part or secondary to the main piece. They just want pictures of naked girls. For some of these girls, these guys pay the bills. Not everyone is OK with someone sexually objectifying them; for others, it leaves a greasy, oily feeling that stains the soul.
Erotic and art nudes feature the naked form as natural and beautiful. The eyes of the model can speak volumes to the camera, and to the viewer. If you can take a piece of paper and hold it over the breasts of a model, and the picture doesn’t change, the point of the picture is the face and the eyes. If you hold the same piece of paper over the face of the model, and the picture doesn’t change… the picture is a boob shot. There is nothing wrong with a boob shot, but that should be made clear from the outset. At least between the model and the photographer. Because if a model is uncomfortable, you can see it in their face and eyes.
Back to the workshop…The owner of the studio that the workshop was held in, was a Guy with Camera. The workshop was 3 days long, and the only model we had was Peters PA. All the other girls were exactly that, girls. None of them were over the age of 25. Almost all of them were blonde haired and blue eyed. They had that conventionally pretty look to them. And none of them were professional models. Peter has a monologue that he gives to new models. The first time hearing it conveys a ton of information. We heard the speech like seven times that weekend. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was so tired of hearing the bit, that I just walked away and explored the space we were in to see if I could find a spot that I may be interested in shooting in.
The first ‘model’ that we as the class got to photograph was a young girl from Louisiana and did her first modeling shoot only 4 days prior. Apparently 3 days prior the owner of the studio had her topless for a shoot, and said that it was something she wanted to do. Peter’s style of photography concentrates on the eyes and the expressions of his subjects said she looked very uncomfortable. (for the record, I did not see these photos, I am basing this off 2nd hand information). I don’t see any reason for him to lie about having seen the pictures. I did see some of his other work that he’s done before. You could take the face out of the picture and not change it. While this isn’t always a bad thing, I just felt (and still feel), that the pictures didn’t have any artistic value.
There is nothing wrong with nude modeling, nor is there anything wrong with pornographic modeling. I don’t think it is something that a new model should be getting into right off the bat. Sadly our society today is prudish and backwards. We should embrace our bodies. There is nothing sexual about nudity. Make sure that you have thought through fully any ramifications of the shoot or work you are about to engage in before you follow through. A “Hey, this could be fun” now, could turn into a career ender later in life.
